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Any feedback from the Folks running these Vredstein or Continental Front Tires?

My thought behind the swaybar and rubbing was that without the bar, I felt that the Spyder front end allows for significant body roll into turns and with some tires might get more sidewall flex resulting in some fender rubbing. I do have your swaybar installed. Might have been a stupid thought.
The fenders are attached to A arms, which is a fixed position. Some have found the 175 tire might rub sometimes. Just a little fixing of clearance can remedy rub. The body can roll, but no where near a rub or hit on fenders

Go take a closer look at the Spyder in that area
 
My thought behind the swaybar and rubbing was that without the bar, I felt that the Spyder front end allows for significant body roll into turns and with some tires might get more sidewall flex resulting in some fender rubbing. I do have your swaybar installed.
I think it's a valid question. But, I think if the body lean and centrifugal force exacerbated tire shape distortion it would be at the bottom of the tire where fender clearance isn't an issue. I think.

I also think that since both wheel hubs and the fenders are attached to the A-arms, there shouldn't be any change in clearance between the tire and fender regardless of what gyrations the front suspension is up to. But, I'm just surmising here.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you.
 
Just a quick note here people - ALL Spyders and Rykers leave the factory with 'a swaybar'!

If it's the OEM bar, some might consider that it only works about as well as a limp pool noodle would work, but it's still there and it IS still having some 'anti-sway' effect, and it's NOT changing or contributing how the tire interacts/scrapes with/on the inside of the fenders up front, as both the sway bar and the fenders are connected to and move with the front wishbones that the wheel hubs are mounted onto the very end of - so if you've got tires that are scraping on the inside of the front fenders!

Of course, we all know that there's some Spyders/Rykers with the OEM sway bars, and some which might have any one of a number of upgraded sway bars, most of which work a whole lot better'n the OEM pool noodles, Ron's especially, and his 'Ultra' offerings, even more so! But they still don't impact AT ALL on the tire rubbing on the inside of the fenders...

However, if your FRONT TIRE PRESSURES aren't set at a pressure to suit the load on them properly, that MIGHT actually cause some scraping issues!! And funnily enough, until you get so stupidly and dangerously high in tire pressures that the tire begins to act like a steel wheel on a railway bogie, so that it doesn't easily flex at all in any measurable way, it's generally going (or staying) too HIGH with your front tire pressures that is more likely to cause them to rub on the inside of the fenders!! :rolleyes:

If the pressure is set at something suitable to the load on your tires, which is generally a lot lower than those 'too hard' railway bogie pressures (don't laugh too loudly - some who haven't known better have seen the Maximum Load/Pressure label on the sidewall and set their tires to that pressure! 😖 ), then the tire tread in any reasonable quality tire will generally stay/be held fairly flat across the tread face on the road surface, while still being soft enough to conform to any irregularities in said surface and having a little bit of give/flex/twist in the section of tire carcass that's the bit immediately OFF the ground/road surface, so that almost all of the give/flex/twist in the tire happens within a couple of inches of the ground/road surface - this is how Radial car tires (like those that are fitted to all Spyders/Rykers) are designed and intended to work!! They are meant to be set a pressures low enough to allow them to flex more than cross ply tires and most motorcycle tires in order to keep more of their tread surface firmly mated to the road surface et al, with a fair amount of 'give' & flex in the bit of tire carcass that's juuust off the ground, which is also why they are MEANT to look a little baggy or as if they are running a bit low in pressure and why they should 'feel' a little softer/spongier and maybe even a little less immediately 'direct' in the steering than if they're over-inflated - and amongst other things, also why your ride should be better, your tire's traction better, your tire's puncture resistance better, and your tire life better! But they shouldn't be so soft/lightly constructed in the carcass &/or tread that the centre of the tread can flung out by centripetal force as the tire rotates/speed increases, like it is on the OEM tires, albeit to a lesser extent on the KR20 Kanines and even less on the most recent XPS branded tires. :cautious:

But if you pump your A/mkt Spyder/Ryker tires up too high/run a pressure that's needlessly high for the given (lighter) load of a Spyder/Ryker over that of most cars, (ie. anything much more than 18 psi) then besides all that other stuff that radial tires run at the right pressure can give you, that 'give' and flex close to the ground disappears and much more of the carcass is twisted and skewed as you get further away from the ground, meaning that those higher than ideal pressures are more likely to contribute to, if not actually cause, any scraping under the front fenders where things can get close! Run them at too high of a pressure for tge load, and the tire casing itself will still be twisting/flexed when it gets up to where the fenders, brackets, and wiring etc all get pretty close to the sidewall, maybe enough to cause them to scrape!?! 🤨

So if your A/mkt tires have been scraping under the front fenders, that could have been due to a lack of clearance issue from the factory; or it could have been because of the way the wiring clips were oriented, OR it could possibly be that you were simply running a tire pressure in your A/mkt tires that's just too high for the lighter load of a Spyder, or any mix of all those & maybe more besides! But before you get too bogged down in chasing all the other possibilities, maybe you should just check and possibly set your A/mkt tire pressures to 18 psi or so. ;)

Just Sayin' - again! 😁
 
I changed to Continental ContiPro Contact 165/60R15 and the General AltiMax RT45 215/60R15 and am extremely happy with my choices. I just completed a 28-day 8,800+ mile trip with them in all weather except snow and ice. They worked well in anything I put them through. The tires now have around 10,000 miles on them and show no appreciable signs of wear.

I also moved to PPA Orb Wheels which is why I went with the 165/60. There have been reports of the 175 Vreds rubbing on the 2020+ with the PPA wheels. I'd like to try the Vreds as the Vredestein Sprints were my favorite tires on my first car.

jdg
 
You're right, they never end and before I posted this, I thought, yep, yet another tire post, but I looked everywhere for this information and got what I was looking for here in this forum and no where else. My thought behind the swaybar and rubbing was that without the bar, I felt that the Spyder front end allows for significant body roll into turns and with some tires might get more sidewall flex resulting in some fender rubbing. I do have your swaybar installed. Might have been a stupid thought. I appreciate yours and everyone else's valued input and thank you for getting back to me. I'm going to roll with the Vredestein Quatracs and the General Atimax RT 45. I promise I won't post any Oil questions... lol

Not a stupid question at all. I hope my reply didn't infer that. I only posted to set the record straight so the question was not left hanging.
 
Just a quick note here people - ALL Spyders and Rykers leave the factory with 'a swaybar'!

If it's the OEM bar, some might consider that it only works about as well as a limp pool noodle would work, but it's still there and it IS still having some 'anti-sway' effect, and it's NOT changing or contributing how the tire interacts/scrapes with/on the inside of the fenders up front, as both the sway bar and the fenders are connected to and move with the front wishbones that the wheel hubs are mounted onto the very end of - so if you've got tires that are scraping on the inside of the front fenders!

Of course, we all know that there's some Spyders/Rykers with the OEM sway bars, and some which might have any one of a number of upgraded sway bars, most of which work a whole lot better'n the OEM pool noodles, Ron's especially, and his 'Ultra' offerings, even more so! But they still don't impact AT ALL on the tire rubbing on the inside of the fenders...

However, if your FRONT TIRE PRESSURES aren't set at a pressure to suit the load on them properly, that MIGHT actually cause some scraping issues!! And funnily enough, until you get so stupidly and dangerously high in tire pressures that the tire begins to act like a steel wheel on a railway bogie, so that it doesn't easily flex at all in any measurable way, it's generally going (or staying) too HIGH with your front tire pressures that is more likely to cause them to rub on the inside of the fenders!! :rolleyes:

If the pressure is set at something suitable to the load on your tires, which is generally a lot lower than those 'too hard' railway bogie pressures (don't laugh too loudly - some who haven't known better have seen the Maximum Load/Pressure label on the sidewall and set their tires to that pressure! 😖 ), then the tire tread in any reasonable quality tire will generally stay/be held fairly flat across the tread face on the road surface, while still being soft enough to conform to any irregularities in said surface and having a little bit of give/flex/twist in the section of tire carcass that's the bit immediately OFF the ground/road surface, so that almost all of the give/flex/twist in the tire happens within a couple of inches of the ground/road surface - this is how Radial car tires (like those that are fitted to all Spyders/Rykers) are designed and intended to work!! They are meant to be set a pressures low enough to allow them to flex more than cross ply tires and most motorcycle tires in order to keep more of their tread surface firmly mated to the road surface et al, with a fair amount of 'give' & flex in the bit of tire carcass that's juuust off the ground, which is also why they are MEANT to look a little baggy or as if they are running a bit low in pressure and why they should 'feel' a little softer/spongier and maybe even a little less immediately 'direct' in the steering than if they're over-inflated - and amongst other things, also why your ride should be better, your tire's traction better, your tire's puncture resistance better, and your tire life better! But they shouldn't be so soft/lightly constructed in the carcass &/or tread that the centre of the tread can flung out by centripetal force as the tire rotates/speed increases, like it is on the OEM tires, albeit to a lesser extent on the KR20 Kanines and even less on the most recent XPS branded tires. :cautious:

But if you pump your A/mkt Spyder/Ryker tires up too high/run a pressure that's needlessly high for the given (lighter) load of a Spyder/Ryker over that of most cars, (ie. anything much more than 18 psi) then besides all that other stuff that radial tires run at the right pressure can give you, that 'give' and flex close to the ground disappears and much more of the carcass is twisted and skewed as you get further away from the ground, meaning that those higher than ideal pressures are more likely to contribute to, if not actually cause, any scraping under the front fenders where things can get close! Run them at too high of a pressure for tge load, and the tire casing itself will still be twisting/flexed when it gets up to where the fenders, brackets, and wiring etc all get pretty close to the sidewall, maybe enough to cause them to scrape!?! 🤨

So if your A/mkt tires have been scraping under the front fenders, that could have been due to a lack of clearance issue from the factory; or it could have been because of the way the wiring clips were oriented, OR it could possibly be that you were simply running a tire pressure in your A/mkt tires that's just too high for the lighter load of a Spyder, or any mix of all those & maybe more besides! But before you get too bogged down in chasing all the other possibilities, maybe you should just check and possibly set your A/mkt tire pressures to 18 psi or so. ;)

Just Sayin' - again! 😁

Thanks for the clarification. I kill myself sometimes. Yeah I reread "without the bar" and laughed. I meant without Baja Ron's Swaybar and only using the stock one that comes from the factory. Ron's Swaybar made a huge difference for me in the Los Angeles canyons like Decker (4.7 miles w/84 curves), Latigo Canyon (10 mile w/155 curves) and of course the scenic Malibu Canyon to name a few. On my bucket list "to do's" is to ride the Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina/Tennessee border (11 miles w/318 curves) some day. Love twisties.


Not a stupid question at all. I hope my reply didn't infer that. I only posted to set the record straight so the question was not left hanging.

No offense at taken at all and I always appreicate your valid input. I find at times, I'm not "clear" enough in my thoughts as I am typing. I need to work on that. Maybe old age? LOL
Love your Swaybar BTW! Between that (which I'd had for a bit) and the new tires; I'm really excited to get out there and try them!
 
No offense at taken at all and I always appreicate your valid input. I find at times, I'm not "clear" enough in my thoughts as I am typing. Need to work on that. Maybe old age? LOL
Love your Swaybar BTW! Between that (which I'd had for a bit) and the new tires; I'm really excited to get out there and try them!

People tend to be surprised at how much difference the sway bar makes. Admittedly, it doesn't look much different than the stock bar. It doesn't necessarily impress in the box, but it will on the bike. Then the correct tires will move everything up another notch.
 
People tend to be surprised at how much difference the sway bar makes. Admittedly, it doesn't look much different than the stock bar. It doesn't necessarily impress in the box, but it will on the bike. Then the correct tires will move everything up another notch.

Back in 2020 when I bought my first 2018 RTL, I put Federal tires on the front and it was an improvement. I then installed a HD sway bar and it was an additional improvement. Then I installed a General out back and it was an additional improvement. Then I installed PPA ORB wheels and Vredestein 175/55R15 tires and it was an additional improvement. I can not imagine any tire that would exceed the Vredestein that is inany way near that same price point.

Directional one.jpg
 
All,
I wanted to thank everyone that posted and got back to me (regarding my questions) on the Vredestein Quatrac 165/60/15 & the General Altimax R45 Tire 205/60/15 and that's what I ended up with. Regarding the ride, OMG I am in total Awe!

It is like night and day going down the same bumpy roads I went down before. Speeding down the freeway, it’s as smooths as glass. I joked with friends how it now rides nicer than my Mini Cooper Countryman. Our main road in town that runs the length of it and it’s a horrible ride. It’s got pot holes, tar snakes and bumps all over it. I literally glided over all of them with ease. A few of you told me it was a game changer and you were so right. The handling is also “crisper” and don’t have to pull on the handlebars as much in turns. It completely changed the bike and I couldn’t be more pleased. Like Ron said, it did take it up another notch.

Below is a little lengthy, but I have some good info and tips that I didn't find anywhere on the internet & Youtube. It comes from Mechanic "suggestions" and years of wrenching on Harley's and other motorcycles.

Regarding the Tire purchase
I bought the tires from Tire Rack and had them shipped to the house. I told them they were going on a Spyder and they said “Cool” LOL. Since I was having a friend static balance all 3 wheels, I only had them take the old tires off and put the new ones on at the tire pressures I specified.

Beware, that some tire shops will try and charge you $25 per wheel (which includes spin balance) and just explain to them that you only want them to take the old one off and install the new one without any balancing. I spoke to the manager and he only charged me $14 per tire instead of $25 per wheel. The price also included the California (BullS...) Environmental Fee they charge per tire of disposal. Surprisingly, the wheels took a lot of weight to balance them out. It's not a horrible number of weights, it’s just more than I expected.

Things I learned and did during the install. I also included a few steps/tips that I didn’t find on the internet.
When I pulled it apart, everything was very dry, including the seals, O-ring, and rear axle. My buddy, who sold me the bike, said the dealer worked on it last. The axle was marred from hammering it in dry. I was pissed.
  1. I did the fronts first and used my steel motorcycle lift to jack up the front end enough to get both wheels off. When putting the wheels back on, I torque the wheel nuts to 77 ft-lbs. (105 Nm). Once the rims were back on, I slid my two ramps under the wheels and lowered the wheels onto the ramps. I found that the added height of the bike helped with the entire process of removing the rear wheel. I’m old and I hate bending over so much.
  2. In jacking up the rear, there is no need to remove the rear shock bolt from the swingarm. Some folks did it on the internet and you really don’t have to. I found that if you remove the bolt and jack up the bike from the center frame, there is a chance for the swing arm to swing down far enough to damage the ACS Ride Height sensor and/or cable attached to it. I was told by the dealer’s mechanic that this is a common problem with people removing the bolt. I did jack it up from the center part of the frame using an automotive jack.
  3. Before removing the axle, duct tape the end cap/axle adjusters to the swingarm. This elevates it/them from moving around when trying to install the axle. Also, when you put it all back together (I found) that there was no need to adjust the wheel or belt tension & Belt position. They were prefect when I was done.
  4. I had to remove the rear Disk Brake Rotor from the wheel so they could install the tire. They said they couldn’t do it with it on. Be careful when removing the 5 bolts connecting the Rotor to the wheel hub. They are not as hardened as I thought and I noticed that the dealer must have used an impact putting them back on, because the ends were a little rounded. I’m going to change them the next time I have to change a tire with a higher-grade bolt. Use Blue Loctite on the 5 bolts and torque to 68 ft-lbs. (92 Nm)
  5. I used a Cable Tie to secure the caliper backing/speed sensor plate. I didn’t have to loosen any of the Speed cable/Brake line from the swingarm and just slid the cable isolator (grommet) that holds the Speed cable/Brake line all the way to the end, freeing them both up. See the Pic
  6. I unbolted the Caliper and hung it from the Exhaust with a bungee cord. This doesn’t put any stress on the line. When fitting it back on to the caliper backing/speed sensor plate, use Blue Loctite on the Caliper Bolts and Torque to 77 ft-lbs. (105 Nm)
  7. I numbered the rubber isolators in the wheel hub to put them back in the same place (I’m anal) and lubed the rubber isolators on the ends with Silicone PTFE Grease on the 5 Isolator spacers (on the backside of the pulley) to help them slide in between the isolators and also protect the rubber from drying out. Learned this from my Harley days.
  8. The seal that goes between the wheel bearing hub (next to the isolators) and the Belt pulley was damaged when the dealer (see pic) put it back together dry. I called the dealer parts dept and of course they didn’t have one. I also spoke to the mechanic there, asking if he had one, and he didn’t. He said the dealer won’t stock them!? So, I had a quest to find a replacement. I found it at Napa Auto Supply, it just happens to be the correct size, and it's for an automotive radiator thermostat seal. I bought a few. The O-ring seal needs to be lubricated and put back into the hub before pressing the Belt pulley back on.
  9. When Torquing the Rear Axle nut, I found it easier to Cable Tie the breaker bar & socket to the swingarm, with the end of the breaker bar touching the ground. This eliminates having to hold on to it and the torque wrench at the same time. This gives you the ability to stand up and torque the axle nut slowly with both hands. Made it really easy. Torque to 166 ft-lbs. (225 Nm). Easier to torque the nut with the wheel on the ground, but I wanted it higher so that I didn't have to bend over as far, I'm old... lol

20261031_113917.jpg - Cable Iso.jpg

O-ring and Iso.jpg - 20261031_122925.jpg

20261031_122520.jpg - 20261031_135542.jpg
 
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^^ Bookmarked for future reference, thank you!!

Sarah

There's now a DIY/How to thread from @Elqueso2 on this, with a bit extra in the way of added notes thrown in, over in the DIY or HowTo & Step by Step Guides sub-forum, check it out:


;)
 
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