2 Questions

[clayton]

Hi...
Ok now it's time hehe
1: I have a Red dot and a Yellow dot on my replacement Dunlop SP Sport 5000
Which one do I align with the valve stem? Yellow?
2: If you open your gas caps (on 1600's) there is a small nipple attached to the cap that recesses down into a hole where there is a rubber seal (so to speak)
The other day when I gassed up I noticed that the section of the seal that "seals" with the nipple came apart and stuck to the nipple.
So then is this so important I need to replace asap? if so why?
Is it not so important?
So far the only thing I have noticed since it tore apart was that I now hear that "Whining" you normally hear when turning off the bike and it is trying to release the gas pressure in the tank.
It only does it now and then not all of the time
I was thinking about take a small o ring and push it over the nipple and close the lid hoping that it might just stay in place until I can order a replacement
Thanks

[AlabamaNomadRider]

My tires only had one dot where the valve stem lines up.

It has something to do with the venting I think Either that are the overflow tube. I would not fill up much above the metal in the filler neck. You might end of with gas where you don't want it.

[macmac]

Dulop SP 5000's should have one dot like a target, a dot with a circle around it, and that IS the one you aline with the valve stem.

The other problem I need to go see.... and at the moment I just got in.....

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Two dots would be very confusing wouldn't it Mac?

[Yellow Jacket]

The yellow dot usually indicates the light spot and should be aligned with the valve stem.

The red dot usually indicates the high point of the radial runout or "out of round" position. IF you knew the runout of your rim you could position the tire to help nullify that.

This is not gospel and the word "usually" attempts to convey that point.

My suggestion is to just mount the tire, put in a couple ounces of Dynabeads and don't worry too much about it.

[clayton]

Well what was really confusing even more was the fact the lack of a directional arrow.
I guess with car tires it really does not matter I suppose I am used to MC tires.
I am going to go by the yellow dot since on the other tires I have mounted (MC) they too
were yellow.
The red one through me off.
Thanks Guys..
PS I am out mounting it currently but she be raining here so I will not be able to do much testing unless it lightens up later

[recumbentbob]

Cut & pasted from the Dunlop Tire web site.

HARMONIC MARKINGS
Red dots on Dunlop high performance tires for match mounting purposes. These dots mark the 'high spot' of the tire, which is then matched with the 'low spot' on the rim to cancel out harmonic vibration.

http://www.dunloptires.com/care/tech.html

[recumbentbob]

More info

The use of colored dots on tire sidewalls is a new practice which is still in the process of becoming wide spread and standardized.

Usually colored dots on a tire are found on OEM tires and not on after-market tires. What we've been able to learn so far seems to indicate that in some cases

Yellow=Light
Red=High

These are guides to technicians in mounting tires so that aligning the red mark with the low spot on the wheel(usually marked on wheel with white dot) is the best method for mounting tires.

The intent is to make the assembly more uniform and helps limit the RFV (Radial Force Variation).

Some of the newer, more sophisticated, tire balancing machines, will "OEM Match" tires for you, which basically means matching the uniformity of the wheel to the uniformity of the tire. This is considered important when mounting very stiff or high performance tires, as it limits tire vibrations which cause shimmy and shake.

Read more: http://www.tire-information-world.co...#ixzz1Pe0vr9qV

Tire manufacturers are starting to put colored dots on tires when they are being made and these dots have been the subject of concern and speulation from more and more tire users.


The dots on the sidewall typically deal with unformity and weight. Because it isn't possible to make a perfect tire, they all will have some point on the tread which is lighter than the rest. It's not something that an average tire user would be able to detect without highly specialized equipment, but it is there. When the tire is made, this point is found and a colored dot (usually yellow) is put on the sidewall to mark its position. This is known as the weight mark.

The yellow dot should end up aligned to the valve stem to help minimize the amount of weight needed to balance the when it is installed.

Since every wheel has a valve stem which cannot be moved it is considered to be the heavy balance point for the wheel.

Apart from not being able to make a perfectly balanced tire, it's also nearly impossible to make one which is perfectly round. The actual deviation is a ridiculously small measurement, probably no more than a hair's thickness but with highly specialized equipment this can be detected.

So, each tire has a high and a low spot, and the difference between them is called radial run-out. Using computerized analysis equipment, the tire manufacturers can spin a tire and discover a certain 'wobble' at certain RPMs. At the point where the tire wobble hits its high point, is the high spot and this is typically marked with a red dot on the sidewall, although again, some manufactures may not place marks, and others use different colors. This is called the uniformity mark.

Because most wheel rims are also not 100% circular, and will have a notch or a dimple stamped into the wheel rim somewhere indicating their low point. In installing, the idea is to match the high point of the tire should be matched with the low point of the wheel to balance out the radial run-out.


Read more: http://www.tire-information-world.co...#ixzz1Pe1oK7Jl

[macmac]

Originally Posted by AlabamaNomadRider

Two dots would be very confusing wouldn't it Mac?

Mine had 3 dots over all. A white dot, a red dot and a yellow target, that some might call lime green. I called Dunlop myself and was told the target like dot was the 'ONE'!

'We' can forget about the red dot, and we can forget about any perfect circle since man never made one yet.

There is no possible way to mount the yellow dot with the valve stem and the red dot on the wheel low spot on the same wheel and tire combination period.

No tire is true, no wheel is true, and pistons in engines ain't round. Except pistons are not supposed to be round anyway. AND it's a good thing they are NOT!