Revisit, new question, 12,000 mile Metzler

[Top Cat]

I wanted to put this in a new thread so people who read the original wouldn't pass over it.
I am curious as to what everyone thinks of the wear pattern on this tire.
There is a band around the tire where the steel belts are and on each side of the band the rubber drops down or is worn away. I would have thought the tire would look rounded, you know, the same curve from one side to the other.
Any ideas, or is this normal?

[rksaw]

Incredibly interesting TC. I am not that smart about the whole thing, but I wonder if, in the manufacturing, they put more "rubber" in a strip down the middle. This tire is deflated and not mounted when you took the picture right? I wonder if the air pressure "pushes" the rubber out to better match the centerline when inflated. Just a thought, but I'm glad that you took the picture, it's something for us to think about.
Rich

[Top Cat]

Yes rksaw , the tire was off the rim when pic was taken. There is however a pic of the same tire before I had it changed on the original 12,000 mile Metzler thread.
You can't see it as good but it is still high in the center and low on the sides of the steel belts. Not quite as bad , maybe because of the inflation as you said. But still high in center and low on sides.

[twittercat]

Wow TC, the first thing I'm thinking is over inflation??
I don't know for sure though. ???

[Top Cat]

Originally Posted by twittercat

Wow TC, the first thing I'm thinking is over inflation??
I don't know for sure though. ???

Thats what I thought at first. But I always ran it at 40 to 42 pounds like others on this site.

[Todd]

TC, I have the exact same wear pattern running 42lbs. I think with my riding 2 up most of the time and my own weight being more than the average rider, I am going to back down to 38-40 lbs....my last tire wore evenly at that. I think over inflation caused the centerline of the tire to be the major contact point and caused the squaring effect on the wear pattern.

Weight and load have so much more effect on these tires.

[Top Cat]

I'm running my Avon Cobra at 40 right now. Cindy has her own bike so i will be riding solo most of the time. Will watch this tire for wear and might drop to 38 pounds.

[VulcanE]

On the Cobras, for maximum load capability, (not max pressure) Avon recommends 36 psi in the front and 44 psi in the rear. So,riding solo, 40 psi might be a good pressure TC. Like you said, keep an eye on it and adjust from there.

[VulcanE]

I forgot to add, all the Metzelers I have ran wear just like that, only I never got it down to the steel cords though . My last one (before the one I'm fix'in to replace) It wore to no tread was left on the sides or the center, and it looked like the letter "V" with a flat bottom. The guy that changed it for me said I wore the tire out 3 times The fronts wear nice and round.

[VulcanE]

P.S. I ran 41 psi front and rear, 'cause the Metzeler rep. I spoke with suggest it for the Nomad.

[dogdoc]

its odd the manual calls for i think 32 in the rear while everybody that replaces the stoners and even those with the stoners have ran as high as 42 in the rear. Im wondering if over-inflation might be casuing that wear pattern TC, ??

[Top Cat]

We rode a little over 200 miles today. Going for about 250 tommorrow. I think I like this Avon tire. Time will tell. Probably not till next year as it is almost time to put it away for winter Geez I hate the thought of that :(