Pilot Road 4 anyone?

[Mr Fro]

I went to get some Pilot Power 3 rubber yesterday (at a good bike garage) and got chatting to the bloke...

He was raving about the Pilot Road 3 and all the great feedback he's had about them. He then mentioned the PR4 that have just come out and how they're supposed to be even better WRT mileage and grip vs PR3.

Now my head is all confused... They're for the ZX6r which is my daily bike but I do like to "push on" when possible. While I see the advantage of the sports touring PR tyre given the weather we have and the fact that I have to sit on the motorway quite a bit, I don't particularly like the way they look (pretty much like wets). I'm also concerned that the tread pattern goes right to the edge so might compromise cornering ability/stability when it's cranked right over.

Your thought/experience is, as always, invaluable!

Cheers,

Fro

[eastanglianbiker]

might be wrong here i often am but surely with tread pattern right to the edge of the tyre it means it has got better water displacement in the rain/wet giving you more grip rather than less

[Mr Fro]

You are of course correct EAB - the chances of me being that aggressive in the wet are quite slim. I was thinking that the discrete tread blocks might flex a bit while banked over. I'm probably over thinking it though...

[Grumpy Old Git]

There are other threads on tyres (including PR3's). Personal experience is that the PR3's are better than the original sport/tourer tyres on the 1250. I've no experience of the PR4 though.

[banditjohn]

I'm with G O Git on this one, I would say though that the PR3's are a great all round tyre and I would think if you want a sport tyre then you won't get any long life from them, I went from PR2's to 3's and they were even better on grip and seem to be lasting well. Any tyre is likely to square off if your sitting on the motorway all day every day but there is a compromise with the dual compound, with far higher mileage from the centre of the tread your never quite get the sticky off centre purely because it's an all weather tyre and if you do keel over you'll have better grip in the wet and may lose a touch in the dry but you will get longevity and reasonable all round grip. I've found the 3's a great tyre and would recommend them any day and by the time I need a new set I'll be going for the 4's

[techno]

I'll be getting some pilot road 3 soon, we like to push on, I've had a blade my mates run r1's and a gixxer thou and use sport touring tyres without any concern with handling.

I would say these days there more than enough and perfect for today's roads.

What price difference is there between 3 and 4's?

[Mr Fro]

Cheers guys, you're pretty much echoing what the shop guy said. I think the price difference between the 3 and 4 is 30-50 quid a pair.

[bmwdave]

I got the PR3s 2 weeks ago and they feel much better than the Bridgstones that came off, much less tramming, still rubbing the coating off so not stressed them yet. Ride a BMW R1200RT so the issue of hoe close to the edge the tread goes is entirely academic. Special offer of £25 off by application to Michelin on some tyres at the moment.

[Mr Fro]

Well 'ta for the info again everyone - I ordered some PR4 wubber wings which should arrive tomorrow. Just got to jack it up and take the wheels off this eve...

[techno]

I got the PR3s 2 weeks ago and they feel much better than the Bridgstones that came off, much less tramming, still rubbing the coating off so not stressed them yet. Ride a BMW R1200RT so the issue of hoe close to the edge the tread goes is entirely academic. Special offer of £25 off by application to Michelin on some tyres at the moment.

 

So people still believe there's some kind of coating that needs wearing off? If there was surely due to how a tyre works it would scrub off immediately or would still be present till you'd leant to the edge regardless?

[mattycoops43]

PR3s are the best tyres I have ever used, bar none. ( I haven't ever needed proper track rubber, so can't compare) .

I am sure the PR4s will be awesome. However, the price of them is getting a bit silly. I am putting tyres on the storm, and PR3s are running about £260 a set. My set on the fazer were on 9k miles when I sold it, the front was still full depth, and the rear had loads left but was flatted off due to being 9k motorway miles mostly on my commute.

I do not need to use it to commute any more, so quite frankly the price is putting me off, I can get some sticky Bridgestones for almost £100 less than the PR3s, so I am going to give them a try. They might not have the longevity, but I am only riding for fun now, so I think it's worth a try.

I would never put anyone off PR3s but I do think they are trading off the rep and pushing the price a bit silly. They are getting to the point where 50% more miles is going to cost 60% more, so I would rather have the same miles per buck but spend less time on the last bit of tyre and have new tyres more often.

[Mr Fro]

So people still believe there's some kind of coating that needs wearing off? If there was surely due to how a tyre works it would scrub off immediately or would still be present till you'd leant to the edge regardless?

Well there is but it's just the release agent from the mould.

I'm sure I've seen some data that suggests that a softish break in conditions the rubber and gives marginally better performance/wear or something*.

*Could be bollocks

I know what you mean about the pricing - These have set me back £280 a set. I ummed and arred for ages about life vs grip vs price blah, blah, blah and decided that if I don't try them then I'll never know!

If i get on with them then it's money well spent and if I don't then there'll soon be an ad in the "for sale" section and I'll grab some Sportmax, BT-016 or something .

[mattycoops43]

Oh you will like them. You will love them. don't worry about that!

I am going to try 016's next, they are a lot cheaper, I want to know what they are like.

[Matt Strange]

016 are old hat, I found them o.k. but the new tyre is the s20. If you want a sport touring tyre it's the 023s

[mattycoops43]

Not worried about the touring bit to be honest,

Going to do some track days this year.

[OhJay]

016 are old hat, I found them o.k. but the new tyre is the s20. If you want a sport touring tyre it's the 023s

And the new one of those is the T30

Bridgstone have actually been sensible about changing their naming system, they have now have the T30 for touring, the S20 for sporty riding and the R10 for racing

T30's and Pilot Roads (hadn't decided between 3 or 4) were my shortlist for what to get on the Viff...

and then I got Pirelli's

[Mr Fro]

Bridgstone have actually been sensible about changing their naming system, they have now have the T30 for touring, the S20 for sporty riding and the R10 for racing

About time!

Wish you could try before you buy...

[Fozzie]

Basic summary of tyres I've used

PR3's, an excellent tyre for sports tourers. Can even be used on sports bikes with great effect. I've had 3 sets of them now across different bikes.

However, for a sports bike I would use, Dunlop Sportsmarts 2's.

By far and away the best tyre for those who want to "push on" on UK roads.

They warm up fast, they offer great turn in and general stability. And they work well in the wet and feel fine.

Bridgestone BT016... Both times I've had these tyres I've wanted to get rid. They feel like lead weights in the cold, they square off badly, and they've caused wobbles when the bike has been at max lean before. It spat me very wide when the front let go and it's notorious on the track scene from those I've chatted to that they let go far too easily.

They are good at medium speeds for those who like to "push on" at a good pace rather than balls out gunning it. Especially when warm they feel ok, but hard riding or winter riding, crap.

BT020 - Better than the 16's but still not amazing.

BT023 - A hard wearing tyre, pretty good, no problems although on feedback the michelins are better.

[techno]

I know a friend of mine couldn't wait to get the Dunlop's off his r1.

Fact is on all sorts of bikes pr3's haven't had a bad word said against them.

[Mr Fro]

I guess we'll have to wait and see eh...

Funny you mention the BT-020 Fozzie, I've heard that the front can be a bit skittish... The thing is that I would have probably gone straight for Bridgestone again if I hadn't have acidentally ended up with Pirelli on the ZXR and realised that compared to those, the Bridgestones are a bit pants.

[mattycoops43]

Hmm. You guys might be changing my mind.

Will have to revisit this.

What is out there in the sport bracket then? that has good reviews? I would go for PR3 if they were cheaper, but they are a bit steep. Is there anything cheaper that works for fun days? I am not mega quick or anything.

[techno]

Hmm. You guys might be changing my mind.

Will have to revisit this.

What is out there in the sport bracket then? that has good reviews? I would go for PR3 if they were cheaper, but they are a bit steep. Is there anything cheaper that works for fun days? I am not mega quick or anything.

 

Can you get pilot road 2's still its what I have on at the moment and there's nothing particularly wrong with them.

[Tango]

What about Pilot Powers Matty?......not as hard wearing as the Pilot Roads....but quite a bit cheaper......

Round & Black have pairs of Pilot Powers for less than £160......

[GazzyG]

If you want sporty, you want Pilot Sports, rather than Pilot Roads.

[mattycoops43]

Thanks for the help guys I realise this is a thread hijack. Sorry!

I have just looked, I am quite tempted to just spend the extra on PR3s as I know how good they are, but I can get Plot Power 3s for £30 less than the PR3s. I haven't used a tyre like that, can anyone tell me what they are like? Are they soft but with rubbish mileage? Don't know what to expect really?