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160 tire fitament...4.25" or 5"

258K views 278 replies 120 participants last post by  wsmc549 
#1 · (Edited)
I think this has to be one of the most asked questions, do I use a 160 on a 4.25 wheel or go with a 150 ?? so I decided to profile both tires with picts to show the profile differences....

The tire is a Pirelli race rain, 160/60/17 set at 24 psi, the first pict has the 5"/160 combo at the top of the pict. The second pict. has the 5"/160 combo on the right side of the pict.

If the wheels had slicks on the them the differences are alot more obvious. Yes, some MFG's make a slightly narrower 160 and some actually are a bit wider, but you get the Idea......

I do have more picts If needed....and YES the tire is on backwards....:twofinger
 
#200 ·
5.5" on ktm 520

Help please! Bought ktm 520 with 5.5" rear and dunny 165/55 17 and now I want to try touring tires for road trip. Any idea what will fit 520 without hitting swingarm?
I just tried pilot road 3 in 160/60r17 and need 10+ mm less width. I'm going to shave down 5mm each side of tire and try to make it fit but not looking good. Any ideas besides buying new wheels?

Diff. Tires that will fit used for touring ?

Thanks...
 
#202 · (Edited)
Got any pics? which 160 are you running?

Brian, i laced up a 5" on my rmz with a 165 on the rear. my suspension will be in from Dave at fbi today or tomorrow and ill hit the track with it this sunday. Thanks for the thread and the links to the rmz with a 5". I was half considering a 160 on my 4.25" but i did it right(hopefully). Right now my rim is laced up centered but im going to offset it to the brake side 1/2 turn to try and get some more chain clearance. Any thoughts if its really needed? The axle is pretty far back now...
 

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#207 ·
Brian, the 165 on the 5" rim centered worked great on this bike(can't say the same for the front). I also can't forget to thank dave at fbi for the suspension setup:) The front was a shinko :( but the rear was a soft maxxis presa. Almost zero chain slap on the tire. there are a few marks but it didnt really take any off. Im happy with it!
 

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#214 ·
Matt..the maxxis 165 is as wide as a truck tire. It'll hit something for sure. Maybe next time get a Bstone SM 165 slick. Fits alot better and out-handles the maxxis all day.
Good call having Dave set-up your gig. He has the touch for sure.
 
#209 ·
Yeah im glad i took the time to really measure things out before trying to offset it. Im also glad i was able to use the rear tire. I was worried cause it was a very round profile tire with some steep sidewalls but all is well. I know its not the best tire(i don't know but im told) but for $75 the maxxis presa rear i thought stuck really well.:D
 
#213 · (Edited)
I have just finished fitting a 5" rimmed rear wheel to my Husky SM610. I have been using 160/60's on the OEM 4.25 rear rim, which was OK, but what a difference the 5" rim makes. giving the tyre a much bigger contact patch.

Absolutely brilliant! Loads of reassuring consistent feel when turning in and excellent hook up on the way out of corners.

I would recommend a 5" rear rim when running 160/60's every time! :thumbup:

Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa 160/60 measures 157mm on the 4.25" and 163mm on the 5". For anyone with possible clearance issues!
 
#217 ·
5" rim on my 450x

I have a 5 inch rim that works on my 450x. I have set up the rear wheel on the bike and Everything works well. The chain clearance is tight but works fine.
My question is the wheelset I have is set up with track tires I belive michelin 160-60-17 and they Also say they are tubeless. MY rims are Excell. I would like to use the avon distanzia if possible for occasional dirt roads. dose anyone have any recomendations on tires with this size rim on a 2005 CRf 450x.
Are these wheels actually set up tubeless? Should I run these track tires at all or will they be dangerous on the street before they get warm?
 
#218 ·
the tires are meant to me tubeless like pretty much all tires.. its the wheel set that has to be modified to be tubeless.... Avon distanzia's will work well for the street.....both avon and michy are big for the stamped size..
 
#219 ·
Ide love to see a list put together of different manufacturers tires widths on a 5 inch. State the stamped width then an actual measurement in mm. Ive got a maxxis presa 165/56 on a 5inch excel and theres at least 10mm clearance brake side and 8mm from chain. ill dig out the calipers tonight but i want to fill those voids with my next tire. 08 510 btw
 
#225 ·
Shaving and math

For the guys shaving tires to clear chains, it was mentioned a block plane can be helpful. These are about $5-7 at any hobby shop and take up a lot less space in a tool box. Might be worth trying. I don't have any affiliation with these guys, just had one of those planes since I was 14 years old.
http://masterairscrew.com/razorplane.aspx


I'm relatively new to bikes, but a serious tire nerd when there are four of them on the vehicle. So this thread makes a lot of sense. If you assume that 180s are optimized for 5.5s, since that's standard in the 600 sport bike world, here is a chart showing the relationship between tire and rim width for various combinations. Of course, manufacturers will design their tires slightly differently, so this can only be directional at best, but it does kind of frame up a lot of the comments in this thread. Hope it helps.


 
#228 ·
I would challenge some of the values on the chart particularly, (so I'm not trying to split hairs but) the 5.5 from a 5 inch with a 160...as most of the fastest guys on the planet use the 5.5 or 5.4 on a 170/160 Dunny of Michy...for the best contact area possible...I know myself making that jump has been a very noticeable difference... but in my opinion I think that chart as you mentioned gives a good illustration of the point for sure...using a block plane when there has been so much discussion about bushings for Marchy's as well spoke offset for spoked wheels to clear the chain with chain guards as well... using a plane is nuts, might as well leave a narrower tire on rather than taking rubber off....not to mention you destroy the intended curve and shape of the tire specially at the point when you have a peg dragging and you inside another fellow going for the pass..get to the point where the edge drops off with no warning...:nutkick: I like the chart as mentioned it really drives the basics home...the original intent was to get track guys off 4.25's and onto 5's when using 160's .. then we got into street bikes and different profiles...I really need to repost some pictures.. sorry i have been lazy...:nutkick:




For the guys shaving tires to clear chains, it was mentioned a block plane can be helpful. These are about $5-7 at any hobby shop and take up a lot less space in a tool box. Might be worth trying. I don't have any affiliation with these guys, just had one of those planes since I was 14 years old.
http://masterairscrew.com/razorplane.aspx


I'm relatively new to bikes, but a serious tire nerd when there are four of them on the vehicle. So this thread makes a lot of sense. If you assume that 180s are optimized for 5.5s, since that's standard in the 600 sport bike world, here is a chart showing the relationship between tire and rim width for various combinations. Of course, manufacturers will design their tires slightly differently, so this can only be directional at best, but it does kind of frame up a lot of the comments in this thread. Hope it helps.


 
#229 ·
Regarding the plane, I assumed nobody would think of shaving more than whiskers and the mold parting lines, about 1/8-in of material max, perpendicular to the axle line, just to keep the chain from having to do it. Shouldn't make any meaningful difference in contact area on the road or integrity/stiffness of the cap plies. In the car world, shaving race tires down to 3/32-in starting tread depth is SOP to get the best, most consistent performance and longest life out of a set of race tires. I didn't view this as even coming close to that. Though personally, I'd rather just start with a combination that fits.
 
#230 ·
taking down the tread thickness on a car tire to alleviate tire squirm is a different deal altogether...taking "any" rubber off a bike tire is not needed other than grooving...hence the reason for the thread in the first place..
 
#231 ·
TE449 and rear tire choices...

Hi guys this is a great thread and after reading I wish I had gotten a 150 rear....
Anyway, I have a 2013 TE449 Husky that I ordered SM wheels for. Again, after reading this thread...:damn: I would have chosen a 5" rear rim rather than the 4.25.
I was wondering if anyone out there has had any tire clearance issues with a 160/60-17 (I got the Michelin 2CT Race) on the new BMWvarnas..? It will be interesting to see how this bike is as a supermoto after owning the SM510R, 610SM , DRZ400SM, and a sumo'd Yamaha WR400..
Any other advice/opinions/etc on the TE449 as a sumo would be great to hear-if there is another thread or whatever I'd love a linky...
Thanks!
 
#232 ·
I'm getting ready to buy some wheels for my Xr250r and don't know if I should go with a 4.25 or a 5" rear?
I don't think I'll run anything bigger than a 150, as this will be a daily rider, and will still see offroad trail duty. My other thought was that with such a light bike, more surface area may not be such a great thing if I hit some rain or a gravel road as it will more likely slip.
Just like my big tires on my jeep CJ, that thing gets real squirrely in the rain with it being so light and having wide rubber.
 
#234 ·
change from 4.25 ro 5"

OK, Brian et all, I'm listening to you preach. I have a 4.25" excel on excel hub. when looking around on the 'net, all rims I see are assembled wheels. can I just buy a 5" hoop somewhere and have a local guy swap it and lace it up for me?

(OR, would it make sense $ to sell my 4.25 and buy a 5")

running on a track only 05 crf X btw

thanks, guys
 
#235 ·
Not sure what someone charges to do that.....I guess you can get the hoop, take off the old one and take it to a fellow to do that..I have swapped out an excel superlite from a 5 to a 5.5 using the same spokes, compensated for the offset.. took an hour..that was my first time..works perfect, made the wheel tubeless as well.... I dunno get a GOOD spoke wrench and give it a try...
 
#236 ·
To 160 or not to 160? That is the question.

Hi. Thought I’d weigh in with a little bit of info.
I put a 160 Pirelli SC’1 on the 4 ¼ back rim of my Huski 630 SM. It cleared everything fine. It didn’t look pinched to me. I was able to scrape the footrests out on the road fairly easy. There was just a couple of mm left unscrubbed to the edge of the tread, front and back. A huge improvement on the Diablo’s fitted as standard. I had no trouble “working” some heat into these tyres. Even though the dealer warned me that the Huski was to light for the SC 1’s, and wouldn’t be able to use them properly. Not true. I found that tyre choice is limited if you want to stick to a 150.
So just go ahead slap a 160 on .What’s the worst that could happen?!! A 5 inch rim is bound to weigh more than a 4 1/4 and the weight is right where you dont want it, unsprung, with a high moment of inertia. Yeah a 160 tyre weighs more than a 150. But life is always a compromise. I had 30 pounds of air in each tyre. I tried letting some out, to lighten the bike. But now I have a broken collar bone. Why ????
 
#239 ·
So from what I've seen on this thread, it's a silly illusion, specially for street tards, to try to fit 160 or larger tires, because they will either rub the chain or be very curved?

I have a 11 Husaberg FS 570 which came with a 4.24 rim, 150/70 tire, which I was thinking could be larger..

160-180 on a 4.25" will make it too curved, right?
5" rim + 180/55 will rub the chain? What about adherence, manoeuvrability?

Thanks!
 
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