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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
 
#131 ·
Ideal tires for track

I'm currently runnin 120/60/17 and 150/60/17 pilots on my kx250f. But after the rear started to blue I got a bit lucky and found some Dunlop kr106 and 108 take offs with very little use and stil pretty oft to the touch. Dates are kinda old thou if reading right. 120/70 front with 950 compound (soft?), and 155/60 (950) both with dates around 1506. Tires have most wear in center cuz dude used on the street until pulled over by popo. Will keep posted on difference in ride when done.
 
#133 ·
I've just fit (used) 160/60-17 Conti Road Attack tyres on my SM610 rear wheel (4.25"). There is no chain bite, tyre doesn't look too "baloony".. ..but this is just temporary till I get new Dunlop Mutant tyres (150/60-17).

I've heard that Dunlop tyres are actualy wider then other brands.. ..is that true?
 
#134 ·
not true, a 160 Dunny is narrower than an Avon, pirelli , Metz and and other I just can't think of...there is a list somewhere on the site that does a comparo...when I have time I'll search..
 
#135 ·
Good thread.....just spend the last hour reading through the posts to get the info I nneded for tires for my new Husky 510 w/ 4.25 rim. I have a set of Maxxis Presa Goldspeed DOT slicks in 160 size that i'm gonna spoon on. When they wear out, I will start looking for a 150 rear...maybe a Bridgestone BT016?
 
#136 ·
This is my Pilot Power 2ct 160/60 on a 4.25 rim. What should the "profile" and sidewall look like and maybe someone can explain this with some detail and if it has already been explained, sorry just hit me with a link.

I am getting ready to replace the rear and thinking of the bt016, conti sm, or distanzias and don't know what to get:headscrat. I have been really happy with this tire but if you guys think something would be better suited please let me know. I only ride street so far and the bike is an xr650r.

Thanks,
 

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#137 ·
Just an extra data point:

I tried a 160 on my 07' 525EXC and it was just too crowded to keep running on my 5" excels. The extra chain slack that is spec'd on the ktms makes for excessive contact, and if you offset more to the right side you end up hitting you exhaust excessively. In the end its just an uphill battle.

I went back to a 150 and I have plenty of room between sidewall and chain (~4mm) and the bike performs JUST as good as the 160 did. Save yourself the headache and mount up a 150, they kick ass!:thumbup:
 
#138 ·
I have been looking through all the major motorcycle tire MFG's charts for tire and rim compatability and found they all indicate the 160/60-17 is made for a 4.5" rim and can be used with a 4.25" - 5" rims. The reason I was looking is that all the sport-touring tires are 150/70 or 160/60. I'm trying to determine which is best for my rim. It seems that the 150/70 is over an inch larger in diameter than the 150/60, while the 160/60 is only about a half inch larger than the 150/60. Hmmm, what to do?
 
#141 · (Edited)
Here is a pic test fitting a KTM 5 inch wheel on a DRZ400E model swing arm. The tire is an old tire I had around from my other bike, center is worn i from commuting so it may make the profile look funny. Tire is a 150/60/17 conti SM.

I think I'm going to be ordering a 160/60/17 for this rim.


 
#142 ·
Ask of tires

Hi I'm newbie here (already introducing on new members thread)
I have KLX 150 my front tire is 120/70 (rim 3,5'') and rear is 160/60 (rim 4.25'')

my questions is what the standars size of tires which using in AMA supermoto race (front and rear tires with rims size as well)?

I'm being anxious:anim_peep::hmmm:

thanks bro, look forward to hearing ur comments
Candra
from Indonesia
 
#143 ·
Hi! do anyone knows what size should i put on my klx400? i use 160/60 but my chain hit the tire and the adjustment on the right was 4, while on the left was 2, to avoid hitting. I plan 150(need offset according to my friend) or 140/60 but to small. Does anyone cares to post how to offset the rims since i wanted to have 150/60. Lastly, available tires to choose are Perelli or bridgtone.
 
#144 ·
I have been running the battleaxe003 3 sets now. Love them sticky as hell, but when the front gets really hot it starts to let go in heavy lean. I put a Q2 up front and WOW that is one badass tire. I bought a 160/60/17 for the back what you think as for chain rub? Anyone else run these tires on a drz400SM? The battleaxe003 is a good back tire but it wears out super fast. And I can't lean over far enough, I'm running on the edge of the tire. Im able to drag knee it just breaks loose on throttle out. If I run the Q2 in the back I would be able to drag knee and still hold corner speed. Being it has more of surface at full lean. I love the 003 it just wont hold under full lean and throttle.:hmmm:
 
#145 · (Edited)
Hello,

I'm currently planning on aqcuiring a Yamaha XT 660 X. And have a question regarding tires.

The XT-X comes with a 4,25" rear wheel. But as standard comes with a 160 tire. I so far have 2 tire manufactures that i prefer.

For Summer time i prefer one of these:
Continental SportAttack
or
Continental RoadAttack2
or
Continental ContiAttack SM (NEW)
these are available in a 150/60 size. So no problem with the 4.25" rim.

However, for winter time i like to use the Heidenau K73. Which is only available in a 160 rear. And i currently have that on my current bike, with a 4,5" rim and the last bit of thread looks very "steep". And it's hard to get that last part scrubbed. In other words, chicken strips. However, the tire does look a bit narrow for a 160. I like the tire because i commute on my bike, rain or shine. and the occasional snow. So prefer the open thread. Besides that, these tires do ok in light off-road conditions. I coould go with Avon Distanzia SM, or Dunlop Roadsmart Mutant, which come in 150/60 size, but are about 1/3 or more extra in price.

So the question is:
Should i just consider buying a 5" rear rim so as to make sure the 160 tires will fit properly.

Or just keep the 4,25". Use sporty 150 tires for summer time and mount the 160 winter tire and just don't worry about the chicken strips. Seeing it is winter time anyway.

Reason i mention the chicken strips is because that could mean i don't have the contact patch i could have. In other words, when leaned over, the contact patch isn't as big as it could have been with the 160 tire.

Best regards,
Thanas

B.T.W.
This might be a helpful post, scroll down to my post:
http://www.supermotojunkie.com/showthread.php?77561-Tires-for-your-street-SM/page6
 
#147 ·
So what's the best rear for a CRF450R... 160 on a 5" rim or 150 on a 4.25" rim?

What is the deciding factor when choosing between those two combos? Power? Weight? Riding style? :headscrat
 
#148 ·
go 5 inch rim with a 160....anyone who is serious about track riding has that combo at least....


I'm still trying to dig up the original picts but there are enough picts on here now to get the idea....

I will post picts of my 160 dunny on a 5 inch wheel as well the same dunny on a 5.4 marchi... I think I found perfection with tire profile and rim...the best combo for me now is 5.4 and a dunlop 160...when the tire lets go its so predictable..

anyone have a 4.25 wheel with a Dunny 160 slick I can use with some other picts I want to post ? I don't have any 4.25's left to use in the pict for comparison...
 
#149 ·
go 5 inch rim with a 160....anyone who is serious about track riding has that combo at least....
Any issues with fitting a 5" / 160 combo on a CRF450R?
 
#153 ·
yep good combo...

as far as the previous post...I would not go by the tire mfg printed recomendations.. this thread is the whole point.. the mfg's are giving you very "general" guidelines... this thread has to be read from the beginning......each mfg has different measurements for their particular tire size and they vary greatly..
The picts had to be cleared as we were having bandwidth issues.. so I guess I should find some old picts and repost them.....
 
#154 ·
howdy gurus.

I'm currently one month into a six month supermoto trip around south America on my 690.

I knew from the beginning that tires would be a challenge, and I'm needing a new rear.

I found a shinko 150/70/17 for 100 bucks in Lima and thinking about putting it on. its the shinko 705. I usually run either distanzias or just recently the mt60.

any issues putting the 150 on a 5in rear? I know it'll be flatted out but for 100 I'm hoping it'll be good enough. I'm also hoping to get more than 3300kms which is why my rear had now and is almost completely slick at this point.
 
#156 ·
look at what you had before.. that distanzia was a 160 ? Avon's tires are big for their size .... same with the MT 60 fairly wide for their labelled size...

I would not put that 150 by 70 shinko on that 5 inch rim.....up to you.. If it were me noway...it's an inexpensive tire and If i remember correctly sizes small for its label....

an old bike riding friend of mine once said.. the only thing between you and the emergency room is a shitty tire...so do you really want to push your luck with that tire on a rim that really is on the outer most for size compatability ? Avons are soft grippy tires and so are MT 60's...there has got to be other choices with out blowing the wad...:D
 
#160 ·
ha well put Chase....my learning experince was magnified with my 4.25 and 160 on my kx 500 two torn up shoulders and a real talent for throttle control...man when that 160 spun up it threw me down hard...so now we are on 5.4's with 170 dunny's ( albeit skinny 170's) got to get more pictures...If you gottem post up some profiles of those hoops of yours with the big tire...our boy with that shinko.. ? god knows how old it is... might be oiled out and cracking at the bead...I did my part :coffee:
 
#162 ·
...If you gottem post up some profiles of those hoops of yours with the big tire...
Sure.
This is the rear wheel on my KTM 525. It's a Rexfelgen 5.5" with a Bridgestone 165 supermoto slick, but a Dunlop 170 supermoto slick fits exactly the same.





You can see it's a tight fit.
My favorite tire of all time is the Dunlop 170 supermoto slick. It's a perfect fit, due much to the fact that Dunlop designed their 170 series sm slick for a 5.5" wheel. I cannot run any tire smaller than a 165. And a 165 still works pretty good, but it's immediately noticeable that it's not as good as the 170 even though to the eye they look the same.

See how well the tire is wearing? All nice and even no spin-up rash balls or cold tearing? That's 100% due to Dave at Fast Bike Industries and his amazing suspension set-up skills. Get your suspension set-up correctly. The best tire will never work as good as it can until you do your suspension.
 
#163 ·
perfect....I'll post up tommorrow a.m. with my 170 and 5.4 marchi...hopefully some bikes will be at the track...I'll see who has what....in fact I have 2 170's on 5 inch hoops...well good start....I need really to find a 4.25 and a 4.5 with 160's..all my picts were taken off to make space... :headshake
Chase I went the other way... race tech..... I'm gonna do some lap times then go swedish internals up front...
 
#164 ·
Race Tech makes good stuff. Rather than the product, I think it's the tuner that makes the real difference. The Ohlins is at a different level though..allows the tuner to take the suspension and tires to the very max until other weakness's appear like chassis and swingarm issues. Ohlins is amazing. :bowdown:

Remember when that Dunlop 170 came out? I think it was mid/late 2005 or so and only the pro's could get em. And they were the only guys with 5.5" wheels too. We all drooled about The Dream Set-up. :lol:
I've raced against guys with a 170 on a 5" wheel and they did pretty good. I still had em in the corners though, and rather than outright skill allowing me to do that, it's really just correct wheels and tires with killer suspension.
I make no secret about it. Back in the pits I freely admit "It's not me...it's the bike."
 
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