Wish I had not gone with a Vredestien Tire

[Sundown]

I heard a lot of encouraging stories about dumping kendas for Vredestein. For those that are on the fence - save time money and frustration and just don't do it.

I ordered 205/60R15, the stock tire I took off was 225/50R15. Immediately I could see the size difference- they weren't even close! The Vredestein is most noticeably much narrower. So maybe I ordered the wrong size??? I got online and searched - nope, I got the right one. So I went to the dealership (with whom I had already made aware that I will be bringing in the tire and wheel for them to mount), and the service writer agreed - it doesn't even look right. I pressed him to mount it anyways and he reluctantly agreed. Well today I got a phone call; they will mount it if I REALLY want them to, but they would again strongly advise against it based on the size difference. At this point I threw in the towel. My own doubts coupled with different technicians opinions tell me not to mess with the tire sizes. Do so if you want, but be prepared some raised eyebrows for mounting a tire that is clearly the wrong size.

 

[troop]

The Plus with the 205 is it has less chance to hydroplane on wet roads. The downside is less rubber on the road. A 215/60R15 General Altimax is a wonderful choice. That said, their are many happy users on the forum with the 205 Vredestein.

 

[JKMSPYDER]

My independent Spyder shop did not have a rear Vredestein tire last year when it was time for a new tire. I went with the General Altimax tire. But I have several friends that have the V 205/60/R15 on the rear of their Spyders and they are very happy with the tire.

 

[Jackhartjr]

I heard a lot of encouraging stories about dumping kendas for Vredestein. For those that are on the fence- save time money and frustration and just don't do it.

I ordered 205/60R15, the stock tire I took off was 225/50R15. Immediately I could see the size difference- they weren't even close! The Vredestein is most noticably much narrower. So maybe I ordered the wrong size??? I got online and searched- nope, I got the right one. So I went to the dealership (with whom I had already made aware that I will be bringing in the tire and wheel for them to mount), and the service writer agreed- it doesn't even look right. I pressed him to mount it anyways and he reluctantly agreed. Well today I got a phone call...they will mount it if I REALLY want them to but they would again strongly advise against it based on the size differance. At this point I threw in the towel. My own doubts coupled with different technicians opinions tell me not to mess with the tire sizes. Do so if you want but be prepared some raised eyebrows for mounting a tire that is clearly the wrong size.

You are the first person I have ever heard complain about the Vredesteins!
I saw a 100 percent improvement on two Spyders when I went from the crappy kenda to the Vredesteins!

 

[Woodaddict]

with a 205 width plenty OK. I have had 2 General Altimax 215 width that first one wore down and I was getting severe hydroplaning. The OEM 225 tire doesn't need to be that wide for traction, 205 is OK.

take out the sprocket and take to walmart, discount tire, tire shop, they will mount it. doesn't need to be balanced as car tires are much better balanced. you can use Centramatic wheel balancers for all 3 wheels

 

[CloverHillCrawler]

205/60/15 user here, very happy with it and the tire size corrects the issue with the speedometer calibration.
It now reads the same as my gps speed. You can use some balance beads. I have them in my rear and work great.

I have also driven with these through severe downpours and had no issues with hydroplaning. I did that with both the 165/60's on the front and the other day on the way home from harrisburg with the 175/55's on the front.

 

[EdMat]

Sometimes size matters, sometimes it doesn't. Bigger is not always better.

 

[Peter Aawen]

The Plus with the 205 is it has less chance to hydroplane on wet roads. The downside is less rubber on the road. A 215/60R15 General Altimax is a wonderful choice. That said, their are many happy users on the forum with the 205 Vredestein.

The reduced risk of hydroplaning is perfectly valid, yes; and there's also somewhat less likelihood of wearing out the centre of the tread quite so rapidly as the 20mm wider 225/50 tire, which bags out more in the middle of the tread as the revs increase; but the rest of that ^ is not quite correct!

This is cos the 205/60 tire is a taller profile tire, which means that while it's true that the contact patch/footprint of the 205 is a little bit NARROWER than the 225, it's also L O N G E R than that of the 225/50; so that overall, the total contact patch area of these different sized tires is very similar - but because the 205/60 has a longer contact patch with the same loading on it vs a wider but shorter contact patch, the different shape of the contact patch is basically all to your advantage! The extra length of the 205/60's contact patch instead of width (especially if you're running a 'real' car tire at the recommended 18 psi) serves to increase stability; reduces the risk of hydroplaning; improves the ride, handling, tire life, drive, & braking traction of your Spyder; and a bunch more besides, meaning that a 205/60R15 tire is basically an all round BETTER rear tire size for any Spyder over the 225/50R15, just so long as it fits under the wheel arch and tupperware (and as many can attest, they DO!)

Similarly, a 215/55R15 is also a bit narrower than the 225/50, and it's a bit taller than the 225/50 too, altho not quite as much as 205/60; but just like the 205/60R15, a 215/55R15 is still going to provide a noticeable improvement in traction, handling, ride, comfort, tread wear, and more! So I'm sorry Sundown, but those 'technicians' you talked to clearly weren't skilled & experienced TIRE technicians; or if they were, they were simply toe-ing the BRP company line and feeding you the same line of BS that pretty much all dealers/dealer techs have been feeding Spyder owners ever since Spyders hit the streets!

 

[jjc54]

I'm on my 2nd Vred 205/60. The original Kenda that came on the bike was a hydroplaning nightmare at 10,350 miles when I changed it. The last Vred I almost got 30K miles and still handled wet roads extremely well. Corrected my speedo also. I've got better things to do than remove the tire every 10K miles. Also, I run 16 PSI in my car tire and not the 26-30 that is listed in the operator's manual for the Kenda.

 

[Snoking1127]

Imagine if Ford said you can only install Firestone tires on your Ford vehicle!

 

[BajaRon]

Sundown, what you are doing is judging a product by it's looks and opinions of those who have never tried one.

First, look at the wear pattern of your OEM rear tire. It is likely going bald in a 3-3.5" center track. Ask yourself, 'Why is this?' It's because that's all the rubber you have in contact with the road surface most of the time. The 225/50R 15 has an average tread width of 8.9". But most of it isn't even touching the ground as you ride. This is why the outside 2" or so on both sides of the OEM tire will be virtually new when the center wears out - they never touch the ground and you get little, if any, benefit from the wider tread.

Now the narrower 205/60R 15 Vredestein tire has a width of 8.1". But the superior construction of this tire makes sure the full 8.1" of rubber in the tread width is on the ground at all times. The tread will wear evenly across the entire width for this reason. Plus, the Vredestein sheds water better than any other tire we've found that fits the Spyder.

'Don't judge a book by its cover' can be good advice. It's important to look at the entire equation, not just the first number you see.

 

[Wdaniels]

Hey, I'm glad we're talking about this. I've been checking out all the threads, even the old ones, 'cause I know this has been a topic for ages, and some folks will probably tell me to use the search function. Anyway, I was changing my oil and had the bike on the jack, and I saw that my rear tire on my 2023 F3 Limited is bald in the middle. They're the original tires, and I've got almost 18,000 miles on 'em. I remember seeing people say I'd need to replace them around 8,000 to 10,000 miles when I first got the bike and joined the forum. I've been looking at other tire options in the same size. Plus, I know from my '23 T-Bucket hot rod that the wide tires balloon out and wear out fast. I might check out a taller tire, as long as it fits.

 

[rjinaz86323]

I went with a 225/60R15 and I am very happy.

 

[Yabbadabbadoo]

I'm on my second set of Vredesteins and am very happy with them. I'll get them again next time. Same favorable experience and comments as those mentioned above so I won't repeat them.

 

[MeudtPG]

I love my 165/60 front set Vredesteins and my rear 205/60 Vredestein. I run 18 PSI cold in all three tires riding two up with a trailer and all is great.
My second set of Vredesteins!
Nice ride with wet traction too!