That's because the
specific nominal sidewall size isn't really all that important, since physical tire sizes can vary so much from whatever it might say on the sidewall; physical sizes that will almost certainly vary from manufacturer to manufacturer even if they wear the same nominal sidewall size, which may also vary between different tire types made by the same manufacturer!! :lecturef_smilie:
So, given that, you need to make your own choice on what size & type of tire to fit. I generally go for something just a little larger than the OE size, because we have lots of long and hot miles here in Oz, so choosing a tire that gives it fewer revs per mile/a little bit longer legs helps (once corrected for speedo/odo variations) fuel economy a tad & the slightly larger tire rolling dia generally gives better tire life (altho that may be somewhat varied by the choice of compounds used in the tire's tread!) Besides, it seems BRP has deliberately(?? :dontknow: ) chosen tire sizes that aren't readily available in any alternatives in order to make it less likely owners will choose anything but their OE Crap... err, sorry, Kendas! But so far, going by the myriad of beta testers & testing that's been done by owners/users, pretty much any auto tire in a size that physically fits into/onto a Spyder/Ryker is likely to last longer, perform better, be less prone to issues & failures effecting ride, handling, puncture resistance, suspension compliance, and tire longevity et al.
All of which boils down to
YOU needing to make a decision - you can stick with the OE spec rubbish; you can choose alternative auto tires that match the OE Spec sizes from the limited options available (which may be significantly different sizes anyway
) that better suit your needs/wants; or you can choose auto tires that better suit your needs/wants which have physical dimensions that are
reasonably close to but different from the
ACTUAL tire diameter of the OE spec tires (altho the Kenda is a little small) Compare the rolling radius or diameter, or you could even compare the 'revs per mile' of your tire of choice - in either case, you get to select something that, if you make any effort to define what you really need/want, will almost certainly better suit your particular application than the 'one size fits all applications' type tire that BRP tries to foist off on everybody despite the vast range of uses & conditions where they may be used! :banghead:
For the rear of Spyders, that generally means something between 195/75R15 up to 225/60R15, with the most popular choices being in the 205/215/225 sizes and profiles being 55, 60, or 65, albeit not too many want to risk going over 225/60 simply due to the space available. For the 2013 & later fronts, most go for 165/175 x 15's in 55, 60, or 65 profile, altho there are a few who've opted for 185/50R15's and upgraded their fenders to cater for the extra width. Any auto tire that's
NOT a Spyder spec Kenda (OE Spec or the alternate Kenda Kanines) & so is likely to have a higher load &/or speed rating will be substantially more 'robustly constructed' than the OE Spec tires, and so will
not need the higher pressures you'd normally run in them if they were fitted to an auto weighing in maybe three times as much! That means you'll need to run pressures in the vicinity of 16 psi up front & 16-18 psi in the rear or you'll be running them over-inflated for the load/application on the Spyder/Ryker, and in doing so risking abnormal wear rates/patterns, increased likelihood of punctures, substantially reduced traction (especially in the wet), and less suspension compliance/harsher ride, et al! We don't get Vredesteins here in Oz, so my 2013 RT Ltd is currently running 175/60R15 Kumho's up front at 14-16 psi depending upon temps/load/trip length & a Michelin 205/65R15 on the rear at 16-18 psi with the same proviso's. And I've got better than 30,000 km of better ride, handling, & traction etc out of all the tires I've run (not just tested) on my Spyder since I scrapped the dodgy Kendas that it left the factory with - they didn't even last 5000 km, and the improvement in all aspects of tire ride, handling, & performance once I'd tossed them was astounding!! :clap:
But it's your Spyder, and it'll be your tires, so it's really
YOUR choice, isn't it?!? You just hafta make it!
hyea:
:cheers:
