BajaRon
Well-known member
Within reason, it's fine. Even tires with the same designation will vary in dimension a little from brand to brand. And even from version to version with the same brand. Though usually not as much as going to a different spec. But the ones recommended here (a far as I know) have been tried and work well. Personally, I would not go with a smaller diameter tire. That spec should be equal to or slightly larger than OEM. Remember, if the tire is 1" larger in diameter. That only makes a 1/2" difference for clearance. And the Spyders have at least that much room.
I misspoke about the tire size in post #13 (Just my Luck!) I've corrected that error.
The 3 tire sizes recommended are;
1- OEM 225/50R 15 - Diameter 23.9", Width 8.9"
2- 215/60R 15 (Altimax, etc.) - Diameter 25.2", Width 8.5"
3- 205/60R 15 (Vredestein, ect.) - Diameter 24.7", Width 8.1"
Again, these are generic numbers. Your particular tire might be slightly different. The 215/60R 15 is about all the Spyder will take. We tried a 225/60R 15 and it just barely hits the front of the swingarm cross member. Not recommended.
Even with the narrower 205/60R 15 tire, you're still getting way more road surface contact at speed than the 3"~3.5" of contact with the ballooning OEM Kenda. And a narrower tire is less likely to hydroplane. All things to consider.
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