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Shall I only change tires in a SET? (aka no brand mixing)

4K views 22 replies 9 participants last post by  Angel Rodriguez 
#1 ·
My 2015 CBR 1000 RR is approx. 3500 miles (~ 6000 KMs) now. It came with Dunlop Qualifier II. The rear is almost squared off now. The center line area is most weared-off while the side walls are still in great shape. That must tell you that I do straight line rides more than leans. The Front tire in other hand is still in great shape over all.

Based on my riding, which is 100 % urban and canyon carving but 0 track days - I am leaning toward Bridgestone S21 for the better mileage.

Now the question is - should I change both front and rear to S21 at same time or should I leave OEM Qualifiers II in the front alone and only change Rear, means I will have two different brand tires (with slightly different behaviours) at the same time. Based on current front wear, I am sure it could last another 3500 miles (~ 6000 KMs). The other option would be to change Rear with same Dunlop Qualifiers II (Q3 as cant get Qualifiers II anymore) and in future when Front is ready, swap both of them to something else in a SET. But of course I want to try new rubber now.

What the group recommends? Any experience that could be shared? Are there any pros and cons (except cost)?
 
#4 ·
Sounds like a new rear will be just fine. Q3's are excellent tires and I would recommend them to anyone. However, you mention doing mostly straight rides, the Q3's are quite soft and will wear based on your riding type. Life of the tire wont be as great as some of the harder tires.

My personal opinion is to always get the best rubber you can afford. Sure, you wont get as many miles out of them, but tires are by far one of the most important safety components of your motorcycle.

Your front tire should be fine for now but certainly look into a new front when the wear indicates it. I also believe that the front tire quality is more important than the rear from a safety standpoint. Buy the best front tire you can afford when you are ready to replace.
 
#7 ·
As the saying goes: if you have to ask, then you should probably just replace both.

I would also 2nd on considering the Q3's; they are a great tire for both track and street & very affordable for a performance tire, even though they wear out more considerably. In my opinion, good tires and road feedback are more important to me than planning out the mileage - the better rubber you have, the better the ride. But the Qualifiers and S21 are great from what I've heard; if 90% of your riding is on the street then you should be fine. Either way, I would replace both and keep the setup consistent if you plan to ride fairly hard or do a lot of canyon carving.
 
#8 ·
Thanks all for your feedback. I am inclining toward swapping both to Q3 or S21. I won't go with sport touring (like Angel GT) because my second bike CBR 500R is dedicated for that purpose. :)

I don't do track days because we don't have any around Calgary. The nearest is in Edmonton that is approx 200 miles away. There is plan for brand new track but its still couple of years from now. Everyone in city is keeping fingers crossed and hoping NIMBY doesn't kill it.

http://www.rockyviewmotorsports.com/
 
#14 ·
Some more reading and research tells me that overall, brand-mixing is not recommended especially in super bikes like ours. The different brands used different chemical formulas to come up with tire compound. In addition the profile and tread pattern also goes hand in hand for front & rear tires.

Having said that, some manufacturers do allow models mixing, example Dunlop recently said Q3 owners can put one Q3+ and that be okay. In the past, they highly recommended NOT to mix Q2 & Q3.
 
#20 ·
PR4 GT? Oh yeah you are right. Oopsie. That's for big fat tourers ...

I run PR4s (not GT) on my CB1000R and they are fantastic in all conditions, including on track (I run medium/fast B pace). I doubt they would be up to CBR power/pace on the track, so I won't run them on my CBR.
 
#22 ·
I ran 3 sets of pr4's on my bike in 17k miles, first set got me 8k miles, last two not so much, never had a problem with grip on canyon riding and 6 track days. but if you are that good of a rider, you probably wouldn't be asking these questions.

As far as tire mixing goes, i am not expert, but i wouldnt mix a q3 with a touring tire, but i did just get the roadsmart for the rear and have a pr4 on the front. as i only got 5k miles out of the last rear. just pressing on the RS it feels like harder rubber compared to the pr4's, my brother just got a new set of pr4's on his bike 2 weeks ago. so they are easy to compare. 500 miles already on the RS and upto 161 no wear showing yet. im 250 lbs + gear so i go through tires faster then most. did alot of 2up riding on the last set too, Depending on the mileage i get out of the RS's i might give GT's a try next. hoping to get a track day in on these in the next week or two.
 
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