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Tire sizes on my Tuono

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16K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  No Coast Rider  
#1 ·
I just got my 2008 Tuono last month and it came with the same crappy Dunlop Qualifiers that every new bike I buy seems to have on it! Something about these tires just never clicks with me, I just really prefer the feel and predictability of Bridgestone and Pirelli Sport Touring tires.

Anyway, every bike I've had recommended one tire size, but my Tuono actually says you can use 190/50, 190/55 or 180/55 tires on the rear. It's currently wearing a 190/50. Just wondering what attributes each size would do differently. I assume a 180/55 would be cheaper and turn faster and a 190/50 would give me a b***** contact patch, but I'd like to get some more opinions. The bike already turns incredibly fast with the 190/50 so if that's also the size with the biggest contact patch I figure I should just stick with that.

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#3 ·
Actually its kind of weird to think about, but all of them will have the same contact patch. If you inflate your tires to say 40psi (pounds per square inch), thats pretty much a constant in how much they're going to deform to support the weight of the bike.

The first number is the width of the tire in mm. The second number is the height of the profile, expressed as a percentage of the width. They do that so you can easily compare the shape or profile at a glance. So a 180/50 and 190/50 will have the same profile. A 190/55 would be taller/steeper than the profile of a 190/50. If you put a 180 on a wheel meant for a 190, it'll flatten that one out even further, since its stretching a bit.

Just depends how you like the feel. If you like that flickable feel where the bike just wants to fall into the lean with minimal effort, you want a taller profile.
 
#7 ·
Interesting, I thought the handling was retarded fast with the 190/50, the 55s must make it ridiculous. I think I might stick with the 190/50 then since I do a fair amount of slabbing on my way to twisties and I commute every day and my main issue is tires squaring off too fast.

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