Michelin (Pilot) Road 5 GT
- Thread starter tdragger
- Start date
I run the non GT 5's very hard . they perform well in all weather conditions , and life with 207 hp , 116 tq on a heavy throttle is 7000 out of a rear .
This is push mountain Rd 341 AR with 5's mounted up . I have run the 4's in GT , and non GT compounds were the same . The GT was stiff in feel .
Hayabusa PR 5's
This is push mountain Rd 341 AR with 5's mounted up . I have run the 4's in GT , and non GT compounds were the same . The GT was stiff in feel .
Hayabusa PR 5's
I have the non-GT Road 5 on my FJ-09. So far I have about 6500 miles on the front and 3500 miles on the rear. The front is starting to show it's age a bit and probably has ~2-3k miles left. The rear still looks new. I got 10k miles out of the PR4 rear I had previously, and I expect about the same service from the Road 5.
They are excellent sport touring tires in the dry, and I would say the Road 5 is the best rain tire I've ever used. I got caught in a torrential downpour plus hail a few weeks ago on a sweeping road (US-20) in the Oregon coast range. Cars were slowing to 45-50mph due to the heavy rain (Oregonians are terrible drivers and absurdly slow, even in rain) but in a two lane passing zone I had no trouble maintaining 55-60mph to pass them. Road feel was excellent and the traction control never lit up.
They are excellent sport touring tires in the dry, and I would say the Road 5 is the best rain tire I've ever used. I got caught in a torrential downpour plus hail a few weeks ago on a sweeping road (US-20) in the Oregon coast range. Cars were slowing to 45-50mph due to the heavy rain (Oregonians are terrible drivers and absurdly slow, even in rain) but in a two lane passing zone I had no trouble maintaining 55-60mph to pass them. Road feel was excellent and the traction control never lit up.
On my second pair of Road 5 on a RT1200... I tend to run higher pressures for longetivity but still have ground down the feelers on the pegs comfortably. I do run mostly highway miles however and changed them out at 14K without getting all the way down to the wear bars. Prior to them I had the Road 4, because they both were rated highly for wet roads which is what inspired me to go with them.
I've got a PR4GT on the rear right now and I've been very happy with them for all riding conditions. Wanted to try the rear PR5GT, but was in a pinch and that's all I could find in the local area on a short notice. So I'll wear this out and the 5 will be the next one to try out. I'm getting about 8.5-9K out of the rear PR4GTs and hopefully the 5 will get a bit better mileage. Finally got myself a tire changer at the Dallas IMS, so I'll be able to make swaps much more conveniently!
Those GT tires are a bit tough to change with a No Mar type setup if that's what you got. Especially for someone new to changing. I'd recommend getting some wood clamps, straps and something to get the tire good and hot to help keep the tire in the drop center and ease installation.
I use two wood clamps to pinch the tire, straps to keep the rim from spinning and cheap tire warmers to get the tire warmer than anything else I've tried.
Even then, some tires just suck.
I use two wood clamps to pinch the tire, straps to keep the rim from spinning and cheap tire warmers to get the tire warmer than anything else I've tried.
Even then, some tires just suck.
Well yea... that would be me! I got the No Mar "ultimate" package deal after checking out all the options / different machines there at the IMS. The rep went thru everything and we even used their demo to remove / install a tire. Sure... that was probably 'perfect' conditions, but it sure seemed super easy and it's what swayed me to spend the $$. So we shall see sometime soon. Probably got another 3-4k miles before I need to make a swap.
I've owned a No Mar for close to 10 years, it LOOKS easy on YouTube and in person, I even visited the shop on STL but and this is a big BUT, trust me, until you learn the technique perfectly and use shortcuts I mentioned most attempts end in frustration, failure and No Mar machines for sale.
Those GT tires are extra stuff, and when installed on certain rims, like BMW rims with a shallow drop center, well, they aren't the best choice to learn on. Can be done, I've done many on my GT and RT, just challenging.
Don't mean to discourage, once you find your way it's great to have and I'd never go back to paying dealer tire prices and having someone else damage my rims, I've changed well over 100 tires and still it sucks from time to time.
Those GT tires are extra stuff, and when installed on certain rims, like BMW rims with a shallow drop center, well, they aren't the best choice to learn on. Can be done, I've done many on my GT and RT, just challenging.
Don't mean to discourage, once you find your way it's great to have and I'd never go back to paying dealer tire prices and having someone else damage my rims, I've changed well over 100 tires and still it sucks from time to time.
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Success! I'm feeling rather accomplished right about now. I've changed car tires in the past but never bike tires. Watched all the videos and it definitely took some patience and a little effort. I can see how the BMW shallow drop center is a pain. Definitely need an extra spoon or 2. BUT... got the set of tires swapped out no sweat. The balancer is super easy. Done. Did it a couple times just to get some technique figured out.
If anyone ever needs tires around the Ft Worth area... stop on by!
If anyone ever needs tires around the Ft Worth area... stop on by!
