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New tires

gator508

gator508

Experienced Member
Just had new rubber installed, front and back, standard Dunlops, done by my local dealer. The tech said I should take it easy for the first few miles to allow them to "break in." I have never heard of this before, is there such a thing as a break in period for tires.

Was going from the dealer staight to the beach, ~ 80 miles, hope that sufficed.....but that is a different story:D
 
Hope you have a great trip.... The small abnomallies that exist on a tire right out of the mold will soon wear off. You may not even notice, just give them a little time to seat in...
 
The problem is the mold release compound on the tires left over from manufacturing. It takes a few miles to wear it away. Until then, they tend to be a little slick and do not have the normal amount of traction you are used to.
 
Jake has you covered on this, new tires tend not be as sticky as you might be used to.
 
Plus the added caution is so that the bike will feel completely different with new tires and you will need to get used to the way bike handles.
 
When I picked up my new bike back in June the tech setting me up told me the same thing......brand new tires are a little slick for the first 10 miles or so according to him anyway.
 
This got my curiosity up so I went to the Dunlop website to see if what they had to say matched what I had always been told. This is from their FAQ section on new tire run-in:

When new tires are fitted, they should not be subjected to maximum power or hard cornering until a reasonable run-in distance of approximately 100 miles has been achieved.

This is necessary for a number of reasons. Replacements for worn tires with different patterns and construction will not react the same. Also, a new tire is stiffer than an old tire. The new tire has a rounder tread profile, different contact patch and "lean-over edge" than the worn profile of an old tire. The new tire will also not react the same in combination with its remaining tire.

Carrying out the required run-in will allow you to become accustomed to the "feel" of the new tires and tire combinations, so you are better able to achieve optimum road grip for use in high speed, high acceleration and handling situations.

They do not mention anything about the mold release, maybe that is an old-wives tale.
 
You should always be cautious with new tyres for at least the first 100 miles i tend to take the bike for a wee run and swerve the bike from side to side of my lane to scrub the tyres in and after a wee while they will be ready for normal use but you do need to try and bed in the whole width of the tread not just a wee strip in the middle

Brian
 
RetiredJake said:
This got my curiosity up so I went to the Dunlop website to see if what they had to say matched what I had always been told. This is from their FAQ section on new tire run-in:

When new tires are fitted, they should not be subjected to maximum power or hard cornering until a reasonable run-in distance of approximately 100 miles has been achieved.

This is necessary for a number of reasons. Replacements for worn tires with different patterns and construction will not react the same. Also, a new tire is stiffer than an old tire. The new tire has a rounder tread profile, different contact patch and "lean-over edge" than the worn profile of an old tire. The new tire will also not react the same in combination with its remaining tire.

Carrying out the required run-in will allow you to become accustomed to the "feel" of the new tires and tire combinations, so you are better able to achieve optimum road grip for use in high speed, high acceleration and handling situations.

They do not mention anything about the mold release, maybe that is an old-wives tale.
Click to expand...

Very good read, Thanks Jake:s
 
Thanks Jake et.al;
I now consider myself a little schooled on the subject, btw the beach was a gas!.......but thats anither story
 
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