Has any one tried replacing front tire with Radial tire? And has any one replaced front with the new elite III ones from dunlop?

I will be in need of front soon and need suggestions. Front lasted only 12K. The rears are fine.

 

This on a TriGlide that the front only lasted 12,000????

 

Yes this is on a triglide.

 

Wow, must be a ton of around town and corner turning riding. My dad is approaching 10k miles on his TG and his front tire looks like the day the Trike was delivered. His looks like he should get pretty close to 20k miles before he needs a front tire, but then he bust off a ton of freeway miles. Myself personaly I wouldn't put a radial on the front. I would rather have the front tire slip before anything funky happens with the back end. A few weeks ago when I was pushing my TG hard into corners I could tell by the slip of the front tire when I was riding on the edge of what could possibly be something I didn't want to tangle with. My wife thought she was riding a roller coaster I was tossing her around on the back so hard.

 

I have the Dunlop E3 but its only availible in bias. There isnt a radial tire made that will meet our requirements for load on the front tire. I sent a email to Dunlop and asked if they were working on one since trikes have gotten more popular and theyre answer was no. I then asked why not and didnt get a answer. I have searched the internet with other tire manufactures and havent found a tire that would fit.

I suggested my idea of using a rear tire but reversing the rotation and was told the the way the rear tire is made there is a chance the tire would seperate from the load forces exerted on a front tire.

I managed to get 15k out of my Tour Elite 2 before needing a new one. I had 6k on one E3 that was on my stock 16" wheel, before swapping it out with a Thunderstar 5 spoke wheel. I put a new E3 I had on that new Thunderstar wheel so Im starting over with the mileage.

I can say so far I have been ver happy with the E3

 

I think I would be concerned with the 2 ply sidewalls on a radial to put it on the front of a Trike.

 

Maybe Cubbear could chime in on this discussion and post some pictures of their front tire after 20k+ miles in all sorts of different conditions?

 

really? i've never heard that. i've put about 4,000 miles on since switching to the tire i'm using now. haven't had a problem and never been told that i may. you have me wondering now, though. damnit!

i gotta at least check cuz chances are that if i go down again, i ain't gettin back up. i'll let ya'll know what i find out.

grimm

 

Yeah Grimm, I was told the way the rear tire is manufatured that the forces the rear tire gets is totally different fron the front, evem with the rear tire reversed . It has to do with how the cords are wraped in casing. As it told to me "the tire casing could fail internally, with cords seperating before it comes apart"

What gets me is that there is less tread depth on the front then the rear. Most front tires are 3/32 less in depth then the rear. We would get more mlieage if they would make the front tires with deeper tread depth