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which is better 180 tire or a 190?

44K views 67 replies 37 participants last post by  George P. Buono  
#1 ·
What are the performance differences between a 180 tire and a 190 tire. I was told by the tire shop that a 180 will make my 2003 R1 handel better.
 
#4 ·
the 180 is great for the track because it not as wide so it turns quicker & it wieghts less. The 190 is great for a stunter because your tire is wider more stable when doing wheelies
 
#8 ·
Re: Re: which is better 180 tire or a 190?

R1@150@alltimes said:
This is true. The 180 size tire has a bigger contact patch when leaned over. It also turns in faster. U wont miss the extra 10mm.
The 180 at NO time has a bigger contact patch than the 190.

The 180 is always going to be a thinner tire, but the 180/55 has a taller sidewall than the stock 190/50 and therefore makes the bike alot less effortless to lean, most notably flicks from side to side alot easier.

Unless you are running through a serious set of twisties, or doing track days you probably wont notice much of difference from the 190 to 180 swap.

You really need to be throwing bike around to see the difference. If you are just taking an occasional hwy exit ramp at full lean from time to time its not much of a difference.

Also.. if you are serious about the track. The best tire is the 190/55 (not 190/50 thats stock). They only come in track compounds (like the Metzler Rennsport and SuperCorsa) but you get the best of both worlds. (a) taller profile that flicks easier side to side and (b) the 190 width that gives you as much tire as possible..

Personally I run a 180/55 M1 on the street and usually ride pretty hard. I switched from a 190/50 M1 and could tell the difference immediately in the first set of corners I went through. My bike felt like more like an R6 the more I threw it around.
 
#15 ·
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: which is better 180 tire or a 190?

R1@150@alltimes said:
TY Abe, here's a profile pic of a 180 and a 190.....

Link to Article

Image
I still see no proof the 180/55 has a bigger contact patch than the 190/50.

Nor the article you linked state that..

The 'more' trianglated theory is still just that. Until proven there I still seee no reason to believe a THINNER tire would have a LARGER contact patch than a WIDER tire.

Turn quicker yes.. larger contact patch.. no..
 
#16 ·
One more thing to add.. its ALOT easier to scrub off the chicken strips of the 190/50 than it is the 180/55.

If the 180/55 is being ridden in the same conditions as the 190/50.. why does it tend to have more unused rubber if its contact patch is somehow 'larger'?
 
#17 · (Edited)
Guys,

I think we might have misunderstood that Sport Rider article, and I'm with Daekwan on this one.

Quote for that article above:

"...We wanted to recreate the same feel and grip characteristics that have given us the success we have had with the Supercorsa 180/55ZR17 but on a 6.0-inch rim. By increasing the contact patch with the 190/55ZR17 we have also created a tire that will wear much better than the 180/55ZR17 on the same 6.0 rim..."

So, the 190/55 does have more contact patch than 180/55... :fact

Also, maybe the 180 will make your bike more flickable, but that deosn't mean it's better. Here is another interesting quote I fround from another article:

"...The 190 size is stiffer because of the shorter sidewall. This results in increased grip and reduced the tire carcass flex, making accelerating out of turns hard much less scary. Also, if you reduce tire size, with the same horsepower you're going to stress the tire carcass more. This however, hasn't been a problem even with the most powerful street bike models..."

Well, like this article said, it doesn't really matter for the street with the reduced tire size. But on a race track, it does, even WSB uses tires size similar to 190/60 street tires.

So, 180 is NOT neccesary better.

:)
 
#18 ·
Alright guys, if you want proof. print out those tire profiles and then cut them out. Then roll them over to simulate lean. Which one has more surface area on the table. It will be the 180. Just because the 190 is wider over all does not mean that it will have more suface area incontact with the road at any given time. It's due to the profile of the tire and the extra flex of the taller side wall, it has nothing to do with the overall width of the tread.

valerossi, I think it was misunderstood again, or maybe I am now. but the topic is 180/55 vs. 190/50 although the 190/55 has been mentioned. That article only says that the 190/55 has a larger contact patch not the 190/50.



:corn
 
#19 ·
We are talking about a 180/55 tire and a 190/50 tire correct?

A quote from MCN...Basic facts about tyres
continued

Tyres are sized according to diameter and what’s known as aspect ratio. Diameter is simple; if you’ve got a 17 inch wheel, it requires a 17 inch tyre. Aspect ratio is the relationship between the width and the height of the sidewalls. Say a tyre is sized at 160/70, it means the sidewalls are 70% of the width of the tyre. The width is 160mm, so the sidewalls are 112mm high. Tyres for sports bikes typically have a low aspect ratio, some as low as 50%, ie a 190/50. This gives less sidewall movement and effectively makes for a tyre that deflects very little, or keeps its shape under high cornering forces.

As well as the obvious, like diameter, tyres must also match the width of the wheel rim. Tyre sizes are matched to rim sizes for optimum profile, that is the shape the tyre takes when fitted to that rim. If you’ve heard people talking about preferring the behaviour of a smaller tyre (like a 180/55) compared to a 190/50, it’s because of its profile on, say, a 6-inch rim. The smaller tyre assumes a rounder cross section, offering better turn-in and a bigger contact patch while leant over.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Quoted from another thread:

190/50 vs. 180/55

The 190 is 10 mm wider than the 180. By "wider", I mean left to right. 190 mm vs. 180 mm.

The 50 or 55 is for the sidewall height. It is a percentage of the width. That means that the 190/50 is 190mm wide and 95mm tall.
The 180/55 is 180mm wide and 98mm tall.

The thinner/taller tire tends to be more "flickable". Aka, turns easier.

The wider/shorter tire tends to be more stable in a high speed turn. But, it is more difficult to make lean over.

The newest design is a 190/55. This appears to be a compromise between the two. It is only available currently in a race version, so I don't have the facts or any experience on it yet.

Hopefully this is what you were looking for.
Image
 
#24 ·
Great info so far guys, a lot has been learned. So, what brands of tires are favorites out there, for me specifically I'm looking for track and twisties, but I ride to and from work too. So I guess, I'm looking for a fairly sticky tire in a 180, but won't wear down too quick. Either which way what are good tire brands out there for all uses (track only, track and twisties, stunting, commuting, etc).
 
#25 ·
I was going to attach that article but no need......

Great thread and great replies/comments.:thumbup

The rear slicks used in WSBK, AMA, BSB etc are of the 190/55 & 190/60 series and not 180/55's as mentioned.
One of the very basic reasons for using the taller profiles of 55/60 series tires is when the bikes are @ full lean angles the tires are flexing due to 'G' forces applied therefore giving the larger contact patch ( hence more grip) mentioned as opposed to the 50 series profile which is shorter/stiffer and will no allow the tire to flex near as much.

BD
 
#26 ·
RexRR1 said:
Great info so far guys, a lot has been learned. So, what brands of tires are favorites out there, for me specifically I'm looking for track and twisties, but I ride to and from work too. So I guess, I'm looking for a fairly sticky tire in a 180, but won't wear down too quick. Either which way what are good tire brands out there for all uses (track only, track and twisties, stunting, commuting, etc).
The Pirelli Diablo Corsa may be your ticket. The Michelin Pilot Power coming out this summer may be a great all around tire as well.

BD