ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: HoodRichOG on December 21, 2021, 12:07:01 PM
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Curious because in the car world, a different tire on can change consumption 15-20%, so I always look at whether the compound uses low rolling resistance tech.
I wonder if such variability exists with motorcycle tires or not. Could be an easy way to boost range.
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Lower rolling resistance = less mechanical grip
Since the tire contact patch on bikes is much less vs. that of cars a tire with a lower rolling resistance will be more noticable.
Motorcycle riders are less likely to give up the advantages (safety and grip when leaned into a corner) of stickier rubber. The sweet spot between tire longevity and grip will depend on the rider and how they use their bike.
Tire manufactures do offer compounds that provide longer tire life, normally marketed as "touring" tires. These offerings may use multiple compounds, harder rubber in the center for highway miles and softer materials for when you tip into a corner.
The difference between super soft race tires and rock hard mile munching rubber under hard braking is massive.
I have not seen data showing how much of an advantage in efficiency you would see between different tire offerings. I would think that wind drag would play a bigger roll in extending a bikes range.
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Good point. The drag is the biggest issue and the rolling resistance is not that impactful due to the small contact patch. Thanks!
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You could look at the range difference between a Zero DS and an S, that's mostly down to the tyres (there's also a small aero difference due to the front wheel size and mud guard). The thing is the DS has greater rolling resistance but also less grip on road, the resistance being caused by compression and deformation of the tyre tread and not greater mechanical grip (again, on road).