A little research on tires

[Spyderman]

Knowing the Spyder tires are made exclusively by Kenda (http://www.kendausa.com, I figured it might be worth while to find out where Spyder owners will get replacement tires if unlucky enough to find a nail.....

The tires are not listed on the Kenda site so I gave their Marketing Manager a call and she is doing some digging. Checked with a few dealers too, no luck. The search goes on. As soon as I find out, I'll add it to this post. If anyone out there knows... post away

[Spyderman]

I found out today, that at least initially, the Kenda tires used on the Can-Am Spyder will be available through authorized Spyder dealers only. I'm sure over time we'll see them available over the web, but at least now, the dealer you purchase your Spyder from is the source.

[barb36jack31]

Go to Discounttires.com on the web and enter in the tire sizes. I found manufacturers for both the front and back tires. I don't see why regular auto tires wouldn't work. They won't need to have the tread running up the sides like a motorcycle tire. They will be flat on the ground like a car. I am no tire expert and may be all wet. Comments please.

Jack H.

[rbnicklin]

It is interesting that the rear 225/50/15 rear tire does say its a motorcycle tire on the sidewall. I did not check the front ones. It might be educational to see the tire composition of plys, sidewall, etc from the manufactures web site. There must be a difference, important or not.

[Spyderman]

Originally Posted by barb36jack31

Go to Discounttires.com on the web and enter in the tire sizes. I found manufacturers for both the front and back tires. I don't see why regular auto tires wouldn't work. They won't need to have the tread running up the sides like a motorcycle tire. They will be flat on the ground like a car. I am no tire expert and may be all wet. Comments please.

Jack H.

The Manual says (pp26):

"Tires
The VSS on the vehicle has been calibrated to perform best with a tire of specific size, material, and tread pattern. Replacing your tires with ones not approved by BRP can cause the VSS to be ineffective.

Use only BRP recommended tires, which can be ordered only from an authorized Can-Am roadster dealer

Proper tire inflation and condition are important for maintaining traction, especially on loose or wet surfaces."


But.... with that said, I'm sure folks will try other tires and compounds, and before long other "approved" tires might appear. ABS in cars seems smart enough to deal with different tires, since Bosch does those systems, hopefully some of that know-how went into the Spyders system.

[barb36jack31]

Good info and probably correct. But sometimes I feel that the manufacturer would like to steer you to his product only. Read that as increased price. If the VSS system senses that a wheel is losing traction and adjusts engine/braking power etc to correct the situation, I don't really believe it cares whether the tire is a Kenda or a Michelin or a Dunlop. The correction will be made and all will be well. IMHO.

Hopefully, tire life will be excellent and by the time we need new skins we will all have more complete info on the subject.

[spyder13]

The traction control and abs work together and measures th revolutions of the tire. So any tire you put on of the same size will probably run down the road ok. The difference will be the speed rating which may be a difference in the sidewall stiffness resulting in bad handling.

[phil209]

prices I was quoted from BRP is:

Fronts: $ 75.00 each
Rear : $150.00
why run anything that might injure yourself....front tires run at a very low PSI and any ole tire might separate after side force on a underinflated tire
i think BRP tire prices are very resonable..

[HigginsPowersports]

wow thats a lot less expensive that I was expecting