Is It Safe To Put A Car Tire On A Motorcycle? Answered

This article will describe to you whether Is It Safe To Put A Car Tire On A Motorcycle? You’ve probably heard both arguments for and against mounting a car tire on a motorcycle, regardless of how experienced you are at owning and riding a motorcycle. Some riders fervently support dark siding, while others vehemently oppose it.

For a thorough examination of both philosophical schools and the distinctions between motorcycle and automobile tires, continue reading. First, if you’re looking for a new motorcycle, only pay for one using a motorcycle loan calculator. Making a budget for your bike is now quicker and simpler than before. Time to get started mounting an automobile tire to a motorcycle.

Is It Safe To Put A Car Tire On A Motorcycle?

Putting automobile tires on your motorcycle may not have an immediate negative effect on your performance or safety. However, there can be a higher level of risk for long-term use and safety.

The argument about whether a car tire should be used on a motorcycle is quite hot and is not going to go away anytime soon. It’s critical to comprehend certain fundamental ideas before delving deeper into the discussion.

Any manufacturer’s designs for the bikes they produce include motorcycle tires. Tires are not an afterthought or a replaceable component that you can add or remove as you choose. Manufacturers consider every design aspect, including how the wheels interact with the frame, swingarm, and forks.

The performance and functionality of the bike could be affected by changing only one of these components. Each motorcycle has a set of unique tire requirements created for the vehicle and tested to ensure they work well with the given item.

Installing a car tire on a motorbike would diverge from the intended design, which could impact how the bike performs. The modification might also affect the machine’s general level of rider safety.

As a result, rather than experimenting with numerous vehicle tire types, motorcycle manufacturers advise riders to utilize tires made exclusively for their bikes.

For example, manufacturers like Gold Wing and Honda have created strict tire standards and only allow certain tires to be used on their motorcycles. When choosing which tires to buy, these businesses advise consulting the owner’s manual.

Darksiders, on the other end of the spectrum, maintain that there are many advantages to utilizing car tires other than those recommended by the manufacturer. Darksiders claim that using automobile tires saves them money and gives them access to more extended tread.

Here is the information you need to know about the distinctions between motorcycle and vehicle tires, regardless of whose side of the argument you are on. Understanding these distinctions and how they could affect you on the road is crucial if you consider joining the dark side.

Car Vs Motorcycle Tires: The Differences

How tires on cars and motorcycles handle wear and tread is significantly different. The wear and impact are nothing like vehicle tires, whether you have a 2 or 3-wheel motorcycle. They are built differently and have different design profiles. There are several compositions in these tires as well.

Single-track vehicles include motorcycles. Your motorcycle leans towards the turn as you are riding it. When you turn a corner, the contact patch of car tires doesn’t alter significantly in size or form.

The U-shaped profile of motorcycle tires causes the contact patch to alter in size and form as you spin. The connection patch on a motorcycle tire is designed to be uniform during a turn. In contrast, an automobile tire is wide and flat while upright, then narrows when the vehicle is turned.

Tires for cars and motorcycles serve various functions, which explains why they are so dissimilar. For instance, motorcycle tires can tolerate more shock at extreme camber angles than passenger car tires. With a set of automobile tires, using your motorcycle at extreme camber angles could reduce its durability.

The tire’s durability could be continuously strained, leading to tire failure. Naturally, this is only one illustration of how motorcycle tires and vehicle tires differ from one another. Just the tire profile, then.

Both tires have varied sidewall stiffness and distinct tire profiles for cars versus motorcycles. When a motorbike is vertical, the machine’s suspension system maintains the tire’s alignment with the ground and supervises the ride.

A tire’s sidewall is a suspension that delivers rigidity so the tire can endure the strain of cornering. Tire suspension is more important than mechanical suspension when learning motorcycle riding. Because a motorcycle tire is made expressly for this kind of use, it can handle challenging cornering.

The fact that the majority of current bike tires have a variety of rubber compounds is another consideration. The tires have softer compounds at the edges to improve traction when you tilt your bike and tougher compounds in the middle to improve tread on the highway. Car tires come in a single variety. They are not intended for repeated learning. Car tires are also not designed to withstand camber forces.

What Does It All Mean?

Indeed, utilizing a car tire on your bike instead of a motorcycle tire may not immediately impact daily riding. However, you can find yourself in trouble if performance is your top priority or if an unanticipated threat materializes on the road.

When you need more traction, a motorcycle with automobile tires instead of the ones it was made to carry won’t respond the same way.

Additionally, car tires won’t give you the exact handling you might require for a swift halt or turn around a sharp bend. Putting automobile tires on your motorbike may temporarily improve performance, but that slight gain may not justify the risk to your overall riding safety.

Can I Have An Accident If I Use A Car Tire On My Motorcycle?

As previously established, the construction and intended use of tires for cars and motorcycles are different. Therefore, using car tires to replace one or both of your motorcycle’s tires carries significant safety risks.

The squared contour of car tires is intended and perfectly complements the vehicle’s style. In addition, car tires’ square design performs well in the circumstances like snow and rain. The capacity to safely corner you ordinarily have with the proper set of tires would be lost if you tried to drive a motorcycle equipped with car tires.

The majority of motorbike collisions are fatal. Seat belts and airbags, frequently found in cars, are useless to motorcycle riders. Spinal cord injuries, brain damage, and, in far too many cases, the wrongful death of the rider or their passengers are some of the most frequent consequences of motorcycle accidents.

The Insurance Information Institute (III) reports an increase from the prior year, with 5,286 fatal motorcycle accidents occurring in 2016. That amounts to an average of more than 14 fatalities each day over a year. The III states, In 2016, motorcyclists were 28 times more likely than passenger car citizens to die in a wreck per vehicle mile traveled.

Is It A Bad Idea To Put Car Tires On A Motorcycle?

Here is what you should know if you’re considering changing the tires on your car from motorcycle to car. A motorcycle has a contact patch significantly greater than a car’s. If you encounter wet weather while driving, the water will evaporate slowly and may reduce traction. You, the rider, may be in grave danger if this keeps happening.

When selecting tires, you should pay particular attention if you frequently ride your bike to track days. Always consult your owner’s handbook or contact the manufacturer to learn what tires are ideal for a given track. Also, ask local bikers at the track for recommendations.

Never try to flip the tires around when they begin to wear out on one side if you want to increase the life of your tires at the track. It could be quite unsafe to rotate the tires.

Due to their unidirectional design, motorcycle tires are only intended to rotate in one direction. Flipping them over could cause the material to peel and loosen the tread, resulting in a serious accident. The tread may even eventually come off.

Top Tips

You should hire a professional to change your tires if you have a large motorcycle with tubeless tires rather than doing it yourself. With tubeless tires, you’ll need a special set of tools and a lot of labor to break the bead.

Additionally, working with the tires is simpler when they are warm than cold. Bring the wheels indoors if you’re changing your tires during a cooler season so they can warm up. Put the tires in the sun before changing them throughout the summer to make them more flexible. It could take a few tries if you’ve never changed a motorcycle tire before for you to feel comfortable.

Changing Your Tires

Start by removing your bike’s wheels. Each motorbike tire needs to be raised off the ground. You can raise one end of the bike using a track stand, center stands, or whatever else you like.

Find a flat area with plenty of space to work next. Make use of a bench or low table. To protect the finish of your wheels, you should lay down a piece of carpet. Deflate the tube first, then remove the valve core.

You might see a nut on the valve stem’s outer layer; this is there to prevent the stem from piercing the wheel. Remove the nut. The other side of the valve stem may include a rim lock if you possess a dual-sport motorbike. Remove that nut, too, if it is the case.

Break the tire’s bead with a bead-breaking tool, but do not overly hammer the rim. After breaking the bead, insert the rim guards. Use spoons or tire irons to move the bad to the outside of the rim. Don’t worry about going too quickly at this stage; take your time.

Remove the tube, remove the entire bead from one side of the rim, flip the wheel over, and break the opposing bead on the outside. The wheel can then be slid into the tire and pulled out the other side.

Check the rim channel to ensure no debris is left after the wheel has been stripped-down. Additionally, check the rim strip to make sure no spokes are visible.

If everything appears to be in order, examine your new tire next. The tire’s interior shouldn’t contain any debris and look smooth. Instead of using WD-40 or oils on the first tire bead, use tire paste or a gentle soap-and-water solution.

Install the first bead over the rim of the wheel once more. If the tire is heated, you shouldn’t require a tool for this stem. Now, partly inflate the new tube to give it some shape.

Starting at the valve stem, insert the tub into the rim. Next, thread the locking nut on a few turns. To avoid getting pinched between the wheel and the bead, insert the tube into the wheel while attempting to prevent it from folding.

Seat the other bead after the tub has settled. Utilize your tire irons or spoons, moving slowly until you reach the last few inches. It’s time to inflate the tire once the last piece of the second bead is in place.

Ensure the beads are distributed equally over the tire rim on both sides. Make sure there isn’t any loud hissing that would suggest you’ve squeezed the tub. Now is an excellent time to balance your wheel if you have a static balancer.

Conclusion

Here we summarize all the above information about whether Is It Safe To Put A Car Tire On A Motorcycle? It’s time to use your newfound dark-siding expertise now that you’re a true authority on the subject!

Ultimately, whether or not joining the dark side is the best course of action for you depends on how comfortable you are with yourself. Do you typically like long-distance cruising?

Then, instead of taking a chance on a car tire tread malfunction, it could be wise to spend money on new motorcycle tires to boost the value of your motorcycle. The wear of your bike might be fine if you ride it sometimes. Only hit rubber on the road again after getting motorbike insurance for your bike if you do intend to cross over.

Frequently Asked Questions