mixing v and h rated tires

[Clutch]

after reading the dreaded tire thread, I'm looking to buy some h rated bt45s.  However, the website I was wanting purchase my tires from only sells v rated fronts.

Is it a problem to have a v rated front tire and h rated rear?

Is the wear that much different between the two ratings?

Would traction difference be a dangerous thing?

[Lucky_Lou]

Dont do it dont mix em last place you want to find out if traction is an issue is when your on the road
Lou

[Bob_Roller]

Can't tell from your profile where you reside, but I have been doing business with Southwest Moto Tires, in Tucson,AZ. for about 10 years now.

The owner Blaine , has been selling motorcycle tires for about 15-20 years now, and supports a lot of racing events here in the southwestern US.

Send him an email at : info@swmototires.com, and see what he has to say about mixing different speed rated tires, from the same manufacturer.

If you happen to reside in the US, check out his prices for tires, if you purchase two tires, shipping is no charge.

[not-so-fast-ed]

Let us know how you make out, Clutch.  I hit the same snag and went with 90-90-18 H in front, 120-90-18 V in back.

 :-/

[Clutch]

bob, I just emailed your guy with the question... I also noticed that if you wanted to buy bt45's from him with front 100/90 and rear 110/90, then you'd have to buy differently rated tires (v front and h rear).

I'm in Missouri, and none of the local dealers that I've contacted can get anywhere close to prices I can find online even considering shipping costs.

[montmil]

Another good M/C tire sales website. I bought my Bridgestone Spitfires from them and the service was great. Large selection.

http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/index.php

Monte

[MrRiden]

Lets see what southwest Moto has to say. I'm of the thought that if you stay under 130mph it might not matter. Remember that when you put a tube in a tubeless tire the conventional wisdom is to view it as one letter rating lower.
My 2¢
rich

[nhmaf]

I think that you'll probably be OK with these - unlikely that you'll be going 130+ MPH on  your R65.   The higher rated speed tires usually have stiffer belt construction and are designed to shed heat better, but I don't think they'll pose an issue if you mix them unless you actually go fast enough to exceed the speed rating of the lower rated tire.   The R65 won't exceed the H Rating unless you attach a different engine or a JATO rocket to it !

[drewboid]

Agreeing with nhmaf - the H and V ratings are maximum speed ratings and both are far beyond what I can achieve on an R65. Mount up your tires and keep the speed under 120 MPH!  Be sure to take it easy the first 100 miles though until the mold release compound is worn off.

[Clutch]

I got a reply from swmototires.  It wasn't very explanatory, but here it is.  I'm going to mention the bt45's that they sell do not match in ratings and see what he says about that.  His response:

You should stick with a set of V or H not a good idea to mix
Thanks Erik

[Clutch]

After a string of very short-messaged emails, here is some more information from Erik, the guy at swmototires...

The front h-rated is not available in that size
The rear v rated is only available in a 120/90-18?
Let me know if you would like to order the rear?
Thanks Erik

Maybe he just doesn't like typing, but getting information out of him was like pulling teeth.

I don't know if I'll get the bt45's now.  I don't think I want to deal with getting the wider back tire onto the bike.

[nhmaf]

I have the BT45 tires on my R65 and are quite happy with them - I did get the 110, not the 120 series for the rear - it fits right in and there are not issues, and it is very close to the OEM 4.00 tire dimension.

SWMoto generally has pretty good prices, but they don't always have what I want, so I shop around.

[Semper Gumby]

Weeeelllllll....

I have mixed V and H rated tires.  I have also mixed brands!  I am still here.  If I was to chose I would put a H-rated on the rear rim for the following reason.  Longer tirelife...The H-rated tire has usually been a harder compound which will last longer.  Then I would settle for a V-rated tire on the front rim becuase that is where I would want more traction i.e. braking.

Having said that you are really mixing apples and oranges so be prepared for some weird handling.

At the moment I have the opposit setup:  I'm running a Avon 4.00V18 on the back and a 110/90H18 (rear tire) on the front.  When the back goes I'm going to put a Macadam 4.00H18 on the rear when the Avon wears out.  The Avon came off my BSA Firebird when I put Dual Sport tires on it.  And I have to run it to the threads as I may not be able to afford a new tires for a while.  Such is the "change" my life is now subject to.

<sigh>