Michelin Pilot Road 2's or 3's - Revisit

[tejkowskit]

@59 seconds what is that called he has over his nose and mouth?

A breath guard

 

[Fleksta]

I've had PR3's for about 2k miles, still look new and have not disappointed. Much better road feel than the Battleax tires that were on it.

 

[Yasko]

Just finished off a set of 2's, going back for another set! Love these tires! :cheer:

How many miles or the set, and what type of ridding?

Thanks.

 

[06fiz600]

Update with 5,000 miles this year on this set of road 3s.
I usually baby the bike around town, some spirited riding, mostly dry, only a few rainy days and haven't lost traction. Even in colder temps that rear tire doesn't break loose. I check my pressure every couple weeks and they seem to remain in balance, still smooth riding. :rockon:

 

[JTL]

Update with 5,000 miles this year on this set of road 3s.
I usually baby the bike around town, some spirited riding, mostly dry, only a few rainy days and haven't lost traction. Even in colder temps that rear tire doesn't break loose. I check my pressure every couple weeks and they seem to remain in balance, still smooth riding. :rockon:

Mine look the about the same after 10k km's, including a 6 thousand km touring trip in quite high temperatures around Central Europe. The dual compound setup seems to help as the rear tire doesn't seem to be squaring at the center almost at all. Great tires, heavily recommended! I am expecting over 15k km's from these.

 

[YZF73]

Just an update,

Made the decision and got a set of PR3's fitted just over a week ago now and have put around 500 miles on them so far, only tried them in dry and patchy damp conditions but the extra grip of these over the bt020's I replaced (5000 miles, 4 years old) is very confidence inspiring, they are a great tyre and so far from the limited experience I have had of them I would highly recommend them.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread so far, please post updates on your PR2's or 3's if you wish, would be great to see how everyone gets on with their's.


Thanks again,

Yamahaboyz

 

[Boro8907]

Swapped the OEM Dunlop for PR3's as soon as they came into country (after loosing the rear in the dry and sliding it). Have now ridden 6K+ through the sub tropical winter here (read lots of rain) and they are outstanding. Never lost any grip front or back very confidence inspiring in the dry to push until the pegs scrape. Best tire I can remember ever having..

 

[Cloggy]

At the moment I have PR 2's and they're great tyres :thumbup:
On Thursday I'll be having a new PR3 put on the front (I've been riding too long on my worn front tyre :spank.
The PR 3 has better grip in the wet than the 2 (by all accounts), and as I ride all year around, and in most weathers it seems the right thing to do :thumbup:.

BTW I know I should ride with matched tyres but the 2 and the 3's are similar patterns, so I'm willing to take the risks :scared:

 

[Downs]

The 2s and 3s are the same tire compound wise. The added sipes (the little groves) and called it the 3. Even Michelin says the 3s have no dry grip advantage over the 2s. Where they excel over the 2s are in the wet and that's because of the added sipes.

Honestly if I didn't tour and never saw rain (never know when you will run into rain on a tour) I'd just get the 2s and call it a day and save a few bucks.

 

[PhotoAl]

Have gone thru two PR2's on the rear and one on the front. urrently have a PR3 on the rear and a PR2 on the front. Ride in all kinds of weather and have tried to break the PR3 loose in the wet and have failed. The other day even pulled a power wheelie on a damp to wet street! The rear is starting to square off somewhat as I haven't ridden enough twisties. :-( Huge fan of the PR2 and PR3.

 

[412fz6]

I have ridden the PR3's for about 7400 miles now and they are still performing top notch, very little where and they are super good in the wet. Maybe a month after I put them on I took a 3 hour trip in the rain from Western to Central Pennsylvania. They worked wonders pulling through pooling road water when the need to switch lanes arose. I felt very secure, on them. Riding in the rain is never that much fun but I was glad for the new rubber on that trip.

 

[mave2911]

Well, apparently the PR2s had an issue when they were first released with delamination.

Then, there have been several reports of the PR3s doing the same thing (whether you are a conspiracy theorist or not) Then there are the reports of them blistering when riden hard on hot days.

That is too much chance of failure for me, personally, to take. (and I live in Oz, so it gets fkn hot here!)

The 'what ifs' enter the equation - what if I'm the next one to have a delamination on a tyre I have seen fail?

I have put Pirellis on every bike I have ever owned, but as I do so many kms now, commuting to work (5000kms every 8 weeks, minimum) I wanted a longer lasting tyre than Pirelli. (they stick like sh!t to a blanket, but as a result don't give me the mileage I'm looking for)

So, after recommendation from Humpy, it'll be Metzler Z8s for me next change.

Each to his own, but really, the Frenchies don't have the best track record with production quality and Michelin's apparent evasion of the advertised problems and failures makes me think they're doing their usual 'head in the sand' - most other manufacturers would have started a worldwide recall until such time the cause was determined. (whether that be user error or production fault)

Think of the fkn floor mat controversy with the Toyotas? (accelerator pedal could get caught on the mat, due to the mat being slightly too long, or something)

Cheers,
Rick

 

[OneTrack]

What pressures are you PR3 users putting in your tires?
I'm currently running what was installed in my new PR3's which is 37 front, 40 rear. It makes for a bit of a hard ride, but man oh man....what a difference in handling over the OEM Dunlop D252's that came off my bike after 11,500 km's. The bike feels more planted, it actually goes in a straight line on a straight road, and I can actually feel some grip on tight bends. Haven't ridden on a wet road yet, but I'm actually looking forward to it!
I was very hesitant to install PR3's over PR2's (mainly because of the 'look' of the PR3's...they'd scare horses), but I'm very pleased with my choice.

 

[mave2911]

What pressures are you PR3 users putting in your tires?
I'm currently running what was installed in my new PR3's which is 37 front, 40 rear.

Depending on rider weight - that seems a bit high!

No wonder it feels a bit rough!

I was very hesitant to install PR3's over PR2's (mainly because of the 'look' of the PR3's...they'd scare horses), but I'm very pleased with my choice.

The design difference is apparently to enhance wet weather traction/performance.

So, as long as they don't blister and delaminate, you're on to a winner!

LOL

Cheers,
Rick

 

[Speed_Racer]

I read that whole thread, i wouldn't worry about it. He claimed to have driven 10,000 miles on those tires in like a couple months in extremely hot conditions. My guess is that was an extremely rare situation that is likely not to happen again, anybody else has said they're amazing. The date codes from his tires were from the middle of 2010, the set i just bought last weekend were manufactured in april of this year. If it was a defective run it was a long time ago. I just got a set, they're awesome tires they have a much better feel than the battleax's.

How about my case? http://www.600riders.com/forum/main-lobby-new-member-section/43362-beware-michelin-2cts.html
These were Thailand made with a march 2011 date stamp...

 

[OneTrack]

Depending on rider weight - that seems a bit high!

No wonder it feels a bit rough!

I'm 180 lbs....probably close to 190 with my gear on all up. I set my previous tires (OEM Dunlops D252's) to 33 front, 37 rear. The fellow who installed them advised me to set the pressures on the PR3's a little higher.
I'll drop the pressures back to 33/37 and see how the tires perform. If I don't notice a difference in performance, but a somewhat softer ride, then I'll stay with the lower pressure.

The design difference is apparently to enhance wet weather traction/performance.

So, as long as they don't blister and delaminate, you're on to a winner!

LOL

Cheers,
Rick

Oddly enough, I can't wait to try them out in the rain.....I was usually in a state of perpetual terror on wet roads with the original Dunlops.
I'm not anticipating any problems with the PR3's, despite the unfortunate incidents being reported here. I'll be interested to see where the incident reported above goes with the court case. Kudos to Speed_Racer for a "safe landing" after the tire disintegrated. :thumbup:

 

[mave2911]

Look on your tyres and see when and where they were made please.

We might get a bit of a database going here, with user numbers and mileage/wear based on production location? I think the severity of the potential failure warrants it?

For your weight, I'd use 33/36psi based on the tyre placard which recommends those pressures up to 198lb.

Cheers,
Rick

 

[OneTrack]

Look on your tyres and see when and where they were made please.

We might get a bit of a database going here, with user numbers and mileage/wear based on production location? I think the severity of the potential failure warrants it?

Made in Thailand (no surprise there...) in Feb 2012.

For your weight, I'd use 33/36psi based on the tyre placard which recommends those pressures up to 198lb.

Cheers,
Rick

Thanks....I'll adjust my pressures down to those specs.

 

[mave2911]

I believe at least one of the reported failures was also made in Thailand, so just be aware. If you see blistering, which is apparently a precursor to the delamination, get them replaced!

Don't stress too much, many, many, many, have been sold and used with no problems - but I'd be checking them after a hard ride on a hot day!

Cheers,
Rick

 

[OneTrack]

I inspect my tires regularly in any case, so I'm confident I'll spot any abnormalities before they develop into a bad situation.
In any case, I'm sure that they'll be just fine.
I'm assured that Michelin's manufacturing facility in Thailand is state-of-the-art, and rubber does grow there, after all. <g>