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

[JTL]

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.

37 front, 42 rear, works great (my weight with gear around 195lbs). Below that they feel a bit wobbly, probably due to the sipes flexing.

to mave2911, mine are made in Spain, w45/2010 for the rear and w15/2011 for the front. 11600km at the moment and probably good for ~5000 more.

 

[Maverick]

I just had PR 3s installed yesterday and having a little buyer's remorse, because the Pilot Road 2s were so amazing from installation to 19,000 km later when removed. I'm not sure what to make of the failures...

 

[Wearyeyed]

I've got a little over 3k on a set of PR3s, and I am still pretty excited about them.

Finished a 2.2k trip through southern IL/Kentucky on a recent week get-away, and they were brilliant...especially on a 700 mile run through Indiana in storms a last week.

That's a long enough time at highway speeds in crappy, windy, and wet weather to say they make me feel FAR better than the O.E. Battlaxes.

 

[Squier 51]

I'm 2000 miles into a set of PR3's so far. No sign of squaring off on the rear at all. Had the opportunity today to test them in wet conditions. (OK got caught in a rainstorm that was not anticipated.)

I was amazed at the grip provided on extremely wet roads with pools of water on them. No problem riding at 75-80% of my usual pace. Pushed a tad further at times and did not feel any loss of traction. Nice!

While riding in dry conditions these tires stick very well at full pace for me. I've used them to the very edges of the tread with no issues at all. Doubt I will ever put another tire on my FZ6 as long as they are available.

Estimating from wear so far, I should easily get 8-10K miles out of the set.

 

[Poot]

Honestly I do not think there are a better set of all around tires out there on the market than the Pilot 2s.

I may consider buying a set of Pilot 3s when my Pilot Powers that came brand new on the bike wear away, and I am sure they will quickly.

Can you post a link to the case involving the disintegrating pilot 3s?

 

[Maverick]

I just had PR 3s installed yesterday and having a little buyer's remorse, because the Pilot Road 2s were so amazing from installation to 19,000 km later when removed. I'm not sure what to make of the failures...

I've had a chance to ride with the PR 3s in the rain and the dry. They are very confidence inspiring in the rain as the grip is outstanding. In the dry, they are every bit as good as the PR 2. So far, I see no reason to buy the PR 2 as I don't think you're giving up anything, but gaining even better wet weather traction over a tire that was already great.

 

[Sparty76]

Seems like the consensus is that they're both great tires, and most like whichever one they end up buying. Comes down to price, preference, and maybe looks?

 

[novaks47]

I've got the Road 2's, and I'm not too thrilled with their life. They stick fine(I'm not good enough to even find their limit, lol), but the center portion of the tread on the rear tire, which supposedly is harder for commuting, is already down to the wear bars. I'll have to confirm later, but I'm pretty sure I've got not even 10K on them, and almost half my commute is mountain roads(20mi mtn, 27 city one way). I'm pretty mellow on my commute too, so I'm not launching hard from lights or stop signs, nor am I constantly gunning it on the straights. Standard tire pressures too, 33 front 36 rear. Not sure what to do now. Front tire looks better, but still heavily worn. Guess I need to start leaning the dang thing. :spank:

 

[Downs]

Around 10 k life is pretty normal For PR2s.

 

[FB400]

I am approaching 12k on both front and back PR2's. Still plenty of tread on both. Thinking I get at least 3k more. Love these tires

 

[novaks47]

Around 10 k life is pretty normal For PR2s.

Oh ok, good to know. I didn't do too bad then. If I were to actually lean worth a damn, I'd get even more life out of 'em. lol

 

[Cloggy]

I already had the PR3 on the front, but unfortunately the rear PR2 got a puncture last Wednesday. About half the miles as on my previous one, Oh well so much for its long life
Anyway I now have a PR3 on the back as well (ready for the winter) :thumbup:.

 

[Norbert]

are they still making Pilot Road 2's?

 

[FB400]

I just bought a set of PR2's. Manufacture dates are 1611 and 1811.. so I would say yes

 

[Jman]

Man, just took a 200 mile ride today with the new PR 3's. Gotta say that these things are awesome. Feel like they really hug the pavement and perform well all around. :rockon:

 

[kfive]

My FZ6 is a daily commuter and I ride a hundred miles a day, five days a week, and whenever I can, so over 2000 miles a month. I have almost 13,000 miles on my PR3's and love them. Starting to square but still have plenty of tread, still very sticky and even with : down one, up two gears 15/48, Power Commander III, and Scorpion cans ( I ride pretty agressively ) it's almost impossible to slip traction even in the rain. Overall very confidence building tires, and would recommend them to everyone. A little spendy but it rains most of the year here in Seattle, and whenever it wants, so you have to be prepared for the wet at the drop of a hat.

 

[kfive]

pics for last post
front barely showing wear at all
View attachment 44078View attachment 44079View attachment 44080

 

[SmokeEater37]

Got my 3's put on yesterday and did a 200 mile trip over the weekend. Did great in mud, gravel, standing water, and of course awesome on the pavement. Couldn't be happier with them.:Sport:

 

[FB400]

I took off a set of PR2's with 13,152 miles on them. The rear tire still had 1-2 mm before the wear bars. The front about the same or very slightly less.

They performed so well it was heartbreaking to change them out with tread still on them and lots of life left. Reason being.. a 2500 mile trip coming up next month.

So what did I replace them with? PR'2 of course
Had it not been for this trip coming up I would have let them ride until 15-16k miles

 

[06fiz600]

I have the PR3s on mine with 6,000 miles on them. They have plenty of tread left, but they are cupping/scalloping noticeably on both tires. You can see the compound line flat spotting. I have always checked pressure weekly and gotten the bike's suspension and balance checked out at the dealer. I can definitely feel the vibration from the tread. Unfortunate, because for the first 4k or so they were great, but the shaking is getting progressively worse. I don't really hug the turns a lot, but am mostly straight line...maybe this contributed?

Oh yea and last year I changed the fork oil to 10w and was way too stiff for a 160 lb rider, so 7w bel-ray seems a good balance now.