New tire time - PR 2's or 4's

[dschult2]

It's time for me to get a new set of tires and I have it narrowed down to either the Michelin Pilot Road 2 or 4. I can get a set of PR2's for about $60 less than the 4's. I rarely ride in the rain. I think I am leaning toward the 2's but any advise or opinion would be appreciated. Are the PR4's worth the extra $60?

 

[tejkowskit]

I have never rode the 2, but have the 4s now. I absolutely love them. I got them put on at the beginning of this 'riding season' and have put almost 10,000 miles on and they have performed flawlessly in all conditions. They are showing minimal wear. The ride is very smooth, but provides great feedback and they are confidence inspiring in the curves. I ride in the rain very frequently and have never had them get away.
They have done many hours on interstate and have been at very high speeds. They have taken me through some very aggressive twisties. I've gotten 100% of the rear rubber on the pavement. My most recent trip was to the tail of the dragon and cherohala skyway where it rained almost the while time. I pushed these tires pretty hard there in the rain with no problems the whole time.

This isn't even the lowest I got; just the best shot the photographers took for the day.

 

[boarder4life81]

I've put about 2000 miles on my 4's since April. Rain (which it does a lot of here in Oregon) or shine these tires kick butt. They handle really well at freeway speeds and stick to corners freakishly well. Took them out on a couple country routes in late April, before the moss on the roads dried out, and never once felt a slip. I picked mine up from these guys (MICHELIN PILOT ROAD 4 GT - American Motorcycle Tire) and they were delivered to my doorstep within 3 business days.

 

[PhotoAl]

I'm a ways from new tires but have a similar question 3's or 4's. Have run 2's and 3's and really like the 3's. The 4's are supposed to be better in the cold and last longer. Liked the 2's front tread better than the 3 front but the 3 front seems to wear better than the 2 did so maybe they learned something. By wear better I mean the 2 would cup some and the 3 does not seem to do. If the 4's last longer the additional cost may be worth it if you ride a lot of miles.

 

[Marthy]

I have never rode the 2, but have the 4s now. I absolutely love them. I got them put on at the beginning of this 'riding season' and have put almost 10,000 miles on and they have performed flawlessly in all conditions. They are showing minimal wear. The ride is very smooth, but provides great feedback and they are confidence inspiring in the curves. I ride in the rain very frequently and have never had them get away.
They have done many hours on interstate and have been at very high speeds. They have taken me through some very aggressive twisties. I've gotten 100% of the rear rubber on the pavement. My most recent trip was to the tail of the dragon and cherohala skyway where it rained almost the while time. I pushed these tires pretty hard there in the rain with no problems the whole time.

This isn't even the lowest I got; just the best shot the photographers took for the day.

Been there twice this summer. The Dragon is nice and very challenging but well over rated IMO. The Cherohala Skyway is nicer, safer and 50 miles long.

I did some research before I opt for the Angel GT. From what I found the PR4 had a harder compound in the middle than the PR3 but they had the same side. So I conclude that if I was going to ride twisties mostly I would go for the PR3, flat slab PR4s. The Angle GT had great review and were much cheaper than PR4 (live in Florida... go strait 90% of the time). a snug over 2K miles now with 1 wet track day. wear look good but not sure how many miles I will put on them yet, hoping to bust 6-7K. The 09 is very torquy and chew up tires a bit quicker.

 

[dschult2]

Well after much debate I went with the PR2's. In the end I did not like the look of all the siping on the PR4's. Since I almost never ride in the rain I did not consider it a big deal to not have it. Thanks to all who replied, especially boarder4life81 as I did indeed order my tires from American Motorcycle Tire and it saved me $20 over Revzilla. I had never heard of them before. One more question, how many miles do you guys like to put on your tires before you consider them scrubbed in and broke in?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Well after much debate I went with the PR2's. In the end I did not like the look of all the siping on the PR4's. Since I almost never ride in the rain I did not consider it a big deal to not have it. Thanks to all who replied, especially boarder4life81 as I did indeed order my tires from American Motorcycle Tire and it saved me $20 over Revzilla. I had never heard of them before. One more question, how many miles do you guys like to put on your tires before you consider them scrubbed in and broke in?

I have a 2 on the front and a 3 on the rear. Can't comment on the 4 however, front 2 has about 13,000 miles on them and are probably 2/3 to 3/4's worn.

Not noted but at the end of a tires life, the more treads you have crossing the tire, the more cupping you'll have. On my front PR2, there still isn't any cupping.. On the rear PR3, 3,000 miles, some very slight cupping showing.

Also, checking you tires for nails, staples, etc, is a bit more difficult with all the treads (PIA IMO).

I only went with the 3 on the rear as my PR2 picked up a "KEY" and destroyed the tire. The shop had a PR3 in stock and I ddn't want to wait.

My next set, if still available, will be PR2's on ft and back..

Re scubbing, probably 100 miles you should be good...

 

[imatt]

I just replaced my rear PR2 today. The 2's were on the bike when I got it @ 21k miles. The P O said they still had like 75% life left so not sure the mileage when they were installed, but I have put about 8k on them myself. So I would say they have lasted for over 10k miles. I went with the PR4 for the rear this go around. The front still looks great, prob still another 3-5k miles left out of it.

CycleGear made me sign the bottom of my service ticket confirming that I understood that the first 100 miles is the recommended break-in period for the tire, and that I should take it easy for that time.

 

[jbwaterman84]

I am in the same boat. My PR2's are dead after 16k miles. Decided to go with PR4's this time as I ride in the rain often. I'll be happy if they do at least as well as the 2's did.