bigger tires better

[123456]

I am looking to purchase my first scooter in the near future. Is there an advantage to 16" tires vs 13"?


thanks

[shalomdawg]

howdy, and welcome to the forum. i don't know enough technically to answer your question but i have opinions. i think the 16 inch tires offer more gyroscopic stability , are easier to change out and ride better. i have scooters with small, mid and larger diameter tires and i prefer the larger diameter ones maybe from formerly riding larger motorcycles. here's a consideration, if you have an 8 inch gap in pavement a 13 inch tire will drop further into it than a 16 inch.

lotsa miles and smiles to ya

[123456]

thanks for the info! I do like the idea of having a 16" wheel; however I purchased a baccio vx-50 that has 13" wheels.

Its very stable 'so far'

[chaz12]

Ya, I want 10 speed tires on mine. He broke the new speed record.. Seriously, I wonder why they designers have not thought something like this up. Larger the tire the quicker on will travel, so long as the wieght of the tires are the same.

[mainepeace]

Cost, space requirements, styling, in that order. Smaller rims are simpler to make as they don't have to be as balanced as larger rims, regardless of the amount of material actually used to manufacture. A taller tire would require a redesign of the seat bucket and front fork area. Larger tires have a different look than smaller tires and accelerate slower at low speeds given the same amount of torque. It's like putting in a taller gear for high speed that is slower to accelerate to that speed. Scooters have a low top speed so smaller tires will make the scooter "feel" faster and accelerate more quickly for a tiny low torque motor.

Greg

[prodigit]

Old 3 yr old topic, gravedigging around.
Just to add, a wide 10in tire will feel more stable than a thin 16in tire.
If you're driving over potholes, sidewalks, a wide tire might keep you going, while a thin tire will more easily slip off the edge.

[derbi]

The smaller the wheel the more agile the scooter handles, the larger wheels have a more stable and comfortable ride.
My motorbikes have wheel sizes of 12 14 17 21 inches and all have a time and place where they excell
www.scooterfocus.com/scooter_wheel_size.html

[inkyben]

I run a 13" for rear and a 10" in the front and its handles like a charm.

[skuttadawg]

The best to me is 130/60/13 by far the best way to go . Its wider than the others , well most , has a great selection of cheap and premium tires and I love how they ride and handle .

10s suck bad do not get 10s I hated them

Now with 16s they are taller but not wide and its like a crossover from scooter to a motorcycle since many motorcycles use 17 and up wheels . Well a 16 you can have a higher speed rated tire and is more stable at high speeds since it is not as quick to respond like the 10s do which makes them sketchy and feel like stunt driving at 45 MPH or more . I had a scooter with 10s and when I bought my Echarm with 16s from the very start it was much taller of a seat which I like since I am 6ft3 and could now sit upright in comfort where the smaller scooter I was crunched over . The 16s would be be as good in a tight slalom course but over all I like how they ride and handle . My Rock Thunder has 16s too and it handles very well , much better than the Echarm .

My scooter with 13s , unbalanced and dual purpose tread ( for light off road ) it feels like a minibike from the good ole days with a mild knobby effect but is so stable I can ride with no hands on the grips even in a turn . Cracks and uneven patches would make the 10s and the 16s zig and zag a lil bit and in strong wind as well , the 13s are not effected as I ride right over imperfections of the road surface and not bothered by wind blowing against me sideways . My Magnum with 13s the body is in between that of the 10 and the 16 wheel scooters and I fit in it like a glove with some mild scrubbing of my knees at intense times and depends on seating position . To me a true scooter experience is on a 2T with doughnuts or fat tires . Wider tires have more contact with the pavement which is more safe , stable and shorter braking distance . I have been nervous and had some OMG close calls on 10s and 16s but never with the 13s and I feel so much safer and am able to enjoy riding more .

So depending on your height to find what works for you I strongly suggest you try out scooters in the various tire sizes . There is some with 12s and 14s which are another option , but limited tire selection compared to 130/60/13s .

So my vote is 130/60/13s as I think you will enjoy that size as I do .

[SylvreKat]

Why do you guys say that 16" tires aren't as wide? Mine are--

Front Tire - 110/70 R16
Rear Tire - 140/70 R16

Now, y'all know I'm not mechanicky at all. But it sure looks to me like a 140/70 is a bigger tire than a 130/60. But hey, I'm just a blonde art-girl, what do I know? I'll let the smarter mechanicky folks explain the what-for of that, thanks.

>'Kat

[skuttadawg]

Its the front tire on my Echarm that is not no where as stable as my Magnum is , and part of the Echarms fault is too much of the weight is towards the rear instead of holding the front down . I also have a Jonway Rock Thunder that has the exact wheels and tires as the Echarm but handles many times better . The 16 wheels as not as wide in perspective as as the 13s like 130/60/13 compared to 100/80/16 and the extra width has more contact and does not wobble when going over uneven road surfaces . Tires prices for 16s can be 50 to 100 where 13s 25 to 60 . I prefer to have both tires the same size .

Try to get where you can ride some scooters and compare before you buy . I have ridden a Gator 150 with 14s that were " doughnuts " and it handled well . 13s are more common and have a great tire selection

[jlee]

Nov 3, 2012 23:40:32 GMT -5 SylvreKat said:

Why do you guys say that 16" tires aren't as wide? Mine are--

Front Tire - 110/70 R16
Rear Tire - 140/70 R16

Now, y'all know I'm not mechanicky at all. But it sure looks to me like a 140/70 is a bigger tire than a 130/60. But hey, I'm just a blonde art-girl, what do I know? I'll let the smarter mechanicky folks explain the what-for of that, thanks.

>'Kat

Yeah, a 140/70 is bigger than a 130/60.... IF both tires are the same diameter. If the 140/70 is a 16" tire, and the 130/60 is a 10" tire, the 10" tire would be 'fat' while the 16" tire would be comparatively 'skinny'.

[SylvreKat]

Thanks jlee.

See, this is why I'm not mechanical--it makes no sense to me. I would think a 130/60 would only seem wider on the smaller diameter while in fact be the same width as the larger. You know, optical illusion kind of thing.

I've got to say, my tires look pretty wide to me. Def' wider than my Mom's Schwinn bike but way thinner than my Taurus' sports tires (and whoever can explain why a station wagon needs sports tires wins some sort of fabulous virtual prize!)

Now that I think on it, I believe my wagon's tires are also 16s. I'll have to go check.

>'Kat

[jlee]

SylvreKat, you're right - I probably didn't explain well enough. My point was that, as the wheel diameter increases, the width of the tire must also increase for the tires to be considered the 'same type'. Of course, a 130mm tire is 130mm wide no matter the diameter - but it would be a skinnier tire on a large diameter wheel, and a fatter tire on a smaller one (cross section as ratio of diameter).

[SylvreKat]

Oooo!! I'm right I'm right!

Meanwhile I checked the wagon. He has 15s. So that means his tires are actually smaller 'round than my scooters? Seriously? That must be why they look so much wider than the scoot's. (KIDDING!) I could've sworn though that there were 16s on him at some point. Hm. Where would I find out what Ford wants on him?

>'Kat

[quest4fire]

Is there any good data on what tires will fit on 2.5" x 10" rims? My scooter was made for 4.00 x 10 tires which fit on 2.5 x 10 rims. I just changed to metric 120/90-10 tires. They are a little wider, but seem to work fine. I like the extra width. I ride on dirt roads a lot even in mud season.

[prodigit]

Just for reference,
A 3.5 x 10 tire on my TaoTao is about as wide as a Suzuki Burgman's 14", or a regular motorcycle's front tire!

For a 10" they're like a doughnut, fat and round. Any regular 10in tire would be much smaller, and not really nice to have on a scoot.

[skuttadawg]

130/60/13 is the best way to go IMO

[ariot]

The only reason your Tarus would have sport tires on it is to give it better handling and traction. my 2cents worth.

[skuttadawg]

Wider is better since it has more contact

[bambamofatlanta]

Wider is not more contact.
Wider is not more rubber on the road.
Contact/rubber on the road is controled by the gas laws.
Say my car has 900lbs on the wheel and 30lbs of pressure, I do not pull out scales and weight 30lbs of air and pour it in.
It is 30psi (pounds per square inch) ... not 29 or 31psi. So it can only excert 30lbs of force per square inch at 30psi.
With 900lbs, it would take 30 square inches of rubber to hold up 900lbs at 30psi.
So if my tire was 6" wide at the tread, it would have a contact patch width of 6" and a contact patch length of 5". 6x5=30 ... 30x30=900
If I install a wide tire that is 10" wide at the tread, it would have a 3" long contact patch to support 900lbs.
Simply 10" wide times 3" long times 30psi = 900lbs
It is only in our eyes/minds that we see more rubber on the road.
All we did was to change the contact shape. And that does make a difference. Hence why Formula 1 cars have such wide tires. Their contact patch is pencil thin.
To be honest, wider tires have less rubber on the ground because they need larger rain groves to keep from hydroplaning.
The only way to get more rubber on the ground is to reduce the air pressure, increase the weight or use race slicks.
But who cares about all this BS, they look GOOD! Wider is better, Pontiac says so. Lol!

BTW 6ply MX tires do not even need air. Hence why they handle the same with or without air ... they sux!
Now the first time I rode with a 2 ply tire, I fell in love again. I could feel every root and rock hitting the rims and never got a flat. While the 6ply got flats all the time ... not that it mattered. The 2 ply tire was a dream to ride on.

It is about 99% black magic to making tires. The best rain tire I ever put on my car came with 1/3 of the tread as a racing slick! Go figure.

A street/trail tire is the worst tire on the planet. It can't stick on pavement or dirt! Then try an identical looking "trials" tire (not trail) and you have reached the pinnacle of traction in the dirt! OMG they stick. You never spin them as they will break just like a racing slick on pavement. They grip and then let go. They do not like to be spun like MX knobs.

I could go on for hours. Simply the tire manuf. know this black magic stuff. They write what the tire will do. Reviews help pick out the best, and if it is racing, that will bring the best to the top.

With cars, you simply read. Max Performance, Ultra Performance, Performance, etc... They tell you what they will do. A snow tire does what is says.

I believe the tire width makes it easier to ride and slower. I believe larger diameter makes them handle bad stuff better and easy stuff slower. That part I agree with everyone here. I believe in gyroscopic forces ... especially air born hence why I hate to jump Maico, Bultaco, Ossa, etc... They all have the engine turning the wrong way ... for jumping. Lol! (Chain primary Vs gear)
I would only add that the "tire design" is huge on handling too. And most all 10" wheels come with $(&%( for quality. If I had money to play, I would love to see if I would be more thrilled with 10" wheels with $100 top of the line performance black magic tires.
But people who ride on 10" wheels already made their financial decision.

BTW, I would still take my 10" wheels with $(&%( tires over the handling of some 13" wheeled mopeds I have ridden ... from the 80's, 100lb rubber framed #&&$ and with drum brakes that my shoes out perform.

[skuttadawg]

" Wider is not more contact.
Wider is not more rubber on the road."

Not so true with the design of the tire being a factor too . My Echarm came with Cheng Shin tires that were shaped like a V so only a small amount of the width touched the pavement where my Shinkos are more like a U with more contact even though the same size of tire .

My scooter with 13s has like a dual purpose tread with much of it making contact . I looked a Viper Strykes ata shop that were not mounted or inflated and man they looked wider and flat surface instead of round , and yes I know with inflation they would swell up and be rounded . Issues that bother me on 16s like patch surfaces or cracks do not affect me on my 13s and is also way more stable in heavy wind

To the above with 140/16s yes YOU do have wide 16s but many have a 100/80/16 F and 110/80/16 R and are not in perspective compared to a 130/60/13

Yes 140 is 10mm wider than a 130

The second number is the aspect ratio and has nothing to do with the width . Say for example if you have a 100/60/13 the 60 means the sidewall height is 60% of the width or 60mm tall with the width at 100mm

Many can go up one size wider if the scooter has enough clearance . Cycle Gear will only mount tires 1 size larger than the oem tire

[bambamofatlanta]

I hope everyone knows you can't change the width by more than one size at most.
It is hard to find, but the approved rim width chart for different size tires hard to find and the handling and safety can turn bad outside of the apporved range.
I am looking at buying a parts bike tommorow just for that purpose.

[waynecloud]

I choose not to have bigger tires because I personally don't use it. Well. it depends on a person which he likes most. However, the common problems riders have now is when their tires get flat. They ask for the repair, and worst when we're in the middle of the road and it happened but good news you can typically get it fixed or replaced pretty very easily.

[prodigit]

I personally think 12in tires are the sweet spot.
13in tires are more like motorcycles, the centrifugal forces are greater on greater tires, and will make your cycle want to go forward, when you want to turn.

[flipper]

I have big tyres on my scooter and I've found them to be great for me (I'm a new rider). Maybe it's because I'm used to large bicycle tyres, but from my limited experience (and the shopowner's recommendation) they are more stable.

[jinjin]

Howdee! I ride a Kymco Super 8 125 too and I'm actually searching for new tyres to replace my 4 year old ones. When U say big tires, I suppose U mean wider width? My Super 8 came with 100/80-14 front and 120/80-14 rear chinese made tyres. So how much wider are yours front & rear? Has it affected the handling behaviour and/or fuel consumption, etc? Cheerio!