Rear Tires

[Zorro]

I would like to hear from my fellow Trikers on their experience and recommendation on rear tires.....One of my concerns is hydroplaning along with handling and longevity, I just had a brother in a Stallion leave the road when it was raining totaled his ride and him and his wife were banged up pretty bad they were, very, very lucky to be still with the living....This Stallion hydroplaned and then went about eight feet in the air dumping them out... If anyone out there knows of this happening with other Stallion owners Please leave a note here.....It seem the big fancy roll bar was just for looks......Tires hit me up with info on the rear tires please I need to get them this week......Thank You, Zorro

 

[Lee H. Mann]

I would like to hear from my fellow Trikers on their experience and recommendation on rear tires.....One of my concerns is hydroplaning along with handling and longevity, I just had a brother in a Stallion leave the road when it was raining totaled his ride and him and his wife were banged up pretty bad they were, very, very lucky to be still with the living....This Stallion hydroplaned and then went about eight feet in the air dumping them out... If anyone out there knows of this happening with other Stallion owners Please leave a note here.....It seem the big fancy roll bar was just for looks......Tires hit me up with info on the rear tires please I need to get them this week......Thank You, Zorro

To solve your main concern, hydroplaning is caused by excessive speed under conditions that would put a 2 wheeler down. The water cannot escape beneath the tread fast enough to give road contact. The wider the tire, the more potential for this condition. Choose a tread that has the ability to sipe the water but still remains quiet on dry pavement.

You can get an inexpensive tire for well under $100.00 to do the trick but if you have custom low-profile wheels, your choices are limited. I usually try to keep with the tires that came with the trike since they are really overkill on an 1100 lb motorcycle.

 

[mhgoldwing]

Best defense against hydroplaning is controlling speed and watch the road for sloughs holding water.

As far as tires go, try to find a tread with open design to allow large amounts of water to escape. Kuhmo has a couple of good ones. Those were OEM on my Roadsmith and they served me well. I'm now running a Michelin MXV4 which I don't think they're producing any longer.

 

[dirtdobber]

I agree.
I get caught in the rain at times. I always slow down and watch for water build up, puddles, and have not noticed it doing it. Speed and puddles are not a good thing when together.I have factory tires on both trikes. Speed is a problem with puddles.

 

[Gorilla]

There is a rating on the side of the tire for traction. Look that up and see if that helps you. As stated speed is what causes tires to hydroplane. Its a trade off because less grooves give you better traction and the more grooves to allow water to escape decreases traction under normal conditions. Race cars have slicks to race on.

Have had a Stallion since March of 08. Still have the original Michelin's on with 80k miles. Yes they will hydroplane if you are going to fast. When it rains we usually slow to around 50 and do not have an issue.

 

[Zorro]

Rear Tires and hydroplaning...

Thank you for all your replies on rear tires and hydroplaning......I understand about the speed thing but I ride with my friends most of who are on motorcycles and they have no problem with hydroplaning which makes me think.........

Maybe the manufacturers of trikes are using wide tires to look cool when a smaller width tire would be safer...

 

[mhgoldwing]

Thank you for all your replies on rear tires and hydroplaning......I understand about the speed thing but I ride with my friends most of who are on motorcycles and they have no problem with hydroplaning which makes me think.........

Maybe the manufacturers of trikes are using wide tires to look cool when a smaller width tire would be safer...

There are other factors to consider besides wet traction though. Wide tires offer higher load capability, reduce lean in turn, and offer the traction needed during side loading (twisties) to prevent trike rear from breaking loose and greater tire surface during braking. As in all traction formulas there are tradeoffs.

Ride safe

 

[SMSgt]

Thank you for all your replies on rear tires and hydroplaning......I understand about the speed thing but I ride with my friends most of who are on motorcycles and they have no problem with hydroplaning which makes me think.........

Maybe the manufacturers of trikes are using wide tires to look cool when a smaller width tire would be safer...

Hi Zorro and welcome to the forum. It is a great place to get information.

There is no way for your friends on two wheels to avoid the laws of physics. Their motorcycles are hydroplaning just as any vehicle going fast on water. The water combined with speed creates a cushion or space of water between the tire and the roadway. Motorcycle tires are made to push much of the water out of the way but there is no way to eliminate all the water so you will always have some water between the tire and the road. The best advice for you and your friends is SLOW DOWN or they will be leaving the road as well.

As far as trike tires being wider to "look cool" that doesn't even make sense. Tires and rims need to match and even dark siders have wider tires, at the treads, than non dark siders.

The wider tires give you better traction in cornering which we all appreciate and a smoother ride depending on the air pressure you are running. The trike tires are the size they are for a reason and if they look cool in the process then everyone wins, after all you never saw a new Corvette come out of the factory with pizza cutters on them. There is traction to be gained with the tire design and size is an important part of that. Oh yeah even a new Corvette will hydroplane.

 

[Shimpy]

Thank you for all your replies on rear tires and hydroplaning......I understand about the speed thing but I ride with my friends most of who are on motorcycles and they have no problem with hydroplaning which makes me think.........

Maybe the manufacturers of trikes are using wide tires to look cool when a smaller width tire would be safer...

I would guess the rounded shape of motorcycle tires would be less apt to hydroplane since there is much less rubber on the road to ride up on standing water. With less rubber on the road they also wear out their tires faster.

 

[Solidbob]

As the Stallion has 18x8 Rear Wheels and weighs in at near 1800# empty with an also wide 16x6 Front wheel I would say caution should follow when riding in the rain... might be great when dry but with this thing wearing skis its just looking for a place to slide around. Recommend a tire that has very wide sipes to remove water.... I would call MotorTrike and get their recommended size..... and go to Discount Tire or someone like Tire Rack thats online and see what they have, this is one from Discount Tire that would most likely work all around... its 18" dia.

And slow down....FYI

 

[smurphy]

I would like to hear from my fellow Trikers on their experience and recommendation on rear tires.....One of my concerns is hydroplaning along with handling and longevity, I just had a brother in a Stallion leave the road when it was raining totaled his ride and him and his wife were banged up pretty bad they were, very, very lucky to be still with the living....This Stallion hydroplaned and then went about eight feet in the air dumping them out... If anyone out there knows of this happening with other Stallion owners Please leave a note here.....It seem the big fancy roll bar was just for looks......Tires hit me up with info on the rear tires please I need to get them this week......Thank You, Zorro

Two weeks ago a couple I know was on a Stallion, hit water and flipped killing her and sending him to the hospital. He is still there.