Conti Force, good Tyre? and worrying question

SplaTZXR400 · Post by **SplaTZXR400** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 8:45 am

ok guys iv ordered the tyre myself as i found it much cheaper than a dealer. just out of curiosity, is it any good trying to fit em urself or would u say always take it to a dealer. coz i dunno if i like the thought of a monkey with a spanner bending my tyre on, or do they use a machine? but iv always seen motorcycle tyre fitting stuff around.

superman · Post by **superman** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 8:55 am

i think they do it with a machine plus then you know its on proper so i would take it to the dealer, there are lots of places to get it put on i would say a tenner to get it fitted sounds good maybe 20.

SplaTZXR400 · Post by **SplaTZXR400** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 8:58 am

ye i thought as much as the tyre being wot it is, id do any other work my self but that part i dont really wan2. i live round the corner from yamaha gedge, i might ask how much for the loose wheel. i can just walk round then.

superman · Post by **superman** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 10:23 am

Good idea, try a tyre place dealers are always a rip off for work. im not sure if a notmal car tyre fitter will do it if so you will get it cheaper than the dealer but then again its the pain in the butt of gettin it round to the garage etc.

Post by **masterofinsanity** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 10:33 am

you need to watch you don't break the rim if you do it yourself, you can get rim protectors for a couple of quid.

SplaTZXR400 · Post by **SplaTZXR400** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 3:30 pm

well i managed to get a tyre this moring for Â£54 pounds which is a bargain. cheaper than a garage quoted me. and iv called up a local garage which i do trust and they will fit it for Â£14 including VAT and a new valve. saves me fluffing it up. yipee. just gotta wait til the tyres delivered now.

Post by **masterofinsanity** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 3:38 pm

i had both my tyres removed and refitted, new valves and balanced for Â£20.

SplaTZXR400 · Post by **SplaTZXR400** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:26 pm

thats a good price, see i ran into a bit of a funny situation coz i no a dodgey mech, thought id just ring 4 a quote, told him wot tyre i need, goin by wot i read on here, service manual, and continentals own fitting guide which is 'approved by the manufacturer' and he then turned round and said thats the wrong tyre for the bike i said y, he goes coz of the speed rating, so i was like right wot do u mean, he goes, u need a slower speed tyre coz they dont get warm n grippy bla bla bla, tryna confuse me with bullocks i think. thinks he nos everything he does. anyway tried selling me this other tyre, Â£105 for the job. so i said no. coz other placeswere alot cheaper n would sell methe right tyre.

RedexRobB · Post by **RedexRobB** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:04 pm

It is true about tyre ratings for speed, like the BT090 shouldnt really go on a ZXR as its rated at 130mph max, there are letters for each rating i forget them now, but the ZXRwill do over that.

Not sure if how quickly it warms up is related to its speed rating, surely race bikes that run super sticky stuff should be limited to 70 perhaps???

SplaTZXR400 · Post by **SplaTZXR400** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:23 pm

ye i no about speed ratings, and ur right the zxr is possible offmore so its better to ahve asafety margin, zr i think is fast, bout 270kph i think, roughly 150mph i think.which seems right to me, seein as i can do 120 and more. the manual and guide say zr17 so i belive iv made the right choice

ye well he said its to do with grip and warmth in realtion to the weight off the bike, n it went straightover my head, coz i just thoghut wots wrong with the tyres the manual states with those pressures. no BS from conmen.

SplaTZXR400 · Post by **SplaTZXR400** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:28 pm

no ur right letter like b, g, - w are the speed index, the zr, vr etc. is related to construction type apparently,even so, the manual stil says ZR.

[added]: ye just checked continetal website again, i have got the right 1, 120/60/ ZR17, W speed rating 270 kph TL

Caz · Post by **Caz** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 8:00 am

ok tyre identification

160/60 ZR 17 TL

160 - tyre width in mm
60 - aspect ratio; ratio of the height of the tyre to the width
Z - speed rating
R - radial construction
TL - tubeless

a Z rated tyre is for greateer than 240km/h or 150mph
an H rated tyre is rated up to 210km/h or 130mph

since a ZXR400s top speed is greater than 130mph, the manufacturers cannot legally spec an H rated tyre. Hence the reason the ZXR400 has a 160 rear section.
The fact that it needs a Z rated tyre is also a contributing factor as to why the recommended tyre sizes are a 120 at the front and a 160 at the rear, as far as I know you cannot get a Z rated 110 and 150. So the smallest legal tyre sizes are a 120 and a 160.

a Z rated tyre will have a much stiffer carcass than an H rated tyre, to cope with the higher speeds and increased power that will be going through it.
How soft the rubber is does not affect the speed rating.

It's still early and the pile of work on my desk is making my head hurt!

SplaTZXR400 · Post by **SplaTZXR400** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:18 am

good explanation tho. ye research on some websites has come up with some contradictions. like confusions over speed ratings and construction type. but o well. this seems to be the only configuration tyre available (continetial conti force) as far as i no.

is there any truth or plausiblity behind wot this mech guy was telling me. i dont trust him anyway. but wots really the difference between a VR and a ZR he seems to think somethign boutweight of the bike related to how warm they get. somethng like that. haha good luck with all that work

wonderpupp · Post by **wonderpupp** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 1:10 pm

H Rated on a 400 warms up far quicker than a Z rated. H Rated are really good for 400s cos how often do you actually use all the power and top speed constantly?

I know I did when I commuted, so I don't see my own point really..

SplaTZXR400 · Post by **SplaTZXR400** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 1:19 pm

hehe ye well, thats it really, H maybe be better, but i see wot Caz means bout the H ratin. and the tyre i got from continental only come as ZR with W rating, besides although i may trott around town at 40 somedays, i do hack it down the bypass at 80, or the m23 at 120, so shud be ok. god i think tyres are complicated.