[zedro]

sooo my troublesome and crumbly 2.5-Comp16 finally gave way on the trail with a sidewall cut thats too big to support a tireplug, so i was forced to buy a 2.2-Comp24 for the rear (all out of 2.5s). Now i was running a Comp32 in the front which was hooking up great that day until i switched the rear out, and then the front cornering grip seemingly went to poop.

So the question is, can changing a rear tire negatively affect the performance of the front, or is this in my head? Could the comparatively much narrower profile (2.8 vs. 2.2) throw things out of whack? Anyone want a 2.2-Comp24 with 3 runs on it?

 

[chillindrdude]

i know plenty of people who run 2.5/2.35 tire combo. its not a farfetched concept. i think you gain alittle more acceleration/faster roll with a thinner width tire. i think the loss of traction is marginal...provided the compound used is a softer duro one.

 

[zedro]

i know plenty of people who run 2.5/2.35 tire combo. its not a farfetched concept. i think you gain alittle more acceleration/faster roll with a thinner width tire. i think the loss of traction is marginal...provided the compound used is a softer duro one.

well the 2.8/2.5 setup worked great, and i got the comparison between the two setups within 20mins. I was just surprised that the tire not changed was the one that had less traction after the change.

 

[chillindrdude]

perhaps it was all in your head

 

[Transcend]

chances are what's happenning is that the rear tire is now hooking up better being nice and narrow. It likes to bite into the ground, so the front end gives way first. I noticed this on some setups i tried over the summer.

The front end seems to give way earlier now due to a different profile then the rear. You didn't lose front traction, you probably gained rear traction.

Does this make sense? Think of it as you are not pivoting around the rear tire, instead of the front when you try and turn.

edit: holy crap, i think i was drunk when i posted this completely incoherent post.

 

[zedro]

that may be possible, since i was swinging the back around more before since the crumbling side knobs of the C16's were making that increasingly easier.

Think i'll slap an old C32 in the back for now, save the C24 for next year with a new C16 for the front

 

[ssaddict]

The comp 16 does offer more traction so i'm not suprised, cut the knobs on the comp 24 you'll be alot happier. But it's still a tire that likes alot of hardpack, and rolls FAST.

 

[The Mad Haderer]

it could be that you have slackened out the bike a lil more and therefore you would have get more over the front to get the same angles/traction...that would make more sense then the rear changing the way the bike rides in the front. i have ridden that set up a few times this year and it works well but i ride on the front of the bike mostly.

also....ssadict is rite...if you clip the intermediate knobs on ur comp 24 it will make you a much happier rear tire. also...when u get ur new 2.5 comp 16...clip about 2mm off each of the sideknobs makes them alot stiffer therefore corner alot better.

 

[zedro]

also....ssadict is rite...if you clip the intermediate knobs on ur comp 24 it will make you a much happier rear tire.

which knobs would that be? assuming i wont be too lazy to do it (anything tire-related aggravates me to no end...)

 

[quadricolour]

In your picture, knob 6.

 

[The Mad Haderer]

which knobs would that be? assuming i wont be too lazy to do it (anything tire-related aggravates me to no end...)

if you completely remove #3 you'll get a much better cornering tire and its a recommended cut my michelin.

If your feeling experimental...i took Knob 5 and made a razor slice parrellel with the direction your wheel spins. (almost perpendicular to the gap in Knob 5. i tried it and it feels like is makes things a bit better.

 

[Nately27]

where is it recommended by Michelin to remove that knob? is it on their website somewhere? I ask because it would seem that removing that knob would remove rubber from the contact patch, remove a biting edge, and if it was cut low enough, leave that outside knob unsupported. It would obviously help for mud clearance, but im skeptical it would help cornering in the dry.