190 size for ducati 848

E

Evan L

New member
None of the little guys want to hear this, they are going to do what they want to do anyway and they will justify it any way they can. So go ahead, slap a 190 on there! You fellas are all smarter than Ducati's R & D dept. right?
 
You finally noticed....actually it has not much to do with Ducati's R&D dept and everything to do with my riding style and my preference of bike set up. It's just that though.....my opinion due to my experience. Having realized that different brands of tires use slightly different shapes and profiles, it's easy for me to spot one that will work for me and know that going a size bigger will give me a certain result.
 
I will be trying a set of Dunlop DOT Race tires at our next trackday, to see if I make the changeover from Michelin Power One tires which I've been racing on for over a year now, most other guys I race with on 848, seemed to like going to 190 on the back, once I try it, I'll post up if I like it or not...we'll see
 
Yeah duc heads after running around and searching around about this delema on 190 or 180 tire I got a fantastic result. first 190 and 180 will perfectly fit on 848 rims no rubbing on the swing arms. On 180/55/17 result are quick, easy and very pass leaning if you like that kind of riding. for me, 180 it so easy to lean it feels like i'm gonna hit the ground pass, you cannot really control the leaning, instant leaning from 0-10 but never 0-5-10. Sometimes my rear tire feel it wobbles or overspins maybe tires are sliding or because of no slipper clutch. on 190/50/17 for me it feels NICE. rear tire very solid you can feel the tire on the ground during leaning and its a very very nice feeling and I am more comfident on turns. No instant leaning, it leans 0-5-10 controlable and leaning angle it perfect. 190/50/17 lowers the bike .5" and .5" longer on the swing arm which kind of avoid first gear wheelie when quick take-off. Overall all its all defense how and where you use your bike and type thrill your looking for. I will use 180 on racetrack and 190 on the street. You just have to try it and learn from it, its a yes or no game. Alway remember, it's only a damn motorcycle its all fun and game.
 
190 for the track, no question and only a race tire. But if you are only on the street, just get the 180. You don't lose any grip with the 190 on an 848 rim, but you don't gain any either.. I promise you that you have not been to the ends of your grip on the 180. In my avatar I'm on stock tires.. the grip is there.. trust me. And there was still more..

I've been on the power one race compound. As far as I know, it's the only DOT race tire.. believe me when I tell you though, you will NOT get anywhere near 5k miles out of it.. But they'll grip when they're warm.. and they don't let go without giving you a heads up first.
 
not necessarily true.... but more likely then not you are correct, I got 5K outta my stockers on the 1098, but then again, they hadn't been touched at all (the sides) when I bought it with 2.2K on it, I did run it down pretty thin in the center though, I've got almost 4K on my PR2s and will probably get 3-4K more from then, unless I nuke the sides, which is likely the way I've been riding it lately.
 
Here are my opinions between the two... take it for what you want =)

I ran a 180/55ZR17 Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa Pro for 1400 miles (on a 5.5" stock wheel) bike felt great but didn't know any different as this was the first setup. Was a little heavy in my opinion to turn in.

I ran a 180/55ZR17 Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa Pro for 3000 miles (on a 6.0" BST wheel) bike had a different almost progressive feel on turn in because of the 180 being stretched over a 6.0" wheel it did flatten out the profile of the tire a bit, but I had plenty of traction, good lean angle, and good tire wear.

I ran a 190/55ZR17 Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa Pro for 1200 miles (on a 6.0" OZ wheel) bike turns in awesome, the 190/55 adds a substantial amount of rear ride height to the bike making it turn in better than ever, got rid of the progressive turn in feel. The only issue I have is there is a ton more weight put on the front end now and it isn't a big deal solo, but when doing two up rides the front end gets a uncertain feel on it, keeping me from gaining any confidence in it, other than that I could adjust the front geometry to compensate but I love the way it turns in currently and wouldn't change the set up for the world.

I have not ran a 5.5" wheel with a 190/55ZR17 on my 848 but have extensive track time on an R6 with the 190/55 setup and the tire worked better than the 180/55 as there was a ton more contact patch, but to get all the way over on the tire your elbow was in the pavement and the tire did produce odd wear patterns, it was definately squishing the tire at that time. And would prefer to run a 6.0 rear.
 
Nick is spot on. The 190/55/17 is totally okay on the oem 848 rim. Have a couple of guys local at miller that run them including me. Our michelin guy swears by 'em on the 848.. so bigger contact patch, plus the 848's amazing ability to throttle earlier is a deadly mix mid corner for some of the 600 guys..

Nick where's my call back about suspension!

-Harth
 
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