Scooter tires - how to choose the right one?

If you are buying tires for your scooter, you should follow the manufacturer's recommendations. In the case of passenger cars, drivers change the size of the wheels. They put, for example, different disks, wide and low-profile tires. Motorcycles and scooters cannot do this, and modification options are limited. However, this makes scooter tire regulations more universal. What do you need to know before buying them? Check!

What scooter tires to choose? Check the most important parameters

First, the size. The choice here shouldn't be difficult. The main values ​​are described on the scooter tire profile as three numerical sequences. Take, for example, the designation 130/70/12. The first number indicates the width of the tread, expressed in millimeters. The second percentage of the width and height of the profile. For this, the designation is used not in metric measures, but in relation to the measure of width. In this case, it is 70% of 130 mm, or 91 mm. The last value is the rim size in inches.

Diagonal or radial scooter tires?

To make a choice, you must first familiarize yourself with the characteristics of such tires. Bias technology scooter tires are primarily suitable for off-road use. In the case of scooters, it is difficult to talk about high-performance off-road driving, but it is worth knowing about the existence of such tires. Bias tires are very resistant to damage, durable and absorb bumps very well. Radial tires, on the other hand:

• provide more grip also on curves;
• have low rolling resistance;
• they are also suitable for wet riding and do not overheat as quickly as twill. 

Not sure what type of tires you are dealing with on your car? You can recognize them by the designation - R is radial, D is of course diagonal.

New scooter tires and production date

Products approved by the US Department of Transportation and Canada are labeled "DOT". Immediately after these three letters is a numerical designation that indicates the date the scooter tire was manufactured. If you need new copies, they must be no older than 3 years from the current date. This is the term that determines whether the tire is new or not. The numerical designation informs about the week of production and the year. any example? 1721 means the 17th week of 2021.

Tires tubed or tubeless for scooters?

If you consider only the price, tube scooter tires are better. However, they are united by the fact that they often fail during operation. Why? The main reason is that they are more susceptible to changes in internal pressure. Therefore, the motorcyclist is forced to check the level of their filling more often. In addition, after a tire puncture, air escapes very quickly, which makes it impossible to get to the point of vulcanization and immediately fix the problem.

Tubeless scooter tires and their benefits

At the other extreme are tubeless tires for scooters. Although they are more expensive, they find their place in the vast majority of motorcycles. Why? They are not subject to pressure drops, are much easier to install and allow you to continue on after a puncture (of course, not for long). Drivers are more likely to choose them for their motorcycles and scooters, even though these tires are more expensive.

Scooter tires and load and speed indexes

Both parameters affect safety while driving. Load index shows how much weight the scooter tire can support when driving at maximum speed. The range is 20 to 89, however, the weight value does not mean the same number in kilograms. Therefore, “20” is not 20 kilograms, but 80 kg.

The same applies to the speed index. This parameter specifies the maximum allowed speed for the tire fitted to the scooter. The smallest value of J is 100 km/h. It is worth looking for a table with all the listed values ​​\uXNUMXb\uXNUMXband choosing tires based on the parameters of your motorcycle.

Tires for scooters and motorcycles - how much air should they have?

Underestimating the fill level of a two-wheeler's tires can be disastrous. Remember that you have 2 wheels, not 4. Motorcycle tires must be inflated to the values ​​specified in the tire profile. So how much air should be in scooter tires? If for some reason you are having trouble reading numbers, try sticking to 1,9-2,5 bar. Less pressure should be on the front wheel, more on the rear. You should not exceed these values, much less underestimate the excessive pressure drop. Therefore, frequent monitoring (once a week) is highly recommended.

Winter tires for a scooter - does it make sense?

Please note that scooter tires, referred to as winter tires, are not designed for driving in snow. They are more likely for people moving on asphalt at low temperatures. Riding on two wheels is specific, and even the best two-wheeler tires won't work on ice or packed snow. Therefore, think about how often you will use the scooter in winter and whether it makes sense to install such tires. The plus is that there are a lot of winter tires for scooters. Remember, however, that they cannot be expected to do what winter tires do for a car.

There is no room for experimentation with tire sizes on scooters and motorcycles. Therefore, stick to what the manufacturer has recommended to you, and focus on proven solutions. You should also check your scooter's tire pressure regularly. Do not forget about this, because undercharging can have fatal consequences.