Pilot Road 4 & Punctures?

[Reckless]

Worth carrying a plug repair kit on the bike no matter what tyre fitted.

Thanks for all the replies chaps - I never realised that Michelin did not use a steel belt - worth thinking about.

I did have the complete kit with me to mend the puncture - it was all in my nice toolbox bolted to the rear pannier frame. All would have been well if I had remembered the key to the toolbox!

I might switch back to Metzeler - always sworn by them until the PR4 - shame though as its a great tyre - especially in the wet!

 

[notadrop]

PR4's 2 punctures (rear) in 2 months. I swear if it ran over so much as one of those plastic picnic forks it would get a flat. Have switched to Heidenau.

 

[younger06]

This info about the lack of steel belt might dissuade me from my next choice of tyre...... Anakee3.

Sent using a Jedi mind trick!

 

[rdonson]

Had two trails done about six thou on each, just fitting a tour version to see if it lasts a bit longer..with no punctures

 

[malcopopolo]

do you not think its to do with the crap left on the road? I have had two punctures in my car in the last 3 months, scrapping a newly new pirelli!

I have pr4s on the gs and did 3500 miles via croatia last september - no problems and only 50% worn. 1000 mile was on motorways!

 

[mcinlb]

It's maybe to do with the numbers of PR4s in use, hence number of punctures in general as opposed to any actual issues with the PR4s themselves????

 

[pootle]

I got a puncture in a rear after about 2k miles on a set and when I eventually found the piece of metal that did it I couldn't believe how small it was!!! Let alone thick enough to go through the the tire enough to puncture it. Plugged at my local tyre shop and put another 4K on it before selling the bike.

Great tyre, just surprised how little it took to puncture it...


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[Rusape]

For the tyre gurus on here then, and shout if a stupid question.... does tyre pressure have any bearing on the tyres ability to resist puncture... ie the higher the pressure the less likely to puncture... or it this compete cr*p ?

 

[dean0n0]

For the tyre gurus on here then, and shout if a stupid question.... does tyre pressure have any bearing on the tyres ability to resist puncture... ie the higher the pressure the less likely to puncture... or it this compete cr*p ?

The lower the pressure the larger the contact patch, so a bigger chance of picking something up.

 

[Deleted account 200502001]

For the tyre gurus on here then, and shout if a stupid question.... does tyre pressure have any bearing on the tyres ability to resist puncture... ie the higher the pressure the less likely to puncture... or it this compete cr*p ?

The faster you go the less time your tyre is in contact with the sharp object. And that has been scientificully proven by me, just now, in my head.

 

[Schtum]

The lower the pressure the larger the contact patch, so a bigger chance of picking something up.

Ahh but....the smaller the contact patch, the greater the pressure per square inch that the tyre exerts on the ground which would be more likely to persuade a foreign object through the tyre tread and carcass.

 

[Deleted account 200502001]

Ahh but....the smaller the contact patch, the greater the pressure per square inch that the tyre exerts on the ground which would be more likely to persuade a foreign object through the tyre tread and carcass.

Maybe be best to have a tyre pressure somewhere in-between then?

 

[dean0n0]

Ahh but....the smaller the contact patch, the greater the pressure per square inch that the tyre exerts on the ground which would be more likely to persuade a foreign object through the tyre tread and carcass.

Where's engineer when you need him.

 

[Reckless]

My first PR4 Trail was worn out at 3500 miles and the GT on it now is about 2/3 worn at that mileage. No punctures on either so far

Sorry to return to the PR4 puncture saga but, is there any eveidence out there that the Trail version of the PR4 may not be up to the job on the rear of the GSA and that the GT version should perform better. As I understand the difference, the GT has a reinforced centreline which might help beat the puncture issue? I would love to stay with the PR4 but need to have confidence in my tyres.

 

[CPJS]

Sorry, but no. 2 of my 3 punctures in 18 months have been in GT PR4's front and back.

 

[snaponphil]

Continental, 12000 miles, 2 rear punctures, both repaired, still on original front replaced rear with ding dongs nearly new sourced from this forum..
Happy with feel & handling & they last so well as I don't think I'm particularly slow rider..

 

[Reckless]

Thanks for all the replies - most useful. I got the tyre looked at today with a view to plugging it and then getting a few more miles from it before I change it for the summer. However, 10mm slit along the line of one of the centreline sipps - virtually unnoticeable from inside until you flexed the tyre - 5mm of tread remaining too! Anyway - looks like bad luck on me. I watched the fitter replace the tyre on the rim - managed it by hand - the PR4 is a very soft and flexible tyre with no steel belt - might explain the punctures. Anyway, new Tourance Next fitted and we were sorted! I don't think I will be trusting the PR4 again.


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[cusi]

PR4 3000 miles 2 punctures to rear so far, both caused by flints.

 

[The Grey One]

Sorry to return to the PR4 puncture saga but, is there any eveidence out there that the Trail version of the PR4 may not be up to the job on the rear of the GSA and that the GT version should perform better. As I understand the difference, the GT has a reinforced centreline which might help beat the puncture issue? I would love to stay with the PR4 but need to have confidence in my tyres.

I am on my second rear PR4 trail on my 1150 (a fair bit heavier than later model) before that I had a PR3, the standard version not the trail. The PR3 wore out in about 4,000 miles but that was 4,000 miles of fun. The PR4s lasted longer. I have not had a puncture despite riding two up and fully loaded on some appalling roads in Romania last summer.

John

 

[sven]

Posting on this thread was obviously the kiss of death as a sharp piece of gravel punctured my rear tyre coming down the B1257 Stokesley - Helmsley TT road this afternoon. It took BMW 4.5 hours to recover the bike from Helmsley I like Helmsley, but not that much, especially as it was 8:30pm when we eventually left....

It was also an "interesting" drive home in the recovery van with a driver who'd been driving since 2am and nearly didn't make it around the top corner of Sutton Bank