Best tires for Scooter. Michelin, Pirelli, IRC?

[Airwolf]

I've an Aerox that needs new tires. I'm leaning towards Michelin city grip 2... but they're out of stock, so could be a wait. 

2 other options from my shop are, 
 

IRC IZ-Ss : 3200
Pirelli Angel scooter : 4590

Either of these ok, or any other recommendations?

Just for city use, long lasting, good grip. 

[scubascuba3]

IRC is fine, had it on two bikes and does the job, previous bike tried a "copy" they said, Kicker Fujiama, were also good, around 550 baht.

 

The Pirelli boys will be on soon saying you must buy them

[Shmo]

I put Pirelli on my 150 Vespa. I like them, second set. On The first set of pirelli the rubber cracked from sitting outside too long unused (for about 5 years) 

they seem like good tires. I’m normally looking for Michelins but these were only 125.00 CDN per tire so I got them 

 

good luck!

[Moonlover]

I've been riding my Aerox on the original IRC stock tyres for over 3 years now and I can't think of any good reason why I would explore another make when comes time to replace them.

 

The bike handles just fine both in town and on the country lanes that surround my village dwelling which is where I do most of my riding. I've never had a disturbing moment regarding tyre performance.

[eisfeld]

I usually use tires from the big brands like Pirelli, Metzeler, Michelin etc on my big bikes, the only one I avoid is Dunlop. Gave my CBR500R to a friend for a while and he tried IRC and was happy with them. Rode the bike myself and have to say they are really not bad. For a scooter I wouldn't hesitate to go with IRC if there are decent savings to be had.

[BTB1977]

IRC are good tires.  Non of us are racing in the moto GP with our scooters so anything more expensive than IRC is just over kill. I had 3 sets on 2 different bikes and haven't noticed any difference between the more expensive ones. 

[spidermike007]

IRC are at the bottom of the barrel. Way too hard, terrible grip, very dangerous tires to drive on here, with all the loose gravel, and rain. I prefer Pirelli. Using the angel now on my Forza 350, and it has tremendous grip. My rear end fishtailed many times with the horrendous, stock IRC's. Never with the Pirellis. Michelin are also very good, as are Metzeler, and all are a huge step up from the stock junk the bikes come with. 

[eisfeld]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

IRC are at the bottom of the barrel. Way too hard, terrible grip, very dangerous tires to drive on here, with all the loose gravel, and rain. I prefer Pirelli. Using the angel now on my Forza 350, and it has tremendous grip. My rear end fishtailed many times with the horrendous, stock IRC's. Never with the Pirellis. Michelin are also very good, as are Metzeler, and all are a huge step up from the stock junk the bikes come with. 

Maybe you need to look deeper into the barrel ???? There are way way worse tires than IRC. Maybe the ones for scooters are not of the same quality as for bigger bikes but the ones I tested for the CBR are really not that bad. Not hard and grip is pretty decent. And yes, also tried them in the wet. My buddy did thousands of km on these and didn't have a single time where he thought they were dangerous.

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, eisfeld said:

Maybe you need to look deeper into the barrel ???? There are way way worse tires than IRC. Maybe the ones for scooters are not of the same quality as for bigger bikes but the ones I tested for the CBR are really not that bad. Not hard and grip is pretty decent. And yes, also tried them in the wet. My buddy did thousands of km on these and didn't have a single time where he thought they were dangerous.

I used my IRCs in foot deep water on Sukhumvit a few times was fine.

 

Those saying IRCs are dangerous must be reckless riders

[novacova]

I have a set of Michelin m62’s on one bike, and Michelin Pilot Street 2’s on another, both good rubber. Personally I haven’t used anything but Michelin on all my vehicles, it’s the first swap done immediately after purchase.. 

[novacova]

On 9/25/2023 at 3:12 PM, Airwolf said:

Michelin city grip 2... but they're out of stock, so could be a wait.

I waited for a set of Michelin, I didn’t want to put anything else on 

[Taxi]

As the saying use to go "if it only saves you once a year it a Goodyear."

 

I agree the Dunlops are crap, I don't recall exactly why but I also got rid of IRC's.

 

I've had the Pirelli Diablo's and really liked them, I currently have the Michelin City Grip 2's and also really like them.  If I had to choose one, I think the Michelin's. The contoured surface makes leaning into turns feel more natural and the grip is outstanding wet or dry.

[BarraMarra]

if you only want to commute around town a cheap set are ok no need to buy a Merc when you can buy a mini still get from A to B. Just because they're cheap doesn't mean they're dangerous. They will still serve the purpose.

[eisfeld]

2 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I used my IRCs in foot deep water on Sukhumvit a few times was fine.

 

Those saying IRCs are dangerous must be reckless riders

Yea I mean we're talking 150cc scooters here. Not going to try to drag knee on one. Don't need multi-compound rubber either.

 

[J Branche]

I know this is reviving an older thread.

 

I recently changed from the IRC tires. They were good tires for a city like Pattaya if you are not racing around.

The reason I changed is the IRC tires developed cracking all around the sidewall (I have many photos) and the date code says they are

2 years and 6 months old, bike parked in shade most of the time.

 

Trying the Michelin City Grip 2 because they seem to offer great all around performance and people say they last a long time.

The tire seems to ride a little softer, will see how they perform over 6 months and more.

[Skipalongcassidy]

44 minutes ago, J Branche said:

I know this is reviving an older thread.

 

I recently changed from the IRC tires. They were good tires for a city like Pattaya if you are not racing around.

The reason I changed is the IRC tires developed cracking all around the sidewall (I have many photos) and the date code says they are

2 years and 6 months old, bike parked in shade most of the time.

 

Trying the Michelin City Grip 2 because they seem to offer great all around performance and people say they last a long time.

The tire seems to ride a little softer, will see how they perform over 6 months and more.

Here’s the thing, as rubber ages, it interacts with the air in the atmosphere, causing oxidation. Oxidation causes the rubber to harden and become brittle.

The rubber will wear away much more slowly but will offer significantly lower levels of grip.

Oxidation also shows up as cracks or “checking” on the sidewall. Cracking on the sidewall, or in between the traction blocks, indicates severe oxidation, and it’s a sign that the tires should be replaced.

This brings us to the third reason why a tire wears out.

Heat Cycles

Heat increases the rate of oxidization, so if your bike lives in a hot garage, or you live in a hot environment, your tire will lose its grip more rapidly because the heat accelerates the rate of decomposition of the rubber.

What’s more, every time your tire warms up and cools down, it goes through a heat cycle, which also compromises the grip the tire can provide.

When a tire has gone through so many heat cycles that it can no longer provide adequate levels of grip, that tire is “baked-out.”

And not all tires deal with heat cycles the same way. A race tire or even a DOT race tire that can withstand extreme heat punishment on the racetrack may only be able to withstand two or three heat cycles before the level of grip is significantly diminished.

While a sport touring tire may not be able to withstand the harsh punishment and heat like a race tire can, it can typically survive a lifetime of heat cycles from everyday riding stresses before grip decreases.

However, tires intended for cooler, wetter climates are less capable of dealing with too much heat when used in hot, dry climates and may bake out long before the tread is worn away.

This is part of the reason racers and track day riders use tire warmers. Not only to keep the tire warm and grippy but to reduce the number of heat cycles that the tire will have to endure.

This is also why it’s a good idea to try to replace your tires and sets. Your front tire is going through just as many heat cycles as your rear tire and is baking out at the same rate.

We’ve seen a lot of riders who will replace the rear tire, and then a few months later replace the front tire, and then a few months after that, replace the rear tire again.

So they are always chasing a new set of tires. And nothing makes your bike handle like new like a fresh set of tires. So, again, if you can swing it, it’s always best to replace your tires as a set. But if you can’t, for whatever reason, then at least stick with matched tires.

Knowing how old your tires are, or how many heat cycles they’ve endured, maybe a more significant indication as to how worn your tires are than how much tread remains.

 

 

 

[scubascuba3]

8 hours ago, J Branche said:

I know this is reviving an older thread.

 

I recently changed from the IRC tires. They were good tires for a city like Pattaya if you are not racing around.

The reason I changed is the IRC tires developed cracking all around the sidewall (I have many photos) and the date code says they are

2 years and 6 months old, bike parked in shade most of the time.

 

Trying the Michelin City Grip 2 because they seem to offer great all around performance and people say they last a long time.

The tire seems to ride a little softer, will see how they perform over 6 months and more.

My stock IRCs are good as usual, once they wear out I'll probably switch to "copies" like Kickers, also good about 600 baht

[WingNut]

When I bought my Honda 250 they came with IRC. Hardest and most slippery tires I've ever drove on. Awful in my opinion. I now avoid them like the plague.
 

Since then I've had a set of Michelin Pilot Street tires on the bike. Not so outstanding either. Overpriced in my opinion. Then I had a Thai brand on the bike for a while, which was very inexpensive but really grippy and I liked them. Eventually I had to replace them, but they were no longer available.
 

Now I've got a set of Indonesian tires I've had on the bike since late 2021. They were also very inexpensive. I think I like these the best so far. They have been on the bike for almost 3 years now and, if they are still available in the future, then I'll probably go with those same tires again when I need to replace them the next time. 
 

[WingNut]

The Indonesian tire brand I was referring to is called Corsa. Those are the ones I'm using and that I really like.

[PremiumLane]

IRC IZS Scooter tyres are very good and cheaper than the other brands. I run them on a Click 160, warm up fast, very grippy