20" or 22"?

[pickleweasel_00]

As per Raffa's reccomendations, I think I'm going to get a Dunlop KT646M tire for the front of my tri-z. I think I've setled on the fast trekkers for the rear, ut not sure if I want 20" or 22"... I know the tread design for the 22 is slightly different but it still looks really sharp. Anyways, do you guys have pics of 20" tires on your tri-z? Trying to get an idea of what they might look like. I don't mind the 22s, but what are any of the benefits to going to a smaller tire? If I went smaller I would re gear to compensate. But I don't want to give up alot of ground clearance either. but pics would help greatly :Bounce

[Bryan Raffa]

heres 20's on the black bike and 22 on the red..:) hope that helps ya

[cr480r]

22's are huge... 20's are a great compromise...

[steven 250sx]

yea i got 20's on my tri-z they seem to be just the right hieght and look

[Tri-Z Pilot]

Yeah, I've decided on 20's for my R when the time comes. I think I'm even going to go with 10in wheels, I think they look sharp, but I'm worried about dingin them too fast due to loosing an inch on the sidewall. I was thinkin about fast trekkers, but I hear they are flat prone due to the lug spacing, and didnt they dicontinue them?

[Rustytinhorn]

I like the 22's on my R. I am light enough and the bike runs well enough that it can handle the 22's with stock gearing, and then I get that little extra speed without really loosing much torque.
However, on my truck, if I go with a tire size just a couple inches bigger, I can really feel the difference and loss in power. So overall I think it depends on the weight and the bike. In addition, not all tires measure up to be the size that is printed on them. My 25" tires are only about 22" or 23" tall, and my 11" wide tires measure up to only be 10". And yes they are properly inflated or uninflated.

Here are a couple pics. Some of them are old ones. It is hard to compare, becuase one is a paddle and one is a knobby. Paddles are 20x11-8 and knobbys are 22x12-9.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff54/rustytinhorn/100_5301.jpg
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff54/rustytinhorn/CIMG0197B.jpg
.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff54/rustytinhorn/5.jpg
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff54/rustytinhorn/100_4647.jpg

[Eric250R]

Unless you ride in some serious ruts or mud, I would never recommend 22s for any sport machine. But that's just my personal opinion.

[ATC-Eric]

I would go 20's for the rear. With the 22's I thought it was a little to unstable.....

22's
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k300/ericbsemail/PICT0589.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k300/ericbsemail/PICT0599.jpg

The 20's.....
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n73/ericbs200/P9020020.jpg
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n73/ericbs200/P8250026.jpg

[pickleweasel_00]

thanks for the input guys :beer From certain angles, the 22's look huge while other angles the look pretty good. I just wanted to see what the 20's looked like, didn't want anything that looked too small. Never had any problems stability-wise but I never go overboard with my riding.

Just wondering what effect it will have with the low end vs. the top end speeds. Sure I can re-gear too. But it might help with some of my riding in the fields around here, seems to bog down when I get into fifth gear and sometimes fourth, but the carb needs a little tuning too.

But the 20's will be a little more suited for a performance oriented machine, correct? Any advantages I will see besides looks and stability?

[ATC-Eric]

But the 20's will be a little more suited for a performance oriented machine, correct? Any advantages I will see besides looks and stability?

That is correct.

My Z came with 18's, and those even looked good.

Top speed wise, the extra mile or 2 per hour you will loose isnt a big deal in my eyes.

With the 22's, it was just to topheavy!

[pickleweasel_00]

also, with the smaller tire, there should be less rotating mass so one should see better acceleration, correct?

[Eric250R]

also, with the smaller tire, there should be less rotating mass so one should see better acceleration, correct?

Also correct, you will notice a difference in the 20s over the 22s. For the record, I'm putting 18s on my Z.

[stealthduner]

I have 20x10x10 Fast trekkers on my 250R and i love them

Here is a picture
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g307/stealthduner/83Rstreet.jpg

Hope this helps

OH and go with the 10x8 wheels if you go the 10's, it will put the sidewall out a bit more better protecting your wheel.

[super90]

I have 22s on my 200x (surtraks) and their great in snow and mud but for snowless riding there just annoying. Its really unstable and dosent look like it should. I had 20s on it as you can see in my sig. and they were awesome until I ripped a hole in the sidewall. Im running 18'' klaws now and it has alot of accelleration and power but lacks the top speed. Overall 20s are a good choice pretty much anywhere.

[pickleweasel_00]

yeah, I figured the 20's would be better all around for aceleration and top speed if I play with the sprockets some more. It has pretty good acceleration now... but more never hurts :D It's not a drag trike plus I'm not trying to set a land speed record either, just want good all around performance. By the way stealth, nice R!

Eric, what size wheels are those on the rear?

Also, will 20x10-8 fit the stock tri-z rims ok?

[Black86tri-z]

i have had 18's 20's and 22's it is for a tri-z 20's are perfect but on my 350x 22's are so much better imo

[pickleweasel_00]

black86, what kind of difference in handling and feel did you notice between 20 and 22?

[Black86tri-z]

it's all about the tire and your riding style there is a loss but my 350x loves the 22's and the triz was ok i was always in between gears back and forth also on my tri-z i hated the hole shot's,i had stock 400ex tire's i belive on there and the trike did what ever you wanted

[stealthduner]

Dont the 350X's come with a 22" tire stock? So it basically puts it back to stock


By the way stealth, nice R!

Thanks Pickle!

[ATC-Eric]

Hey Pickle,


the 22's are on 8x8's.

The 20's are on 9x9 custom douglas rims........

[Rustytinhorn]

I think a lot of it has to do with what tread design you are running. One with really good bite and/or a soft sidewall will cause the the tire to slide less, especially on corners. i.e. Despite whatever height the tires may be, it is easier to to do controlled slides on a knobby vs. a paddle tire.
As for the stability thing (just from my own experience), I have extended axle and a custom lowering link, so I sit a few inches lower already, offsetting any height difference caused by the tire. However, I believe that the best performance would probably come from running the size tire that honda originally designed the bike to run.
Again, my $.02, just from my own experience.