Avon Distanzia front Dunlop D606 rear

So i'm looking to get more traction out of my tires to feel more confident pushing my limits. I am mostly riding on pavement to school and back, but occationally i'll hit a little farm road that isn't to gnarly.The distanzia's have good reviews on the street but a little lacking off road which is okay because i still have a nice dirt tire on the back. My front tire is the only one thats bald right now so i'm trying to save money by just getting the front. Also I love my D606 rear, it digs in deep offroad and it feels good on pavement as well. This is my first time purchasing tires so i just want to make sure that if i run this set up, it's not going to have any problems with head shake or height differences or anything. Please make me aware of any problems i could run into or if this will be just fine.

Thanks,
Shane

Generally, it's NOT recommended that you have two completely different tires like that.

The profiles don't match, which might create some instability.

However, if that's what you're running now and things feel "fine" to you....who's to say you can't do it?  

That being said, if that's the only tire combination you've ever ridden on, who's to say you know what "fine" feels like?
(not insulting you here, just pointing out the truth)


I'd recommend you try to match the front and rear tire, so if you like the Dunlop on the back, find the matching Dunlop mate for the front.

If you're into "pushing the limits on the street" - then get street tires, like a full set of Distanzia's or even something even more sportbike oriented.


You do know what they say about opinions though right?  


Are you on an X or an R ?

I guess i left out that bit of info. I have a WRR and i run dunlop front and rear, but i wanted to get more traction by running a more street oriented tire. I don't have the money for a set of tires though so i guess ill just wait till i get 17's to get street tires. Would you recommend mixing Pirelli MT43 front and dunlop rear. I believe the MT43 has better street traction being a trials tire, but tell me if i have it wrong. Thanks for the reply!

I don't recommend mixing tires.

That's just me.

If you want Distanzias - get them front and back.

If you want Pirelli - get them front and back.

If you want Dunlop - get them front and back.

Get the tires that match each other. That are designed to go together,

You life and safety are riding on two tiny little contact patches. They should match profile to profile.

Don't get a dirt tire on the rear and street tire on the front and assume you're safe "pushing limits" on either surface.


Again though - that's just my philosophy. I match front and rear. I do 99.5% street riding.
Others may feel differently.

that's exactly the kind of info i was looking for, so thank you i will go ahead and order another d606. I really appreciate your input!

crispy0 wrote:

that's exactly the kind of info i was looking for, so thank you i will go ahead and order another d606. I really appreciate your input!

Generally speaking, it's not best to rely on one guy, on the interwebz, for all your advice.

And again, I was just relaying my opinion. We all have them.

They sell tires on some sites in sets, some are 40-60 some 50-50 some 60-40, the first number is street the second dirt or off road. you can get a deal some times when you buy both, some even sell 2 rears and 1 front in a set, as most people ware out the backs faster, I think motokid is right, after riding since 1966 I have found mixing and matching is not always the best idea, just ,y .2c worth.

I used to run a more aggressive dirt tire on the front of my KLR than on the rear as it worked ok on the road and I had lots of front tire grip off road, I dont mind the back sliding around but dont like the front washing out off raod, this is the opposite to what your planning.

I would never run the combo you've mentioned it will still suck off road as you will be washing the front end out all the time, it doesnt matter how good your rear tire is off road if you cant steer the bike, if you want a distanzia on the front get distanzias front and rear.

The mt43 front is kinda squared off so it wont corner that well on the road.

crispy0 wrote:

Would you recommend mixing Pirelli MT43 front  and dunlop rear. I believe the MT43 has better street traction being a trials tire, but tell me if i have it wrong. Thanks for the reply!

MT43's when running the right air pressure are great for what they are designed to do - hard rough uneven surfaces. The front tire is a bit squared off which I would not be inclined to push it too hard on the street. Generally I would think that you would want more of a wrap around tread or profile.

Had put MT43's on my KTM 450 EXC right before I sold it and had ridden them on the street but I never pushed the bike on the street with those types of tires.

If you want to run a cheap matched pair that has pretty decent street performance you may want to pick up a set of Shinko 244's. Usually you can get both front and rear for the same price of one street tire.