Metzeler Roadtec Z8 Interact

[Stichill_imp]

^ I've had this same experience with the Z8s on a different motorcycle.

[mininsx_imp]

You mean a rubber tire will slip when in contact with paint on the road? (sarcasm)
C'mon, any tire will slip on a painted line.

[LongRanger_imp]

Yep. And on greasy tar snakes, too. We have plenty of 'em out here.

[jimgl3_imp]

goodvibes datelineemor='149735s3457' Wrote: [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?pid=174648#pid174648] Thankyou Django for your quick review and advice on the Metzler Roadtec Z8's.
In Australia we don't have the Z8 140/70-18 size in the country so I've imported a rear tyre from the USA. There really are very limited options with the 18" wheels. No Pirelli Angel GTs or Michelin PR4s or Metzler Roadtec 01's....but thankfully there are the Metzler Z8s.
I am really looking forward to how they run compared to the original tyres in two weeks - I'll post again. ★★★★/5 First impressions of the Metzeler Z8's: (tyre pressures in lbs/sq," set front 38, rear 42). Overall road feel is smoother, off center counter steering from a straight line is good, turn in very nice, in corner control light but I haven't really pushed it yet. Not sure yet about road surface feel versus smoothness.
》N.B.The experienced staff that fitted the tyre warned me the Metzeler Z8's very prone to tread cupping, ie., wear uneven across the contour, showing as high to low wear between the water slots also flat spotting on the centre.hmmmm.
Original tyres on the CB1100 were from memory Dunlop.

★★★★/5 First impressions of the Metzeler Z8's: (tyre pressures in lbs/sq," set front 38, rear 42). Overall road feel is smoother, off center counter steering from a straight line is good, turn in very nice, in corner control light but I haven't really pushed it yet. Not sure yet about road surface feel versus smoothness.
》N.B.The experienced staff that fitted the tyre warned me the Metzeler Z8's very prone to tread cupping, ie., wear uneven across the contour, showing as high to low wear between the water slots also flat spotting on the centre.hmmmm.
Original tyres on the CB1100 were from memory Dunlop.
I have 2000 miles on mine now and no cupping at all running 36/42, so at 38/42 I wouldn't think you would have cupping issues either.

[Stichill_imp]

You mean a rubber tire will slip when in contact with paint on the road? (sarcasm)
C'mon, any tire will slip on a painted line.

Disagree with regard to dry painted lines and at least two tires.

Michelin Pilot Street Radial = no dry slip on painted lines
Michelin Pilot Road 4 = no dry slip on painted lines

That's two exceptions to the categorical 'any'.

[the Ferret]

For the last 25 years prior to my retiring 4 years ago, I was in the Highway Traffic Safety Field which included supplying paint for striping highways to Municipalities. About a dozen years ago or so, in the U.S., the Federal government put out a new spec and regulation for Highway Paint. While being oil based prior, the new spec called for striping highways ( center lines and edge lines, cross walk bars and stop bars) with only water based paint. This is a Federal spec and nowhere in the country should they still be using oil based paint. It is against Federal law to do so. It cannot be purchased in 55 gallon drums which striping machines use, only in 5 gallon pails which can be used in parking lots and on curbs. There is no reason for lines to be slippery with water based paint.

Now tar snakes are still oil based, so when wet they can be slippery. But painted lines...no, they should not be slippery. BTW a painted line on the highway has a life expectancy of one year. I would venture to say, there are no oil based line stripes anywhere in the country and haven't been for a very long time.

Edit: note some municipalites do install a thermoplastc based tape for stop bars and cross walks and lane direction arrows mainly at busy intersections. These are strips of plastic that are bonded to the asphalt. THey are very expensive, which is why they are not widely used, however these could be slippery when wet. Their advantage is life expectancy over paint, as they have a multi year life expectancy. So expensive however that only municipalites with large budgets can afford to use it.

[LongRanger_imp]

Ferret, very interesting, thanks.

You will find the tar snakes here to be quite slippery when it's hot. I'm not sure about when it's wet -- I'm usually not riding then. I truly believe the highway department uses them as a speed deterrent on curvy roads, applying them in regular intervals perpendicular to the direction of travel, regardless of the condition of the road surface. It's unnerving to bank into a curve when your tires are constantly losing their grip.

[the Ferret]

I find it amazing that tires can feel the " lip" of a tar snake, even though it is only 1/8" high and a couple inches wide and when crossing them obliquly it feels to me that tires are constantly searching for a flat level surface. Wierd feeling.

[Cormanus]

I thought tar snakes were only really slippery when hot until I had a bit of a slide on one in the pouring rain in Sydney during the Ride Down Under. At least I think it was a tar snake running in line with my direction of travel. Nasty things, snakes.

[MN-Ed_imp]

Just thought I'd add my two cents to this thread. I got about 11,500 miles out of my stock Dunlops. The rear tire was plenty squared off but no cords showing. I figured I got my miles out of them.

Fast forward to last fall. I ordered a set of Metzeler Z8 Interact.I wanted to stick with stock sizes and they were easy to obtain. I have been noticing the center tread has really been wearing down. I am a city commuter most of the time and lots of highway miles out here to Colorado.

This morning upon doing my daily tire check… Yikes! Cords are starting to show. About 1 mm gap in spots of the middle tread area. So we are canceling today's loop to Wilkerson Pass. We start our trip home tomorrow, 994 miles over two days. And plenty hot across the Central Plains of the US. Not sure what to do but take it easy and chance it. Unless you all think that is crazy.



Sad thing is, I have a new PR3 in my shop at home. I wanted to try to get my wear out of these before I changed it. Looks like I did, LOL. Just that it got only maybe half of what I got out of the stock Dunlops.

The Metzler's have been great in the rain. And plenty grippy on twisties. But that center tread compound is just too darn soft in my opinion. Don't think I'll be going back to these.

Here's wishing for PR4 in our size. I do have a PR3 front tire at home as well but the dang thing was 6 1/2 years old when shipped to me. From two different vendors! I realize they're out of production but geez that's really cheesy. I'm probably going to save one and use it anyway and return the other. Be careful on ordering any last PR3 stock in U.S.

P.S. I tried to attach a picture, not sure if I have rights to that yet as a new registrant. Or maybe it's too big. Sorry for my noob picture skills here