Michelin City Grip 2 90/90 14r review

[novazeus]

first off, my right knee still looks like a volleyball, so i don't have the best right leg control.

secondly, keep in mind this tire is rated for 441 pound max loading at max pressure of 45 psi.

for comparison, the michelin pilot street 2 is rated for 397 pounds max load at 45psi max pressure.

and the stock knobby on the s22 is rated for max load of 319 pounds at the max pressure of 41psi. so if u weigh 200 pounds suited up, and ur wheel weighs 80 pounds with all the doodads u put on ur wheel, that leaves a 39 pound margin before sidewall deflection is intolerable. 

if u lower the tire pressure just 10%, 4.1 psi, down to 36.9psi, using my theory, u would lose 10% of ur load carrying capacity, or 31.9 pounds, leaving 287.1 load carrying capacity, or 7.1 pound safety margin, don't eat a big lunch.

on to the tire review, yesterday i tried 46psi first. almost crashed. then kinda got a handle on it, but decided to drop the psi to 40.5, down 10%, meaning it would only carry around 396 pounds. rode ten plus miles yesterday like that and felt pretty accustomed to it. 

then today, like yesterday, started with my diy s22 pro with the 80/90 tire and dropped down to 45psi cold. rides great. np. 

then i rode the 90/90 on the pro. haha, i think next time i'll start with the pro and then move to the 80/90 tire. 

idk why it is, but this big rounder profile tire, and there again, could be my right knee not functioning correctly, or my brain on 1500 mg of thc, but on my left 90 degree turn headed to the gate, it bends real nice going into the corner hot, but then it just wants to keep going left and i really have to throw everything right, arms, knees etc, to get it back upright going atraight again. a real heartstopper.

and keep in mind, i run the michelins normally 2psi over max so i'm very aware of the pros and cons of running a hard tire. so very surprised this one is giving me fits.

so i dropped down to 36psi, or 20% less than max, using my theory, i should still have 352.8 pounds of loading. i'm 275 pounds geared up with wheel, so 77 pound cushion.

this 35psi is probably where i'll end up. now the tire adds  to the suspension. the sidewalls actually flex in with my thumb. 

i'll continue to play with the pressure on pavement, but what a clear picture of what a difference a tire makes. 

i'm not done with this review yet. i'm fascinated by how different my two s22's are now. when i get the third, this 90/90 pilot is going on it. 

one of the big pros of the wider tires out here for me, if i run off my soft shoulder pavement, most areas the tire sinks into the sugar sand and ur lucky to recover. these wide street tires don't mind the sugar sand. 

like for instance, the s22 or v13 stock knobbies should be the best for sugar sand, but the best bet is to trolley thru it. 

90/90 r 14 city grip 2

80/90 r14 pilot street 2

[novazeus]

so euc girl put a 90 width tire on her v13 and i measured and it should fit np.

so my plan is to put 90/80 city extra

and on the other one the 90/80 city grip 2

these wider tires change the feel of the wheel drastically. plus higher loading. idk if i prefer the width but for traversing turf and patches of sugar sand, i might just need to relearn fat tires. 

doing the same on all s22's when the third arrives. i'll put a 90 size pilot street 2 on the third. once i get dialed in to the wider tire, i won't wanna go back. u would think they'd be slow tires being wider, but because of the loading, they are hard and fast. ball bearings on steel table top fast and scary. 

i'm a glutton for the difficult.

[novazeus]

so here's my theory on these very unique one tire vehicles, the contact patch needs to be more elongated because we don't have a front tire to keep us from twirling like a basketball on a finger. i found out by riding this tire at max pressure of 45 psi and 441 max loading. the contact patch was more circular so if wind hit me on a curve, it wanted to spin me around. deflating the tire gave me a longer contact patch, eliminating the easy spinnable wheel.

https://www.insidemotorcycles.com/the-contact-patch/

[fl105kg]

On 1/19/2024 at 8:12 PM, novazeus said:

so euc girl put a 90 width tire on her v13 and i measured and it should fit np.

so my plan is to put 90/80 city extra

and on the other one the 90/80 city grip 2

these wider tires change the feel of the wheel drastically. plus higher loading. idk if i prefer the width but for traversing turf and patches of sugar sand, i might just need to relearn fat tires. 

doing the same on all s22's when the third arrives. i'll put a 90 size pilot street 2 on the third. once i get dialed in to the wider tire, i won't wanna go back. u would think they'd be slow tires being wider, but because of the loading, they are hard and fast. ball bearings on steel table top fast and scary. 

i'm a glutton for the difficult.

Have you tried or plan to try any of these wider Michelin tires on a Lynx? 

[novazeus]

1 hour ago, fl105kg said:

Have you tried or plan to try any of these wider Michelin tires on a Lynx? 

idk. if i had pavement in here i would probably buy a third just for road work, but the very soft and not safe for pavement if overloaded at speed knobbies on the lynxes actually work pretty well on my raw land.

i did add about 4oz of slime for preventative measures because both would lose tiny amounts of air, and at 267 max load at 33psi, i can't afford to lose any. the lynx weighs 90 and with gear i'm adding 177 pounds plus. 

i think some people have put the michelin pilot street 2 on, and if i do street, i'd probably go with that, seeing how i have 3 new ones sitting here.

i have lots of extra tires. i decided for the ranch patrols the v13's and the lynxes do the best with their knobbies.

[fl105kg]

Are you going to get the v13 pro or is that too close to the v13? Did you keep the stock v13 suspension or try any aftermarket ones? I saw someone awhile ago on Facebook selling upgraded aftermarket v13 shocks. I have the Lynx and may consider a 22-24inch wheel with suspension in the future.