Can I Mix On / Off Road Tires?

[Fuzzy]

My rear PR4 is worn out and my front will last through another rear. I have been considering switching to something better for some light off road like a Continental Trail Attack.

Is there any value / problem with putting a trail attack on the rear with the PR4 on the front?

Should I just wear out another rear and then replace both with trail attack or similar tire?

Need advice and opinions to consider before ordering in a week or so. I have only a bit of dirt / gravel road experience, all on 100% street tires.

 

[kpinvt]

^^^^^Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[showkey]

My thought is the two tires mentioned are close enough in pattern and traction it would not be a big concern.
I am sure the correct "super safe" answer is not to mix compounds and brands .....but .......guys mix bias and radials and claim is great.
I would be very careful in the rain until you get a feel for the handling.

I think something like the PR4 and TKC 80 mix would not be a good combo ........and........maybe darn right scary.

 

[hojo]

I have read for mixed gravel and paved riding, if there is one tire that you want more for gravel, it is the front tire; more control when going down hill. I have run this set up for thousands of miles without any problems, including fast paved twisties.

 

[L.B.S.]

I might be quite hesitant to mix on/off tires if they were too different, like showkey says. I can't claim any personal knowledge or experience to back that up, but it just seems like it might weird out the handling quite a lot on the street, and not really do that much for you off road, either.

If the tires aren't at opposite ends of the spectrum, I might go for it just to see what happens, but I wouldn't want to waste my money if it turned out to feel sketchy in the end, so I'm firmly on the fence with this one lol sorry

 

[dduelin]

The Trail Attack, Pirelli Scorpion Trail, Michelin Anakee tires are so-called 90/10 tires with an approximate 90% bias toward street use. They are so close to Pilot Roads that you shouldn't have a problem mixing them but on the other hand they provide not much more off road utility compared to pure street use PR3s / 4s. I think the Pirelli is the only one in the OEM 160/60 rear size.

 

[jeremysilas]

I have had a shinko 705 rear with the stock front and now a Contimotion front, which seems fine to me. The continental I dislike, but I don't believe it's due to the rear. It works for me, the 705 has lasted over 5000 miles and the pr3 rear I had only lasted 8500 so it's a better deal and works well off-road. Saved me from being stuck when I got into sand once.

 

[jeremysilas]

Update: I replaced my rear shinko 705 with another. Ended up with 6,500 miles on it, it was worn the same amount as the PR3 when I replaced it. So for the price the shinko's are great. This one I will run without ride-on to test if it really does anything for tire life. The tires are balanced, I just use it for a safety net sealant.

 

[jeremysilas]