Looking for a little extra grip? We tested 32 tires in the December issue of Sport Rider and are proud to bring you everything we found in a comprehensive 12-page article that covers weights, measurements, average retail price and more.
The December 2012 issue of Sport Rider is now on sale, and if you’ve caught a glimpse of the cover then you’ll know exactly what we spent the majority of the last few months testing: tires! The bun test comes a whopping four years after our previous rubber comparo, so needless to say there was a lot to cover in the 12 pages that encapsulated the test. The blood, sweat and tears (OK, so there weren’t really tears) that went into mounting and testing 32 tires was well worth the trouble in our opinion, and we’re excited to see how far the issue goes in helping you purchase your next set of tires.
The tire market has changed a radical amount since our April ’09 street/track-day tire test, and our latest comparison is perfect proof of that transformation. Track days are still relevant but aren’t as predominant as they were a few years back, and thus interest in track-day tires has slightly diminished. The sport tire market has seen impressive growth in contrast; evidence of this segment’s strength is that we’ve attended no less than four street tire launches in the past two years. Avon, Bridgestone, Continental and Pirelli are among the manufacturers with a new or updated platform for 2011 and 2012, although Dunlop, Metzeler and Shinko all had a relatively new street tire to test as part of this year’s comparison. Needless to say, it was immediately apparent which tires we’d want to compare heading into 2013: sport tires.
The test itself was conducted in a similar fashion to our tire tests of yesteryear, meaning weights, measurements, eval ratings and average retail prices can all be found within the various sidebars. In addition to the objective numbers, each tire is reviewed based on performance in myriad environments and on both a Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Honda CBR600RR. One tire stood out in particular in terms of price and performance, although we’ll avoid giving too much away right now. If you’re in the market for a new set of tires however, you’d be doing yourself a favor to check out which set of buns ultimately took the title of best sport tire for 2012.
Be sure to grab a December '12 issue for yourself, then shoot us an email at srmail@sorc.com letting us know what you thought of the comparison and if you were able to make a tire purchase based on what you read. We're always excited to get added input from readers.