[N4HHE]

T30 Evos were $170/set on closeout from Cycle Gear a few weeks ago. My Yamaha dealer bought a bunch selling for $150/set. Rocky Mountain has long been an excellent source of T30 and T31, the first place I look.

Seems odd you show the front tire costing more than the rear. That is not my observation.

 

[N4HHE]

If you ride 2 up so often it might be worth getting the GT version of the rear tire. That should keep the heat down when it's under load and slow the wear.

If that were true the GT variant would have a higher DOT load rating. It does not.

I have come to think Bridgestone/Continental/Michelin GT (or Pirelli A-spec, or Metzeler HWM) is just a means of offering a stiffer tire without the complications of advertising and differentiating another tire model.

On a small sample size of 1 I am guessing Bridgestone changes the tread formula between T30 Evo and T30 Evo GT. Not the best data point to use a discontinued tire but I got 8000 miles on the front from my first T30 Evo GT then purchased (2) T30 Evo on closeout which only delivered 4550 and 4600 miles. Riding until the tread disappears.

Previously got 9500 miles from a front T31 GT. Replaced T30 Evo with a T32 GT on Sunday hoping for tread life similar to the discontinued T31 GT. The T31 GT was the only front tire I have used in 82,000 miles that did not sour the last portion of its life.

Have not found any tread life difference using Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT vs not-GT. I don't like the PR4GT on the front but love stiff T31GT front paired with soft PR4GT rear. Usually 10,000-11,000 miles on PR4GT rear.

I usually run 5 front tires to every 4 rear tires.

 

[N4HHE]

Oh heck you had a lot of life left in that tire!

I agree that you do not want to start a 5 day trip to Texas with that tire. Could easily be 1000 miles there, 1000 miles back. OK, that would be 400 miles/day average with a rest day in the middle so maybe I am estimating long?

I need to clean up and post a video of me mounting a tire last week. Friend wasn't a very good cameraman but did OK. Then cut open his Michelin Pilot Road 4 I took off. The tire was so flimsy I had trouble breaking the bead. Sidewall simply folded making it hard to push the bead down and off the raised ridge on the rim.

 

[N4HHE]

You don't want to be 1000 miles from home when the cords show. But also know it is not the rubber which holds your tire together but the cords. Heck, you don't want to be 50 miles from home when the cords show.

In my experience after the tread is gone your time is short when a different color rubber appears. They use a different rubber to hold the cords than is used for tread. Cord rubber wears very fast. Yet another rubber lines the inside of the tire specially formulated to hold air, no other tire rubber holds air.