Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Metzeler 110/80 vs 110/90

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Need new front Metzeler ME880 110/80R18 but now only ME880 front available is 110/90/R18. Does anyone know if 110/90 will fit under fender???

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My 04 America has a front Metzeler ME880 110/90-18 (also marked 61H) with between .070 and .085 tread depth at the center and more to the sides. The rear is a new Metzeler ME880 170/80 B15 (also marked 77H)

The Owners manual says the optional America front tire is a Metzeler ME33T in 110/80-18 size which appears to have a different tread than the ME880 tire. As a not very aggressive and fair weather rider should I stick with the ME880 for the front? and with the 110/90 size? Or is there a reason to look at the Lasertec front tires.

Is the min tread depth of .080 hard and fast safety wise or can I get a few more miles of easy riding out of my front tire before I spring for a new one? And what do the numbers before the H mean, assuming the H is the speed rating I never expect to exceed.

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I would do the 110/80-18 LaserTec front before I would do the ME880 front tire.

As for tread depth, look for the wear bars in your tire treads. All tires have them. Raised bars of rubber running perpendicular to the tread, down in the tread grooves. When the wear bars show shallow, replace the tire. Think about riding on wet road, and see how much water your tires can channell past the wear bars. Your only going to be as smart as you want to be...

As for the numbers before the letter "H" on the tire sidewall - that would be the tire's load index.