Tire testing with Tubliss

Hi all, any updates? MH3 is an interesting choice, is the sidewall stiff or soft? The new Starcross 5 tires look good, but like other new tires they claim softer sidewall for better grip which would seem to not be ideal for tubilss use. I'm sticking with reinforced/4 ply tires for the rear for now. Will get mine mounted up in a week or so and report back.

I have about 120 miles on my mh3 and I love it. It has a pretty stiff sidewall which works well. I'm running 8psi and it feels perfect. I just put the shinko 520 on the rear and it was amazing. I have only went out once but it was a sloppy rainy day. I also ran 8psi and it hooked up on everything I threw at it

Well I finally wore out all my leftover tires and mounted the Tubliss and Shinko 520. I like it, works well on the fireroads with 8 psi and was pretty good on the snotty woods trails. It's just ok in the mud so far and a little loose in the snotty single track, but as good or better than any other I've used lately except a fresh VE33. Hopefully next ride I'll test it on my rock garden hill climb. If it does well there it gets a big

I still run the GT216 fatty at the front with tubliss and about 8-10 psi, works really well in all sorts of conditions.
I was running the Motoz hybrid on the rear with tubliss and 5 psi. Forward traction and braking was really good in the dry. Sideways grip is minimal and tyre doesn't seem to wear.
After a run up the rainforest where it recently rained I had to turn back due to lack of traction of the motoz and it slipping in everything I tried to avoid and throwing me off.
The red and yellow clay up there is really slippery to the extend that you can't even walk on it after rain. It is hard underneath with an inch or two of greasy snot on it.

After that I fitted a Pirelli XC mid hard 140/80-18R which I had lying around and it seems to do well in the mud up there.

The Pirelli XCMH likes mud? That's good to know. Do you think it's just the Tubliss affect or it would do well anyway?

I ran my rock garden hill climb yesterday on an amazingly warm and sunny afternoon. It was so buried in leaves and branches I couldn't see the rocks except for the really big ones. Bounced all the way down, @ 300 yards/meters, then crawled back up. The wr300 is serious tractor, no falls, only one dab, 7 psi in the Shinko 520 and it did great. 50 miles of WFO abuse and the center knob is just scrubbed and edges are still sharp. Next ride I'll try 6 psi hoping for better traction in the mud and snot.

I'm sure there is better than the XCMH in the mud but for the 2 months we have rain here it's going to have to do!

Is the Shinko 520 true to size? Or, small? A regular 110/100x18 has a load rating of 64M, the Shinko 520 in the 120 size has that rating, their 110 size is 62M. I'm thinking I should order a 120 for my 350. Thoughts?

Thanks

Have you tried the Sedona 907 Tubliss and if so how does it compare to the Shinko 520? 7-8 PSI sounds high unless the tire is soft. The Sedona actually sucks until you get under 5 PSI with 2-3 PSI being the best. That tire IS small for its rating. Slavens recommends the 110 for a 300 2stroke and it looks tiny on my Beta. 120 for sure next time especially considering how I use the tire.

The 520 doesn't seem small to me and measures @ 132mm to the outside of the knobs and @ 108mm to outside of the carcass. I eye-balled those measurements with a tape measure, so not exact and mine has @ 50 miles on it.
The tire has gotten better with a little wear, the edges are just worn on the center knobs. No other obvious wear. Again, I ride @ 7 miles of WFO fire road to get to the local trail heads. It starts out gravel and not too rough, then turns to hard, red clay, rutted with loose and embedded rock everywhere. For me it's 3rd and 4th gear mostly with a few 5th gear sections. Then it's rutted, muddy 2 track and snotty grass tracks leading to forest trails that vary from rock runs to snotty single track to open, dry sections. It's a lot to ask of a tire to work well and last awhile.
At 7 psi the 520 doesn't roll over in the fast turns on the fire roads and still grips well elsewhere. I'm dropping 1 psi at a time until it starts wallowing. All the low turns are silty mud holes now and the tire tracks straight through all of it, which really surprises me. I need to revisit the deep woods to decide if it's a usable all around tire for me. So far, it's really good, but spins up easier and doesn't have quite the forward drive of a fresh VE33.

I haven't tried the 907, because I don't think it work for me in the snotty stuff and mud. Also think it will wallow in fast turns at 2-5 psi.

I've been running the Sedona 907 for quite a while, it doesn't wallow until below 2 pounds, I prefer 4 psi. I had a puncture and barely noticed it, in fact I kept riding and fixed it afterward for the next rides. It works pretty good everywhere and has lasted longer than any knobby I've ever run. The knobs are very tall and after a very long time began to round the edges so I squared them with a knobby knife and it was back to the new tire feel. It's better in the sugar sand and loose gravel then the average knobby. It is very easy to turn by pitching the back end out in corners, when I first installed it I was replacing a MT43 which would stay stuck and then let go all at once so at first the Sedona felt slippery on hard pack clay but once I got used to letting it drift in tight corners then began to really like it. I've had a AT81 waiting on the shelf for almost a year and the Sedona just won't wear out. It resists chunking in the Missouri rocks which is usually what does in my tires. I've never owned a Shinko so I can't give a comparison.

I agree I like it, especially for the price. Only in greasy mud its a little spooky but that may be from the size of the tire as its too skinny for a 300 2stroke IMO and spins up too easy. Once it tacked up all was good again, and its really good in rocks wet or dry. I'm goung to try a 120 next unless the Shinko gets better reviews. The inner carcass is smooth, gets a perfect seal, and it holds Tubliss pressure for months.

I have a 120 907 tubliss on my 300. Hoping it'll work good for the diverse terrain I ride. I'll need to wait till March to know... hating winter now

Steve:

Thanks for the measurements.

Is your Shinko 520 a 110 or a 120?

I dove in and bought a 120, it's almost exactly the same dimensions as yours. 134mm widest point of the knobs and 107 carcass.

It mounted up easy compared to the Sedona it replaced.

Only one ride, started at 8psi, dropped immediately to 6. It's active at 6 on turn in, rotates a bit then holds at a controllable slide. Doesn't do anything too fast, time will tell if that's just the fresh knobs or the design.

Well, too bad he's not using Tubliss. I would guess the Shinko is just another cheap tire when used with a tube. I've got @ 100 mi on mine and it shows very little wear. Started at 8 psi, then 7, just went to 6, but it was too cold to ride today. At 7psi I didn't feel any wallowing even on hard pack, it works well everywhere I've had it, but I haven't been into the deep woods and muck yet.
This is on the 300 which ate Kendas, Mich's and Dunlops when I was running tubes. I like the Shinko, but it's not a game changer. I'm going back to a VE33 next because it's the only tire that has been excellent and lasted so far. I think it'll be even better with Tubliss.

Yeah, don't know what he's thinking. That Shinko 520A is a very tough tire, heavy with strong side walls. I run up and down a steep, long rock garden hill. The Shinko handles it well and shows no sign of the abuse. The Tubliss is the game changer, seems to make mediocre tires perform well.
Thanks for the report on the 907, may have to try that one too.

Off topic, but funny. I just started riding the ditch on my 2 miles of private road. It varies from 1 ft to 3+ ft deep, with a steep bank on 1 side and the road on the other. It's full of rock, branches, mud and leaves with a drain and culvert every so often. It's very technical, 1st and 2nd on the 144, and wears me out in 30 min or less. Some of that has to do with having the wrong fork springs for me, but thinking it's a great workout and good practice. Haven't done it on the 300 yet

Do you ever see rattle snakes in those washouts? I looked for some while down in Tucson a few years back but never did find one. I was there for 3 days to attend my uncles memorial. Sad time and Tucson is a pretty miserable place IMHO. Everything wants to either sting, bite or poke you. I really missed seeing green. I guess folks get used to the arid environment but I was really put off by it from first impression. Maybe I could get used to it, IDK. Now the Prescott area? Now we're talking.

Nice! Thanks for sharing. Everything was so foreign to me growing up in the Midwest.

Big Timmy that brings back some memories for me. In the mid 90's I was stationed at Fort Huachuca. In my off time I would head over to the Tombstone, Bisby area and chase the Gambels quail. Fun times. Like you say, the elevation did make it tolerable. It's about as different from the Pacific Northwest as you can find but I loved it.

That said, I wouldn't live in the heat of Phoenix for love or money.

Wow! 10 days to approve a post Anyway, yes mine is 120 also and haven't had a chance to test it at 6 psi yet. I don't like any wallowing in turns, but at 7 psi it's fine so far.
Which Sedona did you replace?

Wow, not only did you see the cat but got a pic off before it took off. Thats a rare one and so is your avatar√