Today I rode a rig with a Metzeler Block-K Tire on the front. I did not like the way it rode compound felt "hard" and it seemed to want to slide-out when pushed. Also I don't think the rig was set up very well. I will check later. Just wondering if anyone else has had any experience with this tire. Thanks
Yes, I run three 3.5x18 Block K's on my classic BMW rig [and carry one as a mounted spare]. It works just fine but remember, the Block K was designed for lower speeds and performance so it is a hard compound. It can wash out on wet roads or under hard cornering. Still, once you know how it handles, I find it a superior tire for my needs on that bike. Many people, including some experts, suggest that you run a motorcycle tire in the front. It won't wear as long as it does on a two wheeler but they do handle pretty well and generally have lower steering effort. Remember, you have a much smaller contact patch with a motorcycle tire. The physics there is still a trade off. Since the contact patch is smaller there is more weight on each square unit than there is on a larger patch [divide weight by square area]. Once the tire starts to slide, which is better, more concentrated weight or a bigger abrasion patch? Of course tire compound and tread design come in here as well.
If you want to go high performance on a sidecar rig, you may want to go all the way, convert to auto sized rims and use auto tires. There are many more choices in tires for cars. You can pick your compound and your tread pattern, within reason.
You might want to also look at Heidenau tires, they make flat profile tires that might be a bit more modern in their make up.
I prefer how "round" tires ride in the front however a skinny flat profiles work almost as well and I have found that they do stop you better. http://heidenautires.com/
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793
www.dmcsidecars.com
I ran Block k's on an R90/Watsonian GP rig. The steering effort increased due to the larger contact patch on the front but the stopping power was better. I don't recall that the Block K wore signigicantly better. Their big advantage was contact patch.
