Tweet
Here is a test conducted by Jim Bonnardel on the 500 mile ride:
KENDA K471-006
SIZE as Marked 3.00x 4.00
PLY 4
Country of Origin Taiwan
Weight 1.8 lbs
Inflation Limit 60psi.
PRIMO Powerplay
SIZE as Marked 3.00x 4.00
PLY 4
Tread Depth 7/64th inch
Country of Origin China
Weight 1.9 lbs
Inflation Limit 35psi.
The tires are very close in actual measurements but there are some differences. The Kenda tire un-mounted measures ? inch wider, and the Primo 1/16th taller. The Kenda has a bit more tread depth and the Primo tread goes further down the side. The Primo (although not marked) is directional due to the tread pattern and the Kenda is not.
Thoughts:
The Kenda is a bit wider and when mounting it on rims it seats itself nicely. The Kenda weighs a bit less. The Primo tire has tread that goes all the way down to the top if the sidewall where the Kenda?s tread is much narrower, and there is more useable tire that is smooth. That means that when you are in a hard turn at an angle, the Kenda tire is giving you a slick where the Primo has put you in the biggest tread groove on the tire. I think that if I am in a race type turn, the more tire on the ground the better. Remember, tires give you traction NOT tread grooves. Tread grooves are to give water and debris someplace to go. In ideal conditions slicks are the best. The worse the surface conditions the more aggressive the tread.
The Test:
Riding the 500-mile ride gave us some great chance to really put some miles on a tire in a hurry.
Many scooter riders rarely get 500 miles on a scooter in a year, and we had the chance to put 500+ miles in 5 days. Riding in urban street conditions we traveled blacktop, cement, and all normal street roadways. Some sand, some heavy gravel and water puddles. Its pretty understandable that in 5 days of riding you are going to see it all.
The Primo Powerplay?s were mounted on the Go-Ped GSR 40 and ridden by Mark Anthony I rode a BladeZ Moby Comp 40 with the Kenda?s mounted. Both were inflated to 35psi. The BladeZ scooter is belt drive and the Go-Ped GSR is chain. Neither scooter had to worry about spindle wear issues. The BladeZ scooter?s rear brake however is a ?scrub? pedal brake. A pad applies friction to the rear tire to stop. This should accelerate the wear on the rear tire of the Moby regardless of tire make, but since a seat was used on the Moby, the rear brake was not used. The Moby was considerably heavier than the GSR was by about 50 lbs with rider and gear.
The Results:
We were seeing road wear differences as early as day 1. With 120 miles down there were dramatic wear differences with the tires. The Kenda?s had barely shown any wear, unlike the Primo?s that has looked like they were weeks old. After Day 1 it looked like the Primo?s were ? used up. Day 2 brought on more mileage. And at the 200-mile mark, the rear tire on the GSR was virtually bald. No measurable tread left at all on the rear tire. The Kenda?s however had plenty of tread left. After 200 miles the Primo Powerplay tires were retired as they had no measurable tread at all. The Kenda?s continued on for the remaining trip and had over of tread upon the rides completion. The Kenda tires were not retired, and are still in service!
Afterthoughts:
This was a great showdown. Both tires asked to go the same distance in the same conditions. Clearly the winner is the Kenda Tire. In an on-road application, in a normal riding condition the Kenda will out-last the Primo Powerplay more than twice as long. The fast wear of the Primo may lend itself to a better ?race day? tire than the Kenda, but that was not how this test was set up. This was a wear challenge, and the Kenda tire ruled supreme in the long life category, lasting more than double the mileage as the Promo?s did. The tires in this test were NOT rotated, which can extend the life of the tire. We mounted them and left them in their location (Front vs. rear) on purpose to accelerate wear. It is recommended that you rotate your tires for the longest life possible of the tire.
Kenda tire is on the left and the Primo TT is on the right:
KENDA K471-006
SIZE as Marked 3.00x 4.00
PLY 4
Country of Origin Taiwan
Weight 1.8 lbs
Inflation Limit 60psi.
PRIMO Powerplay
SIZE as Marked 3.00x 4.00
PLY 4
Tread Depth 7/64th inch
Country of Origin China
Weight 1.9 lbs
Inflation Limit 35psi.
The tires are very close in actual measurements but there are some differences. The Kenda tire un-mounted measures ? inch wider, and the Primo 1/16th taller. The Kenda has a bit more tread depth and the Primo tread goes further down the side. The Primo (although not marked) is directional due to the tread pattern and the Kenda is not.
Thoughts:
The Kenda is a bit wider and when mounting it on rims it seats itself nicely. The Kenda weighs a bit less. The Primo tire has tread that goes all the way down to the top if the sidewall where the Kenda?s tread is much narrower, and there is more useable tire that is smooth. That means that when you are in a hard turn at an angle, the Kenda tire is giving you a slick where the Primo has put you in the biggest tread groove on the tire. I think that if I am in a race type turn, the more tire on the ground the better. Remember, tires give you traction NOT tread grooves. Tread grooves are to give water and debris someplace to go. In ideal conditions slicks are the best. The worse the surface conditions the more aggressive the tread.
The Test:
Riding the 500-mile ride gave us some great chance to really put some miles on a tire in a hurry.
Many scooter riders rarely get 500 miles on a scooter in a year, and we had the chance to put 500+ miles in 5 days. Riding in urban street conditions we traveled blacktop, cement, and all normal street roadways. Some sand, some heavy gravel and water puddles. Its pretty understandable that in 5 days of riding you are going to see it all.
The Primo Powerplay?s were mounted on the Go-Ped GSR 40 and ridden by Mark Anthony I rode a BladeZ Moby Comp 40 with the Kenda?s mounted. Both were inflated to 35psi. The BladeZ scooter is belt drive and the Go-Ped GSR is chain. Neither scooter had to worry about spindle wear issues. The BladeZ scooter?s rear brake however is a ?scrub? pedal brake. A pad applies friction to the rear tire to stop. This should accelerate the wear on the rear tire of the Moby regardless of tire make, but since a seat was used on the Moby, the rear brake was not used. The Moby was considerably heavier than the GSR was by about 50 lbs with rider and gear.
The Results:
We were seeing road wear differences as early as day 1. With 120 miles down there were dramatic wear differences with the tires. The Kenda?s had barely shown any wear, unlike the Primo?s that has looked like they were weeks old. After Day 1 it looked like the Primo?s were ? used up. Day 2 brought on more mileage. And at the 200-mile mark, the rear tire on the GSR was virtually bald. No measurable tread left at all on the rear tire. The Kenda?s however had plenty of tread left. After 200 miles the Primo Powerplay tires were retired as they had no measurable tread at all. The Kenda?s continued on for the remaining trip and had over of tread upon the rides completion. The Kenda tires were not retired, and are still in service!
Afterthoughts:
This was a great showdown. Both tires asked to go the same distance in the same conditions. Clearly the winner is the Kenda Tire. In an on-road application, in a normal riding condition the Kenda will out-last the Primo Powerplay more than twice as long. The fast wear of the Primo may lend itself to a better ?race day? tire than the Kenda, but that was not how this test was set up. This was a wear challenge, and the Kenda tire ruled supreme in the long life category, lasting more than double the mileage as the Promo?s did. The tires in this test were NOT rotated, which can extend the life of the tire. We mounted them and left them in their location (Front vs. rear) on purpose to accelerate wear. It is recommended that you rotate your tires for the longest life possible of the tire.
Kenda tire is on the left and the Primo TT is on the right:
Comment