Note that some of the sizes below were available in older models of tire, but aren't in the newer versions. A person may still be able to find NOS of the older versions, I didn't try to include that information as the older posts have that info already. Also, I didn't look at non-premium brands (shinko, avon, etc.), as I saw no ultra-mileage posts mentioning them.
FRONT - 130/90-B16 (OEM)
- Available in all brands listed below
REAR - 170/70-B16 (OEM)
- Only available in Metzeler ME888 Marathon Ultra
REAR - 160/80-B16 (+Size), +3/4" Taller, -3/8" Narrower than OEM, Speedometer will read +2mph faster & trans gearing will be "taller" than OEM
- Dunlop Elite 4
REAR - 180/65-B16 (-Size), -5/32" Shorter, +3/8" Wider than OEM, Speedometer will read -1mph slower & trans gearing will be "shorter" than OEM
- Dunlop American Elite
- Michelin Commander III
Note that in the 1700, the speedometer signal is driven from an electronic sensor installed into the transmission case, counting gear teeth of the final drive gear. The OEM has then assumed a fixed overall correlation between the output gear, the belt sprockets' ratio, and the rear tire diameter to decide the math coefficient to program the speedometer to. Bottom line, this means that unlike the 1200 (which was a mechanical unit driven from the front wheel), changing rear tire size will affect the speedometer readout.
Everyone's speedometer probably reads ~2mph slow (most vehicles do), so having the +Size 160 tire is appealing to correct that. However in curvy/steep WV, I find I never hit 6th gear and in every turn I'm at the lugging point in 5th & constantly shifting down, so the added effect of taller gearing likely won't work for me unless I run around in 4th all day wound up. However, maybe this is a good option for midwest flatlands topography & interstate.
The -Size 180 tire may be a good option for me, assuming I can deal with the added width like other folks have. The added width will likely increase tire life as it'll have a larger contact patch and therefore more square inches to distribute the weight over. Plus the slightly reduced gearing ratio could give me more headroom before lugging when pulling thru turns in 5th. The downside would be I'll have to remember to speed up a bit to keep from driving like a grandpa (oh wait, I am a grandpa
)My game plan will likely be to stay OEM and try the Metzeler out first and see what mileage I get, if it's not good enough, I'll probably then try the Dunlop American in 180 size as Don M and others have had excellent luck with them, and the shorter ratio would be a benefit even with the sacrifice of speedo accuracy.
Good luck!
WV Voyager
