I've been selling the hell outta Mich Pilot Powers and Pirelli Diablo Rosso and Corsa 3's.
The Mich's have a really good wear life (I've put almost 5000 miles just commuting on mine... 100 mi/day/5 days/wk... plus weekends, and they are still going strong!) They heat up relatively quickly, and have a slightly more peaked profile, which gives you a larger contact patch when leaned over.They have a slightly larger outer diameter (at the centerline) than the Pirellis, so they tend to turn in quickly...which can catch you off guard if you're not used to it. You may have to adjust rear ride hieght, to correct the steering head geometry, to get back that good 'ol stable feel you had before. No big deal, especially for the performance you'll be getting. For the money, they are a damn fine "do all" tire. [thumbsup] Unless you are dragging knees on your weekend rides, save your pennies and skip the Pilot 2CT's. They have the same compound mid section, and a 1"softer section on the edges. The front is a medium/soft variation of the same pattern. Great for track use, and like I said, if yer kneein' it, then ok for the street.
The Diablo Rosso's are Pirelli's answer to the Pilot Powers. They have a quicker warm up time, better grip (compared to standard Diablos), and longer wear life. I don't have any time on them, but this has been the feedback I'm getting from my customers. The Corsa 3's however, which I have religiously run since their creation, those pups are plenty evil...in good ways >
. They warm up relatively quickly, have loads of grip, a slightly more rounded profile, which makes for very easy/predictable transitioning through corners but a slightly smaller contact patch. They wear well, but will get chewed up from aggressive twisties, or carved flat from excessive commuting (that's why I switched to Pilots).
I wouldn't recommend going any larger than the 180. 190 doesn't seem like a big change...5mm either side...but it will drastically slow down your turn in rate. The larger tread surface, from sidewall to sidewall, will require extra input via handlebars, hips, shoulders, etc, and will require that you adjust your riding style to suit. ( I went from a 180 to a 190 on the 916 (experimenting), and I damn near was putting a knee down trying to corner in the city...just wasn't as flickable. It's only ever been 180's since.)
Through random circumstance, I now have a set of Bridgestone BT002R DOT race tires mounted.... Maria's front M3 was punctured, and I had the BT002R's under my workbench. She now has my nicely scrubbed in Pilots mounted on her 600RR... Seeing as how my back is trashed, and awaiting surgery, you'll have to wait for the BT002R report for a little while. All I can say about them right now is they are black, round, hold air quite nicely, and make my bike easier to roll than on bare rims. [cheeky] [laugh]
