Why Running A Motorcycle Tire As A Front Runner Is A Bad Idea

So recently, there’s been some debate on social media about the use of motorcycle tires as front-runners in a drag racing environment. At first, it sounds like a good idea and a way to save some money along with some weight. We talked with Jason Moulton from Mickey Thompson Tires and learned why this is, in fact, a very bad idea.

The biggest problem with running a motorcycle tire as a front-runner is geometry.

Motorcycle wheels and automotive wheels are built to entirely different design specifications, even if they share the same advertised diameter. A 17-inch motorcycle tire is not dimensionally identical to a 17-inch automotive tire where it matters most, the bead.

Automotive wheels use what’s known as a J-style flange, and the effective bead seat diameter is larger than that of a motorcycle wheel. That creates an immediate mismatch situation.

“The diameter of the motorcycle tire bead is a little bit smaller than the diameter of an automotive bead. So now, when you try to air it up on a motorcycle tire and automotive flange, it’s a lot tighter fitment. And what’s happening there is, you are stretching that bead beyond what it was designed for to go on that automotive wheel,” Moulton explains.

The bead bundle inside a tire is engineered to operate within a very specific range of stress. When you force a motorcycle tire onto an automotive wheel, you’re exceeding that range.

“Every motorcycle manufacturer makes their tires a little bit differently. So, if you take a motorcycle tire and you’re trying to get the seat up on the automotive flange, the bead is not designed for that kind of stress. That bead could break, and then you’re in a catastrophic failure,” Moulton states.

Another issue is the weight difference between motorcycles and cars. A motorcycle tire isn’t designed to handle the load a car applies to it. When a car starts making dynamic movements with motorcycle tires as front-runners, serious issues could occur.

“We’re going in a straight line when we’re drag racing, so there’s not a lot of side load on the tire. However, if you do get in a situation where you need the vehicle to handle properly, there’s no telling what that motorcycle tire will do on the front of the car,” Moulton says.

Racers love to find new ways to use products, but in this case, the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze.

“The bottom line is this, using motorcycle tires from any manufacturer in this way is not a good idea. Don’t do it. There really is no benefit at all, and it’s just not safe,” Moulton states.

So, based on what the tire experts have said, just because you can mount a motorcycle tire on a front wheel doesn’t mean you should. Consider this internet myth busted.