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Question for guys running pirellis..
Got my son a pair of mx32 mid softs for his 65. Rode Saturday at a sandy track and he really liked them especially the front. Both of us usually run Hoosiers. (Sometimes my son runs mx33 rear with Hoosier fronts) Thinking about trying some for myself.
For guys that run them are you able to run the mid softs front and rear on a variety of surfaces? Knobs on the rear look really tall although I know the mini sizes aren’t always proportional to big bike tires. Usually ride sandier terrain like lacr and Glen Helen for the SoCal guys but need a tire that works when it gets dry in the afternoon at places with a harder base. Thanks for the help.
The tracks I ride range from bottomless deep loam, to dry blue groove dust bowls and I find the pirellis to be predictable everywhere for my style.
they aren’t terrible anywhere, where some tires I try are ok in many areas and then awful in certain areas. Like freshly watered hard pack some tires it’s like riding on frozen snot.
Midsofts front and rear?
I used to run pirelli mid soft everywhere, front and rear. I did have problems on one particular track with the side wall deforming on the rear, two different tires on two different days. One of the tires had been used once prior. It was like riding on a flat. The first time i thought it was a fluke, the second time was the last time I ran a pirelli rear
pirellis are outstanding until they aren’t and then they are horrible … at least the front. The rear does remain very predictable through its life even when you get to hard base like at GH. you will need to run more PSI as it is a softer carcass and will fold over and wear a colored rims edge to raw aluminum… i think Keefer recommend 15psi???
The Shop
I'll use Pirelli midsofts front and rear on sand and hardpack on my 350. They do just fine on both. I agree with bvm111 though. If Pirellis have one down side its that they go from amazing to you better have a replacement with just like that but I honestly feel Dunlop has that same issue.
Great tires. Work well everywhere. The carcass tends to wear out before the knobs start chunking so the tires will pass the ‘eye test’ after they’ve lost much of their performance. I think this accounts for a lot of the mixed reviews because the tires will start feeling off when they look serviceable.
They won’t last as long as dunlops due to the softer carcass. If you’re ok with a trade off for more performance over a shorter life, you’ll be alright. Your kid on his 65 is probably putting way less force into the tire so it’s a great choice for him.
Yes.
Hoosiers are similar as far as soft carcass goes. They recommend 14psi and I run 12 to start the day so they creep up a bit once they warm up. Had a front flat though this weekend. Was my second in a row actually. Hit a rock hard enough to take me out last time. This time it was just from jumping into braking bumps. Might have ripped the valve stem this time somehow. I can’t run Dunlop fronts because of how stiff the carcass is. I have an mx33 on the rear right now because my Hoosiers didn’t come in time for a race and it’s actually not bad. Can’t do the fronts though. I rode mtb for years and I think my pickiness for pressures and compound came from that. Wasn’t from moto when I was a kid. My dad would put Chen shings on my 80 at who knows what pressure..don’t think a gauge was in the toolbox. That’s why my kid always gets fresh tires, top ends and clutches before I do. Told myself if I ever had a kid I wouldn’t put him on a 10year old bike while their friends are on brand new 93 kx and RM 80’s
I agree with bvm111. They were great for several rides but once the carcass starts wearing performance goes down. I especially struggled on tracks that had a harder base with the front tire because it would want to roll. After 5 or so hours I had to increase the air pressure and they still had the same roll, which makes it hard to trust the front end. In sand or loam I thought the front tire was good.
I had no issues with the rear tire in any of the track conditions I rode.
When the carcass is worn on the Pirelli, you’ll be able to see white marks around the bead of the tire. I think I picked that up from Keefer but I found that to be interesting and might help with your sons bike.
I have had them on all my bikes, I have also tried Michelin, Dunlop and Maxxis but prefer the mid soft mx32s... they are brilliant.
I agree. They are the best tires hands down. And over 1 lb per tire lighter to boot
Warwick?
Have you ran Hoosier imx25’s?
Stanmore. They actually gripped really well on the hardpack and I can handle wearing out tread quickly for the performace but when the carcass goes out and makes it almost unrideable I decided to get rid of them. I still run them on my boys 65 though
I ran multiple sets of hoosiers imx25 front and rear. Ive also run pirelli mx32, Michelin sc5 and others few times over. IMHO nothing is even close to the hoosiers in grip and feel. I can wholeheartedly recommend the 25s if you're ok with a tire that wears quickly. The rears I wear out in about 3 trips which for me equates to 6 sessions/6 hours of actual ride time. 1 front per 2 rears and that's pushing it, fronts will start to show some splitting in side wall before the 2nd rear is totally worn out but I make due.
If you wanna try the pirelli now is the time to do so, rockymtn has $30 rebate on them that they will deal with pirelli on your behalf. Michelins also got a $40 rebate if you wanna try starcross 5 or 6. Ive gotten 2 sets each (rebate allows 2 claims) cause I can sacrifice some grip for a nice discount like that but when the rebates are gone, I'll be back on the hoosiers they are that good in my opinion.
Editing my post cause I see you're normally on hoosiers so you already know what to expect. I feel the pirelli is a downgrade from the hoosier.
No, I haven't, apparently they are very good but every time I try something different I'm disappointed!
Once you ride a Pirelli it’s hard to go back to the Dunlop’s, They wear faster than a Dunlop, but worth it for the performance, I believe. Love how light they are. Bike definitely felt more flickable and lighter with them, maybe I tweaking tho. Gotta run like 15 psi in them tho to get them to hold up enough.
Pit Row
Looks incredible. I want to make a trip up there for sure.
The only reason I’m even contemplating trying something besides Hoosiers is they raised their shipping prices on multiple tires substantially. I’ve been running imx30 rears lately and they last a little longer before the knobs crack. I’ll also run one front to two rears but sometimes with the imx25 rears they will crack prematurely if it gets extra hardpack in the afternoon. I can barley afford to ride and race anymore so I was willing to try the pirelli for the free shipping but I’m not really willing to lose performance and longevity. If they will work for my son that will save me a little money at least.
Why not purchase from rockymtn instead? Rocky mtn has hoosiers at a great price and free ship over $75 and you get cash back if you make an account. I don't know if you get cash back for tires, might be only regular items but I do know you can use it for tire purchases. It adds up overtime. I know I should support local but rockymtn has never failed me and prices are great.
Pirelli moved manufacturing from Brazil to Indonesia at some point in the last year or so. The latest MX32 front I weighed was the same as the MX33 front which is the same as an X31. I don't have an older, Brazil made MX32 to weigh. The MX3s is 1/2 lb lighter, but the carcass is soft and doesn't last that long for me before it starts to feel squirrelly when you load it.
The best Pirelli front tire I ever ran was bought by mistake at Loretta Lynn's. It was called FIM Scorpion Pro and was really supposed to be an off-road enduro type of tire, but man that thing worked awesome! It looks a lot like the MX32 mid-hard. I'm one of the few that didn't care for the MX32 mid-soft but after seeing the increased pressures everyone is running, I may try another with higher pressure. That was my problem, it felt really flexy in the sidewalls.
I love the Mid-hard for the rear tire of my Yz125. I can lean the bike while on the gas with confidence. It's also very stable in the rough. And being a mid-hard tire, wear was great. Since I liked the rear tire, I tried the mid-hard front tire, and hated it. I took it off after a couple rides.
I'm currently running a Dunlop MX33 up front, but will give the Pirelli mid-soft a chance at some point.
I miss the Bridgestone M203 for the front. That tire was freaking amazing!
Didn't know Rocky Mnt carried them. Always ordered from Hoosier tire west. Thank you that solves my problem.
I think the Pirelli guys in MXGP use the MX32 mid-soft in front all the time, and the same in rear or MX Soft (depending on the track).
The midsofts work great in most conditions. For sand tracks I would choose MX Soft in the rear.
Here`s what Keefer said about the tire and air pressure: https://www.keeferinctesting.com/2020-2-5-pirelli-mx32-mid-soft-re-visi…
Stanmore track at Yatala?
I run the mid-soft front and rear. I normally run the xtra on the rear because it’s cheaper, but wanted to try the mx32 mid-soft. This is my 3rd weekend on it (practice day at freestone and 3 motos, 1 hour on it last weekend, 1 hour on it this weekend on a track that turned hard pack) and it started to chunk the side knobs today. It has a 2023 date code so I know it’s a new tire so I don’t know if it was just the track today as some rocks were showing up later, but I’ve never had that issue at this track before. The mid-soft on hard pack felt sketch. Kinda like riding with a flat.
How much air were you running?
Yep
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