if your going for the looks get the 180, sure you have the big tire look but its going to slow you down in the corners. I prefer the 160, great turning abilities and its what the bike meant to have. Bigger isn't always better. And for a 180 on a track F3 thats just crazy, track 1000rr are using 180 down from the 190 for better and more crisp turning. Bigger tires don't do sh*t for you unless you drag your bike.

 

I don't give two craps about looks (you should see my rat bike!). The rim is wide enough to still give a good contact patch with a 180 - particularly leaned over like a track bike is 90% of the time. And, most track bikes like mine can easily compensate for the steering quickness trade off with a ride-height adjustable shock. Plus, in my case anyway, my frame geometry has been "optimized" by Computrack which also quickens steering. Personally, I'm slow as **** on the track but my bike's PO was crazy fast (one of the really fast, top-tier advanced group trackday riders) and preferred the 180.

Again, if the rim wasn't wide enough for a 180, SV owners wouldn't be buying up F3 rims like they are as a performance (not apperance) upgrade. Do a search on svrider.com's message board for "F3 rim". There's a guy making custom spacers and everything.

I guess if you're a capable rider (that could notice the difference) and don't have a shock that'll let you adjust ride height, you might not like slightly slower steering. Otherwise, it fits without issue.

 

the tire is squeezed onto a wheel its not meant for so it bows up. Your using parts of the tire that the manufacturer didn't intend it to do. You can say all you want about sv's and 180 tires i'm not buying it so you stick with your opinion and i'll stick with mine. But when you see an F3 screaming around you in the corners with a 160 on it, thats me. HAHAHAHAHAHA

 

Blah blah blah...[&:]

 

triax is right , larger tire equals more rotating mass for your bike to turn , i race my f3 , wera has a class for f3's and u will never find any racer with anything but a 160 , u can flip your bike around alot easier and have more pickup

 

Most any tire has a rim size range per the manufacturer.....180's most give a 5.0" to 5.5" (5.5 being ideal I'm sure). Thats not to say a 180 is any better than a 160 on a 5 inch rim....I'd stick the 160 myself or run a 170 in a pinch (I'm also a previous racer and current advanced track day rider). Most of the larger tire is marketing...bigger is better...you foolish americans. Some of the newer and higher HP bikes need more tire to transfer the horsepower and dissapate the heat the extra weight/power causes...its not all about grip. Look at a TZ125...bicycles have wider tires and they run crazy corner speeds/lean angles....but they weight nothing and make 45hp.

Steering reaction speed has a ton of factors...the rolling height of the tire, its shape and stiffness. GMD may have optimised your chassis, but that would have been for the tires that were on it....everytime to switch to a different profile/brand tire you are straying from their optimum setting.

 

not to bring up an old thread, but i notice some have said because of bigger bikes with more weight and power might need more contact patch. i just wanted to say our f2/f3s are 400-410lbs DRY weight. the new 1000s are about that at full weight so...

couple of things i would like to add from experimenting is i prefer the 180 profile over the 160. it's been 2 months since the switchover and i like how i feel more in control of the bike, stiffer/firmer in turns and its not so "twitchy", possibly due to a 55 profile instead of 70. i can fling my bike over anytime just as easily but the 160 was way too responsive unstable type of feel hitting a bump, groove or cracks on the roads. i can't describe it as i've only been riding for a year but i can say what i like and prefer. and before i switched to a 180 i had the chance to ride other bikes(06 r6, 04 gixxer 750) with 180s even though they are not the same bike, suspension or technology. tire profile was a major difference the only thing that felt different now on my bike was soft *** suspension which was solved with f4i rear shock and dialed in forks..

maybe its the tire since i went from bridgestone battlax to pilot power 2ct but i think it's because of the harder structure of the 55 profile mixed with a softer compound tire that made it perfect for me.