Tires: Looking for better traction on 170i

drinkingthestars · Post by **drinkingthestars** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 4:23 pm

I feel like the factory tires on my Buddy 170i lack good grip, especially in wet conditions. I really like the look of the whitewalls, however. Are there any tires that fit the 170i and offer better traction along with sharp looks? I would prefer not to sacrifice speed for traction, if that's even a thing.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 5:17 pm

There are very limited choices in whitewalls, and the ones that are available in the US are not first rate choices IMO. I think the Continental Zippy 1 (blackwall) is a good tire, and is the one I use on my Buddy. Others seem to like the recently available Pirelli Angel (also blackwall).

drinkingthestars · Post by **drinkingthestars** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 5:28 pm

Thank you. I realize blackwalls are going to offer the best traction. I just wondered if there are whitewalls that are superior in this regard. I want to avoid replacing my factory tires with tires that don't offer appreciably better traction. I'm looking at these, which are made. by Shinko: http://www.scooterloungeonline.com/primaww

personality · Post by **personality** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 8:30 pm

The stock whitewalls are pretty terrible, so almost anything else will offer better traction. Shinko is a good brand.

scootERIK · Post by **scootERIK** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:02 pm

Why not buy a good set of tires and paint the whitewalls on?
https://www.rangerpaint.com/products/white-sidewall

drinkingthestars · Post by **drinkingthestars** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:12 pm

Now that's an idea.

KABarash · Post by **KABarash** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:31 pm

Iâ€™ve been running the Prima whitewalls for the last 8 or 9 years on my Buddy 150, been generally happy with them.
https://www.scooterworks.com/Prima-Tire ... -P366.aspx

drinkingthestars · Post by **drinkingthestars** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:38 pm

Thanks for the feedback. I'm leaning towards this solution. Did you find that they were better than the factory tires?

KABarash · Post by **KABarash** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 10:07 pm

drinkingthestars wrote:Thanks for the feedback. I'm leaning towards this solution. Did you find that they were better than the factory tires?

Mine came from the factory with Maxxis whitewalls, I was happy with those too, highly disappointed when I couldnâ€™t get them.

JettaKnight · Post by **JettaKnight** » Fri Jul 10, 2020 4:06 am

scootERIK wrote:Why not buy a good set of tires and paint the whitewalls on?
https://www.rangerpaint.com/products/white-sidewall

Because if you paint like me, it's going to be clear that you painted them.

tenders · Post by **tenders** » Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:06 pm

Pro tip: paint the entire tire white and let the road wear some of it off.

BayStateScooterist · Post by **BayStateScooterist** » Sat Jul 11, 2020 2:07 am

scootERIK wrote:Why not buy a good set of tires and paint the whitewalls on?
https://www.rangerpaint.com/products/white-sidewall

Wow! Didn't know such a product existed. There's hope in dressing up the new Michelin S1 tires.

BayStateScooterist · Post by **BayStateScooterist** » Sat Jul 11, 2020 2:09 am

tenders wrote:Pro tip: paint the entire tire white and let the road wear some of it off.

LOL!

JettaKnight · Post by **JettaKnight** » Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:43 am

Sometimes you gotta give up looks for safety and performance.