[871JZ]

I bought my GSX-S new in April of last year and put roughly 2500 miles on the original Dunlop Sportmax II's (190/50 and 120/70) before replacing them with Michelin Pilot Power 2CT's. They had plenty of life left, but I wanted better performing tires and also prefer to have matching rubber front and rear, so replaced both.

It's not exactly an apples to apples comparison, as the Pilot Power 2CT's are a much better performing tire, but the difference in overall handling was night and day. The bike feels lighter, more nimble, and leans with less effort, all of which inspire confidence in the turns. However minimal it would have been, I didn't want to lose any acceleration with the slightly taller 55 series rear tire, so I also dropped one tooth on the front sprocket at the same time. The change in gearing was noticeable, but not as dramatic as one might expect due to the taller tire helping to offset it some.

Overall, I'm very happy with the changes brought about by going moving away from the original 190/50 to the new 190/55. I can't see any reason to ever go back to the 50 series again. This also seems to be the common consensus among guys who have done this swap, with very few guys regretting the changeover.

 

[871JZ]

Letting you know once the oem tires were shot I replaced them with Dunlop road smart 4 and to answer your question I did go with the 190/55 rear. Totally changed the bike for the better. Yes the tires themselves are awesome butt moving from the 50 to the 55 rear made all the difference in the world. Fits fine, nothing to do except ride. So much nicer and quicker handling. Very predictable and much easier to ride a fast pace.

Couldn't agree more! I replaced the original Dunlop Sportmax II's (or whatever they were called) with Pilot Power 2CT's front and rear. The change in rear tire size from 190/50 to 190/55 was immediately noticeable and MUCH better. The bike wants to lean on it's own with the new size, nearly zero effort required. The 190/55 is also slightly taller than the original 190/50 rear tire, so it did raise the seat height just a hair. At 5'11" tall, I can still flat foot it without issue. The taller tire also helps lower the RPM just a bit at any given speed, which was nice because I had already dropped one tooth on the front sprocket. The sprocket change gave me a good boost in acceleration, but at the expense of increased RPM. The RPM at speed was brought down a little by the taller rear tire without me noticing any effect on acceleration.