Originally Posted by
BassNotBass
I can't tell you what works best but I can assure you that tires like the Maxxis Hookworm with a wrap around tread are far from ideal. I had to machine a wheel of vulcanized rubber and adhere it to the metal contact wheel on the bottle generator. It's larger diameter dealt with the tread much better and also reduced the tire diameter/generator ratio to reduce the drag a little and keep the voltage of the generator down to acceptable levels when running 406s at speed. I run DIY LED head/tail lights so I also had to include an
ICVR (up to 35v in, 5v out), just in case, to keep my LEDs from burning out. Keep in mind that bottle generators are normally intended for use on larger wheels.
Interesting. I'm asking this question because after doing, I felt, quite a bit of reading I never came across any mention that there were few (so far essentially one, Marathon) 406 tires that work with a bottle generator and I'm a little surprised. The shop owner I bought the generator from had a generator on a different swb 'bent with 406 tires, so I didn't expect an issue. I certainly never came across horror stories and comments saying, 'No! don't get a bottle generator with a 406 tire' anywhere.
I'm not giving up, but I've been surprised at the issues I've come across so far. I just feel the Marathons are spendy pig tires; but apparently I need to consider putting one on whatever rim I settle on running my generator and rolling down the road.
Your experience with the Hookworm tire sounds like you had similar issues with the tread breaks as I'm having with the ones that are on the Kwests I'm running and them eating up generator wheels.