PRODUCT INFO: AFTERMARKET SEGWAY TIRE
FRI, 01/03/2014 - 4:25PM
Out of all the things we sell our biggest mover is by far the Segway aftermarket tire. Considering how many tires we sell it is about time to do an in depth review on this product. They are obviously very similar to the Segway factory tire however there are some slight differences that could matter depending on the application. Please note that we always suggest using our aftermarket Segway tires in pairs as they have slightly different size than the factory tire. In this article we will focus on what is different between the two tires and help you determine whether or not they will be right for you.
Application
The most common question we get about our aftermarket Segway tire has to be “is it a non-marking tire?”. For indoor applications a tire that leaves skid marks is an obvious deal breaker. The answer to this question Eluded us for some time until a local mall purchased a set and gave it a try. The floor surface throughout their building was a white ceramic tile and shockingly they reported no marking issues with the tires after six months of use. The reason I use the word “shockingly” is because the tires we sell are not advertised as non-marking. We witnessed the same results on polished concrete and a new concrete parking lot as well. Our Segway aftermarket tires have worked well on a variety of surfaces so far but im not counting out the possibility of there being a surface that they may mark on. Bottom line is they could possibly mark a little but aren’t going to scuff up your floor like a piece of farm equipment!
Tire size and Tube
Many times when customers receive their tires we get a call stating they believe they will not fit. The aftermarket Segway tire we carry appears to be much larger and narrower for a few reasons. Number one is the tire actually is larger and narrower but these characteristics are also greatly exaggerated because the tire is still flattened out from shipping. Once mounted, overinflate the tube (30 p.s.i.) to seat the tire, then deflate down to 13 p.s.i. and the tire will fit fine.
Once seated you will notice the height on these tires puts them very close to the fender. We have noticed that how well the tire bead is seated will determine how high the tire is. We have also noticed that you will sometimes hear a slight rubbing noise. Do not be alarmed by this as it is the little rubber hairs left over from the manufacturing process that are brushing the inside of the well. A few miles on the pavement and they will go away.
The tubes we use are a different style than the normal curved valve style Segway uses. The Tr4 valve style on our tubes is a straight threaded valve that locks into place with a nut more securely than the curved Segway valve. The downside to this is if you ever have to add air to the tire it will require the wheel to be removed which takes about 60 seconds. The reason we do not sell the factory Segway tube (unless it is requested) is because it cost substantially more and is frequently on backorder.
Grip and longevity
The biggest selling point of the Segway factory tire has to be that it is made of non-marking soft rubber that grips well to slick surfaces. The design on these is geared to indoor use and promotes safety (reduces lawsuits) as the soft rubber does an exceptional job grabbing to slick surfaces like linoleum or tile. Our aftermarket Segway tire is composed of a harder rubber that has slightly less grip but makes up for this shortcoming with extended service life (nearly 2,000 miles vs factory 500). We have used the aftermarket Segway tire on high gloss polished concrete and it worked fine however there may be legal/liability reasons to consider if you are purchasing these for a large business with deep pockets. Please read the first two paragraphs of our article here regarding what those are.
Our Opinion
So there are our tires in a nutshell. We used them at our rental track for two years and have sold them for about 18 months with no issues. We have used them on a variety of surfaces from polished concrete to gravel/grass and had excellent results. The only other aftermarket Segway tire we have seen sold (and used/experienced) is the “enhanced traction” tire which has a snow tread on it. it is by all means a good tire but we saw nothing warranting the cost which is nearly double.
It took some trial and error for us to find a tire that works well at a low price. Please be aware of the temperamental nature of your Segway and that some types of tires will (rarely) cause it to throw an error code. If you are going to buy an aftermarket tire for your Segway it doesn’t have to be ours but do your research and make sure you are getting product with a history of use on Segway’s. if you have any more questions please feel free to give us a call!
