Originally Posted By: ChadHargis
I've run into the OEM version being vastly different than the aftermarket version on motorcycle tires.......
You're new to the forum, so I'll tell you that this applies to passenger car and light truck tires, too. If you do a search, you'll find some threads that discuss OE tires in much greater detail.
Summary: Any tire supplied to a vehicle manufacturer is spec'd by the vehicle manufacturer - and the tire manufacturer designs to those specs or they don't supply. Commonly, fuel economy is important to the vehicle manufacturer, so he will write the spec to emphasize that - and the tire manufacturer has to sacrifice treadwear and/or traction in order to get better fuel economy. That is why OE tires are so poorly rated. It isn't cost; it's their traction and wear qualities.
And there are 2 exceptions to the OE thing - trailers and big rig trucks. In the case of trailer manufacturers, there aren't any big enough to dictate the tire specs. In the case of big rig trucks, the tires are generally specified by the buyer of the truck.
Now you may say to yourself: "Why can't I specify what tires I get with my new car (or pickup truck)?".
Well, you can - BUT - when the vehicle leaves the factory, it has to have a sticker indicating the result of standard fuel economy tests AS MANUFACTURED - and that includes the tires. Once it gets to the dealer, the tires can be replaced.
That means the vehicle dealer has to swap tires - and has to deal with the extra set of OE tires. This, of course, is going to add to the cost of the vehicle (which may be hidden from view).
I'm not sure how this works exactly, but the fuel economy sticker has to be in place when the vehicle is sold, and replacing the tires changes the fuel economy. I know that some dealers will offer an upsized wheel and tire that negates the F/E sticker. I suspect they do a slight of hand by "selling" the vehicle with the OE tires, then claiming the customer performed an "Upgrade" before delivery.