Just checked Avon's site. They recommend 3.5" rims for the Storm II Ultra in 120/70-18...
Yes exactly! It was seeing that spec which triggered me to go measure my rims, hence my previous post.
The newer Connies usually have 3.00 inch rims, the older Connies have narrower rims. I'd imagine that's an inside measurement, cue the experts!
Well mine seem like 3 1/4 front and 3 3/4 rear to me - definitely bigger than 3 and 3 1/2 (again, assuming the rim walls are less than 1/4 thick), though not quite 3 1/2 and 4: per my measurements the walls could only be 1/8" thick.
Also, I noticed your Sportmax (Roadsmart?) only comes in 120/70ZR18, the RoadsmartII also comes in 110/80ZR18. Dunlop recommends 3.5" rims for the 120/70. How does the current front handle for you?
Yes, it's the Roadsmart, not the 'II. It seems fine to me, but it's all I've ever known, so I have nothing to compare it to. On the good side, I can flip a counter-steer into a late, steep turn at a left turn like a wild thing (showing off to oncoming cars!), and I can dance out some crazy harmonic slaloms below 35 (can't do it above 40) if I get bored driving around town, so I wouldn't say the front was heavy at all, but the Connie itself definitely ain't no lightweight. I'm actually very confident with that front tire. I'm a strong front-wheel braker too, relying on the back only when I have no engine braking, and it has never let me down. It slipped slightly once when I had to stand on it when braking for a couple of deer in the road one night, but recovery was as easy as letting off the brake and re-applying, and I didn't pump any adrenalin at all.
On the bad side, there is a little instability, as I've mentioned before, when passing big rigs on the slab when it's windy...
No, I definitely have no need to make the front any lighter - in fact I was seriously considering going to a wing-size bias for some extra stability on the slab.
Finally, the mileage has been great: I'm at 16,000 on it now, and still have plenty of tread left on the front. The hard center is definitely standing proud over the softer sides, but there is no dropping behavior on turns. I've been running standard pressure (36), by the way - I didn't know any different till recently.
Actually, I'm not sure any I'm even considering changing the front tire model away from the Dunlop anyway - I'm not disappointed with it in any way. I guess I just wanted to try something else to broaden my experience.
Hope that answers your question :-)