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Trackday tires choice / to use or not tire warmers

5K views 50 replies 20 participants last post by  hangman39 
#1 ·
Ok first...i'm no Valentino Rossi...but I will mostly use my bike for track this comming year.

Can I run DOT race tires (Diablo supercorsa) without tire warmers? or will that damadged them? (hardened them by heat cycles...)

If I run corsaIII, would that be enought of a track tire?...with this one I don't think I would need tire warmers thought.
 
#4 ·
The closer you get to pure race tires, the more critical the tires are to heat cycles. And tire warmers seem to make the racier tires last longer. Without tire warmers, you might get cold tearing on race tires or worse yet, damaged plastic when the cold race tires don't have enough grip.
 
#6 ·
If you're running race tires and its cold out. Definetly. If its 105 degrees out and 115 at the track. You can probably get away without warmers. On street tires you can get away with not using tire warmers. I would always recommend using them though. Proper tire temp is key to feel and wear life.
 
#7 · (Edited)
:+1:

Not to mention that if you're in a competitive group/level, without warmers

you'll have to ride at a 3/4 pace first couple of laps EACH session to warm

them up, and that's valuable track time wasted.

Since you want to use Supercorsas, that's what I've been using exclusively, always with warmers.

:headshake
 
#17 ·
stick with the corser III's for a while...how much track experience do you have...don't take my question wrong..its just usually a question about tire compound and use of tire warmers indicates a fairly new track rider..if thats the case you will get more from the III's because they will last you several trackdays...also the change from a street/track tire to full on race rubber usually requires more tweaking to the suspension so be prepared for that as well...if this is your first year riding track my advice is to just get as much seat time around the track as possible..don't worry about lap times...work on being smooth with your lines, braking, etc and the speed will come..good luck and have fun..
 
#18 ·
Thanks!...yes I'm fairly new...i've done about 5 track day last years...but all on short track. This year I'm switching to long track (Tremblant and Calaboogie). I've got stock suspension...and this is my next step .. suspension upgrades....

So far I'm pretty sure I'll start with Corsa III then maybe depending on the feel of thing on the long track.. I'll switch to more race oriented tires.
 
#24 ·
Having the softest tire is not always the best certain tracks work better with different compounds some tracks will eat up a soft tire so you might want to use a medium on that track on smooth tracks like Barber you might want a soft tire on front and a medium on back the ZX10 will eat soft rears up.
 
#25 ·
Ditto to what most have said. SC1 front, SC2 rear. Unless you push the front really hard, the SC0 front should last much more than 6 laps but the SC1 is still the better choice. As you gain experience, you will probably come to the conclusion that you really do want tire warmers.
 
#28 ·
Hey Kat,

1- Invest in another set of rims so you can run track tires at the track and street tires on the street (although I suspect your street riding will decrease dramatically after enough track days).:wink:

2- Most DOT Race and Slicks are only available from trackside tire reps or distributors. If you get them from resellers you will pay really high prices.

3- Tire warmers are not really necessary unless your racing on cold days of less than 60 degrees. The number one plate in AFM doesn't use tire warmers (go figure). Braking and two or three corners with the new compounds will heat them sufficiently to grip at 'track day' speeds. It won't matter at race pace because you should be used to drift and have adequate technique to ride around any 'cold tire' issues.

Most of the racers out here run Dunlop, Pirelli and Michelin. Pirelli has really come along way and is definitely gaining momentum here in Cali. Dunlop D209 GP-A NTecs are the bomb. The slicks are really a matter of personal brand preference but for most applications at the track day and amatuer level a soft front and medium rear will get you around pretty fast.:cool:
 
#29 ·
I'm not a proponent of using DOT race tires on the track until such time each individual rider is aware of his/her lap times compared to their group and or the A or top level groups lap times for comparison sake otherwise its somewhat of a waste when a performance street tire will suffice to learn with.
I'm also not a proponent of using these DOT track/race tires on public roads as street tires these days are more than capable of performing admirably for less $$$$ AND they will not come up to their recommended optimum operating temps.

BD
 
#30 ·
I do not see the problem with DOT tires on the street have run Supercorsa Pro's and also BT002's and have never had a problem with cold tire slippage or wet weather traction.
I do not buy DOT race tires as street tires but I do use them on the street after I do trackdays on them.
 
#31 ·
Hangman DOT race tires are not designed for public roads they are specifically designed for track usage be it trackdays or racing and heat cycles.
I have no doubt people won't have much issue with using them on public roads at a reduced pace compared to track but as i've said they will not reach their optimum operating efficiency.

BD
 
#35 ·
I just come from the montreal bike show, and I spent most of my time there meathing with racers, track day organisers and other track junkies...

And on top of what many people say here I got also a lot of different view on the tire warmer issus.

I'm not suprised that most tire rep and pro racers swear by the use of tire warmers...but I was suprised at how many track day racers / organisers do not use tire warmers at all.

Many guys told me that slicks last longer then the DOT version , actually saw a set of slick from a Duc 999 after 10 track day with no warmers...and was suprised by the even wear with no oil bleeding. that guy is a few second from race pace on a long track...

Any way got a lot of info to digest...got a few people to call (some reps, and some distributors, we have access to the Canadian superbike tries suplyer for Pirelli (Orionmotorsports) so i'll make a few inquiries there.

I appreciate all the input so far it's very interesting all the different experience and point of view.
 
#36 ·
Tire warmers definately aren't necessary, but going out during AM sessions, pre-heated tires are really nice to have. During warmer track days we wrap the warmers on and may not turn them on between sessions. As far as tires go, geez man, there are soo many good tires now. Personally I like PP's for track days. They last a long time (i'm a fairly smooth rider) and they are CHEAP. Race DOT's are obviously better for grip and the crown is steeper so you can get more aggressive in your corner entry/ exit. But, for someone doing just occassional TD's, the choice of tire(s) are endless. I have used the BST 002's. the Metzler DOT's and Power Race's. All were better than my abilities.
 
#39 ·
michelin's and dunlop dot race tires are not good for street riding, when cold they are dangerous. pirelli's and bridgestones dot race tires are good for street riding they dont realy need to be hot to work well. for my street bikes i use also pirelli slicks that i groove with a tread iron and they work great.
 
#46 ·
personally I used to be a die hard PP fan. I had them on two previous bikes and I always swore by them. Still do actually they are great tires. But a buddy of mine got me hooked on Metzler Racetechs. They're a tripple compound tire and I believe they're designed for trac use. They come in soft (k2) and supersoft (k1) I have the K2 and they're the stickiest I've ever had with little or no warm up.

I never heard of'm before my buddy told me about'm so I dunno if they're not popular or people only use them for track or what, but they seem awesome so far...still on my first pair so we'll see how they do on milage. Anyone one else heard of these...like or dislike?
 
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