How important are track tires...at a track?

[Yody]

Keep your attention and focus ahead on the track, your tires will be fine. Ride within your limits and you won't have any problems. You won't ride outside of the tires limits, but you could ride outside of your limits.

 

[#1Freak]

it sounds like you do very few trackdays and a lot of street riding, a mich pilot power or Pirelli diablo III will suit you very well at both venues and will not cost an arm and a leg. At your level of riding DOT race tires will not get enough heat in them on the street.

summary, at your level or riding, street tires are great on the street and perfectly fine on the track, DOT race tires are infierior to street tires on the street, but overkill on the track.

Once you do 3-5 more trackdays, this analysis can change......

Brian

 

[ap430]

2ct where fine for me for a few trackdays or so. But yes race tires will give you more confidence and a better feel. Either tire you go with, just be sure to take it easy an warm up your tires for a lap or two before you start picking up the pace. Usually whenever some one bins it the first lap or two... its always because off "cold tires"

 

[deebaystunna]

My first trackday I used street tires, they worked good. Then by the end of the day I kept pushing harder, then got into trouble at T-hills turn 3's off camber right hander. Tried to enter 3 at around 100 in 3rd gear and ran in to hot, just tried to go threw with it and ended up spinning up the rear because I held the throttle on. I bet if I used the dot dunlop 209 gp spec tires I pobably would have made it without crashing. I had holes in my suit and in my fairings. Expensive mistake! So you can use street tires but humble yourself at the track. If you want to go fast use dot race tires, if you got deep pockets use slicks with warmers.

 

[Burning1]

Today's street tires beat the snot out of the motoGP tires run not so long ago...

 

[ucb]

My first trackday I used street tires, they worked good. Then by the end of the day I kept pushing harder, then got into trouble at T-hills turn 3's off camber right hander. Tried to enter 3 at around 100 in 3rd gear and ran in to hot, just tried to go threw with it and ended up spinning up the rear because I held the throttle on. I bet if I used the dot dunlop 209 gp spec tires I pobably would have made it without crashing. I had holes in my suit and in my fairings. Expensive mistake! So you can use street tires but humble yourself at the track. If you want to go fast use dot race tires, if you got deep pockets use slicks with warmers.

Hmmm, Not so sure about that one. You crashed because you held onto the throttle and spun up the rear it sounds. You can just as easily do that on DOTs (i've done it and crashed too)

If you aren't that fast (ie a complete noob), using DOTs or Slicks might actually offer less grip since you won't be accelerating or braking hard enough to get the tires up to full operating temp

Something sticky like the BT016, BT002RS, Corsas, etc will be fine for everything up to mid B pace.

 

[deebaystunna]

Hmmm, Not so sure about that one. You crashed because you held onto the throttle and spun up the rear it sounds. You can just as easily do that on DOTs (i've done it and crashed too)

If you aren't that fast (ie a complete noob), using DOTs or Slicks might actually offer less grip since you won't be accelerating or braking hard enough to get the tires up to full operating temp

Something sticky like the BT016, BT002RS, Corsas, etc will be fine for everything up to mid B pace.

Yeah I guess your right, more rider error than tire error. They were proper heated up tho. I would feel more confident with dot race tires, better safe than sorry.

 

[ucb]

If you pace dictates it then by all means. But if its your first track day and you are doing 2:45s...good chance you wont ever full heat the tire in a session

Running DOTs and tire warmers in C group is a bit overkill IMO

 

[Burning1]

You can crash on DOTs. The difference is you'll be going faster when it happens.

I run street qualifiers and plan to continue running them until I start racing. I continue to be amazed by the level of grip offered by street tires, and I doubt that many B pace riders push them to their limits, except out of ineptitude.

 

[Traveler]

More importantly, how old are these tires?

 

[NakedRider]

If you aren't that fast (ie a complete noob), using DOTs or Slicks might actually offer less grip since you won't be accelerating or braking hard enough to get the tires up to full operating temp

Something sticky like the BT016, BT002RS, Corsas, etc will be fine for everything up to mid B pace.

Bingo. Best advice.

 

[Coffae]

More importantly, how old are these tires?

+1 Good question. Wear on a race tire may have less grab than your 2CTs. If you have more than 750-1000 miles on your CTs, then you may want to consider trying something else for the track. I would stick with the dual compounds even so (for a first track day), as when you go back to the street; race tires don't fare as well.

 

[Hooli]

Also, where were the tires stored? Electrical motors such as those air conditioners or washer/driers, for example, are a source of ozone which can break down tires regardless of their age.

 

[Burning1]

If you are storing your tires off the bike, I find that garbage bags do a good job of protecting them from the environment.

 

[tiltedworld]

IMO - DOTs can lure new track riders into a false sense of security. It is your first time really going fast (as in it redefines your expectations as to what fast really is) and you literally don't know squat. You are riding much harder, learning to lean, learning the proper lines vs. speed, feeling what your suspension is doing when it really starts to work and learning to manage traction.

That's A LOT for a new track rider.

Now sure a DOT race tire will be stickier and theoretically more safe, but what really is happening is that the stickiness is covering up your plentiful mistakes and not allowing you to learn from the start. And if you crash from a mistake, it will likely be at a higher speed as others have said. I've seen tons of riders come to the track, learn to go relatively quick in a short period of time, only to crash out badly - with injuries and not know a thing as to why they crashed.

The street/track tires are soo good that they allow you to concentrate on the other things and really learn some traction limitations at slower (relative) speeds. Once you are at the speed that the bike starts moving around and sliding and you are still in full control - then move to DOT's. For me that was the lower 2:teens at Thill.

Believe me, you don't want to pucker up and shit a brick not knowing what to do as you approach a 2:10ish laptime and spin up the rear for the first time exiting T6. Since you've experienced it before at slower speeds, the right actions will result in a moment, but you'll continue on your way knowing you grabbed too much throttle. If its the first time and DOT's have covered up mistakes in the past...well the result will likely be a highside.

Just my 2c

 

[ucb]

You can crash on DOTs. The difference is you'll be going faster when it happens.

I run street qualifiers and plan to continue running them until I start racing. I continue to be amazed by the level of grip offered by street tires, and I doubt that many B pace riders push them to their limits, except out of ineptitude.

B pace is well off race pace..Even slow A times won't qualify you for sunday afm races in certain classes. Fast B/Slow A...DOTs all the way IMO.

 

[Landshark]

That is a real nice way to put it Tiltedworld


You should buy the tires and get them mounted before the trackday. You don't want to waste any of your sessions dealing with rubber if there is a line in the morning.

I would go with the Bridgestone BT-0002RS (my local dealer still sells them cheap) or the Pirelli Diablo Corsa III. Both are street tires. If you want race tires, I hear the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa's are the hooker's handbag.

As always, YMMV.

 

[clutchslip]

I love all the differences in opinion on this subject. I'll throw out my 2 cents.

Motorcycle USA regularly tests at T-Hill on Supercorsas and I've seen Hutch blast an 848 thru T2 like you wouldn't believe. Street tires today are better than race tires from 15 years ago. And race tires are even better when you want to pull that extra 5 seconds out of your ass.

Supercorsas are DOT race tires. They are used the world over to race on and to ride on in the street.

DOT race tires are infierior to street tires on the street, but overkill on the track.

If you aren't that fast (ie a complete noob), using DOTs or Slicks might actually offer less grip since you won't be accelerating or braking hard enough to get the tires up to full operating temp

Bingo. Best advice.

This information is just plain inaccurate. There are DOT approved race tires that will warm-up fine at street speeds and there are tires that take a long time to warm-up, even at "race-pace".

The 675 comes STOCK with Supercorsa DOT race tires, for example. I ONLY ride Supercorsas on the street once my OEM tires wear out.

Michelin race tires seem to take the longest to warm up from my personal, unfortunate, experience.

To talk about all street or race tires like they all behave the same is like saying that all sport bikes are the same because they are "sportbikes."

 

[kyles here]

but the OEM supercorsas are not the same as the race tires you will find trackside, similar to the power races at say cycle gear and the PR series from a vendor

 

[#1Freak]

kyles here is right, as is UCB. i my "generalities" still stand. SInce this guy is a noob and obviously doesn't know the difference between tires it is best to talk in general terms until he gets some experience under his belt.

clutchslip you are dead wrong. race tires do not preform as good as race tires on the street in the hands of a noobie. how will DOT race tires perform on a cold October-Decemeber morning? Or in wet conditions? WHy do experinced trackday goes take off thier race tires and put on street tires for wet trackdays?

street tires are made to handle the VARIOUS conditions on the street, are cheaper, and will last longer then race tires.