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Tire Warmers Question

BokKafa

BokKafa

07 MeatBall Flag Winner
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Location
San Mateo
Moto(s)
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I am getting ready to buy a set and was wondering what you guys use and recommend. Also ones to avoid. The brands I am looking at are:

Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers
Graves Superbike Tire Warmers
DMP Sling Shot Tire Warmer
TyrSox Tire Warmers
Sumomoto Tire Warmers

I do not have a lot of money to spend so I would prefer something which works for the average-non racer guy who does not want to worry about cold tires and maybe get some more track time on the same tires. Also, if you are selling yours, pm me.
 
Most people I know with tire warmers still switch their tires out at the same time. Regardless of warmers or not, people still get paranoid out of using tires past 4 or 5 trackdays. IF IF IF your suspensions is setup you are still going to be going through rubber on the tire. You will use up the rubber way faster than you will from heat cycles.

If you don't have any money, just warm up your tires the regular way just like everyone else
 
+1 to what yody said. Warmers are a waste of money for poeple who do not need to go 100% on the first lap. tire tech is such that today you will hit the wear bars before a tire is cycled too many times (unless you are a fast racer and can notice when your tires are decreaing your lap times becuase of slides and such)

Brian
 
I have never used tire warmers at track days. In fact, I don't use them on race weekends, either. I used tire warmers for races only on my old race bike and then when I moved to the 1000, they didn't fit. I am up to speed by the end of my first lap.

If you're low on money, then why buy them?
 
Total waste of money for a trackday rider, and half the afm racers don't use them, INCLUDING DAVE STANTON who wins Formula Pacific usually.

Just a waste of money. You get spend on warmers, a generator, piss off the people you are pitted next to with generator noise ( if a loud one) and you won't notice the difference.
 
Remember, (as someone had to remind me) even racers get 1 warmup lap right before they grid, so they get one lap to warm up their tires.

There are techniques to warming up tires and a good rider should be able to get his tires relatively hot after 1 lap. At a trackday most people aren't in a huge "rush" and just take 2 laps to be cautionary. Hang off the bike a little extra to get the bike upright, squash the tires through fast acceleration out of turns and on the straghts (while the bike is upright) and also through braking hard to squash the front tire. Do these things in a relatively safe and controlled manner(meaning slow) and you should have your tires warmed up in one lap. It also gives you something to concentrate on in the beginning of every session which helps you get warmed up as well. Less likely to crash concentrating on something other than going fast.
 
I don't want to just echo what others have said in this thread, but I do want to point out that for the vast majority of trackday riders who run warmers, the tires are usually cooling off during the 1st or second lap because the rider is not actually riding hard enough to put more heat into the tire.

I've crashed on cold tires. It sucks. That said, the reason I crashed on cold tires was because I had incorrectly set my tire pressure, I was too aggressive with the throttle at the wrong part of the track (while leaned over. On my out-lap!), and in all honesty, repairing the damage cost me less than a set of warmers... even if you counted in the cost of the "lost" track time.

My brother uses warmers when he races. At Louden NH. Where 60-degree days are not uncommon.
 
I am not a judgemental person, but if you are in anything less than "A" group with numbers on your race bike at a trackday with tire warmers, you may lose a little respect from your fellow riders. Like the guy that parked across from me at Buttonwillow and threw his tire warmers on while he was in the class room between his on track "C" group sessions. He was parked right next to the guy that was using his timing transponder (also in "C" group). It was certainly worth a chuckle.
 
All great advice but I am still looking to buy a set so which ones do most people recommend.
 
Besides what everybody is saying...I use tire warmers all the time..if is 100 or if 50...I don't care....my tires are on warmers...that's my policy....

I use suzuka and they work killer.....as far as a generator...yes DO NOT PISS PEOPLE OFF with a laud generator...get an honda....they are quite......

...all this is expensive...so if you are broke....use those money for track day and tires.....if you are not and you want suzuka....PM me they retail for $385...I will get it to you for 300....just helping a fellow rider......
 
I bought the warmers to use in the cold mornings before May and in Oct/Nov, but that's it.

It is a hassle and a pretty big expense. But be sure to warm the tires up before riding as metnioned above!
 
afm199 said:
Total waste of money for a trackday rider, and half the afm racers don't use them, INCLUDING DAVE STANTON who wins Formula Pacific usually.

Agreed.. while you're at it, throw away your lap timer.
Click to expand...
 
Honda Generator is $1000, anything less is gonna piss people off and probably annoy yourself as well. I'm not a hater, my good experienced friend runs them everytime as well, he has the $1200 honda generator and the pricey ChickenHawks. Even though he wouldnt like to admit it, he still changes his tires after the 4th trackday, even though he bougt them to get more life out of the tires. They amount of rubber just won't last any longer unless you are on a low powered bike. The heaters with adj temp are the hot ticket. Different tires prefer different temps. You don't want to cook your tire either. But you'll spend at least $100 for the option
 
I thought about tire warmers cause evidently (after reading this post) I'm the only guy on here that goes through tires due to heat cycles before tread life. Yea, Corsa III's, 2CT's, bla bla bla...I'm not a Starbucks guy, I simply love what DOT's (BT-002 Pro's to be exact) do for my bike and my confidence. As great as the aformentioned tires are capable of, I still preferr the feel of the latter, even if it's all in my head. So based on that, I would like to run warmers on my DOT's if it will buy me a few more days out of them...chuckle from across the pits if you must, my money and I'm havin fun:)

Oh yea...and I'm a B rider too!! barely 2.15's at THill.
 
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galaxy said:
I thought about tire warmers cause evidently (after reading this post) I'm the only guy on here that goes through tires due to heat cycles before tread life. Yea, Corsa III's, 2CT's, bla bla bla...I'm not a Starbucks guy, I simply love what DOT's (BT-002 Pro's to be exact) do for my bike and my confidence. As great as the aformentioned tires are capable of, I still preferr the feel of the latter, even if it's all in my head. So based on that, I would like to run warmers on my DOT's if it will buy me a few more days out of them...chuckle from across the pits if you must, my money and I'm havin fun:)
Click to expand...

Plus 1!!!!

I also run BT002's and usually get about 4 or 5 days out of them. Recently (about 3 trackdays ago) I had the opportunity to start running tire warmers. On the hot days, I only ran them first thing in the morning and at lunch, but this weekend at Fernley, when it was threatening to (and sometimes did) rain on and off, I ran them all day.

Do I have a friggin clue about the heat cycles? No.

Am I an A rider? No (mid pack B+). Did they give me a ton of friggin confidence going out? Hell yes. And frankly, I don't really give a shit about someone who "respects me a little less" because I am using tire warmers. That's a bit retarded for my taste.

I like them because I can go out without worrying about traction and wasting a lap every session to warm my tires. That's one less thing I have to concern myself with.

Oh yeah, and sue me...I use a lap timer too. I don't spend alot of time looking at my speedo on the track, so how the heck else am I supposed to know if I have made improvements?

I am using a slightly older set of chicken hawks and a honda gen. Both seem to work quite well.
 
"To each his/her own" for sure! Like I said, I try not to be judgmental. But...When I am at a track day, and I don't know the riders who are going into turns at very high speeds within a few feet of me, I have to put some trust into those people. It is a risky sport, and you have to make seat of the pants judgments of others in your immediate presence. If I am setting up for a turn and I see that guy (the one with the tire warmers, sweat band on his brake reservoir, and the rest of the sweet track bling on his R1) trying to put a move on me, I am going to feel threatened. I don't judge people by their looks, I judge them by their actions/knowledge. Using tire warmers at track days in B group, is just a small piece of information about a person that tells me: look out for this guy/gal, he/she knows not what he/she does.

I hope one day to ride to the caliber that requires slicks, tire warmer, fully tuned ohlins suspension, etc. But I am pretty sure that I won't be signing up for B group track days when that happens.

All that being said, I would like to know more about the science of tires and tire warmers. How many heat cycles can high end street/track tires take, what constitutes a heat cycle, what are the symptoms of a tire that has reached its heat cycle limit? An answer or link to answers would be appreciated (by all I am sure).
 
Funny how people think ANYTHING of someone because they run "tirewarmers" When I see someone with them it doesn't make me thing anything at all. Good for them.
 
s-girl said:
Plus 1!!!!

I also run BT002's and usually get about 4 or 5 days out of them. Recently (about 3 trackdays ago) I had the opportunity to start running tire warmers. On the hot days, I only ran them first thing in the morning and at lunch, but this weekend at Fernley, when it was threatening to (and sometimes did) rain on and off, I ran them all day.

Do I have a friggin clue about the heat cycles? No.

Am I an A rider? No (mid pack B+). Did they give me a ton of friggin confidence going out? Hell yes. And frankly, I don't really give a shit about someone who "respects me a little less" because I am using tire warmers. That's a bit retarded for my taste.

I like them because I can go out without worrying about traction and wasting a lap every session to warm my tires. That's one less thing I have to concern myself with.

Oh yeah, and sue me...I use a lap timer too. I don't spend alot of time looking at my speedo on the track, so how the heck else am I supposed to know if I have made improvements?
Click to expand...

:applause

I've been thinking of tire warmers (used), and a lap timer. Love the BT-002's as well. And, personally, if someone gets "pissed off" at a noisy generator they can kiss my ass. This is a track, not a church. :hand
 
Plus one. I hate being pitted next to a loud generator, particularly one that has been moved as far as possible from the owners pit. I always tell them to move it back.

I also have more than a little contempt for feckless riders who run loud generators to heat up their tires and run them all day next to me and then go out and turn B- minus laps. Fucking poseurs.
 
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