ok, what tires for track/street use?

[BLINGMW]

ok, I know you've all been on the edge of your seats, eagerly awaiting my decision, I think I'll get the Sport Demons. They come highly recommended and the local shop can get them for a decent price. Maybe my next set will be the BT090s if this whole "bike thing" works out.

[.RJ]

Got track leathers yet?

[BLINGMW]

I got a 2 piece Alpinestars that I think will work pretty well, the yellow/black set I showed you. Now I'm just waiting for the back protector to come in and I'm all set with gear. I just need to get the bike ready. :thumbup:

[.RJ]

w00t

[BLINGMW]

For anyone that's curious, the Sport Demons seem great so far. Held up well for a couple track sessions last weekend at Patriot (VIR), we'll see if they make it a whole weekend coming up.

A question! (of course)

How do I figure out what tire pressures I should run on track?

Manufacturer recommends 33F/36R. 41R with a passenger.

2 reasons I've been running a pound or two higher than 33/36 on the street, and did last weekend as well:

1) I've gotta be ~220lbs with gear on, probably a bit higher than the manufacturer expected when recommending tire pressure. But I don't really know.

2) The suspension of this bike is SOFT, especially the front. Since the tire's a spring too, I want it to be on the stiff side.

2 reasons to run lower:

1) The few people I talked to at the track last weekend, and what I read on the interwebs. They all take out a few PSI for the track. Why? I... I'm not really sure. I'm sure they're thinking less pressure=more grip. :dunno: While I'm thinking well... maybe... but definitely more heat, reduced tire life, soggier suspension, less crisp handling.

2) When I checked my pressures after my 2nd session, front was 38, rear was like 43. Seems high. Bad? Good? Hell if I know. I wasn't having any grip problems, bike felt great. I did touch down a peg once (not hanging off far enough), so I think the design of the bike (pegs lower than many) and the soft suspension are its limiting factor, rather than the tires.

*edit* Kind of a long post. No-one will read this. :lol: And yes, I realize I am the limiting factor, and will be for quite some time, I just want to make the most of the bike too.

[Sijray21]

the one real track day i did i left the tire pressures high (34/39) and i ended up chucking the tires bad. The bike felt great and preformed wonderfully, but my lack of experience doesn't really leave me much to compare with.

I've talked with a few racers and track-day frequents and they recommended close to 30/32 to prevent overheating and chunking with claims of reduced traction to to an un-level plane on the edge of the tire.

[stevegula]

1) The few people I talked to at the track last weekend, and what I read on the interwebs. They all take out a few PSI for the track. Why? I... I'm not really sure. I'm sure they're thinking less pressure=more grip. :dunno: While I'm thinking well... maybe... but definitely more heat, reduced tire life, soggier suspension, less crisp handling.

You want the tire to deform more on the track than the street. Reducing the pressure helps with this. Remember, these aren't like car tires that pretty much keep their shape (or so I've always presumed). At the track your tires flex a ridiculous amount (by design) and it's easier when there is less air. Don't run them flat tho. :-)

2) When I checked my pressures after my 2nd session, front was 38, rear was like 43. Seems high. Bad? Good? Hell if I know. I wasn't having any grip problems, bike felt great. I did touch down a peg once (not hanging off far enough), so I think the design of the bike (pegs lower than many) and the soft suspension are its limiting factor, rather than the tires.

Set the tire pressure properly in the morning before you ever go out and don't touch it unless you need to for the rest of the day. If your cold pressure is proper then your hot pressure will be fine enough.

Get someone to set your static sag. That will help tremendously with your suspension and ground clearance. But realize, at your weight, there isn't a sportbike out there capable of being setup properly for you without going to aftermarket parts. As for your pegs, I don't know if they make adjustables or aftermarkets for them but honestly, I'd be more willing to bet getting a proper body position will fix your peg situation long needing to actually upgrade them. Unless they're like the low hanging diving boards the F4i comes with, in which case replace them or look into tracking a different bike. If your pegs have feelers on them then remove them, that'll help.

[BLINGMW]

Remember, these aren't like car tires that pretty much keep their shape (or so I've always presumed).

I don't really know which deforms more/less, but car tires really fall over too, especially if they're street tires that aren't overinflated. I can't seem to find any video or pics of close up bike or car tires doing their thing, would be interesting. Seems like I've seen pics where the rim looks like it's about to touch down!

I'd be more willing to bet getting a proper body position will fix your peg situation long needing to actually upgrade them.

Oh most definitely! I have a lot more hanging off to do. :wink:

Maybe I'll play with my tire pyrometer this weekend if I get bored, because I still don't know what the tire pressures should be. :dunno:

[stevegula]

Maybe I'll play with my tire pyrometer this weekend if I get bored, because I still don't know what the tire pressures should be. :dunno:

Just call the manufacturer and ask them. They're going to tell you it's not a tire for the track though and swear off any responsibility or expressed/implied warranty of merchantability. Just knock a couple of pounds off what they say. For the street, that tire is probably ~38-40lbs cold.

[BLINGMW]

So I'm thinking of ordering up some new tires.... my 2nd set of Demons will be done after a couple more events. Apparently the BT090 has been replaced by the BT003 RS, anyone heard comments on the 003?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/28/394/20913/ITEM/Bridgestone-Battlax-BT-003-Racing-Street-Front-Tire.aspx">http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/28/394/20913/ITEM/Bridgestone-Battlax-BT-003-Racing-Street-Front-Tire.aspx</a><!-- m -->

A set of them is CHEAPER than the Demons, so I think I'll give them a shot. Sounds like a "real" tire, I'm not sure what I'd do with myself. :dunno:

[stevegula]

I ran the BT002s on the gixxer before going to slicks, they worked well. Haven't heard anything about BT003s.