Track day tires question

[ducFrank]

For you racers and/or track day stars...

Since I am now storing a track only bike I am considering my tire choices for next year. I'm currently running Pirelli supercorsa's. I am considering running DOT race tires next year but am concerned with overall life of the tires. I'm looking for recommendations and reasons for those recommendations. I'm not trying to get brand vs. brand comparisons yet - just "performance street" vs "DOT racing" comparisons. Thanks

[venomousr1993]

Over the winter I would highly suggest having your shock and forks serviced and the suspension set for you before you start doing anything.  I ran a stock rear zx6r shock and it worked good for the first part of the season.  After about 4 laps it would start to get squirrely and my rear tire wear got pretty bad because of it. 

(I have Kenny at MRP doing a new set of 20mm Ohlins in a zx6r set of forks and Ohlins USA building me a rear shock)

Tires are my biggest expense.  Honestly, the Q2 and Power Pure can take you deep into the intermediate NESBA class. 

As far as longevity, durability and ability to run well in damp/wet conditions these may be best for you with proper suspension settings and tire pressures.

If you intend on riding only in dry conditions, hands down I would run Pirelli Diablo Superbike Pro tires
http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/Detail.bok?no=10692

They recommend warmers, but can be used without them.  Steve has used these and they last a long time.

I use the Michelin Power Cup A compound and go through 3 rears to one front.  I will smoke a rear in 2 days at summit main or Thunderbolt.  Thunderbolt is rougher on tires and a C compound can be used.  I use the DOT tires since they can are legal in Superstock and perform well in Superbike race classes.  I use these because they perform well at a decent price.

I have also use the Dunlop GPA 211 tires which are much pricier and the rear comes in a 190 only..no 180's. The fronts are amazing and feel a ton better then the power one/cups.  I don't get chatter at the limits like I do with the Michelins, but at the same time I liked the chatter to know where I was with the tire. 

I have not used the Bridgestone R10, but since WERA has decent contingency payouts with Bridgeston I may run their tires next year.  Bridgestone does have the 003RS tire which is lass aggressive than the R10 and still a high performance tire that can be had for cheap...this may be a great route to go too.  I did not like them as they got real greasy for me.

[zooom]

Over the winter I would highly suggest having your shock and forks serviced and the suspension set for you before you start doing anything.   

Tires are my biggest expense.  Honestly, the Q2 and Power Pure can take you deep into the intermediate NESBA class. 

As far as longevity, durability and ability to run well in damp/wet conditions these may be best for you with proper suspension settings and tire pressures.

If you intend on riding only in dry conditions, hands down I would run Pirelli Diablo Superbike Pro tires
http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/Detail.bok?no=10692
 

+1 to this!

[Slide Panda]

Actually you've got Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa, which aren't even made anymore. If I've got my Pirelli models right, they are the predecessors to what was on your Monster.

Frank did have Kenny tweak the settings at Summit, but an oil fresh up on the forks never hurts. I can help with that if you want. You'll need to get a different pin for my triple stand, a proper tech manual so we know the oil level and weight. Shock, that need to go to someone with the right gear if you want to refresh that. I sent mine to Ohlins USA, was about $150 for a full service that included new seals and some other small parts in addition to oil change, gas charge etc.

[venomousr1993]

Shocks should be serviced about every 10-12 track hours

[ducFrank]

Over the winter I would highly suggest having your shock and forks serviced and the suspension set for you before you start doing anything.  I ran a stock rear zx6r shock and it worked good for the first part of the season.  After about 4 laps it would start to get squirrely and my rear tire wear got pretty bad because of it. 

(I have Kenny at MRP doing a new set of 20mm Ohlins in a zx6r set of forks and Ohlins USA building me a rear shock)

Tires are my biggest expense.  Honestly, the Q2 and Power Pure can take you deep into the intermediate NESBA class. 

As far as longevity, durability and ability to run well in damp/wet conditions these may be best for you with proper suspension settings and tire pressures.

If you intend on riding only in dry conditions, hands down I would run Pirelli Diablo Superbike Pro tires
http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/Detail.bok?no=10692

They recommend warmers, but can be used without them.  Steve has used these and they last a long time.

I use the Michelin Power Cup A compound and go through 3 rears to one front.  I will smoke a rear in 2 days at summit main or Thunderbolt.  Thunderbolt is rougher on tires and a C compound can be used.  I use the DOT tires since they can are legal in Superstock and perform well in Superbike race classes.  I use these because they perform well at a decent price.

I have also use the Dunlop GPA 211 tires which are much pricier and the rear comes in a 190 only..no 180's. The fronts are amazing and feel a ton better then the power one/cups.  I don't get chatter at the limits like I do with the Michelins, but at the same time I liked the chatter to know where I was with the tire. 

I have not used the Bridgestone R10, but since WERA has decent contingency payouts with Bridgeston I may run their tires next year.  Bridgestone does have the 003RS tire which is lass aggressive than the R10 and still a high performance tire that can be had for cheap...this may be a great route to go too.  I did not like them as they got real greasy for me.

I'm not "planning" on riding in the rain. I'll just have to become a weather watcher too! With that in mind... The Pirelli Diablo Superbike Pro's sound like the ticket. For now.

Servicing shocks every 10-12 track hours... Isn't that after every track weekend? Seems a bit excessive. What are the indicators?

[Slide Panda]

Nah, figure each session is at most 15 min of riding. If you manage 6 sessions, that's 1.5 hours... So 7 to 8 track days.

But that's probably a bit agressive for our tier of riding. Faster folks like Randy will be harder on stuff, shortening those maintenance cycles.

If you start 'the season' with a freshly serviced shock, it'd probably be good to roll the whole season.

[ducFrank]

They recommend warmers, but can be used without them.  Steve has used these and they last a long time.

How long is "a long time"? I'm riding in the intermediate group/range but seems to carry good corner speed for the most part.

[venomousr1993]

How long is "a long time"? I'm riding in the intermediate group/range but seems to carry good corner speed for the most part.

Shock service recommendations:
http://www.ohlinsusa.com/ohlins-usa-why-service

And I go a full season before servicing again.  Servicing the triple adjustable shock with shipping both ways to Ohlins USA in NC cost me a little over 200.00. 90.00 for basic service, then hard parts brought it to 170.00.   If it needs a spring like mine did add another 90.00 to the charge

As far as the tires, I think Steve got a full season out of his tires ...track days and a few races.

[tocino]

I used the Diablo Rosso II (race/street tire) for 2 track days and a race weekend (or was it 1 track day and 2 race weekends?) and they were great - even when the track was really cold. I used a full race tire after that and it didn't last as well. Next year I'll probably be running the Rosso II exclusively because a) low power bike and b) slow rider and c) cheap rider. The problem with race tires is that they're going to go off no matter how hard you push - it's the heat cycles that do them in. Track-day tires, while not as insanely sticky, are built to better handle heat cycles, handle a wider range of temps, etc. I'm going to be putting those used Rosso IIs on my 900ss, once I replace the starter solenoid, wires, etc. (Which might mean next August at the rate I'm going).

I'd say if you want Pirellis start with those and see how you like them. If you find you need the extra stickiness then look into full-on race tires. Especially at the start of the season when the temps are low.

+1 on spending some cash on your suspension (or rather, even more cash) - I was plagued by shock problems this year and it really put a damper (ha!) on my races. Of course if I get that fixed I'll have to find another excuse. If you can, decide on your tire brand first because they each require slightly diff set up.

[venomousr1993]

I would stay with one tire, but I am so cheap, I run whatever I can find for the cheapest that day. Michelin power one's/cups are the cheapest...or were.  I think it'll be Bridgestone R10's or Pirelli Supercorsa's next yr