Race tyres on the road?

[(P)]

seeing used race tyres on trademe has got me thinking if i can run them on the road? is it legal?

Or would they be better used at the dragstrip?

thanks my home bois of kb! :Punk:

[R6_kid]

You can't legally ride with slicks on the road, but I have seen at least one person doing it in the past.

Most 'race' tyres are homologated, in that they are a production based tyre on sale to the general public for road use. Conti RaceAttacks and Pirelli SuperCorsa Pro's are both race tyres with enough tread cut in to them to be legally used on the road. Can't remember the Bridgestone or Michelin equivalents off the top of my head.

You need to keep in mind though that as they tend to only be good in good conditions (dry roads) and probably will take longer to heat up than standard road tyres. Also they are not designed to be sticky for as long as normal road tyres and so they will most likely be shot before they are below the legal tread depth requirement.

[roogazza]

I ride every now and then with a zx10 and he uses slicks all year round ! Not legal , but what amazes me is he never seems to have any 'moments' with them ? He rides quite smooth and isn't too aggressive in his movements so thats probably the key.
I run supercorsas, but am very careful from cold. If you are able to get enough heat into them its worth it. I only ride in fine'ish weather. G.

[NZsarge]

The Michelin equivalent would now be the "Power One".

[Kwaka14]

You can only use slicks in drag racing in some classes as for the winter drags and dragwars the rules say that effectively the bike must be of wof standard, however scrutineering will often let them through (well have seen it once or twice).

[Matt Bleck]

Slicks are all good on the road until it rains, then it's whea hey hey from there... :eek:

[sinfull]

I ride every now and then with a zx10 and he uses slicks all year round ! Not legal , but what amazes me is he never seems to have any 'moments' with them ? He rides quite smooth and isn't too aggressive in his movements so thats probably the key.
I run supercorsas, but am very careful from cold. If you are able to get enough heat into them its worth it. I only ride in fine'ish weather. G.
+1 on Gazza's post !
If ya work out the costings (and change your own tyres) it is far cheaper to buy a few sets of ex race tyres or 1 front 2 rear combos' ya can save a hell of a lot of money !
I'm in the (was gonna say fortunate but a sponser would be a hell of lot better) position to have a race bike which i use dot tyres on the track with and as soon as i get a couple of slides, or think its time they go, replace them and put them on my road bike (or stack them up ready to lol)
They do need to be up to temp to work properly but then so do road tyres !

[driftn]

Slicks are great fun on the road.
Even in the wet they are good but when they get in standing water things turn to custard.

[SixPackBack]

Don't bother. By the time the tyres are on sold they have been cooked and are often useless. Often they are slippery in the rain, wear quickly and offer no more grip than a street tyre.

[pritch]

Don't bother.


I'm with him.

If you could get race tyres up to temperature on the road, if the number of heat cycles hadn't exceeded the maximum, if you never had to ride in town, if you never had to ride in the wet and if you never struck a red traffic light, it might almost work.

Then again a tyre specifically designed for road use would still be more betterer...

Like the tyre people say, the more honest with yourself you are about what you require from a tyre, the better service you will get from your tyres.

[cowboyz]

generally speaking people throw away their tyres way too early. I went about 2 years running second hand tyres and getting 4-5000k out of tyres that were deemed wornout paying about 40-50 bux a tyre. that is good economy. there are alot of peeps getting in on the game with alot of buggered tyres being sold on trademe right now though so have to be careful. Alot of F2 or even clubman riders use production tyres like racetecs which are fine on the road.

[YellowDog]

I'm with him.

If you could get race tyres up to temperature on the road, if the number of heat cycles hadn't exceeded the maximum, if you never had to ride in town, if you never had to ride in the wet and if you never struck a red traffic light, it might almost work.

Then again a tyre specifically designed for road use would still be more betterer...

Like the tyre people say, the more honest with yourself you are about what you require from a tyre, the better service you will get from your tyres.
Agree, it is not a good idea. Race tyres can only do their job effectively at high temperatures. The guy who rides real smooth could ride with any tyre at all. If you are doing a one or two off trip, then that will be fine.

When it starts to rain get someone with a camera on each corner for the new top rated YouTube clip.

[AllanB]

Is it legal you ask? If it is a Dot approved tyre then it is street legal.

As for the other aspects I have no experience.

However it does occur to me that many posters are missing the most important part of fitting someone else's race tyres to your street bike.

They will have killed all chicken strips and probably have a nice bit of balled-up rubber on the edges - thus giving you heaps of street cred.
:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

[DEATH_INC.]

I was one of those 'you can't do that' guys a year or 3 back, but I've run 'em for a while now (not slicks, D209gp's and the new Supercorsa's) with no problems. In fact, I'm so used to the feel of them now I can't get used to the feel of road tyres now....

[Drew]

Go for it. If you're talking about treaded tyres, they are generally fine on the road. A really common reason for a rear tyre coming off before it's worn out is "sheer" on the surface. It's nearly impossible to get a tyre to stop it once started on the track, but on the road it wears off and the tyre is fine.

Half worn tyres are less than ideal on the track too, so people with will change them in hope of selling them, to pay for some of the new ones.

Slicks are good on the road, but that is only half true at times. Dunlop entechs chew out like a bitch on coarse chip, unless you run warmers and dont stop to let them cool down. Supercorser "dragon" slicks work well, because they are literally a treaded supercorser without tread, made for track days really. The "superbike" version suffers the same as Dunlops.

[Gremlin]

+1 on the comments about needing to get them up to operating temperature etc. They are hard work to get up there, and at any temperatures below optimal, they are going to grip less than normal street tyres, with more grooves (part of the reason the street tyres warm up faster).

The ex-race tyre I did try using lasted such a short while (1500km) it cost the same as a new tyre, because I could get more km out of the new ones. That was running the race tyre almost bald, so it had a full life.

I wouldn't bother now, yes its legal, but grip levels etc...

[Drew]

+1 on the comments about needing to get them up to operating temperature etc. They are hard work to get up there, and at any temperatures below optimal, they are going to grip less than normal street tyres, with more grooves (part of the reason the street tyres warm up faster).

This is complete bollucks. Ok, a supercorser needs to reach a certain temp to run at race pace, you think you are getting anywhere near that pace/need for maximum grip on the road? At two thirds temp, it does infact have more than two thirds it's potential grip available. Which is generally higher than that of a sports touring tyre.

I have looked into this shit a bit, ya dont need to talk in dark allys to get info, the manufacturers websites give the stuff away. If you are a conspiracy theorist, who believes a manufacturer is in it for the initial sale, try to be logical for once instead.


The ex-race tyre I did try using lasted such a short while (1500km) it cost the same as a new tyre, because I could get more km out of the new ones. That was running the race tyre almost bald, so it had a full life.

Running said tyre on the Hornet were ya? They have a tendancy to be quite hard on any half worn tyre. Something to do with the weight, perhaps coupled with the bike having shit suspension. Even Ohlins equiped, they still run direct action and are hard to effectively control. (No linkages)

[Gremlin]

04 ZX10 with one of Two Smoker's ex race RaceAttacks...

It was as slippery as shit until you got a lot of heat into them... Had it step sideways on me at 140 odd several times... fun... but yeah :blink:

When you can't get the heat into them, they aren't as good as a tyre more suited to your riding, at their proper temperature... and we'll ignore damp/wet conditions, as thats pretty self explanatory.

[Drew]

04 ZX10 with one of Two Smoker's ex race RaceAttacks...

It was as slippery as shit until you got a lot of heat into them... Had it step sideways on me at 140 odd several times... fun... but yeah :blink:

When you can't get the heat into them, they aren't as good as a tyre more suited to your riding, at their proper temperature... and we'll ignore damp/wet conditions, as thats pretty self explanatory.

My appologies, I hadn't even thought of the Conti's. They are shit on the road, period.

[Gremlin]

My appologies, I hadn't even thought of the Conti's. They are shit on the road, period.
Well, conversely, I only used Contis on the zx10 (sport, race etc) so if others are better on roads, then perhaps they would be ok for road riding...

[Drew]

Well, conversely, I only used Contis on the zx10 (sport, race etc) so if others are better on roads, then perhaps they would be ok for road riding...

Loads better. The Conti race attacks, not the street version, are designed to run at really low preasure. The stiff side wall allows the carcas under the tread to flex more without upsetting stability. Great idea, if you've got a bike set up for it to work, (stiffer spring, and shit loads of damper setup).

[Brett]

Well I am gonna try a set of the Super Coarses, probably about 80% worn, no blueing and just general race wear, best set I could find. Will let you guys know how they go. Only frustration is the the tyre is a 190 and my gsxr has a 5"5 rim which is designed for a 180...so will see how it goes.

[crazyhorse]

That would depend if you are referring to slicks or normal tyres with tread.

I have used race tyres before. My ex used to race a TL1000s, and at that stage, he would wear out the sides, and the centre was still mostly unused, so we threw them onto my sv650 (just fitted), and I would continue to wear them out.

The really good thing with race tyres is that they grip real well, although they won't last quite the distance as they are designed to stick to the road.

So yes, other than slicks, they are road legal.

[The Stranger]

Here (http://www.yamahafz1oa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=92414) is an opinion from an instructor at California Superbike School.
Not only does he have a little bit of knowledge he is articulate.

My experience with at least 6 sets of takeoff Conti Race Attacks is that they are the best road tyre I have ever used in both the wet and the dry.
Correct pressures however are absolutely critical.

[The Stranger]

04 ZX10 with one of Two Smoker's ex race RaceAttacks...

It was as slippery as shit until you got a lot of heat into them... Had it step sideways on me at 140 odd several times... fun... but yeah :blink:

When you can't get the heat into them, they aren't as good as a tyre more suited to your riding, at their proper temperature... and we'll ignore damp/wet conditions, as thats pretty self explanatory.

What pressures were you running?

[klyong82]

I had conti sport on the front at 36psi while a conti race at the rear at 42psi. This was on a previous Fireblade.

[MaxB]

For short intense blasts race tyres would probably be fine performance wise.

But if they are not approved for road use every time you head out you roll the dice. I know of a couple of boy racers pinged for this in South Auckland. They run standard fronts and ex-race rears. They got caught up in checkpoints.

NZTA have lists of what are approved tyres and what are not (including serial # and markings) but basically if they are marked 'not for road use' or 'race use only' you have problems with the legal side esp. if you fuck up and cause an accident.

[cowboyz]

Well I am gonna try a set of the Super Coarses, probably about 80% worn, no blueing and just general race wear, best set I could find. Will let you guys know how they go. Only frustration is the the tyre is a 190 and my gsxr has a 5"5 rim which is designed for a 180...so will see how it goes.


it will be fine. I often run 190s on my 5.5 rim. There is a difference but real world normal riding means that you probably wont notice.


Interesting to note that Mrs C feels more comfortable on the back of the bike with 190s on it. The bike feels less flickable so turning is slower and more stable.

[Cajun]

Well I am gonna try a set of the Super Coarses, probably about 80% worn, no blueing and just general race wear, best set I could find. Will let you guys know how they go. Only frustration is the the tyre is a 190 and my gsxr has a 5"5 rim which is designed for a 180...so will see how it goes.

I am running 190/55 on my spare rims on my 600, you be all good bro
i am running conti race attacks.

[Brett]

Just put a set of Super Corsa's on that look as tho they have not done more than 5 - 10 laps. Put a 190/55/17 on the rear as opposed to a 180 which has made turn in a bit slower but overall the tyres work brilliantly. The pair cost only marginally more than a new Pilot Power 2CT rear tyre would have cost and provides a much more stable ride.

To counter the slower turn in I will drop the front ride height a little and then it will be about as perfect handling as it has ever been.

I am converted.

[Brett]

it will be fine. I often run 190s on my 5.5 rim. There is a difference but real world normal riding means that you probably wont notice.


Interesting to note that Mrs C feels more comfortable on the back of the bike with 190s on it. The bike feels less flickable so turning is slower and more stable.

The whole bike feels much more solid and tight in its line, less flickable for sure, but defintely more sure footed.


I am running 190/55 on my spare rims on my 600, you be all good bro
i am running conti race attacks.

yeah, I don't think the difference is that much that I would ever really get too fussed over it at all...I actually thought the K4 & K4 series used the same rims on the 600, 750 & 1000?? Can you confirm?

[Cajun]

no the 1000 rim is a 6"

where 600/750 are 5.5" have been on all the 600-750 from k1+

pretty sure the old srad had 6" rear tho (know the 750 did, unsure on 600)

Bit unsure why you think its 'less flickable tho. i found they are more flickable since they are alot more triangle profile compared to the pp (run 2cts on the road rims)

[Drew]

To counter the slower turn in I will drop the front ride height a little and then it will be about as perfect handling as it has ever been.



Insure your bike before you steepen it up aye. Enjoy the front wheel tuckin under when it happens.

Tell me, do you actually notice a slower turn in, or has it been suggested, so you think it is turning slower.

A 190/55/17 rear tyre, makes your steering angle steeper already, by lifting the back. Lower the front further and run the risk of having asphalt for dinner.

[idleidolidyll]

seeing used race tyres on trademe has got me thinking if i can run them on the road? is it legal?

Or would they be better used at the dragstrip?

thanks my home bois of kb! :Punk:

It's only illegal if they catch you.

'Race tyres' is a bit of a misnomer nowadays: it can mean slicks or sticky proddie style tyres. Slicks are illegal but lotsa fun; proddie tyres are usually almost buggered by the time you buy them but most are quite legal.

Forget the usual crap about warmup etc: I've found that slicks like Pirelli Superbike tyres warm up just as well as my road tyres. Just be very wary of 'blue' tyres. These may be cooked and if so, will be like riding on roller skates.

Most race tyres are run at low pressures on the track to get em really sticky. Probably best to start at low and work up rather than the other way around. I'd say 30 psi front and 34 psi rear on a 600cc Jappa solo riding. Check em after a bit of a thrash and they should be warm and sticky.

Of course, if you're gonna use em on the road, I take no responsibility for your actions...................

[sinfull]

Correct pressures however are absolutely critical.That and dampening/suspension settings


To counter the slower turn in I will drop the front ride height a little and then it will be about as perfect handling as it has ever been.

I am converted.


Insure your bike before you steepen it up aye. Enjoy the front wheel tuckin under when it happens.

Tell me, do you actually notice a slower turn in, or has it been suggested, so you think it is turning slower.

A 190/55/17 rear tyre, makes your steering angle steeper already, by lifting the back. Lower the front further and run the risk of having asphalt for dinner.
I'm with Drew on this one !
Hold off with the dropping of the trees till ya ridden it a bit more through some windies !
Going from 180 to 190 on the 6" rim i didn't notice that much, but spooning a 190 onto a 5 1/2" it increased the tip in speed because of the increased curve in the contact patch, it also increase the work your doin when it came to flicking it back and forth through a chichane on a heavier bike !
You might be mistaking a heavier feel for slower tip in !
Make your way slowely to the edge of the tyre lol


It's only illegal if they catch you.

'Race tyres' is a bit of a misnomer nowadays: it can mean slicks or sticky proddie style tyres. Slicks are illegal but lotsa fun; proddie tyres are usually almost buggered by the time you buy them but most are quite legal.

Forget the usual crap about warmup etc: I've found that slicks like Pirelli Superbike tyres warm up just as well as my road tyres. Just be very wary of 'blue' tyres. These may be cooked and if so, will be like riding on roller skates.

Most race tyres are run at low pressures on the track to get em really sticky. Probably best to start at low and work up rather than the other way around. I'd say 30 psi front and 34 psi rear on a 600cc Jappa solo riding. Check em after a bit of a thrash and they should be warm and sticky.

Of course, if you're gonna use em on the road, I take no responsibility for your actions...................



Tis a hell science to it, i'm finding it hard to keep getting the head around it !
So i'm gonna use your post Idle as an excuse to write it down again !
That way if anyone with more knowledge wants to they can teach me more, as i love constructive criticism

Done a track day on a road tyre (sport attack) brilliant for 90% of the day then as i warmed up so did the tyre, 2nd to last session and was pushing it ! No warning bam it let go- hell slide turning into a near highside
two things learnt that day were, sport attack/road tyre = great till they over heat (designed to operate at lower temps) then no grip / dont button right off in a slide !

where as the conti race attack let ya know by giving a little before letting go and the metz racetech moreso (usually after the 2nd or 3rd race/track days), thats when they should come off the track bike (more often happens with the competitive guys lol) so if ya know the racer ya got em off and believe them, that its/they have only done 2 heat cycles and 20/40 laps, ya got a good deal, cause ya sure to get another good number of heat cycles out of em on the road before they start to deteriorate !
Depending on HOW you ride on the road the tread depth will usually have ya throwing them before you notice a lack of grip due to heat cycle deterioration (like if ya do the paekok hill every day for a couple of months and work em)

Running the metz racetech (not slicks) on the road now and though i aint taken down the km to keep track of the k's, i have left the suspension on the speed 3 cranked to a rider sag of under 30mm and dampning on its firmest (dampning is crap on the trumpies anyway) to make the tyres work to get heat in em and keep it there ! Haven't changed a thing since taking it off the track in fact
Think the recipie for a wet track is to decrease the preload by 5 or 6 mm and decrease the compression dampning, to allow more travell so as to stop wet slides under hard acceleration so there must be a happy medium there (which touch wood i seem to have found though i don't ride hard in the wet)

All tyres have different operating temps and as i found out ya can overheat, but then ya tyre can also stay too cold, ya need find out the op. temp of the tyre your putting on and use things like pressures preload and dampning to govern the correct operating temp for that tyre depending on your style of riding !
So taking a thermal temp guage for a ride would be the optimum !

Yeah aye ! head....ache....need...,panadol.... awwww beer will do !

[Brett]

Insure your bike before you steepen it up aye. Enjoy the front wheel tuckin under when it happens.

Tell me, do you actually notice a slower turn in, or has it been suggested, so you think it is turning slower.

A 190/55/17 rear tyre, makes your steering angle steeper already, by lifting the back. Lower the front further and run the risk of having asphalt for dinner.

Thanks for the advice, will investigate this further...The bike does feel heavier, however you are right, this could be psychological...I will take it for a good run a bit later on and see how it actually feels...however, will note that the front end is providing excellent feedback and is currently sitting at the factory height at the front.
I did have Shaun look over the suspension a few months back and he really noted that only the rear needed tweaking as the sag was far too much.

[Brett]

That and dampening/suspension settings




I'm with Drew on this one !
Hold off with the dropping of the trees till ya ridden it a bit more through some windies !
Going from 180 to 190 on the 6" rim i didn't notice that much, but spooning a 190 onto a 5 1/2" it increased the tip in speed because of the increased curve in the contact patch, it also increase the work your doin when it came to flicking it back and forth through a chichane on a heavier bike !
You might be mistaking a heavier feel for slower tip in !
Make your way slowely to the edge of the tyre lol


Tis a hell science to it, i'm finding it hard to keep getting the head around it !
So i'm gonna use your post Idle as an excuse to write it down again !
That way if anyone with more knowledge wants to they can teach me more, as i love constructive criticism

Done a track day on a road tyre (sport attack) brilliant for 90% of the day then as i warmed up so did the tyre, 2nd to last session and was pushing it ! No warning bam it let go- hell slide turning into a near highside
two things learnt that day were, sport attack/road tyre = great till they over heat (designed to operate at lower temps) then no grip / dont button right off in a slide !

where as the conti race attack let ya know by giving a little before letting go and the metz racetech moreso (usually after the 2nd or 3rd race/track days), thats when they should come off the track bike (more often happens with the competitive guys lol) so if ya know the racer ya got em off and believe them, that its/they have only done 2 heat cycles and 20/40 laps, ya got a good deal, cause ya sure to get another good number of heat cycles out of em on the road before they start to deteriorate !
Depending on HOW you ride on the road the tread depth will usually have ya throwing them before you notice a lack of grip due to heat cycle deterioration (like if ya do the paekok hill every day for a couple of months and work em)

Running the metz racetech (not slicks) on the road now and though i aint taken down the km to keep track of the k's, i have left the suspension on the speed 3 cranked to a rider sag of under 30mm and dampning on its firmest (dampning is crap on the trumpies anyway) to make the tyres work to get heat in em and keep it there ! Haven't changed a thing since taking it off the track in fact
Think the recipie for a wet track is to decrease the preload by 5 or 6 mm and decrease the compression dampning, to allow more travell so as to stop wet slides under hard acceleration so there must be a happy medium there (which touch wood i seem to have found though i don't ride hard in the wet)

All tyres have different operating temps and as i found out ya can overheat, but then ya tyre can also stay too cold, ya need find out the op. temp of the tyre your putting on and use things like pressures preload and dampning to govern the correct operating temp for that tyre depending on your style of riding !
So taking a thermal temp guage for a ride would be the optimum !

Yeah aye ! head....ache....need...,panadol.... awwww beer will do !


Yep I hear you guys, gonna rideit a bit more as I am probably wrong. I did notice the change in tyre geometry and the physics says that with a steeper tyre profile, corner transition is going to be quicker. I guess I hadn't thought that through initially. The only physics I have to back up my "feeling" on the bike is that the 190 tyre will be heavier and thus will have greater gyroscopic force, however I doubt that this is great enough to be noticed...by me anyway.

[Drew]

The only physics I have to back up my "feeling" on the bike is that the 190 tyre will be heavier and thus will have greater gyroscopic force, however I doubt that this is great enough to be noticed...by me anyway.

I dont think anyone would notice the effects of such a small weight differnce.

The geometry changes seem pretty small, but make big differences in how the bike behaves.

Pretty simple maths to figure out how much the rear is lifted with the new tyre. 55% of 180mm = 99mm. Add to that the rim size, 433mm (17"), = 532mm

55% of 190mm = 104.5mm, adding rim = 537.5..

By changin to the wider tyre, the rear of the bike now sits 2.75mm higher.

Doesn't seem a lot, but I know from experience on the track, that it changes things dramatically.

[Cajun]

that maths only really works if you are going from same tyre just going up a size

I know going from pilot power 180/55 to a conti race attack 190/55 the rear has gone up a good amount than 3mm, due to the more triangle profile of tyre.
Noticed this on my 600, with 5.5" rim, and also rsvr 6" rim

[Drew]

that maths only really works if you are going from same tyre just going up a size

I know going from pilot power 180/55 to a conti race attack 190/55 the rear has gone up a good amount than 3mm, due to the more triangle profile of tyre.
Noticed this on my 600, with 5.5" rim, and also rsvr 6" rim

Yeah, when I chucked a 190/55 conti on the back of the Ducati, from a 180/55 something else I had a massive off, turn 1 at Puke.

Knew the bike was too steep from it tucking like a mongrel, but didn't think to come in and change the ride height.

[Deano]

So now that is all sorted, who wants a pair of 2nd hand (but still warrantable) supercorsa SC2's 160/17 ?

[JayRacer37]

My appologies, I hadn't even thought of the Conti's. They are shit on the road, period.

Your just mean! :shit:


Loads better. The Conti race attacks, not the street version, are designed to run at really low preasure. The stiff side wall allows the carcas under the tread to flex more without upsetting stability. Great idea, if you've got a bike set up for it to work, (stiffer spring, and shit loads of damper setup).

The race Street is really good on the road (for fast riding, perhaps not really commuting and wet - although the ones on my ZX-7R have been pleasantly suprising). The RaceAttack Comp In Soft or Medium is OK - you just have to up the pressures quite a bit as you arn't running warmers so you need to get the pressure in them without the heat. They still won't get to a decent operation temprature but they will hang on ok and will be (IMO) far nicer than a sports-touring tyre (ie Pilot powers). Just bear in mind (and this goes for all brands of DOT racing tyres, not just Conti's) that you are using them outside of what they are intended for so they might not be the best (bit like motards really...:innocent:)



Well I am gonna try a set of the Super Coarses, probably about 80% worn, no blueing and just general race wear, best set I could find. Will let you guys know how they go. Only frustration is the the tyre is a 190 and my gsxr has a 5"5 rim which is designed for a 180...so will see how it goes.


The 190 will be great, all the 600SS racebikes still have 5.5in rims and we are all running 190/55's as they give a bigger contact patch at lean and grip really well. They also make the bike easier to turn of center because of the triangulated profile.
As others have said above just be careful with your geometry and feel - it will change it, not a lot but a little is all it takes sometimes to make all the difference!

Jay

[Drew]

Your just mean! :shit:



The 190 will be great, all the 600SS racebikes still have 5.5in rims and we are all running 190/55's as they give a bigger contact patch at lean and grip really well. They also make the bike easier to turn of center because of the triangulated profile.


Jay

I heard at the nationals, Nick was running a Dunlop rear of some sort, 205 section. That's unreal!

[JayRacer37]

I heard at the nationals, Nick was running a Dunlop rear of some sort, 205 section. That's unreal!

Nick who?

If thats the case...how? There certainly isn't a 205 section Dunlop DOT tyre "Avalible to the public"...:shutup: :innocent:

[Robert Taylor]

It's only illegal if they catch you.

'Race tyres' is a bit of a misnomer nowadays: it can mean slicks or sticky proddie style tyres. Slicks are illegal but lotsa fun; proddie tyres are usually almost buggered by the time you buy them but most are quite legal.

Forget the usual crap about warmup etc: I've found that slicks like Pirelli Superbike tyres warm up just as well as my road tyres. Just be very wary of 'blue' tyres. These may be cooked and if so, will be like riding on roller skates.

Most race tyres are run at low pressures on the track to get em really sticky. Probably best to start at low and work up rather than the other way around. I'd say 30 psi front and 34 psi rear on a 600cc Jappa solo riding. Check em after a bit of a thrash and they should be warm and sticky.

Of course, if you're gonna use em on the road, I take no responsibility for your actions...................




With respect to pressures for race tyres that is so out of touch, very bad advice. The year is 2009.
Are you even remotely aware of what hot tyre pressure should be on N-Tec Dunlops?

[(P)]

wow, I started all this?

lol

[Drew]

With respect to pressures for race tyres that is so out of touch, very bad advice. The year is 2009.
Are you even remotely aware of what hot tyre pressure should be on N-Tec Dunlops?

Bad advice? 34psi in a rear Supercorser cold, I consider to be attempted manslaughter!

[Robert Taylor]

Bad advice? 34psi in a rear Supercorser cold, I consider to be attempted manslaughter!

Exactly, best to listen to the manufacturers recommendations. They just might know a little more and be averse to a Heath Robinson approach.

[Brett]

I haven't checked the pressures yet, but the bike shop who put them on for me put (i think) 32 psi front and 30 psi rear and suggested for track days 30 psi front and 28 psi rear. What do you guys think? Like I mentioned, I have always previously run Pilot Power 2CT's so am not too hot on the Super Corsa's.
Either way, 34 psi sounds far too high for either road or track riding....

[Brett]

Just had a look at the manufacturers spec and they recommend the following pressure ranges dependant on road, ambient temp etc....

F 32 -42psi

R 36-42psi

Now I readily admit that I am not exactly a pro here, but doesn't that seem a little high? Of course, Pirelli wouldn't hire lots of smart engineers who make such recommendations for nothing......

[sinfull]

Of course, Pirelli wouldn't hire lots of smart engineers who make such recommendations for nothing...... Ya think ?

[Drew]

Just had a look at the manufacturers spec and they recommend the following pressure ranges dependant on road, ambient temp etc....

F 32 -42psi

R 36-42psi

Now I readily admit that I am not exactly a pro here, but doesn't that seem a little high? Of course, Pirelli wouldn't hire lots of smart engineers who make such recommendations for nothing......

Do they say if that is hot, or cold pressures? Seems very high to me, I've never run a rear supercorser higher than 28psi on the track, or road.

[driftn]

If I remember rightly, on J-lo I had 28f and 26r (cold) at the track and on the road(pirelli slicks).

[Brett]

I don't think it specified whether that was hot or cold temps.

[roogazza]

I haven't checked the pressures yet, but the bike shop who put them on for me put (i think) 32 psi front and 30 psi rear and suggested for track days 30 psi front and 28 psi rear. What do you guys think? Like I mentioned, I have always previously run Pilot Power 2CT's so am not too hot on the Super Corsa's.
Either way, 34 psi sounds far too high for either road or track riding....

Sounds like you are not far away with that advice. Variables in riding and weather make it hard to state a perfect pressure just for you. But I have used as high as 32, 34 cold and as low as 28 both ends, as I said variables . G.