Conti Race Attacks review

[HenryDorsetCase]

??????????????????????? I only posted one time but got three iterations.

[MD]

....
Also, if you are riding on the road, RaceAttack street is a very attractive choice. This tyre has a much lower temperature operation corridor, meaning it works well from cold. It is also capable of lapping at a close pace to RaceAttack Comp. Here is a general breakdown of average fastest laps for a single day testing on my 2005 ZX6-RR at manfeild.

RaceAttack Comp: average 1.10.00 or so (compound specific to temperature, this is a basis of med comp)
RaceAttack Street: average 1.10.50
SportAttack: average 1.11.20, but beginning to overheat after approx. Ten laps at this pace

This shows that the SportAttack is also a very valid option for fast riding, whilst less compromise on milage and cold performance.
...
Jay #37.

I've not heard of Race Attack Street ?

I'm totally sold on the Sport Attacks for my 98% weekend road riding and 2% track days. Fantastic tyres. Wouldn't go back to the Pirelli OEMs on the 675
I especially like how they give better control/feel as you roll into a lean.

I hear what you're saying Jay about the Conti Sports losing it after 10 laps though. Although your times on them are still close enough (to your race times) for us just out for some fast fun on a track. My last track day I found I was becoming Mr Sensible, and pulling in with a couple of laps still to go because the tyres were starting to squirm in protest and self preservation won out over immitating your crazy sideways antics.

Now I'm coming out of winter hibernation I might get a few track days in. Maybe I should try RaceAttack Streets? Or are they intended for mainly track day use with only a small bit of road riding? Would they prove too short a life for general road duties compared to the Sport. I guess that may be hard for you to answer without having road tested them all.

And thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Mark

[sosman]

Well I'm on a k6 gsxr7friddy & on my second set of RaceAttack streets.On the first set i got just over 5k with riding to work everyday,weekend thrases,Eastcape trip! & three trackdays at Taupo....Even got a compliment from Mr harris himself too..yeahboi.
Anyway got headache now from getting a fat head,So... I'm really pleased with the performance & they work awesome from cold,they wear really good too! & I've seen other people's tyre's looked all chewed up right across the tyre[cold tearing i think its called] where mine r only feathered at the edges!.
When I'm not having issues with my fuggin useless suzuki brakes,I'm generally giving a few [Tyre warming, slick running,shed using thou riders] a good run for there money.
So get some man! ya wont be dissapointed.. just me cause i cant spell for shite! 2thumbsup

ps Still on second set & going sweet
Cya at the track!

[roogazza]

Shaun, why is that such low pressures are used at the rear as opposed to the front , I can never get the head round that one ?
Is it because the rear temps increase more than the front , so you start with a lesser figure?
I've always gone one or two more in the rear than in the front.
(but then, I'm a bit older and probably haven't caught up with modern thinking and tyres.) Gaz.

Still no answer on my query, can anyone help or explain this ? Gaz.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Still no answer on my query, can anyone help or explain this ? Gaz.

it was explained to me that on track a rear tyre heats up more than a front because of it having to drive the motorcycle forward in addition to the cornering loads. So you use lower temps to start with to compensate. From memory on my VFR400 using 29 F and 28R cold, both hot temps were 33 and 34.

and thats on a 60hp bike ridden by someone of very average ability, not racing just trackdays. So someone faster with more power will work the tyres more, causing more heat build up.

[Mishy]

Still no answer on my query, can anyone help or explain this ? Gaz.

The extra pressure in the front is for several reasons. The first one is just as someone else mentioned earlier - the rear gets a whole lot more heat from the extra weight it carries, as well as the extra shearing forces it has to deal with from a million horsepower trying to break traction . That leads to more heat, which increases the pressure, so you have to start lower on a race bike to take that into account. You also want a spread out contact patch on the rear so that you get maximum grip, and - up to a point - that won't mess with the handling of the bike
On the front it's different. There is nowhere near the load most of the time, and nowhere near the heat build up, so you don't have to allow for a large pressure increase. Also, a deformed and spread out contact patch on the front tyre will give serious handling issues, like heavy steering, and "falling in" , and bars which want to cross up on you mid turn,so you have to use air pressure to stop any deformation and keep that contact patch a suitable shape.

Any good to you ?
Mishy.

[roogazza]

Cheers, that makes sense ! But this lower pressure stuff in the rear didn't happen years ago , thats all. Tyres have moved on a bit from then.
I was amongst the first to use nitrogen in tyres for 6 hour races early seventies.

So for some people the rear doesn't get hot enough on the road, thats where say 32 F 34 R comes in ? okay. Gaz

[Mishy]

Cheers, that makes sense ! But this lower pressure stuff in the rear didn't happen years ago , thats all. Tyres have moved on a bit from then.
I was amongst the first to use nitrogen in tyres for 6 hour races early seventies.
So for some the rear doesn't get hot enough on the road so thats where say 32 F 34 R comes in . okay. Gaz

Sounds interesting man ! And I agree with you, tyre tech has moved a lot in the last few years - some of Conti's latest stuff is quite advanced - like continuos compound ( linear change all the way from centre to outside) and the multi filament steel belt they use.What you said about road tyres makes perfect sense on a lot of levels. Heat causes wear, which is why we have 0 degree steel belt tyres to spread the temperature and reduce wear. Most road tyres want a high pressure to get good mileage - it's that simple - and dropping a couple of psi can increase the rate of wear by around 5% due to the extra heat build up. That's worth considering if you are messing with tyre pressures . . . . . . . . . . .

[2_SL0]

I have a query, I am running the Conti Sport Attack, when I researched these tyres I read somewhere on the net that these tyres like to be run at the factory recommended pressures, 42 rear 36 front. (It was stated as something to do with the carcass) I have run them at this pressure however I found the rear to slip occasionally when cranked over in a corner. I know its the obvious thing to lower the pressures but I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for the Sport Attack, not the Race attack or Race Attack Street. I'm think of moving pressures down to 32 front and 36 rear?

[Mishy]

Yeah, try a little lower pressure if you want. Generally you make a trade off between side grip and durability in the centre of the the tyre with this. It's not uncommon for people to get good results from running 38-40 in the rear with a Road Attack or Sport Attack, as our roads have lots of bumps that the Germans don't . Funny bunch they are . . . . . My thoughts ? don't make a big big change, try a couple of psi and see if you like it. That may take away some of the sting from abrubt bumps, and help a little with side grip.Much more than that and you'll just buy into a heap of tyre wear on the road.

[JayRacer37]

I've not heard of Race Attack Street ?

I'm totally sold on the Sport Attacks for my 98% weekend road riding and 2% track days. Fantastic tyres. Wouldn't go back to the Pirelli OEMs on the 675
I especially like how they give better control/feel as you roll into a lean.

I hear what you're saying Jay about the Conti Sports losing it after 10 laps though. Although your times on them are still close enough (to your race times) for us just out for some fast fun on a track. My last track day I found I was becoming Mr Sensible, and pulling in with a couple of laps still to go because the tyres were starting to squirm in protest and self preservation won out over immitating your crazy sideways antics.

Now I'm coming out of winter hibernation I might get a few track days in. Maybe I should try RaceAttack Streets? Or are they intended for mainly track day use with only a small bit of road riding? Would they prove too short a life for general road duties compared to the Sport. I guess that may be hard for you to answer without having road tested them all.

And thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Mark

Definitly worth a shot MD! I've seen the way you ride, and your the kind of guy there were aiming the RaceAttack Street for exactly

They have a definite increase in grip over the SportAttack, and perhaps a slightly more defined limit to adhesion...though when they start to spin they still seem to drive good. I can feel the difference of the Street (we mistakenly put a couople in on test days, I picked it within a few laps (yep, tread patern is identical)) but at the same time, you can run race pace on them. And from what I have seen of sosmans returned tyres, if hes getting that much mileage out of them they must be OK for durability! Maybe worth a shot for this summer? If you want to chat about them PM me, i'll give you my Phone Number

[MD]

Cheers Jay. You have convinced me!

As I've said before, I can't fault Conti Sports for road use. So Streets must be awesome.

I will switch to Streets at next replacement. I have both fairly new Sports on at the mo ..but it is summer as you say. Time to clock up some miles and get to a track day.

[roogazza]

Cheers Jay. You have convinced me!
As I've said before, I can't fault Conti Sports for road use. So Streets must be awesome.
I will switch to Streets at next replacement. I have both fairly new Sports on at the mo ..but it is summer as you say. Time to clock up some miles and get to a track day.

Cheers MD, must catch up soon huh ? Where are you going for these track days, Taupo ? Manfeild ones are few and far between !

ps Kerry dropped off a couple of tyres for me last night, said you are riding with him Sundays, lately. Think I'm still too early for you guys ? Gaz.

[hayd3n]

just finished my 2nd hand ex race race attack!!!!
i got 6000 ks and managed to find canvas this morning
a bit of commuting and lots of out of town riding.
Great tyre just had to be a tad cautious in the wet coz theres heaps of rubber but not many grooves.

[NZsarge]

I've not heard of Race Attack Street ?

I have a set of the street compound Race Attacks in the shed waiting to go on. Will be interesting to see how they stick and wear.
Will run probably 31 psi (cold) in the front and 32-33 psi in the rear and see how that goes.