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Tires for track and road


Cbosman

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So I am planning on spending some time on the track this year, but still new to the whole thing. I am looking for a set of tires I can use on and off the track. I ride pretty hard and the oem stuff does not cut it, but I don't want to go all out race tire. I hear michilin alot but have never used them.

Any suggestions?

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I ride pretty hard and the oem stuff does not cut it,

you sure about that? I have seen people go stupidly fast on Pilot Powers.

after 2 years (at least 20 trackdays) of track riding, I have yet to find a reason to buy anything 'better' than Dunlop Qualifiers.

Maybe you're faster than me, but for street/track mix, I'd go with nothing more expensive than a Pilot Power 2CT. The Power Pure would be the next step up, but until you're running at the front of "I" group, I think it's just spending money to feed your ego.

modern street tires are just as good as race tires from a few years ago... Either you're riding really aggressively on the street, or the tires have more ability than you think. I know the latter was true for me. I was blown away by how much grip my BT45 sport touring tires had. I've only had Pilot Powers 'push' on me twice, and that was a hot-ass day, and that tire was about due for replacement.

If you want to spend money smartly, pay to have your suspension set up at the track. that will help you get the most out of whatever tires you already have, and only costs like $40-$75 (depending on the vendor). Between that and proper pressures, street tires do pretty darn well...

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i have a hard time "out riding" my pirelli corsa III's in intermediate, and the one time the rear got squirrelly on me was when my wrist got squirrelly on the throttle.

the only reason i switched to pilot powers and 2ct's this year was cause they are on sale like whoa. what are OEM tires on gsxr750s? powers? if so, try a track day or two on them first (unless the tires are burnt up already) and then decide if you need a "better" tire.

that said, if you just don't have confidence in the tires, then nothing anybody says will persuade you otherwise, so in the end, it's your call. if it were me, before i plunked down 2~3 bones for a set of new tires, i'd run what i had first assuming they were in good shape.

welcome to the board

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Ok so I will look into changing the suspension setup. Any advice on where I can find a bit more info other than the basics on that? Also I guess I didn't mention that I have the bridgestone bt016 tires on the bike right now. They just seem to want to come loose on throttle thru corners. Also thanks for the advice guys.

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Corsa III's were good for me up to fast intermediate/advanced, but thats about where I cut the line. I would wear through one in two days....and by the end of the 2nd day I was losing a lot of confidence in it due to it want to break lose.

As for suspension set-up, most trackdays have a suspension setup person there. They can set your sag and rebound stuff for about $80. Depending on the org, be careful though. I had Superbike Suspension set mine up at CMP and it almost caused me to wreck due to no damping. Thankfully Rueben diagnosed and fixed this for me in only a few minutes for free.

Depending on your pace and setup, I would suggest either 2CT, Pures, or Corsa 3's. I'm sure Monte or Brian can give the best advise though.

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I run BT016's on track and street and never had any complaints. Make sure you check your tire pressure as soon as you some off the track to see how high it is when they're hot. You can compensate by dropping pressure before you start your laps but you have to take it easy until your tires are hot.

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Killing the OEM stuff, huh? Tell that to this Super Duke on stock Dunlops...

dukeslide1.jpg

:D:D:D:D

Seriously, though. Street tires can be ridden on fast and to the limit. However, if you are doing any type of track, my suggestion is echoed in something like the 2CT, etc. Dual compound tires will get you that extra stick and yet get to temp quickly for street use.

Just understand that when you say you run past the limit of street/OEM tires, people are gonna laugh because that really means you are doing something that makes the tires protest vs. work...

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Just understand that when you say you run past the limit of street/OEM tires, people are gonna laugh because that really means you are doing something that makes the tires protest vs. work...

make tires work .... Got it. What kind of pressure are you guys running? Also most of you seem to steer clear of bridgestone?

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for street/track tires? start at 30/30 (cold) at the track. I generally dip a little below that for cooler mornings, and the tires have a tendency to come up on their own in the heat of the day.

Nothing wrong with Bridgestones, but none of the local trackday orgs are dealers. STT is a Michelin distributor, and NESBA was Pirelli until last year when they added Dunlop. I've just never had Bridgestones mounted because of the vendors I use.

What trackdays are you going to? the tire vendor should be HAPPY to help you with pressure advice for the track and that day's conditions.

Suspension setup is as formal as scheduling and paying in advance with some vendors, and as informal as tossing a control rider a beer at the end of the day with others. I paid $45 to have my old bike set up, and that got me as many adjustments as I needed for the entire day.

setting the sag yourself is great if you do it right. I don't trust myself not to mess it up :-p

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for street/track tires? start at 30/30 (cold) at the track. I generally dip a little below that for cooler mornings, and the tires have a tendency to come up on their own in the heat of the day.

Nothing wrong with Bridgestones, but none of the local trackday orgs are dealers. STT is a Michelin distributor, and NESBA was Pirelli until last year when they added Dunlop. I've just never had Bridgestones mounted because of the vendors I use.

What trackdays are you going to? the tire vendor should be HAPPY to help you with pressure advice for the track and that day's conditions.

Suspension setup is as formal as scheduling and paying in advance with some vendors, and as informal as tossing a control rider a beer at the end of the day with others. I paid $45 to have my old bike set up, and that got me as many adjustments as I needed for the entire day.

setting the sag yourself is great if you do it right. I don't trust myself not to mess it up :-p

I run 22 in the rear and 30 in the front with My pilot race.. COLD

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I run 22 in the rear and 30 in the front with My pilot race.. COLD

30 front? I would have thought more like 28-29, but it's probably a preference as far as 'feel' at that point.

Don't confuse the guy by quoting pressures from a race tire though :p 22 lbs in a street tire would be... um, interesting... (although possibly not as bad as running 38 lbs...)

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If I remember correctly Brian was running 1:36 - 1:38 at Mid-Ohio with the Super Duke on those tires. I am running the Bridgestone 015 and am sure I could run them at 1:42 there. I'm going to pick up a few seconds with race tires but if you haven't been to the track yet it's a waste to run race tires. I am going to vote you are running too much pressure. I am about where everyone else is on their street tires 32 front and 30 rear. If you want to have someone set-up your suspension for you somewhat local try MPH. http://www.mphohio.com/. Do your first track day then decide if you need to make a tire change.

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I am gonna drop my tire pressure because I think I might be around 32psi front/back. I will hold on to what I have until I have tried the suggestions you guys have given me. Thanks for the advice guys. Also I wonder if my suspension might be a bit soft in the back.

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rider and suspension setup count more than the tire.....im positive theres guys that can go faster on a pilot power than I ever could on slicks.

My next set is 2ct's from STG....hopefully this week. I feel they are more track orientated than street....which is what the 600rr is being more setup for.

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Im With RedCow.. Id get the suspention set up at the track first and foremost. Then I go with an aggressive street tire. I like Dunlop Qualifiers, but the michelins,and Perellies are great tires. My track buddies use both. I use a street tire because I dont want a tire with limited heat cycles. Just my .02

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