Setup advice: Pirelli slick swap 200/60, 120/70 --> 200/65, 125/70

I just installed the new WSBK profile slicks on my 2019 Panigale V4 race bike.
I'm currently very happy with my setup using the old 200/60 and 120/70 sized slicks. I am NO SETUP expert but arrived---with some help, study, and experimentation---at a good spot.
I understand, based on spec sheet unmounted radii, that this swap will raise the rear 5mm and the front 3mm, thus increasing forward pitch some.
But I also understand that is an absurdly simple toy model and does not account for air pressure (2021 recommendations are now 2 PSI higher for the 200/65), new compounds, side profiles, and who knows what.
I had planned to take some bike geometry measurements with the old tires at race pressures and compare with the new, as a basis for any adjustment, but that never happened.

So my plan is just to ride it and see how it feels, and maybe split a few mm of preload between shock and fork if it seems too pitched forward.

And finally, my question to the group: does anyone have experience with this swap? Did it necessitate a setup adjustment for you? Was the adjustment slight or drastic? Seems like tops speeds might increase as well as side grip?

Thanks!

I had this exact conversation with the Pirelli rep at the track today. With the new tires he says any geometry change would be minimal and likely negligible.
I would ride it and just see how it feels. I’ll be doing the same next time I’m at the track.

I think you're on the right track with preload. And as Brad says, ride it for a couple of sessions, then try adding two turns of fork preload each session for the next two or three sessions. If when you add preload, you don't enjoy the balance of the bike, then try removing two turns every session and see how it feels.

Make sure to write all your settings down before you start adjustment.

Curious about the outcome here as well. Considering running this setup with my track bike. Subscribed.

Airbag79 said:

Curious about the outcome here as well. Considering running this setup with my track bike. Subscribed.

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I have the new tires installed and a "test day" at Chuckwalla on September 11th. I'll definite reply back to this thread with whatever I discover.
I'm really looking forward to the shakedown and expect these tires to be pretty great.
Bikes are fun!

Probably more in-depth reviews, though the only change I really noticed off the bat was the lean angle. Went to touch my knee down where I'm used to feeling it touch - and I'm like, "where is the ground??" Didn't affect anything else and didn't change a thing with suspension/gearing. Leeeeeean it over.....and there's a little more effort in the bars to get the bike to turn in. Other than that; great skins! Front's wear great; rears soak up bumps really well. Just ride it first, otherwise you won't have that baseline/reference to realize a different feel from the other tires. Though again, didn't change a thing.

Fry said:

I have the new tires installed and a "test day" at Chuckwalla on September 11th. I'll definite reply back to this thread with whatever I discover.
I'm really looking forward to the shakedown and expect these tires to be pretty great.
Bikes are fun!

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Nice. I pretty much ride Chuckwalla exclusively (socal track days) so definitely interested to see what you think. If you ever see me around the pits say what's up:

Airbag79 said:

Nice. I pretty much ride Chuckwalla exclusively (socal track days) so definitely interested to see what you think. If you ever see me around the pits say what's up:

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Thanks Airbag79! Your bike is rad and I'll definitely look for it. I ride Chuckwalla a lot too. Here's mine.

Just don't do what I did a PitRace earlier this year and switch to Dunlops because I wore out an SC3 rear in just 1.5 track days (lots of wheel spin). I had major chatter issues throughout the next day of riding which required a major change in rebound setting. I was discussing the 125 front with the tire guys. The initial turn-in required some additional effort. We didn't discuss any difference in feel. My next experiment is Bridgestones with a 200/65/17, 120 setup.

I'm running the Bridgestones. Happy to share my settings. Will post Monday.

Moving from Pirelli to Bridgestone, I ran 3mm more fork preload, and 2mm less rear ride height (approx 1mm less shock length)

FOLLOW UP on my original post:

I did a track day with the new tires yesterday and am happy to report that the swap is nothing to worry about at all.
I kept my tried and true settings and just went out and rode and the only thing I noticed was a slight perceived improved ease of initiating turns and steering, and no adverse bike behavior whatsoever.
I would guess improved turn-in could be attributed to a slightly raised rear or the taller rear profile, but whatever the cause, it all felt good and certainly no worse than the outgoing tires.
I also noticed no difference in the front tire stability under hard braking, despite going from the old SC2 to the new SC1.
Also, I was a few MPH faster on the straights, maybe somewhat attributable to the increased rear tire circumference??

I then played with a few targeted turns and clicks but reverted all back to my original settings... except... I softened the rear damping later in the morning when I started a desperate search for lost exit grip. So there were a lot of variables that day: I hadn't ridden in 2.5 months, I had dropped 3% bodyfat, fork fluid was fresh, new front tire profile, new front tire compound (SC2->SC1), new rear tire profile, new rear tire compound (does old SC1 = new SC1?), new rear tire pressure recommendations (23-26 -> 25-28 PSI), and probably most importantly, in hindsight, the track temps were insanely hot (85-105 degrees F air, starting at 7am!) Once the air temp was around 95 F mid morning and my pace was improving, I definitely noticed reduced rear tire grip on exits, and I had some neat shallow tearing and thought in the moment that those were "cold tears," but I might also have had heat stroke and diminished cognitive function.

I had set my pressures out of the warmers at mid-point of Pirelli specs, 34F and 26.5R, then progressively reduced the rear to 24 PSI with no real grip improvements until I also softened the rear damping -2 clicks for both comp and rebound. In retrospect though, I think I was just overheating the rear tire. The tears look like a "hot tear" in that they are very shallow and uniform and also there is no way a tire can cold tear when it is 95F-105 out and I'm running at decent pace. So I'm thinking now I should have raised the pressure instead of lowering it... and I should have measured my tire temps each session. It's notable that Pirelli raised their recomended rear pressure range by 2 PSI for the 200/65 from the 200/60. A few guys I talked to were also complaining of rear grip and slightly reduced pace that day, with varied bikes and tires. I think it was just hot as hell and the rears were struggling to cope. But this was an aside from the main topic.

In summary, based on one day at one track, I think the new tires are plenty fine and will probably not make your settings unridable. Of course, the general pursuit of setup optimization may also be unending. But it's all in good fun. Thanks.

found this on pressure, might be useful