Slick tires

elements018 said:

I bought a track bike that came with bridgestone slicks, I'm not sure whether it was the tire being different size then a 200or not having the suspension dialed in, but the front end and the rear end were extremely twitchy that left me pretty slow

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EvoL said:

So not the PROs, ok. How long do yours last?

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tcelano said:

I am running Dunlop 449's on my R. I dropped over 3 seconds/lap on them on the first day out using them, and I like the feel of them way better. Carcasses are stiffer, and seem to make the bike feel more controllable and precise. The most obvious difference is the more linear feel from the front end, i.e. it takes a little more doing to bring the bike down to lean, but there is less sensation of a transition to get to the side of the tire. The front geometry seems to just stay the same regardless of lean angle. I find them much more confidence inspiring, and at my level, confidence translates into much more extra speed than any hardware can.

Running single temp warmers. No problem putting a knee down on the warmup lap. I rode the crap out of the bike the whole day, ran more consistent lap times, and never scared myself once. I see no reason for anybody who is running dry track days not to run slicks for extra entertainment value.

I'm still wearing the rear badly, although it did not start to show until the last session when I was really hammering on the high-speed right hand exit. I need to play with the rear suspension some and see if I can make this better.

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BusaDuc said:

Warmers are a must - much longer tire life and you can be riding 80-90% (of YOUR ability) on first lap, also eliminates a lot of tearing which you get with cold tires - one if the best investments you can make for the track

BK

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EvoL said:

Superbike or Superbike PROs?

Are they worth 20% more than the Dunlops? I would like to get more than 20 laps out of the slicks as well, which I hear is what the Pirellis provide.

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veck said:

Superbike. The Pro's are the track day tire and don't come in the 200/60 size. I've used both and prefer the superbike.

I get a lot more than 20 laps. On the Superbike SC2 slicks. I would say I'm getting an average of 2-3 track days for the rear and about 4 days for the front. Sometimes if its hot enough I'll change to the SC1 compound but that's usually only in July/August. Using the SC1 when its cold just means I have to change them quicker as they wear too fast.

I just got back from a 2 day event where I started with a fresh set front and rear. I'm going to use them for at least 1 more day. I'll post a pic later.

You have to get the right compound and tire pressure and watch the tire for signs of incorrect suspension setup. At the last track day I was walking around the pits and you cold see cold tears, low and high tire pressure as well as lots of rebound tears.

I set the pressures to be 33 front and 27 rear, hot off the warmers. Adjust as necessary based on surface temp.

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veck said:

No. I've only used their street tires and did not like them.

I've used Bridgestone slicks and DOTs and Pirelli slicks and DOTs.

The Bridgestone slicks were nice but cost and availability pushed me the Pirelli direction. I also had more info available for setup on the Pirellis.

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Gunny Fitz said:

Good deal on em Evol?

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Red Dawn said:

Well... We have been running the UK 302 Dunlop front (120) and the US 7455 rear (200). The UK rears are not holding up at all. The US rears are pretty much some of the best tires we have tried out and they are lasting VERY well.

The 302 front is amazing. The only choice for a slick I would use and we've run a few different brands. The Michelin is a pretty good choice also, but after a few things we have seen, the Dunlops will outlast and out perform the Michelins.

The biggest thing on the Pani is chassis setup. If the bike is taking a bit of effort to get to full lean like some are saying, that is chassis setup and it is not correct. Meaning, they need to make some changes to the front and rear heights. In doing this, the bike will be dramatically better.

Jarel can maybe comment, but at Putnam we found a solid chassis setup. We were trying something different during the track day in hopes for a race weekend coming up after, we had the right direction. And it was great. We were running SHAGGED tires with the hopes of making sure the setup was fine when the tires went off. Now, it was a track day, but during the race weekend, we dropped times dramatically with a VERY noticeable difference in handling.

Also, the Pani likes a stiff set of fork springs and a softer rear spring. For example, I am 195lbs and running 1.10 front springs and an .85 rear spring. It's crazy, but it is working extremely well.

As far as the Dunlops go, understand that the compounds are VERY important. Stick with a 302 for everything. They have a new front coming that will be ready for general public use in 2014, but we tried a couple and it is basically the same compound, just a stiffer sidewall and it is AMAZING. But the rears are where you will get in trouble or have success. Medium 7455s are the best choice at most tracks. Hotter temps especially. The Med+ 8477 is a colder temp tire and for set tracks like Mid-Ohio.

Believe it or not, the harder compounds for colder and the softer for hotter. They also have a new rear compound that also should be available, but we had not been given the chance to try it before end of the season.

But again... Handling can be adjusted and the idea that it takes effort to get to full lean means it isn't right. The transition to full lean should be quick.

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EvoL said:

What sort of chassis adjustments have you found beneficial?

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