Truth about tyres and traction control

Steve B said:

Not Q2's, but I stuck some S20's on mine for the off-season with a 195/55 rear ... To ballpark it, I'd put it at about 1.5-2 TC settings more intrusive on new tires, meaning you notice the TC kicking in on level 3 with the 195/55 about like it would on level 4-5 with the stock tires...
With the 195/55 rear I run my TC now on 1 in race mode and 3 in sport mode.

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Thanks for the reply Steve. Are you sure the S20 rear size was 195/55? I've looked for this size and it doesn't seem available. The 190/55 is the one I see commonly for the S20.

How did you like the S20's compared to the Q2's? I have regularly run the Bridgestone BT-003RS on the street and BT-003 D.O.T. on the track and like both, but never the S20. I also just loved the Q2's on a previous bike, extremely sticky in the mountains both dry and wet.

JeffD said:

Thanks for the reply Steve. Are you sure the S20 rear size was 195/55? I've looked for this size and it doesn't seem available. The 190/55 is the one I see commonly for the S20.

How did you like the S20's compared to the Q2's? I have regularly run the Bridgestone BT-003RS on the street and BT-003 D.O.T. on the track and like both, but never the S20. I also just loved the Q2's on a previous bike, extremely sticky in the mountains both dry and wet.

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Sorry, fat-fingered the size; 190/55 is of course the correct one. Versus the Q2's on the street, they're fine; neutral handling, plenty of grip, similar lifespan. Which is better for a given rider probably comes down to more of a preference in feel than anything else. They're not quite as stiff as Q2's, and I think they have more feel, plus they seem don't seem to need as much heat in them to be happy. For track work, I think the stiffer carcass and higher heat envelope of the Q2's would probably give them the edge.

I got them for the off-season to have something better suited to cool & damp weather than the Supercorsas, which I like a lot. Never was a Pirelli guy before, but I am a fan of the Pani's OEM rubber. I'd wanted to try an alternative to Q2's since I'd been through quite a few of them, and was intrigued by Dave Moss' high praise of the S20 versus the 003RS. Not regretting the choice.

Bowhunter / Veck,

Sorry, been away for a while, but settings for me are:

front forks - 195mm from wiper seal to bottom of fork triple (so down 5mm from stock on my S model) and the rear is at 216mm on the Ducati ride height tool (I don't have one of these but checked it at the dealer after I set it up to get a consistent measure).

This is on a 120/70/17 200/55/17 Dunlop GP Racer 211 street tyre, which is the same rear ride height as my track tyres KR106/108 in a 120/70/17 and 195/65/17.

My bike is also calming down a little these days as the engine seems to be loosening slightly and becoming less snatchy...... is at 2,400mls now......

The notes I've got have the rear ride height listed as 217mm using the Ducati tool.

That's pretty close to my setup then at the rear. Am thinking of standardising the bike around a smaller 190 tyre though (to run wets) so might knock it up by 2-3mm and drop to a 190/55 section rear. But that would take it to 218-219 on a 190 tyre, and 216-217 on the 195/65 or 200/55.