tyres- when is it warm enough?

Hi Mates,

Been watching a few youtube videos of riders out on a twisty Cal road. . of course the interesting ones are where they lose it round a bend.
Some comments are about the tires not being properly warmed up. . .

In your opinions, when are the tires ready and warmed sufficiently in everyday riding? Does running 30 mins out on the freeway count before you get to the twisties (or is it only warming the central tread?) Or is it just 5 mins riding?

I run Pilot Road 3, which I am more than happy with. . . but, what is a fully operational 'warm' tire, and what is blind luck?

Cheers,

AussieGeoff

 

Also, do you guys run recommended 42rear/36 front? if not, why not?

Cheers

 

SORRY! one more issue. . where can I find crash knobs for VFR 95. . . cant see my model in oggy knobz

 

I believe I am familliar with the video you are referencng. There is more than warm and or cold tires at play here.
The speed into the curv as well as the line of attack, skill of the rider, tire pressure suspesnsion setup etc. etc. not to mention the condition of the road.

Most street tires warm up quickly. They also have a soft more elastic compound that opperates at lower tire temperatures. Most of these can also on the track well for many folks because even though the riders are on a "track", lets face it, they are still not racers. The harder you ride on the track etc. Street tires start to get too soft referred to as greezy (greasy).
Some people will mistakenly run DOT (really track tires but street legal) track tires on the street these tires are meant to opperate at much higher temps than most street tires so in most cases never reach a good opperatng temp and are more often more unsafe on the street than if a more street oriented tire was used.
If you run the 36/42 as stated on the bike, then you will get the most longevity out of the tire. It will be a good pressure for most all around riding. But this is the recommended pressure but also the recommended tire is a touring tire. So lets say you decide you dont want a touring tire. You choose a supersport/hyper-sport tire because you ride more sporty less tour. You could drop pressure a few lbs. the type of riding personal preference tire profile, compound,etc. all go nto your decision. Then add in that current tire tech is newer/better than what was available when your bike was designed/built.


I hope this is helpful. Im sure more people will chime in.

 

Rider skill, or the lack of, causes more crashes than tires ever will. All I will say is that having tried both Michelins (various models) and Bridgestone BT56SS, BT014, and BT016 Pro, if you're on Bridgestones, go ahead and hit it....cold, hot, whatever. They do not care. and they will not slip.
For a few years I had a couple different ZX10's. Cold, right out of the garage on Michelin Pilots, if I slammed that 157HP (at the wheel on my 2004) hard that tire would spin up big time. With the Bridgestones, any of the models I mentoned, the bike would stand straight up. No spin, all grip.
I also raced on Michelins for a season....and even with tire warmers it was 2 laps til they were warm enough to really go. But race tires are different, so that's not really relevant here.....
I personally do not recommend that high of pressures in a street tire. I will gladly sacrifice tire life for grip, and I run about 33 front and 31 rear in the current set of BT016 Pro that I have on the bike.

 

This is a topic that could easily turn into an "which oil" thread as everyone has their theory and preferences when it comes to tires/brands/pressures.

In my non-expert opinion, all of those things matter.

The lower the pressure you run, the warmer your tire is going to get. This is because the carcass will be flexing more and contacting on a greater area and thus generating more friction (grip) and heat. Lower pressure will, however, generally lead to shorter tire life. I have read rumors that running too HIGH of pressures can negatively affect tire life. The persons theory was that the higher pressure lead to a more crowned profile and thusly a very narrow contact patch. So all the weight/pressure/force was on a smaller area of rubber and thus would wear faster. I'm not sure how I feel about that thought...

Different types of tires will heat up differently. Your PP3 will heat up more quickly than my PR3. A stickier road tire, like your PP3 might heat up in half a lap on the track, whereas something like my PR3 may take a couple laps. I'm not sure you could draw a definite, "_____ tires will get _____ hot in _____ many miles". But your PP3 may heat up in a couple miles, whereas my PR3 may take 5?

In regards to the highway, yes your tires will heat up. The more power you are transmitting the hotter the tires will get (in general). Be that by accelerating hard, or cruising down the highway at 75mph (which consumes a fair amount of power with our poor aero). I'm no expert, but I would expect cruising down the highway to heat the edges of the tire at least some amount. They likely wouldn't be totally uniform in heat, but I would expect the heat to spread outwards to an extent.

My personal mind set on the street is I don't want to try to find the limits of my tires. Even when fully warmed up I, personally, don't like to go out and try to drag a knee. Even a cold PP3 would afford more than enough grip to get the kind of lean angles I prefer on the street. The best way to keep from low siding like all the videos on youtube, like said above, is body positioning. Get off the bike more and you'll be able to stand the bike upright. If you're dragging hard parts you are almost definitely doing something wrong. Our bike is no cruiser!

End of rant...

 

On my R1 I run 34f/36r as I'm willing to sacrifice some mileage for grip. This is all twisty riding, no commuting, no errands, none of that.

On the VFR1200 I run 34f/38r for the same kind of riding but Sport Touring tires are fitted. On a sport touring day with lots of slab I'll run 34f/40r. 36/42 is factory spec pressure for either and to me that is for commuting and such, not for pushing hard into corners.

 

Hey mates,

thanks for replies so far. getting ideas running tires few psi lower than recommended, say 34/38 (front/rear) . .more grip, but less mileage.
You honcho's agree? (whatever honcho means)

2007VFR likes Bridgestones. . agree?

bitterpiil, gilbeyb and cornerexit have given advice. .

Last thought, having a video camera set up on a certain Cal corner. . well, its a reason to show your best riding, but also a reason to push it a little too far to 'show off' . . . . . good to find the limits of your bike, but embarrasing to go over the limit, all on video for world to see (that you cant ride!! ). or cant save it, ie stare at the rocks!! . . haha

Cheers,

Geoff

ps. . I will lose it one day. . yes, then I wont laugh. . .will happen

 

I have an 06. I have run Bridgstone BT-016s and 016 pros. Inexpensive but good tire. Is is a supersport tire. I ran them at -4 lbs psi front/back. Loved loved loved those tires. Not a good commuter tire. That would be the bridgestone Bt-023 not GP(if yer looking as bstones. I have never ridden it so cant comment further)
I switched to pirelli Diablo Rosso IIs recently. About $40 a set more. Terrific tire. Very happy so far. Still running -4 lbs PSI.

BT-016 and Pros about 4500 miles per set (commuting and back road riding)
Same for michelin PP2CT

Pirelli diablo rosso Ii over 1k so far looks like maybe 3 K outof them. We will see.

But now you need to look at suspension setup too.

 

Hi bitterpil,

suspension? OK lay it on me!

your thoughts.

Suspension is stock as of now. If I had $$ ?

Geoff

p.s. bitterpil name. why? (if i'm not being too personal)

 

The suspension is just as responsible for keeing the tire on the road as the tire itself.

When I am referring to suspension, I mean merely having set up for you, your weight, riding style. Everyone envisions themselves a track rider but most never make it there.
Basically as little as having fork springs and respring stock shock for you. Or you can get fork springs and new rear shock matched up. Or go all aout and have your forks upgraded new springs, valving and a nice expensive rear shock.

Being overseas, you probably have a few options that are harder to get in the states. Wilbers being ne of them.
Guys here like racetech fork springs and many will revalve etc. Ohlins is always a good choice. Just pricey

I personally opted for a very cost effective upgrade from Hyperpro <-another better known overseas mfg.
It was called their street box. You get springs (made for your bike/model) rear emulsion shock and a liter of fluid. All is sprung and set for your weight riding style. Under $800 for the whole thing. You also get our choice of linear or rising rate springs. Both have pros and cons. Recommend readng up on both.

Racetech basically sells the same spring for all bikes. You cut and fit a new spacer to fit your bike not that they are bad but you lose about 3/4" of spring.

Issue is suspension talk is like a tire or oil thread lots of opinions. Above Is mine.
Basically all you know is what you have ridden. I took the approach of better springs and a better than stock shock. Nothng too fancy and it ended up beng a really nice setup for me. I called and spoke with suspension shops and got my setup.

I recommend talking with suspension shops. If they are good, they will cha with you with you and help you out. If the don't have tme for you, find another shop.

Good luck in your search.

 

Bitterpil is just an old school computer handle. Had it for aout 20 years now.

A bitterpill is hard to take.