Which tire brand do you prefer and why?

[Ape-X]

Originally Posted by RIZ

Gino, I have never used tire warmers on my bike and never will unless i am racing. I have done a ton of trackdays and for 2 years at grattan ran 130 and under and never felt the need for tire warmers. I laughed at all the people i saw running warmers then going out in novice rinning 2 minute lap times. While doing trackdays you have plenty of time to warm your tires up and make sure they are sticky.

I agree Riz, I have never felt the need for warmers as a Trackday guy. My POV: Warmers are for what? To get and keep the tire up to operating temperature straight out of the pits. Why is that important? So that you can run full speed at full traction into turn 1. Getting in the lead at turn 1 is important ONLY for racing. A SIDE BENEFIT of warmers, is that on return, if you get the warmers on coming in (off of hot pit lane,) heat cycles are reduced. Now I haven't had issues to date with that, by the time heat cycling comes into play, the tires are out of tread anyway. If you want to consider heat cycling, you can put tireSox on the bike to maintain heat in the "tyres" between sessions at a lower cost. But a cool down lap, meandering back to the pits, stopping to bench race with your buddies coming back to the garage negates all that anyway. Just put some tires on, take a lap or two to come back up to operating temp and have FUN. :O)

[Stupe]

i just want something to keep'm warm in between sessions to limit the heat cycles.. i could careless about go'n out on cold or warm tires.they'll warm up like ya said...but if it helps a tire last longer by keep'n them warm in between sessions, even if a lil bit,its a plus in my opinion..and i've had'm turn blue before the tread is all gone(dunlop lol)..i've never heard of them tiresox things.. i might have to check into them..prolly alot cheaper for sure..and i usually come right in and throw it right up on the stand anyhow, then go around shoot'n the chit...but like i said before, if it helps even a little bit,for those of us who cant afford toss'n a few bills every few months on tires,its a plus to me..

[Zepp]

I have run BrIdgestone, Michellin, Conti, and Pirelli on my bikes.

My favorite tire by far is the Pirelli DCIII. This tire sticks like it is glued to the road. I'm a very agressive rider. This tire communicates perfectly to the rider. It doesn't break down or get greasy when run too hard. I love the tire geometry too, it isn't as peaky or steep of a tire. The turn in is so nice and smooth, the handling is amazing.

I will not run anything other than Pirelli on my CBR. If you're a serious corner carver, there is no better tire. They're replacing the DCIII this year with a new model. Pirelli says it is even better than the DCIII. Wow!!! better??? I didn't think you could get any better. I look forward to trying the new tire this year.

The Pirellis cost more, but they're worth every penny.

[Aleks The Serbian Prince]

something cheap so i can burn the tires up lol... usually shinkos... why IDK maybe because i like the patherns they have

[RIZ]

Originally Posted by Stupe

i just want something to keep'm warm in between sessions to limit the heat cycles.. i could careless about go'n out on cold or warm tires.they'll warm up like ya said...but if it helps a tire last longer by keep'n them warm in between sessions, even if a lil bit,its a plus in my opinion..and i've had'm turn blue before the tread is all gone(dunlop lol)..i've never heard of them tiresox things.. i might have to check into them..prolly alot cheaper for sure..and i usually come right in and throw it right up on the stand anyhow, then go around shoot'n the chit...but like i said before, if it helps even a little bit,for those of us who cant afford toss'n a few bills every few months on tires,its a plus to me..

I would check out the Tyre sox then stupe. I was trying to find an article i read about warmers actually shortening the life of tires but I cant find it. by the time you get a generator and gas and warmers I think it would take a long time to make up that price.

[TogaTim]

I'm devoted to the 'stones. Been a good solid tire for me. I ran warmers one set of trackdays to try and cut down on heat cycles. Really, it wasn't necessary. Unless you are looking to go out and run your first lap of a session as fast as your last lap, like you want to in a race, then they are good. If you are running slicks: pretty much nuts not to have them. For us mere mortals: save your $$.

[Bagger]

during the main part of our riding season I just keep the bike parked so the tires are in the sun... then about half way through the warm up lap.. I'm good to go..

[gspdjosh]

Originally Posted by gijoecam

I run a Metzeler Tourance rear and a Bridgestone Battle Wing front at the moment... But then again, I'm not riding on the track... I'm riding through rain and dirt with 'em, mostly super-slab to and from work with the occasional mildly twisty country road... It's a whole different setup than you guys are running.

I'm all over the map, and run different tires for different bikes.

I've ridden newer BMW R1150GS bikes with Tourances and they felt good. I've read mixed reviews on the Battle Wing (sometimes referred to as the "death wing"). On my older dual sport, I've been running Michelin Anakee's which have provided some excellent traction, are OK off-road (for not being a knobby) though once I got to the wear bars they went all to hell and I broke the back tire loose downshifting in rain on a tar strip... then again, maybe no tire could have saved me from that. When I go off-road I really like the Conti TKC-80's which give surprising grip on pavement once you feel brave enough to lean over on a knobby. My first long ride with them had me on I-80 doing 75mph in the rain and once I realized they were still gripping fine I relaxed. The only issue is they square off badly if you're running high-speed on the highway for more than a few hundred miles at a time.

For my older "touring" bike it's Bridgestone S-11 Spitfires. I can drag the valve covers with those on and they are fantastic in rain (came down Appalachian Gap in VT in the rain. It has an 18% grade, and I had no problems). They also get great mileage.

[ICEMAN]

Nothing but Dunlop Qualifiers here.

Trust em on the street, trust em for my ability at the track. have never had any problems with them, so why switch?

Switching to Dunlop Roadsmarts (sport touring) for street riding for the extra miles on them. I average 2500-3000 miles on a rear qualifier and twice on the front. But i should get closer to 7-8K on the rear roadsmart.

I have the rear roadsmart sittin at home waiting for me to take the rear wheel off and go get the tires switched, for free. The qualifier thats on there now is showing threads. The front qualifier is good for another 1K or so, then ill switch the front to a RoadSmart too.

[ericdesouza]

Metzeler's new sportbike tires have Chicken Strip Assessment Technology.

[Stupe]

Originally Posted by ericdesouza

Metzeler's new sportbike tires have Chicken Strip Assessment Technology.

theres another thread somewhere on here about them lol.. totally gay if ya ask me lol..