| Author | Message | ||
     Holling |
For those of you that do track days, what air pressures do you run? I've read several sources that say they will be different from the street. Thanks. | ||
| Jaimec |
I run the same pressures as I do on the street. 34f/36r | ||
| Nutsnbolt |
32/30 | ||
| Rubberdown |
32r/30f Michilin Pilot Powers; 9R | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Often there are tire suppliers from the major companies at the track during track days. It is a good idea to discuss your tire situation with them, they are normally very helpful and knowledgeable. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
There should be a tent for the tire manufacturer that you will want to go to. Ask the tire guy what tire and bike you have and he(she) should be able to help you with what pressure you should be at. It can vary with what track you are at, and what the temperature is. Just ask around, someone in the know will be willing to help. | ||
| Surveyor |
Take advice and run your tyres at whatever seems to be the best available advice for the first session. Check your tyre pressures immediately after each run i.e. when hot. If you have gained more than 7psi you need to increase your pressure in increments 0.5psi until the gain is between 6 and 7psi. Reverse the process if you gain less than 6psi when hot. You need to keep checking as track temperature changes and as your riding becomes more 'enthusiastic'. This works for me so I hope it helps. | ||
| Jaimec |
7 psi is an awfully high number!! Should only be between 2-3 psi... | ||
| Surveyor |
I've used this method over the past 4-5 years at trackdays and prepping race bikes and it works pretty well on everything from rs125 Aprilias up to ZX10r tyre eaters. I'm not saying its right everywhere because we don't have the extremes of track temperature that would be experienced in the US - it's just the system we use. | ||
| Sloppy |
Soap box mode "on": Use the same pressures you do for the street -- you do track days to become a better rider, not a better racer. Before you fool around with tires & suspension (the two are utterly related), you need to really just work on your software (remember the $10 analogy that Keith Code writes about). If you do decide to do a sanctioned race event (AFM, WERA, etc), then you can play with tire pressures -- but you'll likely be running an EX or SV, no? BTW, if you're at the level of playing with tire pressures then you should be looking at consistentcy of lap times first... also, each mfg. & brand would have a different recommendation for tire pressures. Soap box mode "off" yea, what Survy says... | ||
| Babyhuey |
i start out with 30lbs / 26lbs .check them right after the session and adjust accordingly so that they are at street pressures when fully hot after the session.i ride pretty hard at the track,run pilot powers and weigh about 240lbs. (Message edited by babyhuey on November 27, 2006) | ||
| Slaughter |
You have a bunch of opinions to sort out BUT... if you plan on PERFORMANCE riding on the street then you MUST realize that you have to write off more than half the tire mileage. I used to go nearly 3000 miles on a pair of Diablo Corsa with recommended pressures and a mix of highway and canyon rides. I'd barely get a 3 day weekend at the track would trash them (about 350-375 miles) If you are opting for performance as a goal then you should be willing to write off tire life. If you just want to get the feel of the bike with hard tires (36psi instead of 30-ish) then go with recommended pressures - but IF you get into hard cornering, you're gonna have to learn how to slide the bike sooner than if you have dropped the pressure. It's preference I suppose. My own personal opinion is that performance riding - like building a performance motor - means giving up things like mileage and reliability. I'd rather drop the pressures when riding hard through the twisties or on the track. The bike handles much better, brakes better with the "racing" pressures than the "street" pressures. Frankly, the higher pressures are pretty frightening. You WILL get much higher corner speeds on the track than you EVER got on the street. The same turn on a track just "feels" safer when you don't have the distractions you do on the street. Totally unrelated: - tape over your speedo. You don't want to be tempted to look. Many operators REQUIRE taping over the speedo. It's a good idea whether they require it or not. There's nothing to be learned by knowing your speed - more important to know your RPMs - and the appearance of the turn - setting up, turning, exiting. (Message edited by slaughter on November 27, 2006) | ||
| Diablobrian |
Slaughter has it on the nose. | ||
| M1combat |
Ditto |
