extra set of wheels for the track, which tire??

well, i was finally able to afford an extra set of wheels for the track, but i can't decide which tire to run. i have been running michelin pilot sports and i love them, but was considering a more track oriented piece this time. however, i don't think i can afford the super soft track tires some guys are raving about. i STILL need to get 4 or 5 track days out of these especially since they will only be used for the track. should i just stick with the pilots, they are a super mileage tire and i don't think i have pushed them to their limits yet. it would be nice to know if i needed a little extra grip, it was there before i needed it though. any suggestions guys??

Muffin Man, I have been wanting to do that myself. I have been watching ebay to see if I can find a good deal on some. Nothing yet though. I tell you what you should do, ask around for some race take offs. Lots of times you can get Supercorsas or similar full on track tires for less than $150 a set. Ask around on this forum and also try www.georgiasportbike.com I have heard guys over there offering them. Then you can get you some really good trackday tires. If you can't find any and want to go with street tires, I have the Maxxis Supermaxx tires on my bike and did the trackday at Barber last september on them and was fine until I get faster and better. I am hoping to get some race takeoffs before I do the trackday at Barber in March. I can't wait to see what it is like with them. For now I will have to just change them out on the wheels I have until I can save up some $$ for an extra set of wheels. While I am here, are you gonna join us at the East Coast R1-Forum Convention at Deal's Gap June 9-13th? Later Chad

Originally posted by gawarrior Would love to have you. ohhhhhh Chad......:makeout hehehehehehehehehe

Oops, I had to do a little editing:yesnod

My first set of supercorsas felt STICKY at my first couple trackdays. I just got my second set except this time I went with sc3(medium)rear and a sc1(super soft)front. Cant frickin wait for next trackday. I will be trying the michelins next, trying to save some cash. good luck with decision.

go and put slicks on them and thank me later:fact ask anyone that does this and im sure they will agree. dont waste your time and money on ANY treaded tyre.:yesnod

Michelin H2 should do the trick for you , very sticky , they dont heat cycle as bad as the M2 or S2 . I would suggest S2 front with the H2 rear , with that combo the tires will probably wear out about the same time . Then the tires lasting really depends on how fast you are , if your not within 5 to 7 seconds of lap record time your tiresshould easily get 2 possible 3 weekends possibly more

Originally posted by blur1 go and put slicks on them and thank me later:fact ask anyone that does this and im sure they will agree. dont waste your time and money on ANY treaded tyre.:yesnod I will, next set. Thanks ahead of time.:hellobye

Slicks are cool but make sure that you use tire warmers before you get on with them or take a few laps to warm them up. Espescially in cold weather. And the added level of grips will magnify the good or lack of good suspension set ups. John

Originally posted by jqd02R1 Slicks are cool but make sure that you use tire warmers before you get on with them or take a few laps to warm them up. Espescially in cold weather. And the added level of grips will magnify the good or lack of good suspension set ups. John pretty much the same with race compound treaded tyres too. just that slicks last longer.:iamwithst

keep the suggestions coming guys. gawarrior, i am trying to budget mostly for track time this year between road atlanta, and barber. as of now it looks like i have 8 days scheduled and am looking for about 5 more. so i don't think i'll be able to afford the gap trips. ( i also have to squeeze myrtle beach in there!!) i'll be at barber on 3/14 and then also on 3/28, these are both sunday dates, which day are you attending sat or sun? right now i think i'm leaning towards the michelin h2's. sportrider mag gave them a raving review during the last tire shootout, even above the supercorsas. the avons weren't ready to be tested yet but i would like to see a write up on them as well as they are very affordable. i don't think my abilities can quite appreciate the extra grip of a softer, track specific tire just yet (and more expensive), so i think the crossbreed street/track tires would serve me better. at my skill level, i need a tad more longevity as opposed to all out grip.

Sounds like you are gonna be busy this year.:yesnod I am gonna try and do all the Nesba events at Barber and Road Atlanta this year but just one day of each event. BKR1 will most likely be a those with me too. BTW, I am pretty sure the Nesba event at Barber in march is a Friday and Saturday26-27. You might want to check on that and make sure. Either was me and BK are gonna be there on Saturday. I hope to get some race takeoffs by then to see how much better they are than my street tires. Look forward to seeing you at the track.

Cant go wrong with supercorsa's. Ruin the edges then use them on the road for wheelie/stoppie/burnout practice

4-5 track days?? Seems amazing to me as I generally go though a set of tires in only 2... I've been using the Diablo Corsas and have been very happy with them... I "might" be able to squeeze a 3rd track day out of them, but I don't risk it (they will go from my R6 to my R1 street bike after they've been used twice)... - BA

hey ga, i think i did get the dates wrong on that nesba day. so i will be there sat as well. this tire thing is driving me nuts.

Supercorsa SC2's, i buy em as race take offs and theres plenty of tread left on the sides...best tire imo.:thumbup

Originally posted by jqd02R1 Slicks are cool but make sure that you use tire warmers before you get on with them or take a few laps to warm them up. Espescially in cold weather. And the added level of grips will magnify the good or lack of good suspension set ups. John Tire warmers are not necessary especially for someone on a limited budget. 1 good moderately paced lap is enough to bring them up to temp, 2 at the most. The best thing about warmers is they limit the amount of heat cycles the tires endure and allow you to ride at race pace in the first corner. I found a set of Pirelli slicks on ebay that I used on my first 2 track days and they were flawless and it was in the 50's in the morning sessions. I just decresed the tire pressure in the morning and brought it back up to 29/31 later in the day. Best 80 bucks I ever spent. The Pirelli slicks come in the same compound as the Supercorsas but they last longer due to having no tread. I ran 2 full days and still had some use out of them (if I would have turned them on the rim between the 1st and 2nd day). The only reason why the added level of grip will bring out suspension set-up issues is if your pushing harder due to having the extra grip to use. IMO there is no draw-back to using slicks. They last longer on the track than treaded race compound tires and provide maximum grip.

Originally posted by THE MUFFIN MAN hey ga, i think i did get the dates wrong on that nesba day. so i will be there sat as well. this tire thing is driving me nuts. Cool we will see you there on that Sat. then:thumbup I wouldn't worry too much about it. I wouldn't spend too much money on tires though because you know how the track eats them up. :yesnod But I do agree with pkracer21j about the race takeoffs. You can get them cheap and I have heard that alot of folks use them for trackdays. I plan on putting on a set for my trackday at Barber.

I have used Pirelli slicks and Michelin H2's. I would recommend those to you. Alot of my friends use Dunlop DOT's. I would guess they are a good choice also.

Spanky is absolutely correct about the heat cycles, with the warmers, you can prevent the tires from going trough multiple heat cycles and thus last a little longer as well as the ability to forgo the initial few laps warm up. I personally would rather have warmers budget or not, don't go once to the track and you can afford a set of warmers. Because track temps vary and you can never know when you've warmed the tires enough to have a go at speed after one lap. I realize people have different bugets, but one thing I've learned after going to track days with less than optimal equipment is that it is a lot more expensive to repair than to prepare. Even though the initial cost of getting all that stuff is a little stiff.

Originally posted by jqd02R1 don't go once to the track and you can afford a set of warmers. That's not completely accurate. A set of std Chicken Hawks (don't even consider any lesser warmer) is $450 retail, and that's not even considering the cost of a good generator, as many track facilities do not provide for ready or easily accessible AC power.

Roadracingworld mag, great place to look for used stuff. Espescially racing stuff. Got everything I need for about half the price. Chicken Hawks are good, easy to come on and off. There are some brands that have temp comtrol which I think is the best.

BE VERY VERY CAREFULL WHEN USING SLICKS if you are used to the proggresive slides you get with supercorsas or rensports beware !!! when slicks let go they do so big style!!!