Saltman;220089 wrote: Saw a post on the R10s in cold weather and it made me wonder about the 211s. I have 2 TD weekends left for this year and as of now the weather in the mornings have been around 40 degrees. In case it gets colder as my trackdays approach, I want to be prepared with the info needed.
I am running the 211 GPA DOT tires and I'm curious as to whether I need to change the pressure for the rear to be higher than 23 hot if the track temp is about 40-50 degrees? Also, should I lower the warmers from the 180 high setting to about 140 low to preserve the tire life?
If it very cold, there is not much you can do to guarantee not to tear. Changing the warmer temp is not going to be effective, simply because the temp of the tire will settle out within the first lap or 2.
Keep in mind that its colder in the morning, and thus more tearing in the AM than in the afternoon. Quite often riders will start to tear a tire in the AM, then make a change (temp, PSI or suspension), then go out later in the day when its warmer and have no tearing issues. Unfortunately they attribute the improvement to their changes (temp, PSI or suspension), when the higher temperature of the afternoon is what is effecting the tearing (or lack of) more than any other factor.
Also, using tires on the harder end of the spectrum are better on colder conditions to reduce tearing. I would not recommend using a softer compound in the cold, better to use a hard. If hard is not available go with the next softer (med).
Cold tracks do not have the same grip level as a hot track, regardless of tire compound choice. Don't complain if things are not as grippy in the cold as in the hot summer. Its a fact of life that every rider must deal with.