Battlax BT-016 Pressures

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blueninja1

New Member
Hi guys,

I tried searching the forum but couldn't find much info on the battlax bt-016's. I have a set of OEMs on my bike and wanted to ask what are the ideal pressures for trackdays? Just as a benchmark, on the pirellis diablo SC2's I liked to run 31 psi front, 24 psi rear. What would this translate to in bt016 pressures? What are the characteristics of the tire compared to the SC's? Also keep in mind the tires are OEM and as I understand it they would handle differently than a set of tires you buy off the shelf. Not sure how much of that is a myth. Mine seem to handle okay (rear got a little skittish at times but nothing to be concerned about, easily controllable) but I only did some brisk street riding so far. Any help appreciated.
 
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blueninja1

New Member
thanks, sounds like a good baseline. any issues on how they wear (e.g., cold-tearing, etc.)? How long did it take for you to get fully comfortable with the tire on the track?
 
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1Bronco

New Member
I was running 30/30 cold to start with but they were not the OEM 016s. Think by the end of the day I might have dropped it a down one or two. Since it's a street tire you shouldnt have any tearing issues and should last a long time depending on your pace. I think the OEMs were a little harder so you might want to start at 30/30 and check what they are when hot. If it's really hot out you might get some greesy feeling out of them so watch out for that.
 
some guy #2

some guy #2

Member
I was on a 1000 so the tires (OEM) would get greasey after a couple hot laps. They gripped just fine just I couldn't hammer it out of a corner. I never tried to adjust suspension or anything but I don't think I ran them hard/long enough to get any tearing or wear issues.

I was going to use them as rain tires but they suck in the wet :) lol
 
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blueninja1

New Member
I got a question. How do I know what 'hot pressures' to set my tires to after a long journey. I'll be riding my bike to the track in the morning from Queens, well over 100 miles. I'd like to set the pressures to the equivalent of 30/30 cold. What would this equate to in my scenario right after I arrive at the track, if I set the pressures right away, or fairly shortly after I arrive.

Just to note, I will have the pressures set to standard 36/42 cold for the ride out to the track.
 
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1Bronco

New Member
blueninja1;268294 wrote: I got a question. How do I know what 'hot pressures' to set my tires to after a long journey. I'll be riding my bike to the track in the morning from Queens, well over 100 miles. I'd like to set the pressures to the equivalent of 30/30 cold. What would this equate to in my scenario right after I arrive at the track, if I set the pressures right away, or fairly shortly after I arrive.

Just to note, I will have the pressures set to standard 36/42 cold for the ride out to the track.
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I, and I'm sure almost all others, highly suggest you reconsider riding your bike to a track day. If you were
 
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blueninja1

New Member
I appreciate the thought and concern. Trust me I am not out to kill anybody or myself. I am just going to pace myself and have fun, not out to get any lap records or push it, just enjoy my bike in an open setting. I've done hundreds of miles at a time on my zx6r and know it is not ideal to ride long distance to the track. I've also done my share of track days, even doing 3 days in a row (camping out in a tent on the hard cold grass with no good food, crap sustenance, etc.) and I know how it is to feel exhausted as hell. I am in relatively good shape, I turn 27 on Thursday, ride motocross regularly, train at the gym, etc. just to ensure my body can take the punishment. Experience is the greatest teacher and I've had a bit of it in the past couple years. I'm mature enough to know my limits, how to ride to conserve my energy, and when to call it a day. That being said, I am not going to do the entire track day.

I will probably arrive close to tech time, so I expect maybe an hour or so to let the pressures settle. Do you think 45 mins to an hour is enough to let the tires go back to "cold" settings. I know it won't go back to as if I hadn't ridden in 8 hours, but how close should it get back to the cold pressures within the given time interval. I don't have much experience with how quickly the tire undergoes these changes. I'm figuring I will have to compensate for the pressure that has built up in the tire, but if you say that I should be fine setting it to 30/30 after an hour or so, I guess I can give it a shot. Will do some research too just to be on the safe side. Can never have too much knowledge. I appreciate the feedback though.
 
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blueninja1

New Member
Thanks Ruhe. I was trying to find out how much pressure builds up while making a trip. It is around 4-6 psi. MCN states that the tire should take 45 mins to achieve cool pressures on a typical summers day.

I did a bit of research because the thought of dropping my rear tire pressure by 12 psi does not sound safe to me. I found what I was looking for: http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Products/productsresults/Tyres/2010/March/mar2910-perfect-track-day-pressures/

Per MCN recommendations, I will drop the front and rear by 4 psi, which sounds like a much safer option. I understand that pounding laps at the track will increase the pressure, but I rather not risk making such a drastic change (12 psi drop) to the manufacturer's recommendation.

Some other sources I used in coming to this conclusion are included below. Hopefully others can use the resources to help themselves out if they have questions on tire pressures, cooling times, safety margins, and different methodologies used to read what pressures are correct.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Products/productsresults/Tyres/2010/March/mar2910-perfect-track-day-pressures/
http://www.maxxis.com/MotorcycleATV/Motorcycle-Tire-School.aspx
http://www.r6-forum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-115397.html
http://moto.bridgestone.eu/knowledge/advice/2012/05/tyre-pressure--inflation/
http://tires.about.com/od/Tire_Safety_Maintenance/a/Tire-Air-Pressure-Tips-And-Tricks.htm
http://books.google.com/books?id=gg1LM967OhMC&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=motorcycle+track+day+hot+tire+pressures&source=bl&ots=rIct3X0sd7&sig=ZIctUjHY_82yIDe3WZ9AOC8ODLE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=V-9SUb_zCdi24APhwIGwCA&ved=0CEgQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=motorcycle%20track%20day%20hot%20tire%20pressures&f=false
 
geekmug

geekmug

New Member
blueninja1;268406 wrote: Thanks Ruhe. I was trying to find out how much pressure builds up while making a trip. It is around 4-6 psi. MCN states that the tire should take 45 mins to achieve cool pressures on a typical summers day.

I did a bit of research because the thought of dropping my rear tire pressure by 12 psi does not sound safe to me. I found what I was looking for: http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Products/productsresults/Tyres/2010/March/mar2910-perfect-track-day-pressures/

Per MCN recommendations, I will drop the front and rear by 4 psi, which sounds like a much safer option. I understand that pounding laps at the track will increase the pressure, but I rather not risk making such a drastic change (12 psi drop) to the manufacturer's recommendation.
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That recommendation from MCN is bogus. There is no universal rule that can be applied to all tires from every manufacturer. You should talk to someone who has worked with Bridgestones before, and specifically BT016s. The tire vendor at the track would probably be glad to give you some advice on that. You probably will find other people among your peers that have used them before and can give you a starting point. I promise you that all of the information you need is available by listening to your fellow riders, and getting information on this stuff from the internet is, in general, a horrible way to go about it.

I used BT016s on my 600RR many moons ago and always started the day at 30/30 and made small adjustments from there. To be honest, street tires like these are very forgiving with pressures because they are designed to develop grip without constant duress, however that's also their downfall.
 
DUG

DUG

Member
BT-016s

28f/26r... COLD

Have run two sets of these almost to the cords. Both OEM tires on ZX6Rs. Set em before first session and forget em.
 
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