Compound choice in relation to temp

[buzz-06]

Was wondering what dunlop suggests as far as compound choice in relation to track temp. Ive always been told the warmer it gets the harder compound you run. Currently I have a soft rear mounted up and was curious with air temps being in the 90s and track temps above 100* would I run into any issues with overheating or anything else? Steve if there is a baseline Dunlop has for compound choice in relation to temps that would really help. Thanks alot, tire is a 211gpa btw

 

[erick1670]

if you are running a hot pace that soft will turn into mush by mid-day, you are better serve if you get med to hard for your rear...

last year I did a 95+ degree at T-bolt and I knew my tire would not hold up so I baby then the morning sessions, but after lunch I went hard on them.... just got 2.5 session with a BIG warning

general rule
soft= when cold
med= when mild
hard= when HOT

I run Dunlop 209 med f 211 med r on my RC on my 600 med front/med soft rear Michelins, am about to switch to slicks

 

[Mikey75702]

I thought Steve posted before that he recommends the medium compound for trackday use.... Could be wrong. And it could change if you are very fast or are racing on them too..... But so far I have been extremely happy with my med. 211gpa's.

 

[greeny]

from what i've heard in general from the dunlop guys, they base their compound recommendations according to track/surface instead of temps.

 

[steve p]

Just got done running all day in 104 degrees with softs. Still look like new. surface has more to do with it. I'm not an expert though.

 

[lplonske]

u ususally use hard tires in the cold

 

[buzz-06]

lplonske;203231 wrote: u ususally use hard tires in the cold

I'm glad someone brought that up, obviously pirelli is different from Dunlop but I've noticed in worldsuperbike the hotter it gets the softer tires they run. Never did sound right to me, but I appreciate all the input guys. Track I'll be riding is summit main, I suppose I'll just pick up a medium rear and if need be get it changed at lunch time.

 

[lplonske]

buzz-06;203234 wrote: I'm glad someone brought that up, obviously pirelli is different from Dunlop but I've noticed in worldsuperbike the hotter it gets the softer tires they run. Never did sound right to me, but I appreciate all the input guys. Track I'll be riding is summit main, I suppose I'll just pick up a medium rear and if need be get it changed at lunch time.

this is true in all series, at least the ones i watch. the softer tires can't get enough heat in cold weather. i realize it's counter-intuitive.

 

[slowpoke]

erick1670;203119 wrote:
general rule
soft= when cold
med= when mild
hard= when HOT

sorry Erick - i've got to respectfully disagree with you on this one.

i do the opposite on both Dlop and Pirelli. as has been said, track surface is a huge variable; however hot temps=softer compound for a general rule. harder tires will get greasy more quickly on a hotter day if all other variables are constant (ie, track surface).

Don't run soft tires when cold b/c you will destroy them very quickly.

 

[Matt H]

As Chris sort of stated in his last sentence, a softer tire in colder temps can also tear more easily as it can be not up to temp.

 

[erick1670]

slowpoke;203241 wrote: sorry Erick - i've got to respectfully disagree with you on this one.

i do the opposite on both Dlop and Pirelli. as has been said, track surface is a huge variable; however hot temps=softer compound for a general rule. harder tires will get greasy more quickly on a hotter day if all other variables are constant (ie, track surface).

Don't run soft tires when cold b/c you will destroy them very quickly.

cool, I run med/f & med/r on both bikes more because of tire wera, that`s why I say that. It works for me and I have read that when you run the sorter compounds is when you want to go fast quick and you not so concern in tire life.... lesson learn.

I havent experiment with soft or hard tires, only last year when I got a 209 med/soft and it got kill quick

 

[DUNLOP-RTS]

buzz-06;203096 wrote: Was wondering what dunlop suggests as far as compound choice in relation to track temp. Ive always been told the warmer it gets the harder compound you run. Currently I have a soft rear mounted up and was curious with air temps being in the 90s and track temps above 100* would I run into any issues with overheating or anything else? Steve if there is a baseline Dunlop has for compound choice in relation to temps that would really help. Thanks alot, tire is a 211gpa btw

There is no exact rule on this.

Keeping in mind that "SOFT" , "MED" and "HARD" are general terms for different compounds. Certain compounds act differently in different conditions.

If you ran a "SOFT" compound at one track under certain conditions with success, that does not mean that every "SOFT" compound will work everywhere else. There are too many factors involved. The biggest factor being that track day riders are looking for durability over .5 sec increase in lap times. With this in mind you generally want to go on the harder/durable side of the spectrum when picking a track day tire.

But the trade off is your choice.

Feel free to call me and we can discuss your specific situation and we can find a good choice for you.