DOT Race vs Slicks...Which is more economical??
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Are you suggesting that middle Intermediate paces aren't fast enough to keep a DOT race compound tire hot enough but that they are fast enough for a TD Slick tire? I was thinking that any slick is going to have a higher required operation temperature than any slick b/c any street legal tire is designed to be able to be used without tire warmers where everything I've heard about slicks is that if you generally use them without them, then you shorten the life of the tires and they might not heat up fast enough to be completely safe the first several laps.
FYI the TD slicks everyone is referring to are actually the Pirelli Supercorsa PRO (pretty sure that's it). There really aren't any other tire manufacturers offering (marketing) a slick that is not a full race compound even though they are also targeted at club racers. Think of these as more of an endurance slick. I ran the treaded version of these tires and I liked them a lot.
Where are you located? You should have a local Pirelli race tire rep. If you look around the board, you may be able to find some hanging around.
HondaGalToo
Control Rider
Close, the trackday slick (as it's listed on the poll in another thread on here) is called the Pirelli Diablo Superbike PRO. They have a red stripe around them. Correct, they aren't a full race compound, and don't require warmers. I also ran the treaded version and also liked them a lot, too bad they discontinued them.
Pirelli Diablo Superbike is the name of the race slick. No stripe. Pirelli's nomenclature is so confusing!!
Dragon Supercorsa pro is the older race tire still available at a good price point.
Diablo Supercorsa is the current DOT race.
Diablo Rosso Corsa is the hypersport street tire, comparable to the Dunlop Q2.
There isn't an official east coast Pirelli distributor at the moment. Used to be Rich Cronrath at Innovative Motorcycle Research, but he and Pirelli parted ways a couple of months ago. They haven't named another distributor yet, but they're working on it. There are other distributors in other areas that we can purchase from in the meantime.
However, Shagmoto (new nesba affiliate) appears to be a Pirelli distributor now, along with other brands. I'll be purchasing through them now, as their prices should be the same as any other race distributor. We'll see once the website is up and running!
Ah, just saw you're in FL. Not sure who the distributor is down that way. Check with Motorcycle Power House http://www.mphbikes.com/
gkotlin
New Member
Your not going to cycle out a tire. Maybe if you're name is Spies you're going to notice the difference in grip after running the tire a few weekends. The rest of us. Not. If you're getting 10 days out of tire and are worried, then change it out. I'll take it when your done
You don't want to run street tires unless it's cold out or maybe raining. They aren't going to be as predictable in a slide and are not the right tool for the job. A DOT Race tire like the Q2 or the track day tires are going to be great for you. They don't require warmers.
Buy good tires. Ride and enjoy yourself. If you have questions on your tires, ask when you go through tech.
You don't want to run street tires unless it's cold out or maybe raining. They aren't going to be as predictable in a slide and are not the right tool for the job. A DOT Race tire like the Q2 or the track day tires are going to be great for you. They don't require warmers.
Buy good tires. Ride and enjoy yourself. If you have questions on your tires, ask when you go through tech.
^^^very sound advice. I think I'm probably going to roll with the Pirelli Superbike Pro's. The review on Motorcycleusa.com makes them seem like the perfect tire for the trackday junkie (which I hope to become) being that it offers such a great middle ground of performance, durability, and affordability. I also plan on using warmers with them and hope to get some spare wheels and rain tires to augment them eventually.
HondaGalToo
Control Rider
I'm confused, I thought the Dunlop Q2 is a hypersport street tire, not a DOT race? And I also think that the Q2, or a comparable hypersport tire like the Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa are perfect for new track riders well into an upper I pace.:dunno:gkotlin;232132 wrote: Your not going to cycle out a tire. Maybe if you're name is Spies you're going to notice the difference in grip after running the tire a few weekends. The rest of us. Not. If you're getting 10 days out of tire and are worried, then change it out. I'll take it when your done
You don't want to run street tires unless it's cold out or maybe raining. They aren't going to be as predictable in a slide and are not the right tool for the job. A DOT Race tire like the Q2 or the track day tires are going to be great for you. They don't require warmers.
Buy good tires. Ride and enjoy yourself. If you have questions on your tires, ask when you go through tech.
Cyclepath
Member
HondaGal, When you move to Chicago you gotta come work the tire sales with me. You are on your game!!
Greg fumbled a bit on that but everything else was perfect. HG is right, Q2 and Diablo Rosso Corsa are DOT Hypersport "Dual Compound" tires. Street compound in the middle, track compound on the sides. That being said, they work very well up to a certain pace, that pace cannot be defined but is a feeling only known to the rider.
As for heat cycles, i always love this conversation. The long and the short of it is, DONT WORRY ABOUT IT. More importantly, dont run old tires. I have seen old tires harden up, something sitting in the garage or barn a couple years. Heat cycling was a major issue in the "Old" days, 2007 and older. Since then tire technology has pretty much solved that problem. It is possible, but very rare.
TD Pro Slicks do not require tire warmers. Those tires were specifically developed with the trackday ride in mind and have a rubber compound designed to heat up quickly without the use of warmers and will not heat cycle. You can however use warmers without any issue. That tire is setup to run with little or no suspension changes but to be honest, if you are serious about getting the most out of your trackday you need to play with your suspension. It will improve your riding, your grip and improve your tire life, on any tire.
fitz
New Member
I was one of the first to start using the TD Pros (the name that people are using now it seems) and I've been happy with them ever since, the feedback alone that you get from them IMO is worth the price.
The first year I didn't use warmers with them, they worked fine without them up until I was impatient and didn't let them warm up enough and almost had a "situation". Plus it's sooo much easier to set your pressures. Get the warmers if you can afford them.
If you have some flexibility with your track days IMO it's better to spend the extra $175 for the elite membership and be able to choose the days you ride then to spend $700-$1000+ on extra wheels/rain tires just so you can ride in the.........rain.
fitz
some guy #2
Member
What pressures are suggested for the Pirelli TD slicks?
fitz
New Member
I hate getting involved in these tire debates but I'll give you some of my opinions about the TD slicks FWIW.
The profile of the tire makes for some amazing turn in, maybe a bit too much if you're not used to it.
The feel of a tire IMO means everything and these tires give great feedback.
No issues flipping the tires.
As already stated they wear very well.
Heat cycling is not an issue, I've abused these tires to the EXTREME, no warmers with hot southern track days (it's melting it's melting) - stored all winter in a cold northeast basement - and then back in the heat.
Give the new tires time to get scrubed in, I know they say that they don't use release in the tire molds anymore and it's not an issue (and maybe I'm just crazy) but they sure seem a little slick at first.
In the southern summer heat they reached their limit, if I could have waved a magic wand and put race rubber on I would have.
The Pirelli wiggle, get used to it, because of that soft carcus it will move on you a little, setting your preload in the back to about 27mm or less helps.
My .02
fitz
The profile of the tire makes for some amazing turn in, maybe a bit too much if you're not used to it.
The feel of a tire IMO means everything and these tires give great feedback.
No issues flipping the tires.
As already stated they wear very well.
Heat cycling is not an issue, I've abused these tires to the EXTREME, no warmers with hot southern track days (it's melting it's melting) - stored all winter in a cold northeast basement - and then back in the heat.
Give the new tires time to get scrubed in, I know they say that they don't use release in the tire molds anymore and it's not an issue (and maybe I'm just crazy) but they sure seem a little slick at first.
In the southern summer heat they reached their limit, if I could have waved a magic wand and put race rubber on I would have.
The Pirelli wiggle, get used to it, because of that soft carcus it will move on you a little, setting your preload in the back to about 27mm or less helps.
My .02
fitz
AdrenalinPlease
New Member
I love the tires, and FWIW I think they can be run at any pace and work amazing. I have been using them with warmers, as Fitz said "Getting impatient" is what I started to experience. Take the warmers off and full speed ahead.