Dunlop 211, 180 or 190 rear??
- Thread starter racerx69
- Start date
dpullen
New Member
I would be surprised if you are using all of the front tire. I certainly don't, and I drag toes and fairings quite a bit. Check the wear on your front, you should see a few millimeters of unused rubber near the edge.
The 190 doesn't really give you much more lean angle.
That said, when switching from type of tires to another, the geometry generally will need to change. It's best to measure your current tires, then measure the new tires. You may need to change the front and/or rear height to compensate.
The 190 doesn't really give you much more lean angle.
That said, when switching from type of tires to another, the geometry generally will need to change. It's best to measure your current tires, then measure the new tires. You may need to change the front and/or rear height to compensate.
dpullen
New Member
Honestly, I don't know what the size difference is between the BTs and the Dunlops. It's best to measure and adjust regardless of what the product literature says...
When I switched from Pirelli to Dunlop, I measured and adjusted, and it felt/handled the same, but with a LOT more traction.
When I switched from Pirelli to Dunlop, I measured and adjusted, and it felt/handled the same, but with a LOT more traction.
I ran BT-016s, BT-003RS, BT003 race (type 3), dunlop 211 gpa's, and took circumference measurements on all. Don't have the numbers in front of me, but the 211's weren't different enough to warrant a geometry change. The front is very close, and the rear is slightly smaller. I went back to the 'stones because the dunlop carcass is too hard for my liking, and the turn-in on an 003 type 3 front is better due to the steeper profile.
The dunlops do wear better though.
kawaholic
Member
i've been picking steve brubaker's brain from dunlop over on the css forum. i ran the pilot power 2ct last year. i was very happy with them but thought about trying some q2's after all the hype about them. he doesn't say anything bad about the q2 but he really pushes the 211gpa. i had similar questions about suspension set up going from a 180 to a 190 rear tire.
here's what i got straight from steve,
Changing the ride height when you switch to different tires.
Assuming everything is perfect on your setup (which generally it is not, but we will assume this for this drill), you may need to adjust the ride height when changing from 1 style of tire to the other.
First find out the tire you have now, the tire you are going FROM. Find the diameters of these tires.
Then find out the diameter of the tires you are going TO. Subtract them, then divide by 2 (because radius is 1/2 of Diameter) and that is how much ride height you need to change.
Lets walk through this simply:
Michelin 2CT-
120/70x17 is 606mm in Diameter
180/55x17 is 640mm in Diameter
Dunlop D211GPA-
120/70x17 is 605mm in Diameter
190/55x17 is 643mm in Diameter
Now do your math-
FRONT: 606-605 = 1 mm in diameter (this is how much larger one tire is than the other), Divide by 2 for radius (this is because you are concerned with, from the axle to the ground height, the radius) = +0.5mm ride height
REAR: 640-643 = -3mm. 1/2 of -3 = -1.5mm
The results are-
+0.5mm front
-1.5mm rear
In a perfect world you would then raise the front 0.5 mm, and lower the rear 1.5mm and the bike will have the same ride height as it did with the old set of tires.
In my opinion, taking into consideration most riders do not have a perfect setup, its easier to not make a change if its only a couple of mm different. Put the tires on and ride, then make small changes as is needed for the chassis.
So to keep it real, there is no need to make these small changes, immediately, if you are not riding on the track record. As a track day rider or amateur racer, don't think your setup is so perfect that you need to make a 1mm change, instantly. ask yourself how many times you made a ride height change with your old tires and you will soon realize you would be splitting hairs. After you make the tire change and ride, then you can make small changes to see if it helps or not. (just because your ex girlfriend was blond doesn't mean you must always date a blond, add some flavor, try different things)
Certainly if you were a seasoned rider and had street tires and race tire you want back and forth with, you would be familiar with your ride height changes and if it made a difference to you, then you would make those every time you swapped back and forth, if you felt the need.
Steve Brubaker
Dunlop/Race Tire Service Inc.
Distributor for Dunlop racing tires Eastern USA
hth