How many laps do you race on your tires?

[tankslapper]

Looking for any feedback from fellow racers who like me can't afford to throw tires away early yet at the same time need them to work. I would like to think I could get about 60 laps out of a rear, which would equate to about 7 races or so, plus a few laps of practice. Our track at BIR is either 2.5 or 3 miles depending on the configuration. I have heard stories from Keith Codes race school where they are going 100s of laps at a clip not too far removed from club racing lap times. Also, any absolutes where you definitely know its time to pitch the tire or is it more personal preference.

 

[Folly1]

What are you riding? A 650 is going to go a lot more laps than any 1000.

Ben

 

[unclejesse]

One set of dunlops can last you a long time..

I have heard from a few riders that they get good lap times out of 60 lap tires on a 1000

It really depends on the brand

Best of luck

 

[lemondrop]

until I crash...then i blame the crash on the tires and get new ones. I am never the problem, it is usually something wrong with the bike

 

[Suburbanrancher]

I average three sprints on my rears (Honda CBR1K) before they begin to feel past their sell-by date. I can squeeze a fourth in, but the slides start to come much more readily. A front will last a solo and four sprints, no problem.

That said, the tires last much longer at a trackday pace, and I still use my takeoffs for just that.

 

[jimgl3]

lemondrop;119164 wrote: until I crash...then i blame the crash on the tires and get new ones. I am never the problem, it is usually something wrong with the bike

hey! i resemble that remark...

 

[Macon663]

On Bridgestone BT003s on a 08 R6, I could get 2 sprint races out of them before the performance declined considerably. At that point, I could run them for another 4 races til the tread was gone but the grip wasn't there. Generally I would switch them out after 3 races and then use them for practice only. The front is good for 7 or 8 races and is generally awesome (the type 3).

 

[eagletangogreen]

Dunlop Ntec 211 Med compound front last so long I change it cuz I feel bad.
Rears have grip till the threads, best tires in the buis..

 

[Gorilla]

eagletangogreen;121159 wrote: Dunlop Ntec 211 Med compound front last so long I change it cuz I feel bad.
Rears have grip till the threads, best tires in the buis..

6 hours on a front Michelin slick is all I gota say LOL

 

[eagletangogreen]

Gorilla;121160 wrote: 6 hours on a front Michelin slick is all I gota say LOL

Right we did 2 hours on a front at Roebling, and used the same front an additional 4hours last week for a total of 6 hours. 209 laps at Tally and who knows what at Roebling on one front tire...

 

[NickMcCoy]

Macon663;119195 wrote: On Bridgestone BT003s on a 08 R6, I could get 2 sprint races out of them before the performance declined considerably. At that point, I could run them for another 4 races til the tread was gone but the grip wasn't there. Generally I would switch them out after 3 races and then use them for practice only. The front is good for 7 or 8 races and is generally awesome (the type 3).

2 sprints? Damn. Have you tried Michelins? I haven't found much rear grip loss until at least 30 laps in and I've raced a set for 60 laps and only lost about a second towards the end.

 

[Macon663]

NickMcCoy;121203 wrote: 2 sprints? Damn. Have you tried Michelins? I haven't found much rear grip loss until at least 30 laps in and I've raced a set for 60 laps and only lost about a second towards the end.

I ran 2 seasons on Bridgestones and ended up going decently fast on them (17s at Summit). After a while, I figured out that the soft compound rear was better than the medium compound everywhere I went. Brand new, the outright grip was just better. But after about 2 sprint races, it would start to spin and essentially feel like a medium tire would its entire life. Its not that the tire was bad, its just that it wasn't as good. But like everything else w/ motorcycle racing, you learn to ride around it and still go fast even tho the tire is spinning, even if it doesn't "feel" as good.

As for the front, 7 or 8 sessions probably isn't fair, I just usually changed it at that point because I got nervous. But w/ the rear 7 or 8 sessions was typically the max life I could squeeze out of it if i really needed to, but last year when I was winning a lot of free tires, I never bothered.

I haven't tried Michelins but I'm going to Dunlops this year. We'll see what that is like. But yea, I hear a lot of people like what Michelin is doing.

 

[D.Brown]

eagletangogreen;121159 wrote: Dunlop Ntec 211 Med compound front last so long I change it cuz I feel bad.
Rears have grip till the threads, best tires in the buis..

I agree, the N-Tecs do last, DOTS and slicks. I always have great feel with the rear, even starting the weekend out on used tires. I can"t push the front tire out at BMP , it will spin the rear up trying to push the front, and this is with a 750!!!

Run Dunlops until you have doubts, then give them to me....

D.Brown#111

 

[dbakerpa]

tires

I feel like I have alot of good rubber left after three track days but should I be worried about my supercorsas after being in an unheated garage all winter?

 

[headstart]

dbakerpa;121334 wrote: I feel like I have alot of good rubber left after three track days but should I be worried about my supercorsas after being in an unheated garage all winter?

Just keep an eye on them and see how they look after the first session. I ran my Pirellis at Barber in November and then left them in an unheated garage in Minneapolis all winter on the bike but on front/rear stands. I used them for double sessions last weekend and they were fine.

Probably not what the tires guys would recommend doing. If they don't seem to be gripping I would change them out just to be safe.