DUNLOP-RTS;188845 wrote: Feel free to disagree. Your first hand observation on PSI with Q2 has been noted, thanks. However I must point out that the missing factor here is his lap times. Your comment might very well be true, but there are to many factors to give 100% perfect answer to this rider.
I can say that a couple of PSI is NOT going to part the Red Sea and provide many second faster lap times. If our test riders can go within 5 seconds of the class record on a 100% stock bike with 32 PSI cold and Q2, then riders experiencing problems at 10+ seconds slower are not tire or PSI related. The first thing to address is the rider, the second is the bike, 3rd being tires.
I think we are in somewhat violent agreement on the majority of this
where I think we differ is your order of things to address. I would address the tires first as it is the easiest of all to resolve. next I would ensure that the bike is properly sorted out. Finally i would adjust the rider.
If my tires have too much pressure, they are going to make my rear end feel squirrely. this in turn will greatly diminish my confidence. this will dramatically cut my drive off corners as I will feel i have to ease up some due to feel / potential grip issues in the rear.
I do not disagree, that most of the issue may be the rider, but in working with other riders to increase their abilities, I find it easier to address the other stuff first, so that then when I tell them they need to do something specific on the track, they will have the confidence int he equipment. In most instances we are talking about a rider who is not 100% confident in their own abilities on the track. If they are only at 70 - 80% about their abilities, on a perfectly setup bike, imagine how they will feel when they think their is something wrong with their bike.
Finally, as I think we both have been alluding to, I can only share what has worked for me and the riders I work with. That does NOT mean it is perfect for everyone. I am confident though, that it is a good starting point.
cheers
FYI - I am glad of the debate. it is too often on these that we get one "knowledgeable" opinion, and then just a bunch of agreement. I like the opportun ity to be proven wrong, and learn something new, or if the concensus is that I am correct, hopefully someone else can elarn something from the discussion.
As an aside, last year I ran the bridgestones exclusively. I had to change to the Q2's this year, as they make a lot more sense for me right now from a financial perspective. After getting the pressures to what works for me I have been VERY impressed so far. Grip feels almost as good as my BT003 Pro's, but there is NO COMPARISON in terms of durability. I already have 4 full days on this set, and I should get 1, possibly 2 more out of them. I was LUCKY to get 2 days out of the race tires last year.
