Pirelli SC's and tyre warmers

[petro53]

Hi Y'all. I apologize if this has been addressed before but I could not find a reference for it. I recently bought a SV race bike that came with multiple sets of Pirelli SC's. I am a novice track rider (only 5 track days so far) and was told by someone that since if I do not use warmers I will not be able to generate enough heat in the tyre. My other track bike (hypermotard 1100s) has Michelin Pilot Power 3's and I do not use warmers with no issues. Thoughts??

[Stuart42]

Hi

Depends what track you are at and weather.

Somewhere like Brands being short takes a few laps to warm, but should get there eventually.

Mate was racing there last weekend and tyres weren't great, track temp was only 11 degrees mind you.

I race on roads and some don't use warmers on circuits like Tandragee which is 5 miles long.

But don't see why tyres not warming up after a few laps of most circuits.

Just take your time to give them a chance to warm.

I did race for years without warmers so is possible.

Hope this helps

Cheers
Stuart

[Red Herring]

The Pirelli's are road tyres so they shouldn't have to much of a problem being ridden cold initially, but just remember you need to heat the whole tyre up for it to work properly, not just the "surface". As you gain experience you will develop a "feel" for it but it's very easy to go out and ride gently for a couple of laps and then think the tyres are warm and go for it, and then wonder why you either wreck the tyre or the whole bike when it lets go....

You need to ride hard enough to work the structure of the tyre, yet not so hard that you tear the surface off it. If you're riding a dedicated track bike so have to trailer/van to and fro then it's well worth investing in a set of warmers, if you think about it they are worth two or three laps of every session..... and your tyres will be happier for it as they effectively only have to go through one heat cycle.

[petro53]

Thank you for the responses. I was led to believe the SC's were "track only" (which confused me as they are not a slick) so thanks for clearing that up. I would like to buy some warmers but I'm heading back to the U.S. in October and the U.K. versions won't work there. I think I'll try to rent them as I hate wasting track time in the later sessions.


Thanks again!


Mike

SCs are more racing orientated, but they come as standard on road bikes such as the pannigale 1298 and the new R1 etc

RoadRacing World and Motorcycle Technology did a test a few years back and discovered that (race compound) tires at the end of a sighting lap/warm up lap were almost as warm as tires that just came out of tire warmers.
I know track days don't have a warm up lap, but smart riders take one anyway as it doesn't just warm up the tires, it warms up your body and brain too, which is probably more important than having warm tires.
Something else they learned- park your bike in the sun if there is any.

[Red Herring]

This is a picture of a Dunlop D211 that has been ridden on at the wrong temperature. These are road tyres that are simply moulded without tread so they are the same compound/construction. All that has happened is where I have been getting on the throttle coming off the bends the surface has started to tear away. Fortunately I felt it happening and stopped before it was completely wrecked. Treaded tyres are slightly less susceptible to this as the tread allows the rubber to move and heat up, but hopefully you get the idea.

Originally Posted by Red Herring

This is a picture of a Dunlop D211 that has been ridden on at the wrong temperature. These are road tyres that are simply moulded without tread so they are the same compound/construction. All that has happened is where I have been getting on the throttle coming off the bends the surface has started to tear away. Fortunately I felt it happening and stopped before it was completely wrecked. Treaded tyres are slightly less susceptible to this as the tread allows the rubber to move and heat up, but hopefully you get the idea.

It's called "cold shearing".
How much did you lower the tire pressure to get it to stop? Too low and the tire will overheat, which makes them lose grip and wear out quickly too.
Tire vendors at the track will usually offer good starting points for setting tire pressures, but you still need to keep an eye on them, conditions do change through the day.

The most important thing is to check you pressure right after coming into the pit/depot and measure your "hot" pressure towards the spec sheet of the tires you have. A good indicator of wether your pressure is somewhere around optimal is the way your tyres look after a outing. If they look anything like the ones in this article you need to do something https://www.2wheeltuesday.com/2009/0...ur-motorcycle/

But checking them afterwards is like playing catch-up...

Having tyre warmers lets you get the pressure right(ish) before you get out, saves you 1 outing. And you check before you get out on track every single time, because when the ampient temperature goes up the tyre pressure rises, so you need to bleed of some pressure, or during the famous UK summers you might want to add more pressure

Buy a good pressure reader, not some 4.99 Sh*t from halfords

The faster than fast boys will most likely have a tyre core temperature reader(pyrometer with probe) but thats for pro's and not us mortals

[petro53]

Thanks for the insights! I appreciate the help.