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With the race approaching in Feb what are the limitations of race DOT tires? I am currently running the Bridgestone R10 (2) which are great for my riding level when warm, but are like stone when cold. I question if the tires will hold the heat on a cold track, what is the consensus for tires racing in cold weather?
i raced all day at OHR in 22 degrees on DOT's. I had a ton of grip, until I didnt. :biggrin:
So just street tires? Not the racing DOTs that require warmers.
I honestly dont know.Quote:
Originally Posted by James DeFrain
I am sure somebody with better knowledge will chime in but its pretty chilly here and people seem to be running all three types of tires (street, DOT, Slick) with adjustments to softer compounds. I am sure one of the tire guys can give some input.
I’m sure the consensus would be.... buy tire warmers? If you like the tires you run when warm, why not just always keep them warm and save heat cycles in the tires and save money!
I always use tire warmers, but if the weather and track are cold not sure the tires will hold the heat to keep them from turning to stone. I have a set of Bridgestone rs10 that are pretty gummy even in the cold, as this is my first winter on the track I was seeing what experienced racers do for inclement (cold) weather.
I guess I was thrown off by your comment about using DOT’s that don’t require warmers? Never mentioned you use warmers (which is about all you can ask for in the cold and obviously speed holds the temp coming off warmers)
It’s all going to be preference. You could ask 20 different people and could get 20 different answers. Like Christopher stated above, some will run DOT and some will run Slicks. Not so sure I’ve ever seen “street” tires used just because of the cold though. Nor have I seen a tire rep have a “street” tire on the rack just cause of the cold either.
I am guessing you are buying your tires from David Hirsch?
I would start with him. He knows his stuff and it is part of the reason you buy from anyone of our tire vendors, for their knowledge.
Good advice I'll check with David, I was hoping to be little more prepared in the case of a cold track, but the weather here in Houston just shifted 50 degrees in a couple of days so probably won't know what to expect until Feb 11.
I researched the CMRA forum and found posts referencing races with temps in the 30s, they mentioned soft compound tires (which I don't have) and one statement to run rain tires. Thanks again.
46 for a low with a high around 65 based on historical avgs for the past 80+ yrs in/near Angleton for Feb. 9-11
Avg precipitation for the whole month is 3.5 inches. Feb has the least amount of rain compared to all the other months. You now have the data, what will you do?
Probably wait until race weekend with the expectation of having to purchase tires, but will confer with tire vendor for recommendations. I'm trying to limit exposure to newbe mistakes and at this point I don't know what I don't know. Thanks for input.
If you aren't positive about your tires, replace them. Also, use tire warmers.......... that's my 2 cents.....which is probably worth about 0.25 cents......on a good day....
So Sundays race was a lessons learned as the track was dry so I went out on the Summer tires, which proved to be a mistake as I went down on turn 12 the back end slid out. I noticed rain tires being used even though the track was dry.
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I don't think there is such thing as a cold weather tire or a summer tire. But I do know that both Jay and I ran Pirelli slicks. I ran the SC2 Front and the SC1 rear combo and they stuck great! Biggest thing with riding in colder weather is setting your pressures a little higher in the front off the warmer because your going to lose heat in the tire on the track, causing you to lose pressure.
-Alan Phillips
Really? I thought the whole purpose of pressures was to maintain heat, and lowering pressure increases heat. What you've stated seems backward. I concede you're turning fast laps, not me, so you're likely right, it just surprises me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Phillips
Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh Henke
When It is cold like it was at MSRH and you have your warmers on the tires, you are heating them to a certain temperature causing the pressure to rise. Then you are going out on a extremely cold track which normally your front tire will lose heat causing the pressure to lower, so to compensate the loss of heat/pressure on track I would raise the pressure on the warmers. Otherwise if you set at what you would normally then your tire will start to roll due to being low in pressure which is what mine was doing earlier in the day. I was about 2-3 lbs low and could feel the bike being harder to turn after lap 1 so we added more air to be about 2 lbs higher than normal on the warmers and it was spot on when we came off the track. Those 2lbs might not seam like a lot but it makes a huge difference in how the bike handles.
I think the historical weather patterns failed us for the 1st round.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Gooding
Exactly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Phillips
The other option, and if you have the luxury of tire warmers with an adjustable temp, is set the warmer at a lower temp, closer to what the race temp will be to avoid the same problem. There will be little if any cooling and you'll maintain optimal tire temp. In addition, your out lap should not be a slow stroll to the line (nor should anyone elses!) and hopefully you won't be held on the line too long either. I suspect the latter may have contributed to Alan's fall in turn one.
Sorry for your fall Alan. You and Dustin were having some good scraps up front.
your right about the tire pressure as I checked them right off the warmers. I was surprised by how little traction I had and these tire ran great the last race of the season at MSRH. Hopefully I'll get it dialed in at NOLA thanks for the insight.