[Davidm816]

Hello,
Quick question on tires. How long do they last and do they need to be replaced for every race?
I use to race 250gp bikes and to be competitve you would need a brand new set of slicks for each race. Then I would use those tires for the next race weekend practice sessions.
Same thing for supermoto or will they last a few weekends?

Thanks,
David

 

[stingray]

depends how fast you are on the moto

 

[ronwest99]

For me (disclaimers: I'm not hard on tires, I'm not a front runner, I live in WA--it's not super hot here in the summer)

Front (soft compound) will last 3-4 races with great grip.. another couple races with ok grip, after that it the traction decreases. I ran the whole season here on 2 front tires.

rear: (soft compound) 2 race weekends is all I plan on getting out of a rear tire.

 

[siam]

hey ron, so how many laps would that total to?

 

[Fast150]

IMO no one can really know how long slicks will last on your bike. Like what was said above, it depends on your riding style, and how fast you are. They could last one race weekend, they could last a couple of race weekends. If you want to run up front and be competitive then a set (or even two) per weekend would be optimal, ie one set for practice and another for races. If you slide the bike a lot the rear will not last more than a weekend, IMO. In the club I race in the sprints are 6 laps. Some tracks can also be harder on tires than others. For instance, Motorsport Ranch (in the greater Ft. Worth area) is very hard on tires and on my RC I run an H2 rear and an M2 front and the rear only lasts 2, maybe 3 sprint races, but my bike also tends to be a little harder on tires because of the bike's weight (and mine), and because it makes a substaintial amount of torque. Tire life can also be limited if your bike's suspension is not setup properly. I would contact a tire vendor in your area that performs trackside services and get some insight from him/her as to tire life. There are just so many variables out there that it is hard to give an opinion. You may want to try the trial by fire technique. In other words, go to a race weekend, race and then inspect your tires and see what kind of wear you are getting out of them, and make your decision based on experience. Good luck, and give 'em hell!!

Robert

 

[Eddie]

On a gokart track or road race track?
Ive used my last two sets of slicks for about 10 practice days A SET, Yup Ive been parking lot racing, go kart track racing, dirt riding, etc for the past year and a half on two sets of slicks, just ask Brian.
As far as slow, I dont think im slow but if you ask Jeff Ward..... well then maby Im slow.. :lol:

 

[Flyin2low]

Don't slicks have a limit due to heat cycles? Like RonWest was alluding too.

 

[Big Zero]

I talked to a guy who ran the Aprilia Cup series and he mentioned the same thing regarding the heat cycles. He recommended getting tire warmers to put on between sessions. Say you do a open track day. You go out ten different times and run some laps. If you have tire warmers between, you have just subjected the tire to only one heat cycle. If you didn't put warmers on between, you just did ten heat cycles. Have you ever noticed the blue color on the edges of a used slick? The rubber is very stiff and takes some heat to get softened up again. The rubber has certain chemical properties that are destroyed by the heat. The more heat cycles, the less the tire is like it was when it was new. That is why the grip goes away after the tire has been used for several weekends. It has less to do with the rubber being worn away and more to do with the properties of the rubber that is left on the tire.

For the average Joe, this has little importance. Buy used slicks from the guys who feel the need to have fresh rubber all the time, go out and enjoy yourself. As someone else mentioned, if you want to run with the AMA guys then you will have to have the good tires every time out. If you want to run slicks and don't really puch the envelope of traction, used tires will do, and run them until the rubber is gone.

If you can afford tire warmers, they sound like a good investment. They prolong the life of your tires,a nd give you consistent grip right out of the pits.

later

Paul G