Track Day Tire Selection?

[Hawkeye Driver]

Looks like I'm committed to my first track day on March 25th. Any tire recommendations for this specific purpose? I've got a 2002.

[MBrane]

Hard to go wrong with Pilot Powers IMHO.

[tharkun]

I run Dunlops, Ridden on Qualifiers before and now run GP-A's. Hard to go wrong with any really of the good brands. Really person preference and costs at that point.

[whiteboyslo]

I run Dunlop Q2s on both the street and the track. Love 'em. The last set did 3 track days and some street riding.

Mike

[zRoYz]

All you need for a VFR on the track is a quality tyre, friend was using Road2 front/rear when he did Phillip Island in Australia in Fast group overtaking 1/2 the group because he is mad without problems. His comment was he felt them squirm at max lean angle but nothing drastic. His lean angle that day was enough to scrap headers & lower fairing gen 6.

[johnmark101]

With all due respect to the previous post, scraping headers and lower fairings is more to do with the suspension not being properly set up, or being too soft. Granted, the bike would have to be leaned over a good bit for this to happen anyway, but with proper suspension set up you should hit pegs before fairings and headers.

When doing a track day I would recommend all the grip you can get.....it is a safety net. If you don't have a lot of cash to buy DOT race tires or better, go with the Dunlop Q2. The Q2 will provide plenty of grip right up to a pretty fast intermediate group pace.

[turtlecreek]

do you have any ride time on any particular tires already? if so, i would stick with them if they are sticky. like johnmark said, go with something a little sticky as it is your safety net. i think a Q2 or PP is enough though.

you dont want to add another variable if you dont have too though. so if you have ridden q2s, stick with them. if you have ridden PPs, stick with them. if all you have ridden is factory default tires, change them quickly to something better and try to get a little time on them just to get the feel of the bike with that particular profile.

[Baileyrock]

As mentioned, any new generation SS street tire will provide more than enough grip for track days thru Int. and lower A level groups. PP's, Q2's and Corsa's are all great SS tires.

Great info from TC to stick with what your on now if it's one of the mentioned SS tires.

If your on any OEM rubber, their junk and holding you back already.

Most traction loss events at the track are rider input errors IMO, same of the street if running good tires.

Have fun and take your time.

PS what's on your bike now?

[Hawkeye Driver]

As mentioned, any new generation SS street tire will provide more than enough grip for track days thru Int. and lower A level groups. PP's, Q2's and Corsa's are all great SS tires.

Great info from TC to stick with what your on now if it's one of the mentioned SS tires.

If your on any OEM rubber, their junk and holding you back already.

Most traction loss events at the track are rider input errors IMO, same of the street if running good tires.

Have fun and take your time.

PS what's on your bike now?

Pirelli Diablos...and they are done. Lots to think about here, thanks all.

[gradus]

I used PP and they were great for me. Not so sure that I'd be comfortable trying to quickly slow down from well over 100mph going into turn 1 on a harder center compount like Pilot Road 2ct. But I'm also not very experienced on the track.

[johnmark101]

If you decide to stay with Pirellis for the track, spend a few extra dollars and get the Rosso Corsa. It is their street / track day tire and will provide loads of grip.

Otherwise get the Dunlop Q2. Not only are they the top street super sport tire, and you can get them for around 220 bucks shipped.

[Baileyrock]

Pirelli Diablos...and they are done. Lots to think about here, thanks all.

Diablo's are slightly dated, but a great tire none the less. As mentioned the Rosso version would do a great job as would the PP's or Q2's!

[wera803]

Personally, I can't stand Dunlops. I won't run them on the street and won't run them on the track.

PP's are good for the track, but I don't like them on the street (I'm probably the only person too!!).

Bridgestone BT-016's work well for me on the track and the limited time I have ridden them on the street they feel good as well. I've always liked Pirelli's too.

[johnmark101]

Personally, I can't stand Dunlops. I won't run them on the street and won't run them on the track.

PP's are good for the track, but I don't like them on the street (I'm probably the only person too!!).

Bridgestone BT-016's work well for me on the track and the limited time I have ridden them on the street they feel good as well. I've always liked Pirelli's too.

Have you ever tried the Q2's?? They have been winning nearly all of the street / track day tire comparison tests. I would not buy Dunlop tires either until a good friend tried them and was very impressed. I mounted a set on my CBR 600 and liked them so well I put them on my VFR.

[zRoYz]

With all due respect to the previous post, scraping headers and lower fairings is more to do with the suspension not being properly set up, or being too soft. Granted, the bike would have to be leaned over a good bit for this to happen anyway, but with proper suspension set up you should hit pegs before fairings and headers.

When doing a track day I would recommend all the grip you can get.....it is a safety net. If you don't have a lot of cash to buy DOT race tires or better, go with the Dunlop Q2. The Q2 will provide plenty of grip right up to a pretty fast intermediate group pace.

Such is true but unfortunately in this case your dead wrong, bike in question has RC51 front end fitted with custom valving & springs to match rider weight & Penske shock rear also set up correctly. If your corner speed is fast enough & your hanging off as much as possible to decrease center of gravity you will still reach bike limits with lean angle possible with modern tyres. My 6th gen has Ohlins forks & Penske rear & I continually scrap parts mainly due to corner speed & how capable the VFR is, it doesn't have the ground clearance of a sportsbike so with a capable rider even with the best suspension available you will scrap parts. The pegs are first to scrap but there spring loaded so when your used to them scraping you just keep going, plus the fact the person in question & myself have cut away pegs installed to gain more clearance.

[johnmark101]

With all due respect to the previous post, scraping headers and lower fairings is more to do with the suspension not being properly set up, or being too soft. Granted, the bike would have to be leaned over a good bit for this to happen anyway, but with proper suspension set up you should hit pegs before fairings and headers.

When doing a track day I would recommend all the grip you can get.....it is a safety net. If you don't have a lot of cash to buy DOT race tires or better, go with the Dunlop Q2. The Q2 will provide plenty of grip right up to a pretty fast intermediate group pace.

Such is true but unfortunately in this case your dead wrong, bike in question has RC51 front end fitted with custom valving & springs to match rider weight & Penske shock rear also set up correctly. If your corner speed is fast enough & your hanging off as much as possible to decrease center of gravity you will still reach bike limits with lean angle possible with modern tyres. My 6th gen has Ohlins forks & Penske rear & I continually scrap parts mainly due to corner speed & how capable the VFR is, it doesn't have the ground clearance of a sportsbike so with a capable rider even with the best suspension available you will scrap parts. The pegs are first to scrap but there spring loaded so when your used to them scraping you just keep going, plus the fact the person in question & myself have cut away pegs installed to gain more clearance.

I used to scrape headers and fairings quite often with the stock suspension. I have a Penske rear shock and Traxxion built forks all set up properly and no longer have any parts touch down other than the pegs on occasion.....and that is with the feelers removed altogether. The rear has been raised about 6 mm to improved turn in so this may be a factor......and was part of getting the bike properly set up for spirited riding.

Cheers.

[george6x]

With all due respect to the previous post, scraping headers and lower fairings is more to do with the suspension not being properly set up, or being too soft. Granted, the bike would have to be leaned over a good bit for this to happen anyway, but with proper suspension set up you should hit pegs before fairings and headers.

When doing a track day I would recommend all the grip you can get.....it is a safety net. If you don't have a lot of cash to buy DOT race tires or better, go with the Dunlop Q2. The Q2 will provide plenty of grip right up to a pretty fast intermediate group pace.

Such is true but unfortunately in this case your dead wrong, bike in question has RC51 front end fitted with custom valving & springs to match rider weight & Penske shock rear also set up correctly. If your corner speed is fast enough & your hanging off as much as possible to decrease center of gravity you will still reach bike limits with lean angle possible with modern tyres. My 6th gen has Ohlins forks & Penske rear & I continually scrap parts mainly due to corner speed & how capable the VFR is, it doesn't have the ground clearance of a sportsbike so with a capable rider even with the best suspension available you will scrap parts. The pegs are first to scrap but there spring loaded so when your used to them scraping you just keep going, plus the fact the person in question & myself have cut away pegs installed to gain more clearance.

I used to scrape headers and fairings quite often with the stock suspension. I have a Penske rear shock and Traxxion built forks all set up properly and no longer have any parts touch down other than the pegs on occasion.....and that is with the feelers removed altogether. The rear has been raised about 6 mm to improved turn in so this may be a factor......and was part of getting the bike properly set up for spirited riding.

Cheers.

anyone got any vids of scrapping pegs and other body parts

[zRoYz]

I used to scrape headers and fairings quite often with the stock suspension. I have a Penske rear shock and Traxxion built forks all set up properly and no longer have any parts touch down other than the pegs on occasion.....and that is with the feelers removed altogether. The rear has been raised about 6 mm to improved turn in so this may be a factor......and was part of getting the bike properly set up for spirited riding.

Cheers.

Again my original post was directed at track days, because you have good suspension fitted means you can go faster, modern tyres have so much grip the VFR simply runs out of ground clearance when you push hard. Both bikes have rear raised to the max to obtain best possible clearance so on center stand rear tyre on flat surface has about 1mm clearance, just enough so you can still use center stand. The compression/rebound/preload are also increased from road settings but push hard enough you still scrap parts.

[wera803]

Have you ever tried the Q2's?? They have been winning nearly all of the street / track day tire comparison tests. I would not buy Dunlop tires either until a good friend tried them and was very impressed. I mounted a set on my CBR 600 and liked them so well I put them on my VFR.

No, I have not tried the Q2's. I have tried several other Dunlop tires though and always cup the front tire. I am anal about tire pressure as well and have had suspension work done to all of my bikes in the past because of my size.

I also change tires as a side business in my garage and I see more cupped front Dunlop tires than any other brand. I'm sure the traction is as good as many other tires, I'm just not willing to give up front tire life because of cupping.

[Baileyrock]

No, I have not tried the Q2's. I have tried several other Dunlop tires though and always cup the front tire. I am anal about tire pressure as well and have had suspension work done to all of my bikes in the past because of my size.

I ran a set of Q2's and by far they are the Best Dunlops I've ever run other than DOT race tires. They gripped well and felt very good, but IMO just aren't a big enough improvement to justify their short life (similar to PP's). You can buy PP's cheaper than Q2's and my PP/PR2 combo runs about the same price as the Q2's which provide All the grip levels I need for street riding and last twice as long!

[vfracer750]

Has anyone tried the Pirelli Diablo Superbike Pro Tire? It's a slick tire made specifically for trackdays. Supposedly no tire warmers needed and it stands up to heat cycles really well. I've been using PP's and PP2CTs for a while now but they wear out very quickly. Most of the major magazines have reviewed these tires with positive comments. I was considering them for my next track day. If anyone has some personal experiences, please post. btw, these are for my GSX-R, not the VFR.

TIA,

Roger

[leatherface]

Tires pilot road 3 been great , pilotpower ct dont last but sticks great, been using full bore usa tires been perfect for how i ride, wet Or dry exceptional soft enough to race. I been paying $98 for the full bore no complaints. If ur trickin Or Racing full bore usa has affordable with a superb compound Match

[turtlecreek]

I have not personally tried them. Talking with those that have, I get the feedback that they are excellent for track days right up to A group runners, but at the high end of that, they start to falter a little.

I used PP and PP2CTs for 2 years of TDs. I never had a wear issue to be honest. How many TD's do you get per rear? front? I just started getting to a point where my lack of skill and willingness to go faster started to meet the limitation of the tire's traction. I bumped up to the PR and PO Race compounds and the issue went away completely, but the life dropped rapidly. (Maybe 2 days of track days for a rear...sometimes only 1 at Tally without a flip as it has 90% left turns)

I guess I say all that to say the Pirelli Slicks seem to last longer than anything else out their at their level, but I have never heard anyone say the PP didn't last long enough and I am not sure the Pirelli will last much longer.

Do you still have tread and are just losing confidence/grip or are you wearing it down completely?

[spud786]

Its true,THe taller the bike is set up, the more ground clearance it has, and less likely to scrape as easily, the way the rider hangs off the bike will also lessen weight on the bike suspension itself, which can aide with ground clearance and scraping.

[leatherface]

Looks like I'm committed to my first track day on March 25th. Any tire recommendations for this specific purpose? I've got a 2002.

I like the M1 Full Bore USA, You don't get many miles, but they stick very well and cost is extremely affordable, And never had any of them come apart at higher end speeds of 160+mph, you can get them from Full Bore USA or Ebay at times. Cornering sticks like glue!