My RR4 is mainly used for quiet road rides, but on occasion I take it to the track and give it a proper workout. It's currently running Dunlop Q3s because a) they work, and b) they were on the bike (virtually new) when I bought it. Nothing at all wrong with them, but I'm wondering what the current state-of-the-art is for track use ? Mileage isn't a major issue, as my road kms are very sedate and very low (perhaps 50km per week at the most).
Q3's are good for both. There are also Michelin Pilot Powers and Pirelli makes the Diablo Rosso and Supercorsa tires. Bridgestone has BT and RS series tires. They should all hit your wallet kind of hard too considering they are soft and designed to last about 3,000 aggressive miles.
Generally, the less tread grooves a tire comes with, the more high performance it's supposed to be.
The supercoras SP is the best gripping non-race tire, but they wear very quick and are pricey. Value + performance, Q3 road and track. I'm impartial to the Rosso 2 (they have a Rosso 3 now) on the street, simply for a little extra mileage while still having good grip. To be fair though, all manufacturers make pretty good street and track tires.
You can ride Q3's until you are about half way through the fastest track day group, after that race compound tires + warmers are just going to give you that extra bit of grip.
They are very competitive for a street tire, I only lap 1-2 seconds slower on Q3's than full race tires, although race compound gives you a little more safety margin and room for error. The caveat is you need to push race tires hard for them to work. A luke-warm race tire is worse than a hot street tire. As soon as you have the pace to run a race tire, I suggest going towards it. Going out with a hot race tire saves you 2-3 warmup laps every session. Track time is expensive, so there is a cost not being able to run full pace in terms of track time and safety. Get a 2nd set of rims, use the Q3's for cooler/slightly damn laps as a spare set.
Hi Brian, for years I used the Bridgestone Racing Street lineup. I found them to be predictable and suitable to my style. About 3-4 Trackdays per year and the rest of the mileage on street. Went through a set a year.
Hi Brian, for years I used the Bridgestone Racing Street lineup. I found them to be predictable and suitable to my style. About 3-4 Trackdays per year and the rest of the mileage on street. Went through a set a year.
If you look around you can get a set of Bridgestone S21 180/55/17 120/70/17 for $150 shipped or 190/55/17 120/70/17 for $180 shipped after rebate. Apparent the use a triple compound setup for 5 wear/grip zones. Weight is similar the Q3s.
If that deal doesn't entice you, the Q3s are awesome for gripping on the street and as others have said they are great value on the track, currently there is a $40 rebate putting them at $220-$250 a set. The Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V2 are the lightest and may be the best streetable tire but cost $350-$380 a set.
I like Q3's or S21's for mostly street & some track.
I like Pirelli SC2 Race DOT's for mostly track & some street.
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