How to tell when you need new tires for the track

[Lazarus]

If you are planning a track day with your street bike, how do you know if your current tires are good enough? I've seen some organizations require "75% tread" but how much is that? My rear tire tread is still above the wear indicator but its getting flat in the center.

Even more challenging I think is know when to replace the front, although I think the ratio is generally 1 front per 2 rear but correct me if I'm wrong.

[Derrick]

If it's starting to flat spot then change it out. The bike will corner like crap.

1 front to 2 rears is a decent rule of thumb, but nothing beats a good visual inspection. Check for feathering, blueing, excessive wear, etc.

[signguy]

It will add depend on your riding style, confidence group you plan to run in. Good new tires on the track are cheap insurance against falling down and going boom....

[Lazarus]

Yea I think Todd was telling me that flatness is not good on the track. I am definitely ordering a rear but I dont know if I should get a front while I'm at it for an extra like $75. My front still looks good.

[RogueElement]

Could always look for takeoffs if you're just getting started. They generally havent flat spotted and have a decent amount of meat on the sides still.

[Lazarus]

Yea but then I have to find ones that dont need warmers because I have none.

[steve c]

In general, I would not run a street tire at a track day. The tire has lots of heat cycles on it (makes the rubber hard), and viewed from behind it looks like this |_|
Viewed from behind, a tire run at a track day will look like this \/
There is a big difference in how those two tires behave.

If you're a novice, takeoffs will do fine.
If you're going to purchase a new rear, I'd purchase a new front and be done with it. If you end up doing a lot of TDs, you'll be going through them pretty quickly anyway - assuming you pickup pace at the usual rate.

I ran several seasons w/o warmers. Just keep your head about you for the first 2-3 laps, especially if the track temp is cool.

Have fun,

s

[Todd]

Just because a tire is " bluing", doesn't mean shit. I've ran every brand of race tire in the paddock, can put 10 laps on them, come home and that tire in 2 days will have a blue tint to it. Main thing about buying takeoffs is to know or trust the person you're buying them from. I wont name names, but I've known racers that will lie and advertise tires having only 20 laps on them when in fact it'd be closer to 50 or more with 7-8 heat cycles on them. THOSE are the tires u wanna stay away from.

[cliff0529]

Just because a tire is " bluing", doesn't mean shit. I've ran every brand of race tire in the paddock, can put 10 laps on them, come home and that tire in 2 days will have a blue tint to it. Main thing about buying takeoffs is to know or trust the person you're buying them from. I wont name names, but I've known racers that will lie and advertise tires having only 20 laps on them when in fact it'd be closer to 50 or more with 7-8 heat cycles on them. THOSE are the tires u wanna stay away from.

I don't think I've ever been able to sell a set of mine. They cost too much so I run them till they're dead! :crackup: I actually raced on take-offs for a little while...Stickboy probably hated me, I'd buy his take-offs, then go out in Clubman and win $200 in contingency on them. :crackup: :D

[Todd]

I hear ya Cliff! I wont sell takeoffs if i dont think theyre good for a trackday guy to use. I also keep up with how many laps are on my tires. Typically i dont have to worry about it anymore (selling takeoffs that is). Since i started running Dunlops, those things last like no other tire out there, and they stick even once theyre shagged to hell. By the time i finish with them, theres no way id sell'em, theyre trashed. And since i got on slicks a couple of years ago, theyre even harder to sell to TD guys cus most of them wanna use them on the street too.

Been racing for 10 years now, and used to sell a ton of take offs, and i dont think ive sold any to anyone NOT on GSB, and have never had a complaint about the condition of the tires. I used to have people pm'ing me asking me to save them some cus i couldnt keep them long enuff. :lol: