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Power pures at track

3K views 23 replies 14 participants last post by  ChiefSmokeDawg 
#1 ·
Any suggestions as to what pressure hot and cold I should be running power pures at? At the track with no tire warmers.

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#2 · (Edited)
They are ma favorite tires. 29/26 cold. Maybe 28/26 if you're fast and it gets hot out, like around 2 pm tomorrow it will be 70+.

We can start you at 29/26 or maybe 30/27 and work from there based on your feedback. But 28/26 is my ideal setup, but until the front gets hot, it's a little heavy on the steering input, but it's also a sweet indicator of when the front tire is heating up because steering gets much quicker.

You want the lowest pressure possible with still having good control initially. The lower the pressure, the faster the tires warm up and the hotter they get overall.

I have a real good tire pressure gauge and we can sort this out by setting it initally and then checking em RIGHT when you get off the track and adjusting based on feedback from you.
 
#4 ·
They are ma favorite tires. 29/26 cold. Maybe 28/26 if you're fast and it gets hot out, like around 2 pm tomorrow it will be 70+.

We can start you at 29/26 or maybe 30/27 and work from there based on your feedback. But 28/26 is my ideal setup, but until the front gets hot, it's a little heavy on the steering input, but it's also a sweet indicator of when the front tire is heating up because steering gets much quicker.

You want the lowest pressure possible with still having good control initially. The lower the pressure, the faster the tires warm up and the hotter they get overall.

I have a real good tire pressure gauge and we can sort this out by setting it initally and then checking em RIGHT when you get off the track and adjusting based on feedback from you.
Don't you want to run higher pressures if it's hot, so you don't overheat the tire? Tires continue to make my head hurt.
 
#8 ·
I definitely agree that the Pures like to run lower pressure - the tires are as light as they are because they're thin (3 plies opposed to typical 5-6)- as a result they can expand quite a bit with higher temps. I started running like 30/29 with them and as soon as we got some warmth I was sliding all over with the rear. I ended up finding ~28/26 to work very well... and we're talking 100+ degrees outside.
 
#9 ·
The tires are gonna get hot no matter what. They are a street tire. The main objective is to find the right tire pressure that performs the best and maintain it.

If the tires overheat and get greasy on you, you need Different tires. Cause when you run into that scenario, adding more pressure is gonna further degrade the traction of the tire and it'll have less contact patch and just float on u
 
#12 ·
Nah, I'm talking about hot pressure.

I'm not concerned with how much pressure they pick up. I'm just concerned with keeping them at the optimal pressure the tire works best at. That's all that matters. I'm not trying to slight Dave Moss or anything, but I personally run warmers so I don't know what the tires really pick up from cold to all the way at track temps. Why worry about math and all that when you can just ride the bike and do what works?
 
#13 ·
Also, 28/26 has worked great for me with the Pures. I'm just trying to understand tires better in general so I can work things out for myself when they don't work great.

I had a low side on Pilot Powers in the scorching heat last year that made me feel like I had no idea wtf was going on with tire pressures so I've been aching to get this shiz figured out to make sure it doesn't happen again.
 
#14 ·
I hear ya bro. Like I mentioned earlier.. If the tire is spinning on you and you are at the optimal PSI for the tire, you can't bump the pressure up or do anything without degrading the tire's performance. At that point you need to change tires to a race tire, or something that is made to operate up in that higher temperature range without melting off in a few fast sessions.

It happened to me with the pures and they still have a place in my heart tho.. That's on my 02 street bike. :lmao I got bumped, did two sessions, and looked at my tire all like :eek5 Where did half my tire go? :confused: Showed up the next weekend on the 08 with TD slicks and never looked back. :fact
 
#20 ·
When you run street tires at the track it's a crap shot. They don'y really like low tire pressures too much. They work in time, but there is a fine line between life, traction, stability and functionality. 28/28 is a good starting point in general with street tires. If the tire is wearing well and you feel that you could use more traction then drop the pressure a little. What your looking for is the overall gain in tire pressure from cold to hot. Your looking for about 5-7 psi. increase from cold. If you start at 28/28 and the front only goes up 2 psi and the rear 3 psi. Then you know you can go lower. So you pull a pound out of each tire, run again and see if performance improves and pressures reach target area.

If you start with a low pressure, the tire will be very squirmy at first along with reduced traction because of low heat. Starting a little high and then going lower gives you a better idea of where the tire wants to be with your riding. The tire is designed to have 36 psi in it. Going lower adds traction but reduces life. Going too low at first will make for a hairy ride if you go out full bore right off the bat. Too high a pressure and you get the same result. 28/28 is a pretty safe start point, but I wouldn't go lower. Remember to take it a little easy the first few laps and sessions and build in as the day progresses. With this approach you will have to keep an eye on the tire pressure immediately after you come off the track, but it will help prolong tire life and still give you reasonable traction to start.

Most race tires are sitting at about 28/21-24 cold tire pressures. Target areas are in the 32/29-32 hot. The front usually has a lower pressure build. Anything more than 32 is probably too hot for the front. The fronts on even street tires is pretty similar as far as hot temps. Go too low and the front gets squirmy. The rear is different. The race tires like the build in heat and can handle low cold pressures. Street tires not so much. Which is what makes the street tires such a hassle. You should stick to the 5-7 psi. rule for pressure build from cold on the rear tire. Starting in the middle of the zone helps keep stability and reduce tire wear.

You may find that the 26 psi in the rear works out? I wouldn't start there though. Street tires are designed around a pretty specific heat range and it's not like a race tire. Too low and you will shred them quickly, too high and you will have bad traction all day. Feel for squirmy ride at first and wait 2-3 laps before really pushing. If it feels solid then push forward cautiously. If you feel you can have more and the tire pressure build is in the ideal range, then drop the tire pressure and see how you like it. It's not a magic number per se. Each track day is different from track temps, to rider attitude. The real thing is to keep track of the tire throughout the day and be certain of your starting cold pressure.
 
#21 ·
You know, I was really looking forward to putting on a new chain and sprocket and saying yeah, good to go for my first time on the track! THEN I come across this thread and fffFFFFUUUUUUUUU!!!!!

Good stuff to find before I try my first track day. Looks like I'll be spending more time in getting a feel for it mode than I planned. I just put on Michelin Pilot Powers last month. I figured they would be great until I start to outride them and get better but it seems that theres more to it than that. Am I just going to turn it to melty bits if I try to track them or will they be fine for the first couple of times out?

I swear just as I think I am starting to get things I stumble across something that tells me I don't know shit. *raises hand* I NEED AN ADULT!!!! :laugh
 
#22 ·
not going to read through the whole thread but I will after this

if there is a tire dealer out there, which there should be, then they should list recommended tire pressures for the day for different brands of tires
 
#23 ·
Pures cold pressures

27.5 R and 30 F

I am a Michelin dealer,And ALL tire guys will list the pressures I listed above. Those are VERY good starting points, If the Tire feels like it is pushing Bump the PSI UP 1 IF the rear is spinning DROP the PSI 1
 
#24 ·
Tried these pressures this weekend with excellent results. And the 190 pure on the r6 rim gets a strange edge by the edge of the shoulder. Regardless, they did awesome when the track was wet in a couple spots.

Once it dried up a bit I put in a handful of laps. After not having used them on the track in ages I was still really impressed. You aren't gonna get the drive of a DOT or the trail braking grip either, but I was still able to run around in the race group and make a bunch of passes. 2-4 seconds off my regular pace and 7-8 seconds off the slower AMA 600 times at Jersey.
 
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