Hi, new here, and new to track days. So I'm going into this completely green, 18 years riding experience on street & some off road experience. I've never done a true track day, (did a supermoto day years ago). In prepping my bike for this season, not sure what tires to put on it to get going. Obviously I'll be slow and have a ton to learn, so most any tire will likely be good for me starting out. But I'd like to be on something that people doing track days with STT and Autobahn are familiar with just to get on board with parity with those around me. Also so getting advice for pressures and reading my tires going forward will be with a tire that is popular for novice/intermediates. Can you guys tell me what brand most are on and then also maybe which model tire would be good for my first season doing track days? Thanks!
Hi Adam, First off, welcome and congrats on the purchase. To answer your question, since SportBike Track Tire Service is at all of the STT days, and they sell / support Michelins, I would suggest you start there. They have tires that will take you from track beginner to expert racer level. The fast guys are running the Power Evo or slicks, which should be used with warmers. The Power RS might be a better choice for novice / intermediate. Give them a call, and they can sort you out. Matt
Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa are good tires for a street/trackday bike. To be honest, your limit in novice on your first several track days is usually yourself so much more than the brand of tire you are riding. I mean you'll definitely want tires that aren't squared off from highway riding and tires that aren't half a dozen seasons old and have sat out in subfreezing temps.
Great advice above. Please give Dave a call at Sportbike Tire Service (734.210.8859) for personalized help. There are also benefits track-side if you're an STT member
This is a track only prepped sv650. Will never see the street. But I need to get up to speed myself and start from novice group. I just want to be on something that is familiar and used often by guys that are in this organization and designed for my ideal pace/trajectory for first season, and so that any pace/air pressures advice is directly related as much as possible to what I'm on because people know and use/used the same tires in novice/intermediate. The bike had few years old set ofof Michelin power ones or something like that on it that needed warmers I think. I tossed them when I went through the bike and freshened it up. I have no tires currently on it now. Thanks for the advice so far. Will give Dave a call.
On an SV, I ran mid-pack advanced times with Q3s. So any hypersport tire would suit you just fine. Michelin Power RS, Q3+, etc. There are also special track day tires available from Dunlop, the Q4, and Pirelli, the TD. Both are be great tires, but will wear out quicker than the Q3+ would. I'd recommend a set of Q3+ to get started off and, honestly, keep running that level of tire until you're in advanced. Slicks would be a waste of money until you can really use them.
If your tires are new, run them. Once you start looking at mid high novice consider stepping up. Most decent street tires will handle novice well IMO. If your tires need to be replaced I know many who love the Q3 and used them to mid I and into A group.
Went with Michelin Power RS due to it being the brand that the track side service support is vending at my first event and the combined advice here. Thanks for all the responses
Not to hijack the thread, but as a novice rider who will be going to track days for a year or two with full intentions to race. (as soon as i feel fast enough, and have graduated from comp school) Should I just start using whatever tire is allowed for racing? (I have warmers) That way I can just gain experience on the tire and work my bike around those limits. I'm coming from car racing, (7+ years) and one of the big progression moments for me was switching to the tires allowed in my class used (100TW or higher) and learning how to set the car up for them at HPDE days.. Not to say ill be fast on a bike just because I might be "fast" in a car.. However, I feel like a lot of the basics transfer over.. (setting markers for braking, turn in, finding apex, corner exit, maintenance throttle etc..) I've been street riding for about 12-13 years.. but i don't feel that has much to do with track days.. At least it doesn't with cars. sorry again to hijack..
Opinion incoming: Yeah, I'd recommend a minimum of sport tires until you're in advanced. You'd be wasting your money running race tires until you needed them. Hell, you might even be slow enough that the tires won't get up to operating temperature and they'll be worse than a good street tire. A nice little anecdote that comes to mind is about one chilly morning at Barber in 2016 or so. The first Advanced session, about nine riders on race tires went down on the first lap. I just remember coming over 14a and seeing three bikes all tangled up in the grass. Race tires are great, but they need heat to operate. Experience on a tire doesn't matter until you can start to discern what's actually going on down there. I feel like that comes after some comfort has been established at a pace that necessitates that particular type of tire. That is to say, a brand new rider probably wont approach the limits of a touring tire the same way a more intermediate rider wouldn't necessarily approach the limits of a good sport tire. There's a point where your pace will outrun a tire's design intent. Then it's time to move to a better compound. As you get smoother and your incremental changes become less severe, sensations like the tires moving around will start to be pretty apparent and well within control. I just feel that until you reach a certain level, tires are tires. Pick a brand you like and run their sport compound. Q3+, Rosso Corsas, S22s, Power RS, etc. You could get away with one of the more modern track-day tires like the Pirelli TD or Dunlop Q4 if you really felt spending the money, but I imagine you'll just get fewer laps out of a set with no discernible benefit. You aren't going to gain a whole lot from having the highest level of rubber beneath you when your braking and corners capabilities are underdeveloped. Tire warmers are great for any tire, but only necessary for race compounds. They can be set to the lower or warm setting for street tires just for that peace of mind.
Good morning, thanks for all of the insight and questions concerning this situation. I have an awesome suggestion for tire usage considering your situation with the direction that you want to head. I would love to personalize it with a conversation and I encourage you to give me a few minutes on the phone--you can reach me at 734-210-8859 directly and I will explain your options. With that said, the Michelin RS is the best option considering your situation and here are a few reasons to justify my suggestion----high performing track tire, no need for warmers, quick tire warmup, cost effective, long lasting, great mid level tire that allows you to perform in wide range of ability, and the proper step in graduating to our Power Cup EVO tire as you progress. I personally use these tires on my Ninja 300 and they outperform anything else on the market, in my opinion. Please take some time and give me a ring to discuss in further detail. Thanks