Couldn't think of a better title, but I just got these scrubs to switch between the track bike & the Blade, but the guys who ran them in certainly knows how to corner. If you look at the one on the left it's been well torn up on the right, still loads of tread on the edges and the middle is virtually untouched, but it shows how they pile the power on before sitting up straight.
What was weird was that as soon as I got my pressures right on my tyres at Snetty last week they stopped tearing up the rubber and were almost smooth when wearing at the sides
That's how they should look - nice and smooth. Ideal tyre wear should look like a beach where the tide has gone out, so minor rippling/denting in the rubber and a nice line of rubber snots on the very edge of the tyre. The tyre on the left had a pressure-related problem on the bike - it appears to be hot tear from under-inflation. The middle one has nice wear on the right side especially
Looks perfect mate! Good combo of tyre pressure and suspension setup right there! Out of interest what tyres are they and what pressures where you running (hot or cold)?
that tyre on the left doesn't indicate hard cornering,it shows poor set up. as said above,good tyre wear should look like orange peel.
Michelin power 2CT's running 25psi rear and 30psi front cold for the track. Good track and road tyre but will be switching to Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa's for a slightly stickier runner next time
That confirms my suspicions then. I went to see the spanner guy before the first session to get my tyre pressures sorted and was shocked when he said to put them at 32 front & rear, but I trusted him and went for it. I also went up at lunch time to see if he could set up my suspension as I'd had a couple of moments diving into the hairpin with the rear coming up and squirming around right at tip-in point. He took one look at the wear on the tyres and said the suspension is fine and I should try moving my weight back to keep it more balanced under braking. I did make a conscious effort to do that more in the afternoon but didn't erradicate the problem with the rear totally. Here's a pic of my rear tyre after the last session... I personally think I was running too high a psi and need to sort out my suspension as I reckon the forks are bottoming out. Will have to try the cable-tie around the fork to see if that's the case, but confidence was draining away after a few hairy run-ons going into the hairpin which also slowed me down a lot. Got another TD at Brands next week so really want to get it sorted for that. Any tips gratefully received!
Yeah look a few psi high there Moily! It also depends on the pace you are going at to what pressure you need. I noticed he was advising different pressures for the different session groups. I take that he is guestimating how hot you will get the tyres?? At 27psi my rear was squirming a lot under hard acceleration and also took away my cornering confidence so even 2psi can make a huge difference!!
Yeah seems about spot on. According to Michelin's website, they advise 25rear and 30front (cold pressures) for the pilot power super sports, which I'm going to run on my power 3's aswell taking into account advice I've already read online Sam
So from my observations I would suggest your pressures were a tad high as there is evidence of a small amount of cold tear there indicating too small a contact patch. Drop to the aforementioned 25r and 30f cold and see how that goes. Also, the wear pattern is inconsistent in the 'drive' band starting an inch or so from the tyre edge in towards the middle, and there is a build up of rubber on the trailing edge of the grooves. Notice how to the right (as you look at the pic) of each groove there is a smooth section, followed by a debris field as you approach the next groove. That is caused by differing grip as the tyre moves and generally indicates a rebound problem; likely too fast, and in combination with hard braking and possibly an overly soft front end the rear shock is going to top out easily, hence your rear lifting whilst entering turns on the brakes. Without seeing the bike and bouncing the suspension i can only suggest a likely cause. These rear shocks get so hot from working along with heat soak from the exhaust that you really need to check the hydraulic settings whilst hot and slow up the rebound rate a tad. Hot oil flows better than cold oil which is why it's important to tweak the suspension after a ride. I'm happy to help if you need it? i do a bit of suspension tuning in my free time and for a mate who races so feel free to PM me Sam
Those Tyres were mine, and both were run on the same bike at the same track/ same day it wasn't poor set up that caused it, the D211 is and Endurance compound and it was the only tyre I had, but the track temp was very low, I then bought the D212 on the same day in the afternoon to avoid killing the tyre, the D212 is a medium compound and worked a little better in the cooler temp
Small world I thought i'd open up the question about cornering hard to a wider audience while I get more stuff ready for the track bike, hopefully get my trailer on friday [fingers crossed]
That sounds absolutely on the money, based off the feel I got on the day. The track temp was 42°c and air temp around 30°c so definitely working everything hard, including the riders! I'll make some changes based off your observations in time for the TD next week and see how I get on. The shock has done 30K miles and with about a third of that being 2-up with luggage so has taken some punishment, so it may be properly cooked now. Will look at whacking a '12 shock on there when I get chance to source one and get it fitted.
My rear tyre was tearing at 27psi hot, increased to 29 hot and tearing stopped, that was after trying suspension tweaks that had made no difference, the track temperature was cooler than the Monday when you guys were out, so navvy's right couple psi make huge difference to tyre wear each session.
Had my blade for 23 months now but don't seem to be able to use my tyres to the edge am I just too nervous to get that last 5mm or is that normal for road use? Using roadsmart's so no excuse.
50 or 55 profile? Tbh that level of wear on the roads is more than enough, I didn't do the last 5mm until on track
