Thread: Take the track tire poll:

For what it's worth, on my track-only bike, I still use Corsa IIIs. Why? Because they have more grip than I'll ever use, warm up in a lap, and last a long time. I don't feel like bothering with warmers, I'm never going racing. The really fast guys at NESBA use the Corsa IIIs with no problems, and they are way faster than I'll ever be. The other advantage is that if you're at a wet day, they work really well in the rain. Not so with the DOT race tires.
I also liked the Pilot Powers (never tried the 2CT), but I'm a NESBA member and they have good pricing on Pirellis.

Originally Posted by 08silvercbr

as far as feeling my tire spinning out of the coners probably more to do with bumps so I guess I answered my own question there. What valve's? Like race tech? How much is that? I know you are partial to Dupont, so you are going to suggest 209's correct?

Grattan is bumpy, so you will have some tire spin, but suspension will help.

You can do racetech valves and some on here have them, but my suggestion would be to send your forks out to a suspension guy and have him do it. They will know the ins and outs of the mechanics of how they work. I personally use Thermosman. I have never been in a set of forks and as long as he is alive i will probably never be.

Originally Posted by 08silvercbr

Will revalving the forks do, or do I need to mess with the rear as well? If I get the parts can you do it?

Mike can do whatever you want him to do. But he reground my stock valves and shimmed them along with the proper spring for my weight, and I am happy with them. I still have the stock rear, not by choice though. I justhave to get the $$ up for that one.

Edit: the 209's would be a good tire, along with some other brands. But along that line of tire. There will be (I hope) Dunlop guy at Grattan so I usually get my tires from him.

Originally Posted by HondaGalToo

For what it's worth, on my track-only bike, I still use Corsa IIIs. Why? Because they have more grip than I'll ever use, warm up in a lap, and last a long time. I don't feel like bothering with warmers, I'm never going racing. The really fast guys at NESBA use the Corsa IIIs with no problems, and they are way faster than I'll ever be. The other advantage is that if you're at a wet day, they work really well in the rain. Not so with the DOT race tires.
I also liked the Pilot Powers (never tried the 2CT), but I'm a NESBA member and they have good pricing on Pirellis.

what are you paying for the DCIII's?

Does the dunlop tire guy at the track give better prices there then getting them before hand?

Originally Posted by 08silvercbr

Does the dunlop tire guy at the track give better prices there then getting them before hand?

No, same price.

Originally Posted by Hammer

No, same price.

And even if he did give a better price to some they wouldn't be able to tell everyone about it

Originally Posted by CBRVFR

I had a set of Dragon Supercorsa DOT race tires on my 954 that I used on the street once or twice between trackdays. They were great on the track, but NEVER warmed up sufficiently in the street. I had them pretty warm in the twisties, stopped at a gas station to gas up and use the facilities, and nearly highsided the bike going into traffic. I stopped to see if I had picked up some oil, but they were dry - and after a 10 minute stop, stone cold.

damn I was thinking of trying a set of those this year. but they'll eventually get some street use after being "used up" at the track. so maybe I'll just stick with the Power 2CTs again.

Originally Posted by RedRider

Buy slicks. You're fast enough, you're stock suspension is good enough, and you can't hit 160 without them...

...oh, and Diablo Corsa III's are for wimps.

I hope that was directed at me because yes I am fastest enough, yes I have stock suspension and yes 120 is so close I just need the tires to take me there.*




















































*disclaimer: I am slow, I don't have stock suspension and I've hit 174 in my little pick up truck so the bike won't be a problem (my GPS says so :P)

Originally Posted by RedRider

It wasn't directed at you...don't flatter yourself.

I know but I had to take the opportunity and run with it.

Originally Posted by RedRider

Buy slicks. You're fast enough, you're stock suspension is good enough, and you can't hit 160 without them...

...oh, and Diablo Corsa III's are for wimps.

I swapped to slicks and found I got more life out of them Granted you get the hassles of warmers (or not I won't start that fight) but they get great grip and cost no more than BT003's. Suck in frigid north temps when cold but nice for toasty temps in the civilized zone

Originally Posted by Hammer

For one, you will not need a $450 set of tires.

These are the same tires the AMA guys are riding on. They do not grow at speed so they keep the same circumference. But requires a race lic to purchase them.

The profile is different also, 190/55/17 and the pressures are waayyyyy different. 31f 21r hot

Really?? Seemed like the Dunlop guy was ready to sell them to me when I bought my 209s...could be wrong. Also he quoted me a price of almost $600 for a set. I paid $300 for the 209s.

Originally Posted by RedRider

Buy slicks. You're fast enough, you're stock suspension is good enough, and you can't hit 160 without them...

...oh, and Diablo Corsa III's are for wimps.

Since you weren't picking on CBR929RE, you'd better not be pickin' on me!!

I forget what nesba's pricing is on the Corsa IIIs, then did go up at the end of the year. You'd have to be a member to get their pricing anyway...

I've only riden/raced on Michelin and Dunlop recently, but I can tell you that after my last season it would take a lot of convincing and a huge price break for me to run anything other than the big D again. Everybody has their favorites. Maybe the Ntec is just better suited to my setup and riding style. For comparison sake my forks are OEM with valving massaged by a local tuner and resprung for my weight. I bought a used Ohlins shock for 1/2 the price of new and had him refresh it too. I think that's about the best bang for the buck you can get for suspension and a very common level of upgrade seen among club racers/track riders.

Originally Posted by 08silvercbr

Does the dunlop tire guy at the track give better prices there then getting them before hand?

No shipping, no mounting fee. And occasional specials.

Originally Posted by CBRVFR

No shipping, no mounting fee. And occasional specials.

Note to self...pick up anniversary card on the way home tomorrow...

Thanks....

Originally Posted by Baketech

Note to self...pick up anniversary card on the way home tomorrow...

Thanks....

Did the phrase 'mounting fee' jog your memory?

Originally Posted by TornadoB8

I've only riden/raced on Michelin and Dunlop recently, but I can tell you that after my last season it would take a lot of convincing and a huge price break for me to run anything other than the big D again. Everybody has their favorites. Maybe the Ntec is just better suited to my setup and riding style. For comparison sake my forks are OEM with valving massaged by a local tuner and resprung for my weight. I bought a used Ohlins shock for 1/2 the price of new and had him refresh it too. I think that's about the best bang for the buck you can get for suspension and a very common level of upgrade seen among club racers/track riders.

So you are meaning the 211's? What about the 209's? Those compare to the Mich 2c's, and Corsa III's? Do the bt003 bridges fit in that catagory also? Also being use to the Bridgestone profile switching to Mich's or Pirelli's going to make a difference in profile?

How much would I be looking at total to have my stock forks revalved aprox? Any close guess?

Originally Posted by RedRider

Buy slicks. You're fast enough, you're stock suspension is good enough, and you can't hit 160 without them...

...oh, and Diablo Corsa III's are for wimps.

Slicks was never an option. I don't have $700 dollars to spend on forks otherwise I would. The 160 is still a joke, but thanks for the constructive criticism.

Originally Posted by 08silvercbr

So you are meaning the 211's? What about the 209's? Those compare to the Mich 2c's, and Corsa III's? Do the bt003 bridges fit in that catagory also? Also being use to the Bridgestone profile switching to Mich's or Pirelli's going to make a difference in profile?

How much would I be looking at total to have my stock forks revalved aprox? Any close guess?

No BT003 is a full DOT race tire, the 2c's and Corsa III's are more comparable to a BT016.

But you are looking for the wrong thing.

First decide if your want a:
Slick (track only and you will likely want warmers, great grip no wet use)
DOT Race (track only and you will likely want warmers, good grip wet use but not great)
Hypersport (no warmers, decent to good grip, good in wet, street usable)
High performance street tire (no warmers, decent grip, good in wet, street usable)

Then decide on brand, most will be good enough for any here but:
Price (they vary by brand and category)
Availability (most are available but if you only ride with one org having at track vending can be a luxury that might affect choice)
Support at track (see above then add in how are you changing them?)
Personal preference (different brands and types have different feels to them, this is personal preference and can only be found by experimenting)

Answer these then decide, since what others are doing will likely not be as satisfying.

For instance I ride many orgs and have a changer so convenience on that front matters less. I like Dunlops but prefer the 'release' of Bridgestone but would easily ride either. I have ridden Corsa III's but it was a while ago, I was happy but cannot see the price premium. I have not tried Michelin due to the price premium also. Notice this is all my perspective based on personal preference and local conditions. Further a different bike or riding style/pace might change it also.

So give some a try if you feel adventuresome or stick with what you know if happy. Hope that helps.

Originally Posted by 08silvercbr

How much would I be looking at total to have my stock forks revalved aprox? Any close guess?

Should be in the ballpark of $500 or so.

Originally Posted by RedRider

HG, I really like the DCIII's...they performed much better than I had expected. I would recommend them to any trackday rider. My sarcasm obviously missed it mark...

A2A at Grattan - August 2, 3, 4

Hard to tell kidding from serious after the whale incident

The honest truth is this: I grew up preferring Bridgestone’s (over Dunlop’s) on the dirt. One of those things that’s neither right nor wrong. With my loss of confidence in my current Bridgestone’s, not due to the brand, but because they are more of a street tire its making me lean elsewhere. A2A uses Pirelli, and everyone around me at the track is on Supercorsa's so naturally I'm tipped toward Pirelli's. I'm willing to try Dunlop’s except I know little about them. At 500 bucks fork revalving is not an option for the upcoming year. I'll have to deal with it. $7000 for a wedding and some other things make it not an option. If you guys really don't think I'll be able to see the benefits of a DOT race tire ? then that leaves me with options of the following. 1.209's 2. Mich 2C's 3. Corsa III's If all the Bridgestone’s have in that range is the BT16's then they are probably one step better then the 15's I have, but not sure how close. I've been leaning toward the Corsa III's except I keep hearing words like mileage, and wet weather. My main concern is "stick" and "dry". Obviously people like them though. Never using any of them I just don't want to be disappointed and have to "deal" with a tire for most of next season. Regardless of which tire I go with I'm going to get some used tire warmers to help get the tires up faster, and because I want to look good (sad but true) I really didn't want to call a tire company because they are just in the business of selling tires, and don't know who I'd be talking to on the other end of the line. Sheep you are right…I know I’ll have to experiment, but I was just hoping to cut out some time in my decision making.

D209 is a DOT race and was the star tire of Dunlop prior to last year when the N-Tec (D211) came out. Ask around but I would think putting warmers on a hypersport tire might be a real bad idea. The one thing that I remember about the Diablo Corsa (not III) that I ran was they heated up fast. Of course June-August you almost need tire coolers here.

Originally Posted by RedRider

HG, I really like the DCIII's...they performed much better than I had expected. I would recommend them to any trackday rider. My sarcasm obviously missed it mark...

A2A at Grattan - August 2, 3, 4

Nah, it didn't miss the mark, I'm just bustin' your chops. I remembered that you used and liked the DCIIIs.

But I have the 25mm Ohlins Kit, and am getting R&T's because they are really shiney!!!!




Pirelli Diablo Slick FTW! Nearly shaved mine down to a straight line from center to corner while at VIR in the fall... holy god still gripped like stink after 3 days of FLOGGING.

Me likey.

Originally Posted by Hammer

If you want good advice:

Save your money and not get the "latest and greatest tire" out there, take that savings and get your forks done by a reputable suspension guy. It will make a world of difference. You do not need a set of Ohlins 25mm kits or a set of Road and Track forks. A simple spring and valves in the front will do fine.

If your "latest and greatest tire" is losing contact with the ground, how much good is it doing you then?