Race Tyre Brands.... Experiences and feedback

BlackFZR · 16-01-2008, 02:35 PM

Ok, I'm interesting in hearing tyre experiences from people that have tried multiple brands of tyres, and their feedback of each. I know that this can be a bit hard, depending on the time difference between brand choices, and the developement since, but I would like to know peoples opinions.....

I don't want to hear from people who have only used one brand (like me

), and i would prefer not to hear from people that don't race, as this is for racing slicks/treads only, not street tyres.....

So, for those who push it hard.....

What year did you try the tyres, what brand where they, and what was your impression of them.....

Tyres I'm thinking of.....
Any race slicks.
Pirelli Dragon/Diablo Supercorsa Pro SC1/2/3
Michelin Pilot Race PR1/2/3/4
Bridgestone Battleaxe BT-002
Dunlop Qualifier/Sportmax GP
Metzler Racetek

etc.

LYLE · 16-01-2008, 06:08 PM

2007-michelin pilot power race medium soft compound......much more feeling than the bridgestones....they tend to move around slowly rather than grip then giveway...

2007-bridgestone bt-002 type4......good grip...slide quite quick with very little warning....not as "feely" as the michelins but more grip in general.

2008-michelin pilot power race soft compound....yet to be tested....also going to try the pirelli supersport ones....apparently between the bridgestones and the michelins.....

**all depends on what u like in a tyre....moving around a bit but slowly....higher grip but when it goes it moves quick....less grip but more control/feel when it's moving around ect ect ect...**

Stephan · 16-01-2008, 06:51 PM

From our expierience over the last season the Dunlop wets stick out way ahead of the Pirellis. But I wouldn`t be able to say anything about the Bridgestones.
Cam was pretty happy with the soft Pirellis in the dry at Wanneroo and the control tyres nationaly were bearable in the dry. We ran the Pirellis on the supersport and also Dunlops in the dry. Just about the same feedback from both. Durability on the Dunlops seems to be a bit higher tho. Gripwise they are fairly simular. A huge part of the tyres are your set up, so you can have the best tyre, but if it`s not set up right you`ll struggle.

CitizenD · 16-01-2008, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LYLE

2007-michelin pilot power race medium soft compound......much more feeling than the bridgestones....they tend to move around slowly rather than grip then giveway...

2007-bridgestone bt-002 type4......good grip...slide quite quick with very little warning....not as "feely" as the michelins but more grip in general.

2008-michelin pilot power race soft compound....yet to be tested....also going to try the pirelli supersport ones....apparently between the bridgestones and the michelins.....

**all depends on what u like in a tyre....moving around a bit but slowly....higher grip but when it goes it moves quick....less grip but more control/feel when it's moving around ect ect ect...**

PPRS - so damned good it's not possible to lap below 67 seconds. They're that sticky.

Col · 16-01-2008, 09:31 PM

Stephan · 16-01-2008, 09:43 PM

^^^^pmsl........

LYLE · 17-01-2008, 07:58 PM

..WTF.....whatever...just an opinion on what I have experienced and heard about....

Col · 17-01-2008, 08:48 PM

Tim, I have used Michelin, Bridgestone and Metzler Slicks..
I used Metzler in 1995 when I was racing a few rounds in South Australia and Victoria.. They were Ok then but as I'm sure you'll agree, Bikes and Track Surfaces have changed.. I used Michelin for a year or two after and they were unreal. But, Things change.. In another post, Ben Stronach posted that he like the Bridestone's... particulary the front's .. Now, As I'm not anywhere close to Ben in lap times or Talent, I do agree with him that the Bridgestone slick works a treat.. The front is excellent as is the rear for a rider of my capability...Those first 3 laps when the tyre's are new are something else.. You can put the bike anywhere ( dont go for the walls though, they hurt) ..I never had issues with the front tyre, Only the rear after about 6 laps ..I dont think any rear tyre does the job everytime but the Bridgestone's worked for me..They always lasted the day..

Remember though, Slicks only really come into there own when the rider is up to pace straight away... My example would be the A graders at Wanneroo, Then churn out 57's and 58 all day.. I dont think that a Slick works correctly until the rider is at least doing 60's... Correct me if i'm wrong..

Tex · 17-01-2008, 10:23 PM

I rode with the metzlers when i first started racing and they seemed pretty good to me, but back then I was going a hell of a lot slower on a bike with heaps less power ! , I moved on from the metzler pretty quickly due to issues with being able to get them when you wanted them.
Next I went to the Michelins, was using these in the superstock class, they weren't slicks as we don't run slicks in Superstock. The Michelins worked well but tended to move around a lot, it wasn't that bad once you got use to it , but it made me shit myself on more than one occasion, they tend to slide early but seem to be very predictable and easy to control when sliding. I went away from michelins as did several other riders when people started to have issues with them being 'out of round' they were causing a lot of front end chatter and uneven wear on the side walls , Michelin themselves didn't give a shit when the tyres were sent back, and just said , bad luck we're not giving your money back !! so with that type of customer service I decided to take my money elsewhere !
From there I went to Bridgestones. First time out on Bridgestones I thought something was wrong with the bike, it felt like I was riding on marbles !! but the tyre itself seems to have harder side walls so the ride is less plush....but after 1-2 laps they felt great ! lots of confidence and as sticky as all hell. Dropped my lap times on the bridgies and enjoyed riding on them but most of all I benifited from the advice from Wattsy, the local Bridgestone rep who is also an ex A grade racer, if you run Bridgies he'll generally help you with bike set up to suit the tyres , which as any racer will tell you is half the battle !
They stick really well, but when they slide they tend to be a bit more agresive when they let go, it's caught me out a few times, but most of the time it was ok and very controlable, Spining up and sliding out of the basin was something that I got use to and learnt to control fairly well on the Bridgies.
As with all tyres it's as much about your susspension as it is the tyres, don't think you can change tyres to fix your problems, different tyres require different susspension settings. Stick with a tyre long enough to dial in the susspension and you'll find that most tyres perform fairly well.
If you are riding around fairly slow 66 or slower then I tend to agree with Col, slicks won't quite get into their maximum performance range, they will still give you heaps of grip, but not much more than a treaded race tyre

Well that's My 2cents

robwas · 18-01-2008, 10:25 AM

For what it's worth I raced and used slicks for the very first time at the Kings meeting 07. Stared off with a pair of pirelli SC1's front and rear on the 1k.
I was amazed at the difference they made to my lap times!! went from 67's to low 63's in the one weekend.
Chewed the rear a little trying to get the set up right and put a new medium bridgestone on for the Sunday. Had no issues and could not pick alot of difference at my pace. I will be running Bridgestone for this year mainly due to the cost.

Ben · 18-01-2008, 01:59 PM

I think people get caught up on the whole tyre thing. It is pretty hard to fault any of the slicks these days 9 times out of 10 it is going to come back to set up or the rider. The bridgestones is what I have the most experience with, can run a full tuning day on them and put a good 60 laps on them and still be running 7s -8s at the end of the day.