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Anyone tried the Dunlop Q3 yet?
- Thread starter Corsara
- Start date
Thanks Rob, but I already asked them and they haven't played with the Q3 yet. I asked about the mould release agent, and they actually referred to the Q2 when it was released back in the day, they noticed it's a lot less slippery.
Okay. Q3's are likely a bit cheaper than GPA's too.
RobVN
Well-known member
Did you ask them about using warmers on the street tires (Q2 or Q3 would be the same) to see if it was worth while doing? I'm thinking that street tires are made to withstand multiple heat cycles because no one would use warmers on the street. However you are pushing harder at the track and they may heat up even more.
I'll go out on a limb here and say that the heat-cycling thing is kind of a non-issue for street tires. They are made to go through multiple heat cycles and anyway, if it is a track-only bike you are going to wear them out much faster than you would in street use. They will have a short and happy life.
Warmers may still be a good idea though just to have the confidence in the tires on the first few laps each session, when you would normally have to run at 75 percent to get some heat into them.
It likely depends on pace too. If you are going to be doing high 1:20s at TMP on a typical summer day, even one warmup lap gets enough heat into a set of high performance street tires that for the rest of the session the tires are not going to be the limiting factor. I suspect that when you are in the very low 1:20s and high teens, then ensuring proper tire temperatures is going to matter more, but anyway if you are getting under 1:20 then you are probably not going to want to use street tires anymore regardless.
Just my 2 cents. On a good day I run (very) high 1:20s, and with one warmup lap the Q2s never give the slightest hint of doing anything but work perfectly. I can't imagine that that will change any at 1:25 - there's just a lot left. Below that I don't know - uncharted territory for me.
Warmers may still be a good idea though just to have the confidence in the tires on the first few laps each session, when you would normally have to run at 75 percent to get some heat into them.
It likely depends on pace too. If you are going to be doing high 1:20s at TMP on a typical summer day, even one warmup lap gets enough heat into a set of high performance street tires that for the rest of the session the tires are not going to be the limiting factor. I suspect that when you are in the very low 1:20s and high teens, then ensuring proper tire temperatures is going to matter more, but anyway if you are getting under 1:20 then you are probably not going to want to use street tires anymore regardless.
Just my 2 cents. On a good day I run (very) high 1:20s, and with one warmup lap the Q2s never give the slightest hint of doing anything but work perfectly. I can't imagine that that will change any at 1:25 - there's just a lot left. Below that I don't know - uncharted territory for me.
Yes, exactly my thoughts too. Also regarding the heat cycles---I expect to wear the tires off in 4-5 trackdays, so that's a maximum of 5 x 6 = 30, let's say 35 heat cycles. That may be way too many heat cycles for dot race or slicks, but Q3 are designed for the street anyway.
In support of your pace comment, I rode my friend's gixxer 750 at TMP on May 2nd (nice and hot that day). It had Q2's on. I took it easy, gradually building my speed and getting used to the bike. By lap 6 I was sliding front and rear, and came off on lap 7. I don't know what my lap times were, but if I had to guess I'd say low 1:20's.
This is very interesting and useful information! So it seems like maybe low 1:20s might be around the limit for this type of tire, below which one might start to look at DOTs or slicks?
Incidentally, I find it quite impressive that you could / would borrow someone else's bike, and within 6 laps be going fast enough to slide both ends! That's some combination of talent and nerve (or maybe you just don't like the guy much)?
Use the damn tire warmers!! specially at TMP, specially if you are running high lap times
It's probably worth mentioning that the bike is completely stock, and no sag or setup of any kind was done for me.
Incidentally, I find it quite impressive that you could / would borrow someone else's bike, and within 6 laps be going fast enough to slide both ends! That's some combination of talent and nerve (or maybe you just don't like the guy much)?
I was reluctant, she had to twist my arm, but really wanted me to try her bike. I don't really like borrowing bikes at the track unless it's a mutual swap (she wasn't trying my SV). I was immediately comfortable on that bike. It's quite nice.
I was not pushing it through the infield, but was going quick enough. It was sliding through the final turn (showoff corner, haha) after the first apex.
I'd believe that. A few seasons ago I ran Pirelli Diablo SC's on my SV. 6 track days, without warmers, put in my fastest times on the last day shortly before they started to slide around. I was very impressed.
Didn't have the chance to form my personal opinion of the Q3 today (as compared to the Q2, from which I have fresh memories). It was raining at TMP, so they cancelled the day. However, I went for 2 exploratory laps in the rain (almost cruising speed), and the rear slid a few times under the slightest application of the throttle, totally shattering any confidence I may have had. It could have been the puddles, or it could have been oil on the tires (there was a big spill from another bike that crashed / couple of crashes, I don't think anyone got to do more than couple of laps). However, I've never been on the track in the wet before, so I can't compare this to anything. Really hope Saturday gets less rain and more sun and riding.
The last trackday I did, there were a few guys there I was riding with. All 3 of them were on BStone 003RS street tires.....they had no warmers, took it easy for a lap or two then banzai......and they were almost keeping up. I would guess 1:20-1:22 at TMP. Street tires are damn good nowadays.
Yep. I did 1:01's on Nelson with BT010's, 10 years ago. Street tires have been good for a long time, but how they behave at the limit I have no idea.
Finally had the chance to run on the Dunlop Q3 tires. Since I'm not so experienced, I couldn't find much difference between them and the Q2, somebody with more skill might find such though, don't know. My pace was a 1:24 most of the day, a few times almost borderline with 1:23, but couldn't see the '3'. The tires didn't slip even once, so they are totally good for me! Since I had my GPS timer start at Turn 10, all the warmup I gave to the tires was in the first 10 turns, then full throttle I also crashed (wrote about it here), which had nothing to do with the bike or the tires, it was all my fault---making a mistake and trying to recover from it at the wrong place.
I also crashed (wrote about it here), which had nothing to do with the bike or the tires, it was all my fault---making a mistake and trying to recover from it at the wrong place.
Andreas
Well-known member
My buddy that was at TMP on Thursday with me took his (lots of life left) 003RS and swapped fresh Q3s on (after I talked him into it) and he said they warmed up a LOT faster than the BT003RS he had on there. As for pace, he improved his best into around 1min 30 (i remember visiting him 3 years ago and he was doing high 1 min 40s. It was pretty hot, and later in the day we were pretty much dragging knee by the 2nd marshall post on our outlaps with cold pressures starting at 28ish front and 30 rear.. For me both gained 2 psi after the 7 or 8 laps I did.
My Q3s have now over 6300 km on them (with the track day included); they still feel soft both in the center and the shoulders/edges and look like they could do another track day if not two, especially at my pace of just under 1 min 30s. I'm pure noob though and took it relatively easy after my 2 inch long peg feeler touched due to my bad body positioning mid day.. haha. Only felt the rear come out a little once on one of the right handers but it was very predictable. For the price, I will certainly continue to run the Q3s on the street with maybe the occasional track day.
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