Need some help with tire compound choice | GTAMotorcycle.com

Need some help with tire compound choice

Corsara

Corsara

Well-known member
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I went to TMP the last weekend on Dunlop 211 GPA hard compound, the ambient temp was about 25C, and even though I was nervous at the beginning, they proved to be very good without a single slide (I use warmers). I had them at 22r/32f off the warmers pressures, and my pace is nothing spectacular (1:24 when I'm confident).

Upcoming trackday will be on a day with temperature 18-19C, and I'm a little worried if I'm going to be taking too big of a risk with that hard compound, so I wanted to see what the friendly folks at GTAM have to say about that.

I always thought softer compound is the preferred choice in cold weather as it would make it easier to build heat. Interestingly enough, Dunlop has on their site the following, which I didn't expect to read: "As a general rule, softer compounds cold tear more easily. In the cold weather, you should run a compound that is more hard than soft." (source)

Alternatively, I have a set of Dunlop slicks mediums in good condition, as well as a set of well used Bridgestone slicks with medium front and soft rear, but I really wish I didn't have to unload the bike and do tire changes right now in the next couple of days before my trackday.

Any opinions and recommendations will be very appreciated, thank you.
 
Dunlops are funny.

Grip does not fall off with lower temps as you would expect however the tire doesn't work properly if it's off temp. The soft and medium compounds are more sensitive to temp and more prone to tearing because they grip too much when the carcass is off temp. The medium+ (or hard as some call it) is the ideal tire for cooler temps. It is less prone to tearing because the harder compound will spin before it tears up too badly.

Please note there is a difference between spinning and sliding.
 
I consider it pretty ignorant to not try my best to take advantage of options when I have such, even if they have little importance. This approach has served me well in life so far.
 
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