Scrubbing in new tires at the track | GTAMotorcycle.com

Scrubbing in new tires at the track

Maraujo

Maraujo

Well-known member
Hi just wondering what you guys do with scrubbing new tires at the track?
Also I did 2 track days last year on my street bike and got hooked really bad so I bought a crashed bike in November for track duty and I just finished the build. I will be starting as a beginner and was thinking about buying tire warmers, I'm running Dunlop q2. Is it a good idea for warmers or should I wait?
thanks
 
U don't need tire warmers at your level, and with Q2s.

Tires don't take long to scrub in. Just increase the lean a little bit at each corner.
 
I ran brand new Q2 last year at my first track day with no issues what so ever, and I'm very much a begginner.
 
murf said:
U don't need tire warmers at your level, and with Q2s.

Tires don't take long to scrub in. Just increase the lean a little bit at each corner.
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+1, not yet anyways. The Q2's are great tires to start out with at the track, you can take them all the way to the bottom of the "fastest" group, depending on the track/groups.

Just remember cold tires are your enemy, espeically cold, unscrubed tires at the beginning of the season on a cool day. Take it easy on them until the day warms and you get a few good laps in.
 
I did an endurance race on them last year and they were great. and I could run very fast with them. the team ended up second only behind a team with two expert level racers.

In short...you can go very fast on them. I am a tire warmer advocate though so think about picking up a set
 
Snipes20 said:
I did an endurance race on them last year and they were great. and I could run very fast with them. the team ended up second only behind a team with two expert level racers.

In short...you can go very fast on them. I am a tire warmer advocate though so think about picking up a set
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The only problem with buying warmers is then having to buy the generator to go with them. You're looking at a minimum $600 outlay to get a basic, new set up. So it's a big investment and you have to be sure you need them. And if his pace is such that he can't hold heat in the tires anyway then it's a waste of money. I suppose knowing lap times would help the better educated (and I exclude myself there) amongst us offer good advice, but (imho) warmers for warmers sake is a waste.

As for scrubbing in, well there`s a view that tires no longer need scrubbing in and I`ve gone out the blocks (at the track) on a new set of tires without even giving consideration to scrubbing them in.
 
R6EXY said:
Ben Bostrom on Q2's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx-8jD_4A20

I just ran a brand new set of them for the first time, cold (no warmers) @ Jennings... They held up well for a street tire, warmed up pretty quick too.
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And the track temp there meant that even us who were running warmers were struggling to maintain heat in the tires, especially in the earlier sessions.
 
Fiery254 said:
The only problem with buying warmers is then having to buy the generator to go with them. You're looking at a minimum $600 outlay to get a basic, new set up. So it's a big investment and you have to be sure you need them. And if his pace is such that he can't hold heat in the tires anyway then it's a waste of money. I suppose knowing lap times would help the better educated (and I exclude myself there) amongst us offer good advice, but (imho) warmers for warmers sake is a waste.

As for scrubbing in, well there`s a view that tires no longer need scrubbing in and I`ve gone out the blocks (at the track) on a new set of tires without even giving consideration to scrubbing them in.
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Most tire manufacturers no longer use mould release agents. It's best to check with the tire manufacturer to see if they do. I know that my Dunlop KR108 and KR106 slicks do not use a mould release agent. Half way through my outlap they are 100% good-to-go.
 
+1 i take it easy and warm them up. Sometimes I even sit out the first roun just because the track is damp, Damp and fresh tires is trouble
 
caboose483 said:
Most tire manufacturers no longer use mould release agents. It's best to check with the tire manufacturer to see if they do. I know that my Dunlop KR108 and KR106 slicks do not use a mould release agent. Half way through my outlap they are 100% good-to-go.
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Real men go out with the stickers still on the tires!- the gospel according to Reciprocity
 
caboose483 said:
Most tire manufacturers no longer use mould release agents. It's best to check with the tire manufacturer to see if they do.
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+1. Call up Pro6Cycle and ask them directly, as they know all things Dunlop related. Mould release agents are not used on the slicks (as per Sandy at Pro6Cycle) and might also be absent on the Q2. If that's the case you really just need to get a little heat into them and you're good to... and they'll take considerably less time than the slicks to warm up.
 
Thanks guys for the info I'll just take it easy my first few laps, and I'll wait for the warmers, looking forward to meeting and seeing you guys at the track
 
Tonto said:
Real men go out with the stickers still on the tires!- the gospel according to Reciprocity
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+1 lol. believe it or not, we actually leave the stickers on so they dont pick up saftey wire clipping in the pits with the glue residue. I've seen a picture of Kenny Reidman leading a race at Shannonville, where you can read the dunlop sticker on the front tire. A tire is never better than when it is absolutely brand new!
 
I watched a guy save a near crash when he was in the pits on new tires. He hit the front brake and the sticker was on the ground at the moment he put the brakes on. The front slid for a bit and he caught the bike in time.


Recidivist said:
+1 lol. believe it or not, we actually leave the stickers on so they dont pick up saftey wire clipping in the pits with the glue residue. I've seen a picture of Kenny Reidman leading a race at Shannonville, where you can read the dunlop sticker on the front tire. A tire is never better than when it is absolutely brand new!
Click to expand...
 
toastman said:
I watched a guy save a near crash when he was in the pits on new tires. He hit the front brake and the sticker was on the ground at the moment he put the brakes on. The front slid for a bit and he caught the bike in time.
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I must be the luckiest racer ever. I have always just left the stickers on for just the reason that Dave said. Never had an issue. Straight from the warmers to the track. Years ago when they were using release agents we used to scrub new tires with sandpaper or steel wool if we couldnt get a scrub lap in to clean them up but I think those days are long over as I know it the hot moulds use a shot of cold water to release the tire from the moulds.
 
Pretty sure Pirelli still uses the mould release, at least on some models. My red stripes were slippery as snot the first few laps. Quite spooky, actually.
 
I think i'll try the Q2's this year.Can anyone compare them to the BT003's?
 
Tried a few different tires, Metzler, Pirelli, Dunlop and Bridestone on the track. Out off all of them didn't need much scrub in. Half way through your outlap riding smooth and the tires are good to go.
Like Dave metioned tires are never better then when they're new. Unbelievable grip in the first 15-20 laps, even much more if suspension setup nicely and using tire warmers. Although for trackdays I've left the warmers and genni at home and just did an extra warm up lap each time out there and had no issues.
They all have thier characteristics, Pirelli is a softer tire, VERY grippy but they tend not to get as many laps as the other brands. Dunlop N-Tech are all around top scores but a little more expensive then all the rest. Bridestone R10 I felt it offers amazing feedback and long tire life and even cost less then the other brands.
 
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