tire warm-up?

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xyz999

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Hey guys,

I will start to ride my sv650 to school on good days. Usually I get to school in about 6 to 7 minutes. There are quite a few twisties and roundabouts on my way to school. I kinda get the idea that warm tires = better traction. I don't think my tires will be properly warmed in about 5 minutes of street riding (Newbie making assumption, expert chime-in please), so I am wondering, can I ride a bit harder (ie. lean more) on the twisties, or I should take it easy the entire way.

PS. don't worry, I am not gonna do 50 over speed limit...

oh btw, I am running a new set of Bridgestone Battlax BT-016, if that helps with the tire discussion.
 
If there's a highway nearby... go 2 exits one way, 2 exits the other so your tires warm up. Then you can hit the twisties. Be careful though the pavement is still cold.
 
Fastest way to heat the carcass of the tire while riding, is starting and stopping. Deforming the tires carcass generates heat.
 
xyz999 said:
Hey guys,

I will start to ride my sv650 to school on good days. Usually I get to school in about 6 to 7 minutes. There are quite a few twisties and roundabouts on my way to school. I kinda get the idea that warm tires = better traction. I don't think my tires will be properly warmed in about 5 minutes of street riding (Newbie making assumption, expert chime-in please), so I am wondering, can I ride a bit harder (ie. lean more) on the twisties, or I should take it easy the entire way.

PS. don't worry, I am not gonna do 50 over speed limit...

oh btw, I am running a new set of Bridgestone Battlax BT-016, if that helps with the tire discussion.
Click to expand...

That's really an impossible question to answer. It depends on how warm you need the tires to be, how warm the air and pavement are, how fast you're going and how hard you want to be cornering. Any movement of the carcass will generate at least some heat, and any airflow or contact with the ground will generate or lose some heat (if they're warmer or cooler than the tire).

It's just something you have to develop a feel for. Not in the sense of 'feeling' the bike handle but in the sense of intuiting the available grip based on the conditions I mentioned above, within a certain margin of error. That just takes experience, and until you start to get the feel for available grip just leave yourself more safety margin. On the one hand there's a lot more grip available than most people realise, but on the other hand if you get it wrong, you're almost certain to go down. Also, the max available grip can be compromised by the wrong line through a corner, slick spots, or failing to be smooth at the controls.

The more you ride, the quicker you learn. Also, taking it to the track when you're ready will help with all of the above.

Also, any lesson you learn about tire temps while driving a car will apply to your bike equally well, but it's a much safer environmnt to explore the limits.
 
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boooya said:
Depends on weather. Road conditions and temperatures play a big role in tire warm up times.
Im assuming your riding city street at 40-60kph for those 6 min?
Click to expand...

Yup, not main street, somewhat industrial area I have to cross.

omnivore said:
Fastest way to heat the carcass of the tire while riding, is starting and stopping. Deforming the tires carcass generates heat.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the pointer, never know that!
 
fastar1 said:
That's really an impossible question to answer. It depends on how warm you need the tires to be, how warm the air and pavement are, how fast you're going and how hard you want to be cornering. Any movement of the carcass will generate at least some heat, and any airflow or contact with the ground will generate or lose some heat (if they're warmer or cooler than the tire).

It's just something you have to develop a feel for. Not in the sense of 'feeling' the bike handle but in the sense of intuiting the available grip based on the conditions I mentioned above, within a certain margin of error. That just takes experience, and until you start to get the feel for available grip just leave yourself more safety margin. On the one hand there's a lot more grip available than most people realise, but on the other hand if you get it wrong, you're almost certain to go down. Also, the max available grip can be compromised by the wrong line through a corner, slick spots, or failing to be smooth at the controls.

The more you ride, the quicker you learn. Also, taking it to the track when you're ready will help with all of the above.

Also, any lesson you learn about tire temps while driving a car will apply to your bike equally well, but it's a much safer environmnt to explore the limits.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot bud, you gave me a lot to think about, and also reaffirmed some of my initial thoughts.
 
Ya dude, you aren't going to get your tires to optimal temperature in 5 minutes of street riding unless you use tire warmers for at least 30 minutes prior to leaving and if you get stuck at a few long red lights and the weather is cold your tires will lose heat quickly.
 
omnivore said:
Fastest way to heat the carcass of the tire while riding, is starting and stopping. Deforming the tires carcass generates heat.
Click to expand...

Regarding rear tire I disagree. :D

BurnOut.jpg
 
xyz999 said:
Thanks a lot bud, you gave me a lot to think about, and also reaffirmed some of my initial thoughts.
Click to expand...

Another thought I had that might help is a trick I use in the rain to gauge the level of grip. I'll apply the rear brake only when slowing down, up to the point of lockup. Over time I get a sense of what that roughly translates to in terms of grip. It's probably a bit riskier and less informative on dry roads, but it's an idea.
 
fastar1 said:
Another thought I had that might help is a trick I use in the rain to gauge the level of grip. I'll apply the rear brake only when slowing down, up to the point of lockup. Over time I get a sense of what that roughly translates to in terms of grip. It's probably a bit riskier and less informative on dry roads, but it's an idea.
Click to expand...
Yes, good advice.
It's very important for Canadian street riders to select tires that warm up quickly, and work in the cold and wet.
This does not really describe the BT-016 which is more of a track-day tire.
The best choice for most riders (sport bikes too) is Metzeler Z8 Interact - they are superbly good, but costly.
They are designed to warm up quickly, and the high-tech high-silica carbon black compound is engineered to stick well on wet cold public roads.
Plus, you will get good longevity and the tire will not 'go square' or wear out in the middle as much as many other choices.
The Z8 Interact will keep up and corner with any other tire in the hot and dry twisties too!
Most track-day rubber is a poor choice for Canadian street riders...
Your brief commute to school does not resemble a day at Shannonville in the slightest.
 
you can knee drag on the first corner ...





































... having said that ... where you live at ? i may need spare parts so need to know where your at for that :P
 
Gryphon said:
Yes, good advice.
It's very important for Canadian street riders to select tires that warm up quickly, and work in the cold and wet.
This does not really describe the BT-016 which is more of a track-day tire.
.
Click to expand...

The BT-016 is a high performance street tire, not a trackday tire.

Claiming one specific tire is "THE BEST" is misleading at the very least.

Have you tested EVERY other tire in that market space in identical conditions, on the same bike?

all of these tires work, setup of the bike and rider skill is FAR more important than any tire selection.
 
This hole thread is wrong! If you take a DOT race tire, or DOT street tire at 20 C it will take 40 minutes with good warmers to get it up to the "BOTTOM" of the operating temperature scale of 80 C. So five minutes of starting and stopping won"t do it. Nor 10 minutes of riding slowly in twisties. You are just asking for trouble.
Consider racers at Cayuga or Shannonville will loose heat when the temperature is under 15 C. Calabogie track day riders will maintain heat at 10 C.
So you go to work at 10 to 15 Celcius ,obviouly with out warmers, no heat in the pavement,, you may see 25 C max . Asking for trouble! Just ride to work and save the hanging off for a good day or the track.
 
I would just like to point out to all the regular track star naysayers here that the OP never said anything about getting it up to ideal operating temp. I think he realises that at least getting the tire closer to the optimal temperature will afford him a little more grip so he can safely lean a little more through corners.
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