Tire Warmers Explained | GTAMotorcycle.com

Tire Warmers Explained

The sticky in this section by John Bickle is also very helpful. Tire warmers are one heck of a science that I am still in research stage (and $$$ saving stage). One 5min video isn't going tell you anything more then the obvious points. Anyone have recommendations on some literature regarding tire warmers? I feel like a book similar to Twist of the Wrist could be made soley about tire warmers.
 
ShiftyEh said:
Anyone have recommendations on some literature regarding tire warmers? I feel like a book similar to Twist of the Wrist could be made soley about tire warmers.
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That would be overkill. An Idiot's Guide To wouldn't have more than 4-5 pages if you count a needless history of the tire warmer.
 
Warmers 101-2,
You won"t find a book becasue the tire guys don"t even know what they want! FACT.
We had tires coming off the track on Jason DiSalvo's bike at 123+ celcius. Were the tire guys worried,,nope.
Were the tire guys worried at tires coming off the track at 89C,, nope,,.
YOU will never get a straight answer becasue there isn't one. Tires change every minute.The tire guys are learning every minute.
So do yourself a favour and don"t ask! You will get so many different answers your brain will hurt,,[ask me how I know].
My advice,,, don"t save a nickel to pend a $100 bucks.
Who fixes warmers in Canada? Who only fixes their own product? Who has warmers in use right now 15 years old? Who has the best heat retention of ANY warmer on the market? Who heat soaks a tire better then any other product? Who has warmers that are designed to be fixed after you burn them,rip the cord out, or drive through the pits with them on? Who has the only warmer that truely runs at full heat production on a 1000 watt generator?
Who has the only warmer built 100% in Canada let alone North America?
So please,, if you buy some $230 Chinese %$#@ Do NOT bring them to me to fix. Or ask me for loaners while you try to get those repaired! Oh yes,, it has happened!
Ask this of your mfg'er,,,how many strands of wire are in the heating element? [We have 7,,most of our competition use 2,some use 1 (Chinese)] Do they use the same wire front and rear? [we use two resistance's becasue the front and rear heat different] What is the average life span of a warmer? Ask guys that have been around for 10 years or more.
Who would know more about heating tires then a Canadian? FACT, if you are riding at GB ,Cayuga,Shannonville,,, under 15 C you will loose heat. So you better start out with as much as you can! Your warmer better be able to heat that tire and rim to 80 C at 5 celcius!
Okay,, done with the rant!
 
Ambient Temperature is 24 C and 73 F roughly

Chicken Hawk --------------------Bickle
Outside /Inside ---------------Outside/ Inside
5 Min 50 /C 31c ----------------40C /30C
10 m 54 /35 -------------------48 /41
15m 62/ 41 -------------------- 51 /50
20m 66/ 50 ---------------------53/ 58
25m 64 /62 ---------------------51/ 71
30m 64 /69 ---------------------50/ 77
40m 71 /69 ---------------------41/ 80
45m 70 /70 ---------------------48/ 79
50m 68 /72 --------------------44 /79
55m 70 /77 --------------------42/ 80

these were rear warmers. Both used but inside a 6 months of new.
Infra red used to test outside of warmer in exactly the same place each test.The warmer sat as it would
on a tire at the track.
The probe was used measuring tire from inside.So the probe was placed inside the tire and pushed to the outside.
This ensures you get real temps for heat soaking. The probe was stuck in and let settle. So it could hit say 77 at initial
placement but may settle down to 71.
As fair as I could make it. you can see it took the C-H 55 minutes to get where we were at 30. Also look at how much heat
is being lost through the top of the tire warmer. we remain fairly stable.
Woodcraft and Chicken Hawk are made nearly the same. Same wireing method, just different "Bling"
So you can see we retain more heat. So if you know nothing about tires and warmers it is fairly easy to see we
are much more efficient. That will show it's benefits come spring and fall.
I did not test Chinese stuff simply becasue it does not even compete with C-Hawk or Woodcraft.
Chinese warmers produce too much or not enough heat.
 
I can say that in a rush to get ready in the morning, only having time for 25 minutes or so on the warmers I was able to go out without worrying about my tires. No complaints with my Bickle warmers, thanks John!
 
Thanks Dave!
In a perfect world 45 minutes is optimum,,,,,but I've never seen a perfect world at a race track yet in 30+ years!
 
just picked up a new set of bickles hoping they will work better than the previous ones on those colder track days, here's hoping :)
 
If it's cold out with a slight breeze/wind the new covers that John has for his warmers work amazing at keeping the cold air off the rims which will keep the heat in your tires.
 
Bickle Racing said:
Thanks Dave!
In a perfect world 45 minutes is optimum,,,,,but I've never seen a perfect world at a race track yet in 30+ years!
Click to expand...

At track days I can usually have enough time, but not always.

Another huge advantage with the Bickle warmers, if it's a two group day with only 15-20 minutes between sessions I only have to run my generator for the initial heat soak in the morning. The rest of the day just put them back on without power to keep the tires warm. Obviously colder windier days this is less effective but through the bulk of track season it works great.
 
Not to mislead anyone, I have Bickle warmers too, I just thought that the article had some good info (coincidentally by Chickenhawk).
 
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