I just ordered my first tire warmer which will also be the first time using one. Its a single temp (175F) chicken hawk racing brand. Between the time the last A session ends before lunch and the first session after lunch begins, there is an hour and 40 mins of break. Do you guys leave the warmers on the tires plugged in the entire time? I read you are not supposed to keep them on for an extended time over an hour? Could you guys shed some clarification on this? Thanks
i turn them off for a little but leave them on the tires, turn on around an hour before u go back out, especially if its hot out, whens its cold i just let them roast all day from about 7a to my last session
I always put mine on about 5 minutes after I pit from a session. between the lunch break I stick them on but don't plug them in until my 30 minute mark for last call. Even then, when I hit the track fresh off the warmers, I still take it easy around the first lap just to give them a solid true warm up. Doesn't hurt to get a IR temp reader. (Harbor Freight has them on sale for about 20- 25 bucks)That way you know what your temps are coming and going from the track and you can make the adjustments through out the day as the weather changes.
Not to hijack the thread, but is there a GoPro kind of way to video the tire with IR live on the track? Or is this a $1M idea I just blurted out?
Like Mr. Brooks said, best to talk to the tire vendor. Personally I run Pirelli's, and I leave mine on high all day (based upon the recommendations from James Bock, my vendor). You aren't going to "overcook" the tire. It will get to 180deg (or whatever "high" is), and just stay there. That isn't anywhere near the "max temp" of the tire, the tire gets even hotter while on track (obviously referring to warm/sunny weather). So it isn't going to burn up, overheat, overcook (or any of the other terms you hear thrown around) the tire. It will just get it hot and keep it hot...which is advantageous because it eliminates heat cycles. Heat cycling will hurt the tire more than leaving it on the warmers all day. Granted, I am talking about race tires. Street/hypersport tires are a whole different discussion. As always, this is just my opinion and what works well for me. Other opinions/results may vary.
Although 5mins isn't too long, the tires do cool off kinda quick. So if it isn't really hot/sunny in your put, that could almost be like putting them through a "mini heat cycle" after every session. Personally, I put mine on immediately, before I even take my gloves off. When I have somebody working my pit during race weekends, he also puts them on immediately. He will put the bike on the rear stand, and immediately put the warmer on, before even putting the bike on the front stand. Then he hurries around to the front, trying not to waste any time.
I've done pretty much any combination so far without noticing a difference. Sometimes I've unplugged them during lunch, other times I left them on from morning until end of day, and never had a problem with any tire. I have MJ Moto warmers which I'm not sure what temp they get too, but it seems the front gets a lot hotter than the rear for some reason. I've also ran pretty much every brand of tire that matters (Pirelli, Michelin, Bridgestone, Dunlop).
Maybe I should have specified, I leave my warmers on high all day....when my bike is in the Pit. Don't want somebody to do that and then be like "Broome said keep them on all day".
I put them on as soon as I come off the track. Over lunch I unplug them, but leave them on the tire, then plug them back in about 45 minutes before going back out. Just personal preference. I agree it probably does no harm to just leave them on.
"eliminates heat cycles. Heat cycling will hurt the tire more than leaving it on the warmers all day." this. Mine are on all day.
Unless your Chris Broome, don't over think it. Put them on after each session. Put them on 45 minutes to an hour before you ride during the lunch break. I run Pirelli's on the race bike. I let them cool off completely. I put warmers on immediately. I'm completely in consistent in how I use the warmers. I've used the same tires for about 6 track days now. Heat cycled the crap out of it. If you're not Chris or running near Pro times, you likely will never know the difference. Swap the tires if they start to feel different or reach the wear indicators. Your tire vendor is the best source of information on your tire habits.