I'm running Supercorsa SP tires. I've reached the wear bar on the right side of both the front and the rear. The middle of both sides has plenty left until the wear bar, and on the left of the tire there's a tiny bit to go before hitting the wear bar. The bike has been mostly at Barber, so I assume that's why the right side is worn down more. Can I get another weekend out of these (slower Intermediate pace) or should i go ahead and replace them now?
Well it depends on a lot of factors to be honest. Most people will say when in doubt replace. I agree with that to a point. The major factor for me is will the tire last the weekend. I am not a fan of switching tires at the track. Especially because I prefer Pirelli. I like to show up and know I'm ready to go. I've seen to many people get disappointed because they have to buy a tire brand at the track they really don't want but need to in order to finish their weekend or they miss their morning sessions waiting to get their tires swapped out. Some factors include: Riding style Type of tarmac the track has. Is the track right or left hand turn dominant What bike you have Suspension set up How you are on the throttle Tire pressures Outside/track temp So this being said you will get pletty of opinions on here but it comes down to what YOUR preference is and how comfortable you feel with the tires based upon your set up, confidence as a rider and skill level. Oh pics would help too! Lol
If there is any doubt, then there is no doubt.......weigh the price of new tires to bike repair and medical cost if you crash because of them....
This is why I like to have spare rims, especially for the rear. If I have a tire that is questionable for a ENTIRE weekend, I start with a fresh one for the day. At lunch time, after track is no longer green, I'll switch back to the half worn tire/rim and use it for the afternoon sessions.
We had an intermediate student show up at tech this weekend at CMP with a front that was worn so bad, he had cord showing....seemed shocked when we told him 'no'.....
If you're constantly running tracks with mostly right handers (ACC north, hello), it's worth it to pay the tire guys to flip your tires halfway through the weekend.
So, on the edge of the tire, down to the wear bars, or down to the bottom of the tread? (on supercorsa SC's) I've seen plenty of people (who are faster than me) use them right down to the bottom of the tread without issue. I may be wasting rubber by changing them when I hit the wear bar. I'm not going for the "if you have to ask, it's time" saying. Just tell us when traction begins to significantly fall off. Edit: I flip my Pirelli SC's after 2 track days. Then I get one more on the other side. But I'm thinking I could get 2 more on the other side, and I'm tossing tires early.
I hear that. I went ahead and ordered another set of SPs so I could at least take them with me to the track if I decide not to go ahead and mount them ahead of time. That way I can just get tire tech to mount them. I was debating switching to the SC's and runnign warmers, but got a really good deal on another set of SPs ($280) so I had to go with them again. pics in next post
I've read someone else saying it was ok to do this, but was still worried about trying it, ha. It would make sense since the tires are more worn on the right and barber has a lot of sustained right hand turns... I'm not that hard on the throttle and fairly slow comparatively speaking (just moved up to intermediate and will likely be back of the pack for a bit). So I'm feeling like I'd be ok going another weekend on these. But since I have another set on the way i may just go ahead and mount them ... it's just the difference of a weekend i guess. Here are some photos for good measure: Front Left side looks ok, but right side is touching the wear bar: Rear Right side of rear is almost touching the wear bar on the outside... Left side is good (aside from that nice tearing from NCM the other week)
It's worth adding that this is ok with Pirelli but a bad idea with Dunlop. Something about how the internal plies are put together in a Dunlop makes them more likely to delaminate when run backwards. And all these tires suck in wet weather, so it's not like a directional tread pattern is going to matter for water drainage.
If you are just plan on running the bike on the track try the Pirelli super bike pros.... Awesome tires no warmers needed and they last forever. I'm on my second weekend with them on a 1000 at a mid A pace and still have 2-3 weekends left on the rear.
Dunlop has changed their race slicks so that they are now bi-directional. Looking at those pics, I'd think if flipped they might be ok depending on the track...
I would keep in mind that you running an SP not an SC. SP is a street tire and will wear great but is not a tire I personally would want to run at an I pace. As other people have said, confidence in the tires is huge. I like my equipment (tires, suspension etc.) to be better than I am at using it.
Do you know which ones specifically? I know the street Q3's and older Q2's still can't. Rumor has it that these are basically the same compound as SP street tires just without a tread pattern. Lots of people I know still use the SP's because their stick is better than other street tires, but they last a long time at the track. Like double the life of the SC.