Tyre warmers for road riding?

[Captain]

Too much dribble on RATS lately, time to get back to motorcycling, methinks.
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Should you warm up your tyres before you go for a road ride? This is the question the author considers.

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I found it very interesting. This is what I have learnt:

- Tyre warmers heat the tyres unevenly, due to the fact that heat rises (actually it doesn't, it's the cold that falls but let's not go there).
- Tyre warmers leave a cold spot where the velcro joint is. So with consideration to the above, you are best to position the joint on the top of the tyre (if possible).
- It takes about 50 minutes for the tyre warmers to heat the tyre properly. So at a track day, get them on as soon as you unload.
- It's not such a bad idea to warm up your tyre before a road ride. However, given the cooling down / heating up charts, I would set the thermostat to 45 degrees (if adjustible).

[Cooked Goose]

captain between this and the tyre comparo, you truely are a source of very interesting information!

[tazkenny]

Thanks Captain.

I felt somebody's tyres after they removed their warmers at the Creek and then again as soon as they came into their garage and they were significantly cooler. I believe the warmers were at about 70 deg.

I'm just jelaous as I waste 2 laps before I can play hard, but lots of folk have no need.

I see lots of RATs with warmers at much lower temps btw.

On a good note, I'll be joining the trailer & warmer crew soon :)

[Mono]

Thanks Captain.

I felt somebody's tyres after they removed their warmers at the Creek and then again as soon as they came into their garage and they were significantly cooler. I believe the warmers were at about 70 deg.

I'm just jelaous as I waste 2 laps before I can play hard, but lots of folk have no need.

I see lots of RATs with warmers at much lower temps btw.

On a good note, I'll be joining the trailer & warmer crew soon :)

70 deg is about right for an Autum/early Spring track..60deg is better for Summer [most not adjustable type warmers are around 65deg]. 75+ deg is best for winter BTW. My 2c:ayyy:

[Captain]

I felt somebody's tyres after they removed their warmers at the Creek and then again as soon as they came into their garage and they were significantly cooler. I believe the warmers were at about 70 deg.

I'm just jelaous as I waste 2 laps before I can play hard, but lots of folk have no need.

I see lots of RATs with warmers at much lower temps btw.

On a good note, I'll be joining the trailer & warmer crew soon :)

I cannot believe the difference the track itself seems to make; at OP recently (RRPA, south circuit) I felt my tyres on returning to the pit and fark me, they were boiling hot. Not only, but my beautifully smooth rubber is all shredded up now :cursing::lmao: ... and only on the left side. But it's OK, still wearing well ....
Don't know why this should be the case; am I riding harder (thanks Alex and Jason) or is it the track itself?

Good hearing you're getting warmers Ken, good choice, you'll love them. When is your next track day? Looking forward to catching up (although I wish I was a little quicker so we could have a bit of fun together) :ayyy:

[*Oggy*]

Tyre warmers for the road is just a stupid idea IMHO.... One of the biggest things that save us on rides is the warm up process... Not the tyres..but getting your head switched on and into the motorbike groove. If your heads not up to speed before your tyres then you are already behind the eight ball or you've put all your chips on red.

If your road tyres dont heat up quick enough...get better tyres.

For the track its a different story and when you think you end up getting 10-20% more of the fast stuff, then on a day thats costing you $$$$ its a good investment.

[Captain]

Valid point oggy. But what about the example the writer gives, the one about someone pulling out on you 5 minutes after you leave home, when your tyres are still cold?
I don't think he's suggesting that by putting warmers on you will leave your garage like a bat out of hell (although some might well do just that - and I suspect this is your concern?). You still need to 'warm yourself up', and if you still start off carefully then I do not see the disadvantage of having warm tyres from the start.

Another way of looking at it is that at the start of a day you're not at your best (as you correctly state). Would you intentionally choose less grippy tyres to boot? If, upon leaving the garage, you could select either good grip or poor grip, what would you choose?

PS. I really doubt I will ever fit warmers before a road ride ... but it would be interesting to try, purely from a psychological perspective, I am curious.

[zRoYz]

Valid point oggy. But what about the example the writer gives, the one about someone pulling out on you 5 minutes after you leave home, when your tyres are still cold?


Yes but it all comes down to the fact shit happens, you just can't plan for it.

Specific road tyres are made to warm up fast & can also have a lower heat rating which is why they can rip up badly on the track when you over heat them. Yes it would be nice to have warm tyres leaving your garage but what do you do when you stop somewhere for a period of time & your tyres cool, carry warmers & a portable generator with you. That article was written because they either ran out of things to write about or the author just had some really good drugs that day. The bottom line is it is a totally pointless exercise & they would have been better writing about a yetti seen riding a motorbike.

I mean if you really think about it you might as well have a pit crew follow you to service your bike when you stop incase of 101 mechanical failures that might happen.

[Underground]

What an excellent idea... "Honey, i'm going for a ride...Honey...WHERE'S MY TYRE WARMERS? ....whaaa'? .....THE-TYRE-WARMERS WOMAN! where the fark did you put them?...."Ohhh, the red stretchy things?? they're in the washing machine...SOAKING"

[Captain]

To be honest I was more interested in some of the other stuff that this test highlighted, but was replying to the comments made by others re road riding - as a theoretical exercise. Like I said, I don't see myself using them for all the reasons stated by zRoYz. However, having learnt something, I do not think it was a futile exercise, not one bit.




I found it very interesting. This is what I have learnt:

- Tyre warmers heat the tyres unevenly, due to the fact that heat rises (actually it doesn't, it's the cold that falls but let's not go there).
- Tyre warmers leave a cold spot where the velcro joint is. So with consideration to the above, you are best to position the joint on the top of the tyre (if possible).
- It takes about 50 minutes for the tyre warmers to heat the tyre properly. So at a track day, get them on as soon as you unload.

[Naked Twin]

As you say Captain, practicality not there for tyre warmers on road riding, however interesting reading.

Road tyres I am told have a much better operating range, that is will work from low temperatures but do not have the ultimate grip of a soft or track tyre. Track tyres need to get hotter then a road tyre to get to their operating temperature and their ultimate grip.

Once heat gets in though they will hold minimum heat though so unless it is a cold day you should be okay when stopping for 15 minutes.

Nick

[DAVID]

I wish I could ride fast enough to need hot tyres:lmao::lmao::lmao