Tire warmers

[jay956]

What do you guys think about using warmers on street tires(BT-016 now, probably BT-003RS next season)? I only ask because a good deal came up. I know theyre not "needed". My only concern is that the single temp ones are set at 175, and some say this is too high for street tires, and other dont. Every time i try to research this I get more confused. I could go for the adjustable warmers and just set it to a lower temperature, but those are $100 more.

[asp125]

I think track day street tires would behave similar to slicks. I probably won't do it to sport touring tires. I have a pair of single temp chickenhawk warmers, and I am running BT-002RS but I didn't get a chance to use them before my crash. http://www.chickenhawkracing.com/faq.php

[Galaxieman]

Based solely on my cold morning runs on the BT016 front and BT021 rear from earlier this month (and resultant confidence in cold weather traction in general): There is no reason to use warmers on street tires. Take it easy for the first lap or two and they'll be up to operating temperature. I had ZERO front end issues during the morning on the 5th and the ambient temp was in the mid-40's. Rear tire only started slipping a bit on corner exit toward the end of the day when I was carrying more corner speed and thus had reached the traction limit of the sport-touring tire. The previous trackday on a 016 rear had none of those issues. Going to the 003RS tires you'll be on the hyper-hypersport end of street tires, but they'll still warm up under 'normal' usage before you start putting in hot laps.

JMHO, YMMV, and the plural of anecdote is not data... but I still think the short answer is 'no'. Technically, you don't even need warmers for race tires if you spend more time at 50-75% letting them warm up.

Edit: Based on my reading of the Bridgstone websites, the 003RS tires are high-silica compound tires which offer increased grip at lower temperatures, so I'd still stay you don't need the warmers. Of course if you're racing, it would probably be a good idea so you can 'GO' when the flag drops and not have to worry about the 1st corner... But there are probably some racers on here with opinions who haven't come up on the net yet...

[asp125]

Yes you can get by without warmers for track days. Depending on the track and grip, it only takes a lap or two to come up to temps. Warmers are a luxury that you can go harder sooner; especially under race conditions.

[jay956]

right, i know they are not needed. just wondering if it would make them too hot. also was thinking they might increase tire life.

[LoDownSinner]

I ran a BT016 rear tire on my SV for a couple of weekends. The tire guy told me not to use warmers on it. Honestly, if street tires get as hot as race tires have to be to function properly, most street tires will start to actually lose grip.

If you decide to go with them anyway, don't plug them in until about a half hour before you go out.

[WoodstockJeff]

Several months back, Bike Magazine posed this question to tire manufacturers. The answers they got back were that warming probably would not hurt the tires, but it would not help the traction - street tires are formulated to give their maximum grip at much lower temps than race tires, and tire warmers generally take tires past the "optimum" temp for street tires.

Of course, throughout the article, they spelled it "tyres", so you can take what you want from that... ;)

[jay956]

i really hate the part of me that goes man thats a great deal, i should get that, but i dont really need it. lol

[AZridered]

Just don't run the warmers constantly. Run them for 15 or 20 minutes before you take to the track.
After a session, wrap the tires but don't plug in. You might not need to plug in at all after the first heating. The tires could stay warm all day depending on the insulation layer of the blankets.

Tire life will not be extended. Street tires are designed to go through lots and lots of heat cycles.

Mark
SE AZ

[storysunfolding]

I agree with alot of what's previously been said. For a track day, even with race tires, warmers are a luxury. Put that money in your tire fund because you're going to go through a few more sets next year anyway.

... and next winter when all your friends are upgrading to 2011 equipment you'll get just as great deals on their old stuff. ;)

[jay956]

Well i picked up some TyrSox. I know they have some bad rep, but a friend of mine uses them and they seem to work good for him. plus they were only $100.

[Galaxieman]

Well you can't beat that deal with a stick!

[JohnBryer]

I have a lot of opinions on this subject. I've done about 30 track days in the past 4-5 years and years and I'm a solid Intermediate rider, so I think I have enough experience to respond..

These are mostly random thoughts....

Unless you're running slicks, tire warmers are a total waste of time, effort, and money. And please don't park next to me with your loud, stinky generator!

If you're running slicks in B or C group, you're a poser. A track day is not a race and you do not need to go WFO into turn 1 lap 1.

Tire warmers are for racers on race days or race practices.

The average track day rider doesn't go fast enough for slicks/race tires. You'll get more traction from a new set of Pilot Power 2CT's because they will heat up faster and stay there at lower speeds.

I'm willing to be that 95% of the riders at track days will never lose traction on a regular street tire after it has been properly warmed up (2 laps).

[LoDownSinner]

TyrSox aren't bad. It's kind of a pain having to put the warmer on and then the little blanket thing over it. Just make sure that you unplug them before removing them from the tires. They'll burn through quick if you leave 'em plugged in!

[jay956]

eh, as far as im concerned $100 is nothing when your talking about track stuff. even if it only has a placebo effect, its money well spent.

[asp125]

Aw heck, I would've sold you my chickhawks for $200. ;)