Cobie Fair Posted June 13, 2019 Report Share Posted June 13, 2019 Had a question from a student that's racing, about tires and pressures. Ended up exchanging some e-mail with a Dunlop engineer today on that subject. First point was on tire pressures (this might be known, but not sure how well known). Tire pressures are higher in the wet. So (since this student was not going to be able to get rains for this weekend) for a Q3+ for example, it would be 35 front, 33 rear. In the dry we'd run 31 front, 29 rear. The engineer recommended rain tires (of course he would, he'd have to fire himself if he didn't). But...a point he made is that for a racer (and he is), a set of rain tires might last a few seasons. Since I'm inherently thrifty (but also like to have good tires) this seemed worth considering. Maybe you all have already done so :). CF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird180 Posted June 14, 2019 Report Share Posted June 14, 2019 Higher wet pressure seems counterintuitive but makes sense when pondering. Just can’t wait to see someone’s face when I say this to them- LoL. It would them make sense to open the rebound and compression circuits. Did the Dunlop guy say anything about Q3+ street pressures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLHamblin Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 I was told 33 front, 34 rear on Q3+ for "spirited" riding. Have been happy with that, will likely start with same on my Q4's (which should be to me Wednesday). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted June 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 We run 31 front, 29 rear on our Q3+. I'd only go higher on the rear if I had a larger person, or riding 2 up. I often hear higher pressures for increase life of the tire/mileage, don't think that wise. After tossing my first bike down the road, partly due to riding the tire way past when I should have, makes one think...what's the smart choice, optimal traction (at least the possibility of it) or a few more miles? I'm somewhat thrifty (or I think so), but that's not a good investment. CF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird180 Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 I ran 32/32 the other day on street and it was okay...not great and not bad. I think I may go back to Michelin- I don’t feel connected to the road, but also I don’t get to ride this bike often AND the streets here have gotten just awful. I'm definitely in need of some suspension tuning. The bike is all over the place- can’t blame it too much though, streets are wicked. But it did seem to improve at higher speeds (sigh...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted June 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 Remind us, what tires, what bike and what city do you live in?...see if we know anyone near you that can help on the suspension (if you don't already have someone). CF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird180 Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 2006 CBR1000RR. Dunlop Q3+. DC area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLHamblin Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 Cobie; I may try 29 in rear next ride (by the way, if not clear, I am referring to PSI cold, not hot after ride).. Even on street I am for more grip (insurance) over mileage anyday. My Q4 just arrived but won't put them on for a few more weeks. I am going to attach a Dunlop tire pressure guideline chart I have (keep in mind, its a GUIDE, your needs will likely vary!) 2019-Road-Race-Tech-Data.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLHamblin Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 On 6/17/2019 at 10:04 PM, Jaybird180 said: I ran 32/32 the other day on street and it was okay...not great and not bad. I think I may go back to Michelin- I don’t feel connected to the road, but also I don’t get to ride this bike often AND the streets here have gotten just awful. I'm definitely in need of some suspension tuning. The bike is all over the place- can’t blame it too much though, streets are wicked. But it did seem to improve at higher speeds (sigh...) Couple questions, are you running correct rear tire size/profile? Do you know if suspension is set with stock settings or has been adjusted? Ifs been adjusted at some point (or you are not sure) look up the stock settings from owners manual and set everything back stock and see how it feels. I have found Q3 and Q3+ to generally sharpen up a bikes handling. How many miles on the bike (and current tires)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted June 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 Question for you DL: have you found the stock settings to be good overall? Interested to know what bikes you have tried them on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLHamblin Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 All I have done on my GSX-R1000 is set preload to be honest, I haven't found a need to deviate. My thought was similar to off road bikes; if you start playing with the clickers and now its not right; always go back to stock settings as a baseline/starting point. My son's GSX-R750 and my 1000 is what I have ridden the Q3 and Q3+ on (besides the schools BMW 1000 but I also didn't ride the BMW with original tires). On both the 750 and 1000; when we went to Q3 the handling became lighter (quicker?) and it seemed like you could pick and hold a line easier. Also, on my 1000; I used the stock rear 190/50 17 with Q3. When I went to Q3+ (at recommendation of a Dunlop tire guy at one of the MotoAmerica rounds I was working at) went to a 190/55 17 rear. He said it would make an even more noticeable sharpening of handling (as in theory it raised the rear slightly) which it did and I have stuck to it since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird180 Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 15 hours ago, DLHamblin said: Couple questions, are you running correct rear tire size/profile? Do you know if suspension is set with stock settings or has been adjusted? Ifs been adjusted at some point (or you are not sure) look up the stock settings from owners manual and set everything back stock and see how it feels. I have found Q3 and Q3+ to generally sharpen up a bikes handling. How many miles on the bike (and current tires)? I’m running GP Suspensions kit up front and Penske triple adjustable in the rear. I am not sure if I put the 50 (OE) or the CBR forum recommended 55 series tire on rear, likely the latter. I’d have to verify. The tires have maybe 2-300 miles on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird180 Posted September 12, 2019 Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 After riding a couple dry days back to back on the CBR1000RR and then the CB-750 Nighthawk, I came away with a bright idea that caused me to think about this thread. Why did I pay good money for my bike to feel horrible (like a bowling ball) and disconnected on the street? Ans: Because I was being reluctantly stubborn against changing the suspension settings from the "track" setup I had previously installed. There's little reason I can't make the Fireblade feel as plush, comfy and planted as that classic (27 year old) Nighthawk, even if I have to sacrifice the high speed stability the current settings provide- afterall, I don't street-ride like a hooligan anymore (never really have). And I know how do document my track baseline so that I can go back to it when at the track. Duh! Why didn't I think of that before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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