gfl61 Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 I've now read through the posts regarding tires and still have a very specific question about tire temperature. I have some limited experience in the car road racing world and tire temperature across the width of the tire is used as a guide for alignment angles and for pressure settings. Now I know that the alignment angle is a moot point on motorcycles but tire pressure was also used to help adjust the distribution of temperature uniformly across the width of the tire and the running temperature of the tire was very important. It's been a while but I seem to remember a range of 170 to 210 degrees F being good and 220 - 230 being too high. I can see the pressure within the motorcycle tire being used to "set the width" of the contact patch if you will, sacrificing stability for traction for instance, but what about the running temperature of the tire? Does any motorcycle tire manufacturer publish what temperature a particular tire's temp should be for optimal use? (Racing teams seem to care about this information as witnessed by the application of an array of IR temp sensors on the swing arm and presumably the on the front fork to gather tire temp data.) Additionally, what exactly is meant by "stability"? How does the rider quantify a stable verses an unstable tire? Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions on this topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUNLOP-RTS Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 I've now read through the posts regarding tires and still have a very specific question about tire temperature. I have some limited experience in the car road racing world and tire temperature across the width of the tire is used as a guide for alignment angles and for pressure settings. Now I know that the alignment angle is a moot point on motorcycles but tire pressure was also used to help adjust the distribution of temperature uniformly across the width of the tire and the running temperature of the tire was very important. It's been a while but I seem to remember a range of 170 to 210 degrees F being good and 220 - 230 being too high. I can see the pressure within the motorcycle tire being used to "set the width" of the contact patch if you will, sacrificing stability for traction for instance, but what about the running temperature of the tire? Does any motorcycle tire manufacturer publish what temperature a particular tire's temp should be for optimal use? (Racing teams seem to care about this information as witnessed by the application of an array of IR temp sensors on the swing arm and presumably the on the front fork to gather tire temp data.) Additionally, what exactly is meant by "stability"? How does the rider quantify a stable verses an unstable tire? Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions on this topic. Does Tire Temperature Count? You are placing too much emphasis on the running temperature of the tire. If the rider is happy with the stability and the grip of the tire, don't go changing the pressure. its that simple. Don't go changing things because your new tool had a number on it (meaning your tire gauge had some arbitrary temperature reading on it). Dunlop does not publish a tire temperature range. This is mostly because riders would drastically fluctuate their tire pressure in an attempt to achieve a certain tire temperature (so they can be just like their favorite champion racer). But they can never achieve that temperature with the lap-times they are running (much like a cat chasing its tail). Also with the lower cost and increased availability of temperature gauges, you see riders wanting to play with their new tool, because these tool manufacturers have now place a big emphasis on tire temperature. This overemphasis can have very bad results. Teams may monitor temperature, but it is not so they can make changes to the pressure. Its for chassis setup and other reasons. They have more options available to them and may be interested in data for reasons other than tire pressure changes. Lets concern ourselves with the track day rider and regional racers needs. Car racing is different than bike racing. The data does not always transfer from on to the other. Much like Las Vegas, "What happens at a car race, should stay at a car race". You may also find helpful information here: http://forums.superb...indpost&p=20465 Stability: Is how the tire feels to the rider. Does it flex or wallow. Does it respond when turned. Does it feel overly harsh. Does it roll over bumps well or feel stiff. Things like this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfl61 Posted January 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Thanks for the reply Steve. I can appriciate your desire to keep the topic simple here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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