DUNLOP-RTS

Certainly the race tire will have more grip and be better for the track. Using a 400 mile worn street tire is not a good option for the track. I would use the Race Tire on the track and then go back to your street Q3 for the street.

I'm with Hotfoot on this one. She is spot on. You have really answered the question yourself. You are going 15-20 off the pace and your lap times don't change with a higher performance tire. So stick with that tire and get more tire life. The tire is not what is holding you back. When you up your pace and start to slide the street tire, then step up to the higher performance tire. Or if you want more insurance step up to the performance tire now at the expense of more tires usage. Its ultimately your call. Don't overthink this.

Dr. Loannis, You questions a bit to general and specific to a region and the supply in that region. Please email me directly and I will be happy to answer you question (after I get more specifics from you), and if I cannot I will get you in touch with your regional supplier. steve@dunlopracing.com Steve Brubaker

The Q3 is not a tire I work with at the track with racers. thus my first hand knowledge with it is limited. BUT, I did just spend some time speaking with the test riders that did all the development with the Q3, both for street and track. So I have the best first-hand feedback I could get. Track day pressure for the Q3 is 30 PSI rear cold, and no less than 32 PSI front cold. if you have a 600, maybe go to 28 rear cold, however, going lower you will not get more grip, but may have instability in the rear, so its not the solution if you want a good clean ride, keep it at 30 or slightly higher to suit your riding. In the front do not go lower the 32 psi cold. The tire has a tone of grip already, going lower on the pressure only makes the contact patch fight with itself and results in instability, poor steering, heavy steering and chatter. 32 in a minimum, highly consider going a pound or 2 more to get the bike to feel better and steer better. you wont lose grip, but you will gain a better feel and more precise steering. 32 rear and 33 front cold would be right in the middle and good starting point. There is a point when your lap times justify a good race tire. If you find yourself trying to tweak the pressure on a Q3 to get that last little bit of usable grip, you need to step up to a race tire like D211GP-A or Slicks. If the Q3 is working for you, cool! Stay with it. But if you keep trying to change things to get more grip out of a Q3, you have hit the glass ceiling and it time to step up.

In a perfect world, one where your bike is right on the track record setting pace and the setup is spot on, you would then make changes to accommodate a tire switch. But since you have a mid pack or track day pace and setup, you cannot be certain of the direction you need to go with changes. In your situation you can just put on the new tires and start making small setup changes from there. Its kind of like being lost in the woods, no map, no compass, and asking if you should turn left or right to exit the woods. You might get more lost or not. But if you had a GPS and map, you would know exactly which way to go. With suspension, you need to know where you are at, in order to make a change, confidently, in one direction or another.

The D211GPA and the KR448-KR449 slicks are the same tire before they go in the mold. same construction and they come in mostly the same compounds. The slick having a little bit more grip and wear becaue it does not have tread. Other than that they are the same. The 120/70x17 D211GPA and the 125/80x17 KR448 slick are the same width and diameter. The 190/55x17 D211GPA and the 190/55x17 KR449 slick are the same width and diameter. The 190/60x17 D211GPA and the 200/55x17 KR449 slick are the same width and diameter. These can be interchanged without ride hieght changes.

Brad and Anthem both make good points. Pepsi puts to much emphasis on the tire temp as the biggest reason for tire grip. There are many other factors in tire grip. the construction of the D211GPA is different from the Q2. Thus the GPA has better overall grip, while the Q2 gives a different feel that makes a street rider feel more comfortable. Those different feelings may lead to some riders swearing by one or the other tire. Yes, you would not get the GPA to it "Optimal" performance level and temperature on the street, but that does not mean it does not performance very well at lower temps. Facts are the GPA will provide better grip than the Q2 from room temp up to full race temp. This has been proven in testing is controlled conditions. The Q2 does have a different feel because of the construction. This may lead the rider to feel is a better tire in those conditions, and it is if it gives a better feel. At the end of the day, riders like what they like. They will swear by a certain setup. We can argue the finer points here, but really we are splitting hairs to try to make our points. All 3 tires are great tires (Q2, Q3 and GPA). Last year I rode 6000 miles on my Bandit 1200 sport touring. The first haft was on GPA, the second was on Q2. We road in all conditions, and both tires worked great. Believe me, I can get aggressive in the twisties. I could not give definitive differences in performance on either tire, they both worked very very good.

The tire has tread left so its no the cords showing. It look like you locked up the front tire on a grooved pavement. IF this is the case it should slowly wear away, unless its now out of balance, in which you should rebalance it. Or, you let it sit on a grating of some sort for a long time, leaving an imprint. If this is the case it should go back to shape when heated or ridden on and it flexes back. Hard to tell by just a picture.

Jason, You need to not get wrapped up in the sizing issue. Dunlop calls thier race tire a 190. simple as that. Becasue other companies make a 180 does not make them right or wrong, its just the size they wanted to call it. Honestly you need to call me so I can help your out. Everyone in the AMA and all club racers across the USA using Dunlop use the 190 with no issues. Track records and championships speak for themself.

I sell only the race product. So I cant speek directly about the Q3, since I dont sell them. I am certain it is an upgrade to the Q2. However if you are on the track, the D211GP-A is going to be the best choice. The D211GP-A is also a very good street tire if you are going to ride on the street after your track ride. If you ride 100% street, then the Q3 is the best. If you are going to ride track and street or just track, the D211GP-A is the best choice.

The tire size is not exact from manufacture to manufacturer and from model to model. So a 200/55 OEM Pirelli my not be the same exact size as the race 200/55 Pirelli or the 200/55 Dunlop Q2. The size on the sidewall is not the exact diameter. I know that the Dunlop D211GPA 190/60 DOT and the KR448/KR449 Dunlop N-Tec Slicks 200/55 are the same diameters as teh Pirelli, and have been used with no issues on the Panigale. By going to the Dunlop you will get the "Dunlop Feel", top of the line N-Tec traction and the enhanced durability that comes with the Dunlop. Also consider that the TC on the bike has a "Window" or workability. They do not make TC to work under a very strict ridged diameter tire. This is because as the lean angle of the bike changes the rolling radius will change and as the tire pressure changes so will the rolling radius change . Thus if they programmed it with a tight ridged "Window" it would not work as the bike leaned side to side, or if the tire presser was slightly changed. As long as you get a tire that is very close in diameter you will be fine. No need to over think this one. Also consider Pirelli and Ducati are both Italian make and they tend to recommend each others products. Same with BMW, they only recommend the Metzeler and the Conti tires (all 3 companies are German companies). Not saying its a conspiracy, but it does make sense that if you going to "Certify" one tire, it will likely be the OEM or a company with a relationship.

I'm planning to order some 8477 GPA rears for use at NOLA. I have a couple 5436 GPA fronts already. Any reason I shouldn't use the 5436 front in combination with an 8477 rear? Also, I would like confirmation: the 190/60 GPA rear is not the same dimensions as the 190/55? It seems clear by the public specs but I'm just double checking... 190/55: Width (188.5mm/7.42"), Diameter (647.3mm/25.48") 190/60: Width (191.3mm/7.54"), Diameter (657.4mm/25.92") YES, the 190/60 is a larger, higher performing tire. It will fit, no problem. All AMA teams use the 190/60. It works better and comes in the 8477 compound, and the 190/55 does not. If you are at NOLA, you clearly should have the 190/60 8477. Have fun!

7455 is med, 8477 is med+ I very highly recommend the 8477 for any track day riding. very grippy, consistaint and last a long time. It also can win an AMA national, like it did in Mid Ohio and NOLA.

What type of riding are you wanting to do primarily? Street performance, sport touring, track days, racing?

I would recommend the following: PLAN A- rent the school bike. your attention will not be on the bike and all that stuff, and you can have good learing day at the school without discraction. PLAN B- get a new set of tires from the school. they are top of the line and your attention will not be on your tires and you can focuse on learing. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. tires are a cheap date when you consider all the other things you spend $ on to go to a school. They are an importaint factor, get it sorted out early and with quality, then your ride and school experience will be enhanced.