UK_ZX6 Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Hi, first im new so Hi Ive just recently done my very first trackday, and loved it to bits.... But it has left me with some questions of which i will post in the appropriate forums. During the day I noticed that I was getting uneven tire wear Rears were right to and just beyond the sidewall edge but the fronts still have about 15mm left to go to hit the edge of the tire.... is there something i should be looking at is this normal, I would have expected somewhat even wear Bike is a stock zx636r 06 with stock bt014 tires 120/70 180/55 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Hi, first im new so Hi Ive just recently done my very first trackday, and loved it to bits.... But it has left me with some questions of which i will post in the appropriate forums. During the day I noticed that I was getting uneven tire wear Rears were right to and just beyond the sidewall edge but the fronts still have about 15mm left to go to hit the edge of the tire.... is there something i should be looking at is this normal, I would have expected somewhat even wear Bike is a stock zx636r 06 with stock bt014 tires 120/70 180/55 Thanks Hi there, This is totally normal and depends to some degree on bike setup, and tyre profiles. Some tyres you can get to the edge on the front, some you cannot, and never will. Those are clearly more road orientated tyres and hence they're designed to have more of the usable tyre where you would use and need it, i.e. the middle, not the very edges. Fear not, carry on, and have fun! Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_ZX6 Posted July 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Thanks for the really quick reply.... I have been looking at different tires, and find it a little confusing. What would you recommend as a good track tire, I never ride on roads with this bike, and would like something that will not only give me great grip, but at the same time really instill a high level of confidence in all corners ive also heard said that maybe going to a 190 rear will help with my size ( a little bigger than average LOL ) Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Thanks for the really quick reply.... I have been looking at different tires, and find it a little confusing. What would you recommend as a good track tire, I never ride on roads with this bike, and would like something that will not only give me great grip, but at the same time really instill a high level of confidence in all corners ive also heard said that maybe going to a 190 rear will help with my size ( a little bigger than average LOL ) Thanks Hi again, No problem on the reply, you just happened to catch me at the right time. Tyres, well, all the manafacturer's have good tyres these days, certainly all the well known brands you've heard of Dunlop, Michelin, Bridgestone, Pirelli etc, etc. All of them if you look, will have a very good track orientated tyre, the one we use in the UK is the Dunlop GP Racer (D209GP), which is an excellent track tyre, and will also work in rain conditions. I doubt you'd have much trouble with that over the tyres your using now, though like i say, you can get something similiarly orientated from all the manafacturers. As for the move to 190, well, a 190 in itself will make a bit of a difference, especially if you went to a 190/55, as opposed to a 190/50, as it has a bigger contact pacth when leaned over. If you only have a 600 though, personally I'd stick with a 180/55, but thats just me. Hope that helps you out Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acebobby Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Thanks for the really quick reply.... I have been looking at different tires, and find it a little confusing. What would you recommend as a good track tire, I never ride on roads with this bike, and would like something that will not only give me great grip, but at the same time really instill a high level of confidence in all corners ive also heard said that maybe going to a 190 rear will help with my size ( a little bigger than average LOL ) Thanks Hi UK-ZX6 welcome to the forum! talking tyres can be a bit of a funny subject, there are loads of different opinions out there! The tyre your running, Stock BT014's, I assume when you say stock your saying the tyre that came on the bike when it was new! If so you need to realise that its an OE fitment tyre and not quite the same as a BT014 tyre that you can buy. not a big deal though unless they are giving you problems with grip! Anyway, pressures, are you lowering your pressures for the track? A guide line figure is 30 psi rear 32 psi front, this is a personal thing though and is worth experimenting with, what you are actually looking for here is a 5-7 psi increase from cold to hot to get the tyre into its optimum operating temperature! If they are under 5 remove a little air to generate more heat and if they are over 7 add a little air, your ideal pressures will change the faster you get! Which tyre to use, alot of people go straight for the super sticky track oriented tyres, thats ok if your carrying spare wheels with wets on, if not go for a good all round road tyre, like your BT014 or highly recommended on this forum is the Dunlop qualifier! If you have the twist of the wrist books go to page 83 of book 1 you will see that Keith has written "Buying racing tires that are beyond your capabilities as a rider will not allow you to experience how tires perform at their limits"! With that statement in mind I stuck a pair of Dunlop roadsmarts on my bike when I was at CSS the other week, there supposed to be sport-tourers, I've had no issues with them yet and the wear pattern is over the edge on the rear and very nearly there on the front! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubbard_28 Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 You could probably get a couple more good trackdays out of the stock tires if that's what you're still riding. Don't worry about how far over the tires wear, but learning suspension would be the best thing for you. If you notice on the edges of your tread pattern that one side is already starting to wear more, it's going to tell you that there is something wrong with your suspension setup (rebound?), and you'd be best served to get someone to look at it for you. I've been focusing on the TOTW books, but was starting to learn suspension, which means I really don't know much, but there is someone at our tracks who does a basic setup for $30. It's a good investment. I'd stay with the 180 tire for now. If I remember right it's the best basic performance size for the 600's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbtriple Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Is it not also true that a narrower section tyre turns quicker than a wider section? Quite apart from the question of what size rim comes with the bike - If they are designed for a 180 stock, you'd have to think that was the optimum.......it could adversely affect the dynamics by sticking a wider tyre on than was intended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Is it not also true that a narrower section tyre turns quicker than a wider section? Quite apart from the question of what size rim comes with the bike - If they are designed for a 180 stock, you'd have to think that was the optimum.......it could adversely affect the dynamics by sticking a wider tyre on than was intended. It is true that certain rims cannot safely host a 190 tyre, as they're too narrow, (I can't remmeber whether it's 5.5 inches or 6), but I'm afraid it's a bit of a myth that a 190 slows the rate of steering. It affects suspension setup most certainly, but not rate of turning. The bigger question is the real reason to have a 190 is about wider contact patch to put the power down on the road (hence why liter bikes and above have one, in fact a Ducati Desmocedici has a 200 profile), on a 600, you really don't need anymore contact patch as it's optimal already. Some great advice from Hub there, get your suspension setup by the man in the van at the track, money well spent for sure! Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_ZX6 Posted July 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Thanks for all the great advice guys I'm a bit of a fiddler when it comes to stuff, just cant stop learning lol I've set the suspension up this morning after spending the whole of yesterday researching and watching videos lol I can say this morning that just from what is expected as a baseline (from what the instructors say (Dave Moss)) I now have as near as damn it a setup thats spot onish, though being at pretty much max preload heavier rated springs will be needed. But we'll see how that goes. I'm going to donington again next month so I guess we'll see, while I am there I'm going to get the suspension guys to check and adjust what ive got done so far. Then it'll be time to try tires... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Thanks for all the great advice guys I'm a bit of a fiddler when it comes to stuff, just cant stop learning lol I've set the suspension up this morning after spending the whole of yesterday researching and watching videos lol I can say this morning that just from what is expected as a baseline (from what the instructors say (Dave Moss)) I now have as near as damn it a setup thats spot onish, though being at pretty much max preload heavier rated springs will be needed. But we'll see how that goes. I'm going to donington again next month so I guess we'll see, while I am there I'm going to get the suspension guys to check and adjust what ive got done so far. Then it'll be time to try tires... If your a big lad (a bit like myself), you'll almost certainly need to get new springs in both the shock and the front forks to get a the setup optimal for sure, so bear that in mind you're trying to tweak spring rates for more than likely a 12 stone fella, and you can only go so far without changing components. Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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