Q2's Vs Roadsmart 2's

[mattguss]

This is directed to our Dunlop expert but I would certainly welcome any thoughts! I have run Q2's on my street bike ('08 cbr1000rr) for 2 years and love 'em...in the dry. I've had 4 sets of the q2's. I have ridden them on the track and twisties with great satisfaction. They are grippy as hell, predictable and give great feedback. BUT when it gets wet or even damp I find the Q2 to be a squirrley tire and not confidence inspiring. Even though I am a fair weather rider, it can rain or be wet on a morning.

 

So my question is will the new Roadsmart 2's offer as good or nearly as good dry grip as the Q2's? And / or what should I expect the handling characteristics of the Roadsmart 2 to be like? Is switching to Roadsmart's a good idea or should I just with the Q2's and tip toe thru the damp? Anybody ridden on the Roadsmart2's?

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

Matt

 

btw, why isn't there any objective measure for grip when it comes to tires?

[DUNLOP-RTS]

This is directed to our Dunlop expert but I would certainly welcome any thoughts! I have run Q2's on my street bike ('08 cbr1000rr) for 2 years and love 'em...in the dry. I've had 4 sets of the q2's. I have ridden them on the track and twisties with great satisfaction. They are grippy as hell, predictable and give great feedback. BUT when it gets wet or even damp I find the Q2 to be a squirrley tire and not confidence inspiring. Even though I am a fair weather rider, it can rain or be wet on a morning.

 

So my question is will the new Roadsmart 2's offer as good or nearly as good dry grip as the Q2's? And / or what should I expect the handling characteristics of the Roadsmart 2 to be like? Is switching to Roadsmart's a good idea or should I just with the Q2's and tip toe thru the damp? Anybody ridden on the Roadsmart2's?

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

Matt

 

btw, why isn't there any objective measure for grip when it comes to tires?

 

What tire size were you using?

[mattguss]

This is directed to our Dunlop expert but I would certainly welcome any thoughts! I have run Q2's on my street bike ('08 cbr1000rr) for 2 years and love 'em...in the dry. I've had 4 sets of the q2's. I have ridden them on the track and twisties with great satisfaction. They are grippy as hell, predictable and give great feedback. BUT when it gets wet or even damp I find the Q2 to be a squirrley tire and not confidence inspiring. Even though I am a fair weather rider, it can rain or be wet on a morning.

 

So my question is will the new Roadsmart 2's offer as good or nearly as good dry grip as the Q2's? And / or what should I expect the handling characteristics of the Roadsmart 2 to be like? Is switching to Roadsmart's a good idea or should I just with the Q2's and tip toe thru the damp? Anybody ridden on the Roadsmart2's?

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

Matt

 

btw, why isn't there any objective measure for grip when it comes to tires?

 

What tire size were you using?

 

120/70 & 190/50

[DUNLOP-RTS]

This is directed to our Dunlop expert but I would certainly welcome any thoughts! I have run Q2's on my street bike ('08 cbr1000rr) for 2 years and love 'em...in the dry. I've had 4 sets of the q2's. I have ridden them on the track and twisties with great satisfaction. They are grippy as hell, predictable and give great feedback. BUT when it gets wet or even damp I find the Q2 to be a squirrley tire and not confidence inspiring. Even though I am a fair weather rider, it can rain or be wet on a morning.

 

So my question is will the new Roadsmart 2's offer as good or nearly as good dry grip as the Q2's? And / or what should I expect the handling characteristics of the Roadsmart 2 to be like? Is switching to Roadsmart's a good idea or should I just with the Q2's and tip toe thru the damp? Anybody ridden on the Roadsmart2's?

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

Matt

 

btw, why isn't there any objective measure for grip when it comes to tires?

 

What tire size were you using?

 

120/70 & 190/50

 

The 190/50 is your issue. The 190/55 Q2 will be a much better construction tire and perform much better in the turns. What you experienced with the 190/50 is valid. It is a flatter tire and when leaned over it gives less contact patch and is not as stable as the 190/55.

 

Try the 190/55 rear for your next set of Q2, you will be much happier with the upgrade in performance.

 

the 120/70 is fine and the correct tire size.

[mattguss]

This is directed to our Dunlop expert but I would certainly welcome any thoughts! I have run Q2's on my street bike ('08 cbr1000rr) for 2 years and love 'em...in the dry. I've had 4 sets of the q2's. I have ridden them on the track and twisties with great satisfaction. They are grippy as hell, predictable and give great feedback. BUT when it gets wet or even damp I find the Q2 to be a squirrley tire and not confidence inspiring. Even though I am a fair weather rider, it can rain or be wet on a morning.

 

So my question is will the new Roadsmart 2's offer as good or nearly as good dry grip as the Q2's? And / or what should I expect the handling characteristics of the Roadsmart 2 to be like? Is switching to Roadsmart's a good idea or should I just with the Q2's and tip toe thru the damp? Anybody ridden on the Roadsmart2's?

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

Matt

 

btw, why isn't there any objective measure for grip when it comes to tires?

 

What tire size were you using?

 

120/70 & 190/50

 

The 190/50 is your issue. The 190/55 Q2 wil lbe a much better construction tire and perform much better in the turns. What you experienced with the 190/50 is valid. It is a flatter tire and when leaned over it gives less contact atch andd is not as stable as the 190/55.

 

Try the 190/55 rear for your next set of Q2, you will be much happier with the upgrade in performance.

 

the 120/70 is fine and the correct tire size.

 

Thanks for the tip about the 55's. It makes sense that they would put more rubber on the ground and I can understand why that would be grippier in the dry. Please tell me why the wet grip performance would improve.

 

Also, changing to a 55 profile will I need to worry about ride height adjustment? or any other suspension change?

[peevSTer]

Hello. I had a chance to deal with "grip in the wet" question on day one at VIR with Jason P as my instructor. I had noticed a feeling of twitchiness going into the turn at the end of the straightaway. He led me a few laps and had me pick up the throttle around the turn. Blindly trusting in his judgement, I complied. The bike responded by hooking up perfectly and carving a good line-the twitchiness was gone. My tires? Qualifiers in new condition. Being tight on the bars and negotiating the curve with a closed throttle puts so much weight on the front that it can be pushed for traction. Relaxing on the bars and rolling on the throttle to establish more contact patch for the rear solved the problem and the bike tracked well. Grip problem solved. At that point, I think it's whatever tire you wish to run for your bike. Knowing how to get tires to work in the rain is the key to this. Thank you, Jason Padin!

 

By the way, it was pouring rain. I would add with all that weight on the front, the rear is pushed for traction and probably is responsible for that twitchy feeling I had noticed. Rolling on the throttle balances weight distribution and allows both tires to grip.

[DUNLOP-RTS]

This is directed to our Dunlop expert but I would certainly welcome any thoughts! I have run Q2's on my street bike ('08 cbr1000rr) for 2 years and love 'em...in the dry. I've had 4 sets of the q2's. I have ridden them on the track and twisties with great satisfaction. They are grippy as hell, predictable and give great feedback. BUT when it gets wet or even damp I find the Q2 to be a squirrley tire and not confidence inspiring. Even though I am a fair weather rider, it can rain or be wet on a morning.

 

So my question is will the new Roadsmart 2's offer as good or nearly as good dry grip as the Q2's? And / or what should I expect the handling characteristics of the Roadsmart 2 to be like? Is switching to Roadsmart's a good idea or should I just with the Q2's and tip toe thru the damp? Anybody ridden on the Roadsmart2's?

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

Matt

 

btw, why isn't there any objective measure for grip when it comes to tires?

 

What tire size were you using?

 

120/70 & 190/50

 

The 190/50 is your issue. The 190/55 Q2 wil lbe a much better construction tire and perform much better in the turns. What you experienced with the 190/50 is valid. It is a flatter tire and when leaned over it gives less contact atch andd is not as stable as the 190/55.

 

Try the 190/55 rear for your next set of Q2, you will be much happier with the upgrade in performance.

 

the 120/70 is fine and the correct tire size.

 

Thanks for the tip about the 55's. It makes sense that they would put more rubber on the ground and I can understand why that would be grippier in the dry. Please tell me why the wet grip performance would improve.

 

Also, changing to a 55 profile will I need to worry about ride height adjustment? or any other suspension change?

The 50 series has a flatter center and the sides are more pointed. so when you lean the bike, you are riding up on the peak or shoulder and not making a smooth transition like you would in the 55 series. Also the flatter center gives a wide patch when upright, and in the wet that may translate to too much patch and it slightly hydroplanes, thus giving a twitchy feeling. Basically its the 50 series tire that is the issue. like I said, the 55 is much better and you will have better results with that tire.