Who's switching to Dunlop NTech's In 2011

You just listed the main options. They do make an even softer tire 7614, but it won't last for what you want. Plus you are wicked fast to boot.

When I was getting 10 sets at a time, I got all 6704 fronts and half of each for the rears. The Bru's trackside vendors will swap out compounds for you if needed. :up:

 

Medium front is what folks are running.

I will say that I like Pirelli a LOT. They are predictable, and have exceptional feel. I run Dunlop because I can get longer wear from them making the price point a little better for me.

 

I'm switching to dunlops to keep up with you! :up:

Good info. Matt! Do those 6704 front's last about as long as the 6680's? Sorry just trying to due the cost comparo. If I can get two weekends (2 solo's 6 sprints and all of the practice's) out of a front and not think twice about the performance of the front, I'll probably do it.

My Michelin's this year - I would use a set for 4 sprints and then use that set for the next event's solos. 75% of the time, the tires I was using on that 3rd or 4th sprint were pretty shagged and I would put a new rear on. The beat up tires that I used for the solo's were pretty much done after the first 5 laps.

This reminds me of a merger or acquisition - no one likes the initial change ....lol!

 

You might want to try the 6680 front. Some people prefer the feel more than the 6704. Personally, the 6704 DOT front is my favorite. I like it better than the 6704 slick front.

Both fronts will last, but the 6680 should be more consistent with tons of laps...especially on an abrasive track like summit or MidOH.

 

Dunlops are all I've ridden so I can't speak to the other brands but the ntec is simply incredible. Most guys do run the med rear but I've been running the soft and it doesn't wear out any faster then the med/hard gpa I've ran. I get a whole weekend of racing from it which includes practices, solo, and usually 4 sprints.

The front I run is the med+ and it almost put me over the handlebars a time or two at the gnf's from braking too hard!!! It grips! I put 500+ laps on the front on my 600 and it never moved. I changed it simply because I felt I should after that many laps even though it didn't look worn nor did it slip, ever...

I haven't gotten the rear to move on either my 600 nor my 1000 but I admit I'm still a bit throttle shy on the 1000. I was running 35's though at road atlanta on the 1k so I wasn't exactly going backwards... respectable for a novice...

Just very predictable, excellent handling, and incredible grip tires. And if you want a deal, check out my post in the for sale section to try out some ntecs for cheap!

 

i'm running them and they are the sex

 

Contis are a fair bit stiffer than Pirelli; they're are much softer than a dunlop tho. They would be the bastard child of a Pirelli + Dunlop marriage. Personally I like the softer carcass middle ground, which is why i switched off Ntec slicks. Dunlop fronts wear like iron but they feel wooden to me.

But run whatever you go fastest on. banter on.:up:

 

Pirelli's have worked great for me the last couple seasons - and I know I can push the tires harder, so they're not the limiting factor. I love the overall feel they offer, but everyone is different. Some can justify the NTecs by saying they'll use them longer, but at the end of the day - front running experts aren't going to stretch tires 2x longer than Pirelli or Michelin riders. At least the guys I know running NTec's aren't.

I have had a top AMA crew chief tell me his opinion was the Pirelli's were clearly better than the Dunlop spec and just as good as the NTec's earlier this year. He had no reason to be biased.

I personally think throwing a 190 on the rear gives some guys a nice psychological advantage, even with the heavier weight tire. To each their own. It wouldn't be a true tire thread any other way. :up:

 

:up:

No one makes a bad tire nowadays.

 

Agree completely, but for the rest of us the tires do last longer than others. So yeah, it's certainly something to consider as a selling point.

I'd guess at this point Dunlop has a feel that allot of people prefer but if you like the feel of the tires you're using and you're use to it, by all means stick with them.

Saying all that, I wonder which tire brand has had the most podiums this past year. I'm pretty sure of that answer.

 

Last year it was Michelin & Pirelli

 

Last year I wasn't racing, so that don't count.

 

Ran Michelins all year this year. I got a fantastic price shipped to me in bulk over the winter. I loved the tires. I liked them way better than Bstones, and better feeling than the Pirellis squishy tires. I still felt like I was never near the edge of their traction.

If the deal exists again Ill be loyal to Michelin again in 2011. My buddy swears by the true Ntecs and he movessss...but no matter how i look at it I cant justify the price.

 

The WSBK guys seem to go OK on Pirellis.

Every couple years, there's a new "wave" that comes through the paddock. It's generally a regional thing. Sometimes it's caused by a new tire, sometimes it's caused by a "top" rider switching brands and others following suit, and sometimes it's financially motivated by a vendor offering sets for cheap or a new contingency program.

Most of the time, tires aren't the limiting factor for club racers and the track day crowd. When a rider switches brands and finds time, it's usually a mental adjustment. The rider trusts the tires. He thinks he can go faster on them, so he does. He goes faster and his friends/competitors see him going faster, so they switch. And the pyramid grows.

Tires from all the major players are great if the bike is set up correctly. Factoring in things like cost per set, contingency, tire life, and (most importantly) picking a tire vendor that's willing to work with you and give you current data and information is more important than what name is on the side of the tire. All the major players in the tire game have their strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what they are and how to set up a bike up to favor them is what works.

 

I am torn between every tire brand but BS. I have run the conti's I liked them but I didn't love them.

I have tried the dunlop n tech's again liked them but didn't love them I guess the front just didn't give me a ton of feed back maybe because I wasn't even close to its limit but you know when you get that feeling in the back of your head that " ok this tire should start to push" But it never really did I guess I think it just gonna give way, which probally isn't true.

Then there is the pirelli which people say give tons of feed back but, You have to ride them while they are sqriming to get the best out of them. Never tried these either.

Michelin I really don't have any clue about I have wanted to try them but, nobody really says them love them or that they have great feed back, Or that they last a long time. So I have never tried them.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by sideways_skinny
Front slicks have enough grip that unless you have some serious hardware in the front forks, the grip will overwhelm the suspension and chassis. (on an otherwise stock bike.)
The rear grips so hard, I CANNOT! spin the tire. Even the hard grips like mad. IMO, the NTEC is the best tire out there. 6680 lasts forever, 7704? front (softie) has just that little bit more grip, and still lasts pretty long.

nah, see, when set up right, with knee on the ground, and leaned way over, it pulls the front wheel off the ground. now, the medium will spin, but only a little. put it on a 750 or 1000, and its a different story. Also, Im talking about proper application of throttle, not just outright trying to make it spin.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by sideways_skinny
20 laps max! If it is hotter, than maybe two races, but the end of the second race you will notice a slight drop in grip, but the times don't suffer much, if at all.

Yeah, I was referring to the soft rear. the medium lasts a really long time.

 

That's a perfect example. For every racer going good on a 190 Pirelli on a 5.5" rim, I can show you someone going faster on a 180 on a 5.5" rim. I started noticing all the internet buzz and people in the paddock running the 190 Pirellis when the Dunlop wave began since all the Dunlops were 190s. Funny how that works.

 

Wait, so you're telling me that i can lean just as far and get just as much side grip out of a 180, as I can on a 195 slick? I call BS! The 180 has nowhere near the lean angle the 200 DOT, or the 195 slick (on the 5.5" rim, obviously). I can get on the throttle a lot earlier with a 195 than with a 180!