Thoughts from a racer on Michelin Tires...

I'm clearly not fast, but I've had great results using info Dale Kieffer gives me in the morning. Dale has also come by my pit more than once when things heat up and made a suggestion in pressure change based upon the existing conditions. Same goes for Jim Cox when I was running GP211's.

Overall I've been VERY happy with the Power One tires.. I've only run the B compound so far, but I'm going to try a V front and C rear at Chuckwalla next weekend.

 

Unless you can measure the pressure at exactly the same time when you come off the track, the hot pressures are no more useful than the cold ones. If there is a big temperature swing from the morning to the afternoon, I will double check the cold pressure (say after lunch before firing up the warmers again) but I've had success with the Michelin recommended method. I check with the tire guy at the track for their recommendations which do vary a bit for the weather. I used both B's and A's, (tore up an A rear at Mid-O because it was too hot), and finished out the year running A front's and B rears. Haven't used the V front yet.

 

As long as you control the variables you can get suprisingly consistent results even without a pyrometer to verify carcass temps.

I tell riders to come in to Hot Pit lane on the boil. I check pressures, and send them back out. These numbers are surprisingly consistent, and I use a pyrometer to back them up.

Cold pressures are as consistent as the weather.

 

They will at least have me within a PSI or so. Close enough for me.

cold pressures on a cold day, had me off by probably somewhere close to 8psi. Way too far for me personally to be comfortable with it

 

Fine when you have a mechanic checking pressures during a practice. Most people are coming in after a practice, idling through the pits dodging the next group going out, getting the bike up on the stand, and then checking pressure. No way that will be the same each time.

 

Switched from Dunlop to Michelin becaues they pay more. Rode on the Ones over the weekend and I am very impressed with them. Should of made the switch a long time ago.
Ran a V front and B rear.

 

Again, much closer I PERSONALLY feel, than they were with "set it and forget it" where I personally saw soemthing in the nearly 10psi gain range because of it.
Your opinion is different, and that is fine. But it has worked for me for 4 years or so now

 

And if you think you get the same ones, your logic is flawed.

 

The Rob Jensen Formula
120 V Front
30 psi cold why anyone would run less is beyond me, that is the recommend pressure. On my warmers which are usually on for 45 -1hour it is around 34 psi it will come off the track around 34 -35psi. if you are setting hot pressure you can't drive around like a pussy on the last lap you have to run it like you would in a race.

I have run the front has High as 36 cold, but found the more air you put in the tire the more it feels like it bounces back at you as you let off the brakes under hard trail braking. (most of you won't notice this)

I also tried 28psi one time, boy did that suck! bike steers like crap, only reason i tried it was to eliminate chatter on the Kawi 600. This is also why I tried the 36psi, Turns out it wasn't the tire just need a little different geometry.

Rear tire I always run the A 190 or 180
GSXR 600/750 or the Kawi or the yamaha
If i ran a 190 rear it was 22psi cold all the time. didn't care about hot

if i ran a 180 it was still 22 psi cold, if i was having grip issues or it was a longer race i might lower it 1.5 psi which would come off the track at 27.5psi. For the average person 22 cold will achieve that the 27.5 psi

27.5 psi hot off the track is what seemed to work the best on the 600.

on The 1000
I would run the A on the Suzuki and the B on the Kawasaki
The same would apply on the 1000 22 psi cold same as the 180 if i was having grip issues or it was a longer race i might lower it 1.5 psi which would come off the track at 28-29 psi the 1000 seemed to like a hotter tire. (the 1000 tends to generate more heat than the little bikes)

28-29 psi hot off the track is what seemed to work the best on the 1000

When I did check hot pressure i would drive back to the pits and check it myself. &%$#@$%$ having someone at wall as long as you do the same crap all the time what does it matter. ( i would however check the tires right as the bike was in the pits before taking my helmet off.)

I do have a tire Pyrometer and only used it maybe 8 weekends.

I can only think of 3 or 4 times last year where i went with a hot pressure in the rear over the cold pressure. I raced over 20 weekends and averaged 6-8 races a weekend.

 

What would you know? Only a track record (or a dozen) in last few years.

Heard you might not be racin' this year? Say it ain't so! The chatter before you come to an event is so entertaining!

 

Is that really true? Lot's of rumors out there?

 

walk up to my trailer with a V front and an A rear and you can exchange it with the same compound from my trailer. I'll even let you pick it out.

Further more. I haven't had anything different since 2005 and the tire guy accidently put it on a novice rider who brought the tire back and said it was the worst tire he ever rode. (he wasn't fast enough to get the tire hot) I was going to use it in a FUSA race at VIR. In fact i think I used it even after he put 8 laps on it and won the race.

So just because you might not get that special tire, It's probably for your own good

 

I haven't even went to an event this year and it's already entertaining.

 

I usually set temps cold and check them hot right before I go out. The second the bike hits the stands, I start recording the data. It all makes a difference on how your tire performs.

I've never stood by the set it and forget it rule. If that was the case, you wouldn't see Jim Allen all over the paddock. FWIW I've bounced information off of Walt, Moose, Jim etc... I encourage everyone to do the same and learn as much as you can. Understanding tires is just as important as suspension.

 

Walt always tells me the same thing no matter what the temp is. "30 front 22 rear"

 

Exactly what I said, wasn't it?

 

Great info. If the Michelin vendors communicated that kind of data trackside, there would be a lot less frustrated Michelin riders out there. They have the right contingency numbers, they just need the support to back it up.

 

no because nobody can get those tires anymore. they don't make them.

I do what any other Michelin rider does, I walk up to Michelin Vendor and buy tires.

Well I guess that isn't completely true, I do win alot of races and set track records.:tut:

 

So Michelin isn't developing anything new for you to test and they don't give tires to ya?

 

Michelin does not build, develop, or make tires for me.

They make tires for racers, and yes I am given tires to test once in awhile. I am not the only one who will test these tires, they are given to a range of different skill level racers.

Never Race on a tire that has not been tested.