Ok...quit your groaning I am a newb remember! Anyways I am debating between the Metzeler and Michelin race tires for my bike....I was wondering what experience anyone has had with these? They will be going on a race-prepped '97 YZF600R. Thanks!
I've got a race-prepped '97 yzf600 as well. I've run Metzelers, Michelins, and Dunlops. I LOVE the Michelins, but they take a few laps to warm up. I really like the Metzelers, they warm up faster, and last almost as long. I hate Dunlops, although to be fair, I've only ever used the 207GPs. Basically, I guess my answer is either Michelin or Metzeler is a good choice.
Check with Derek Bennet of DB Motorsports... stickboy274 on the BBS... He's the SE Bridgestone guy. He has a good bit of experience with the yzf and he provides great trackside support. http://www.DBMotorsportsracing.com
I put the new metzler rennsports on my gixxer 750 and they are way better than the dunlops that were on it.
Thanks for the responses everyone. I do have a question, I have looked around for the Michelin race tires and I do not think they offer the rear in a 160...anyone see them anywhere?
I believe that the RACE 2 will not be available in the 160 size until later in the year. The Race 1 are still available of course. YMMV
the pro's are fast on the dunlop's for a few reasons.first they are paid to be,next they would be fast on any of the tires currently avalible,and because they are getting a better grade of the "same dunlop" you are
***, Ive run the Dunlops and the Michelins, havent tried the Mets just yet altho ive been told the Mets and Michelins are about the same. What youll find is the Mets and Mich's both take longer to heat up to get good and sticky, at Lil Dega it was taking a good full 2 laps before they were ready, the Dunlops in one lap were hot enuff to go full blast on. What ive been told and seems to hold true with my experience between Dunlops and Mich's is that the Mich's stick really good with virtually no sliding around on the track, BUT, when they do decide to break loose, HOLD ON cus they will completely bust loose. Ive decided to go back to Dunlops for now for THAT reason alone. If i were you, unless your willing to invest in some tire warmers, go with Dunlops. When they do start sliding, its a controled slide that wont scare the $hit out of you, youll feel it but it wont completely cut loose. Its more of a controled slide. And like i said, theyre hot and ready to go full bore after one lap. Just my experience between the two brands. Ive got a set of Dunlops out in my garage now to take the place of the Michelin races that i used at Tally. Another thing on the size of the rear tire, you can go with a 170 on that bike and love it. I went with it on the F3 rather than the 160 and the bike handled GREAT! And as far as race tires go, the 170 is much more readily available.
LISTEN to STUMPY Stickboy has a 400, a 600 and a yzf 600....and he sells tires he will set you straight on what to run for your budget.
the metz and pir heat up alot quicker than any thing out there and ran all last year with out tire warmers and with out scuffing the tire in.and they slide better than the dunlops. Ricky
e-mail me and i will give you some suggestions and help if you want. not just on my brand but on some others i have tried on that bike and with that size rim. no sales pitch, just my experiance
Did you grow up riding a dirt bike? If so, you probably like the "controlled slide" of the Dunlops. If not, you might prefer the more stuck like glue feeling of the Michelins. I slide the Michelins on my Hawk just a bit, when I'm riding really well. Never scares me or steps out big. Tire warmers are a WONDERFUL investment. Walt Schaeffer is your guy for Michelins. His # can be found in RRW ad. thane
Yes, better than Dunlops... I like the Mets or the Michelins better than the Dunlops, because they also don't shred as soon as you mount them on the bike. That's the main reason I don't use the Dunlops. Too damn expensive to have to replace because they shredded when you looked at them the wrong way. The pros are so fast on Dunlops because they don't care if it shreds after one race. They're not paying for them anyway.
I tried the new Michelin Pilot softs this weekend at VIR, they heat up a LOT faster than last year's Pilots. I didn't use tire warmers and I didn't miss them on the first lap. I don't know how they compare to the Metzelers/Pirellis but I know they are always round and I've never seen them delaminate (unlike the Dunlops).
I ran the H2's this weekend and they were tearing something terrible. Which to me was unusual, since I wasn't going fast at all. I had a buddy (BTW-thanks M.) set up my suspension and presto! No more torn tires. They wore evenly and stuck like glue. I'd say 4 turns at VIR was enough to heat them. Seems like the magic combo this weekend was soft front, medium rear. I think the H2's are just as soft if not softer than the pirelli/metz greens tho.... Something I happened to be ignorant to was when changing tire brands, (in my case pirelli to mich), the suspension needs to be re-adjusted to compensate for the change in the bike's geometry. I happen to like all the tire brands for different reasons. (I'm not really fast enough to know the difference) My hard learned lesson was to make sure you check with the tire guys to see what the recommended psi is for that particular track condition. Unless you're running up front, just about any of the four (pir/metz, stones, dunlops & mich) will give you what you want out of it, IMHO.
