I don't know how Conti compares to others. However, I almost always go soft front/medium or medium/hard rear with Michelin slicks. The difference between soft and medium on the front is that the tread stays clean longer on the medium. I usually only run two days on a set of tires because the rear is gone around lunch time on day two. Tires, at $350-400 a set, are cheap insurance.

I wouldn't even mess with Continental at the track. I'd stick with what a trackside vendor deals in. Otherwise, you're the guy out there running around on something that no one else knows anything about. So, if/when you start having wear problems, you'll have no help.

 

The 3 I am considering are Power one, bt 003 and conti race attack. I was just useing conti as an example. So far I have only looked at Bridgestones tire compound guide that explains what each compound is best used for, I assume the other constructors design and seperate their compounds in similar ways.

The main thing I am not clear on is how to tell the difference between an abrasive track surface and non abrasive and how hot race tracks get compared to ambient temperatures (say like 65-105F).

I would prefer not to just pick a tire and blindly pick a compound.

 

The best thing you can do is contact a trackside vendor for advice about which compound to run at the track you are going to ride, for the given time of year you are going to ride. Even then, it will only be their best guess based on average conditions.

Everything is dependent on conditions. The proper compound at Putnam in April is very different than the proper compound at Putnam in July or August and even then it also depends on how you ride. Do you scrub all of your speed in a straight line before you ever initiate turn it or do you trail brake all the way to the apex? If you trail brake all the way to the apex, you may prefer a different compound than if you brake in a straight line.

Early in the season when the ambient temperatures are cooler in the midwest, I much prefer a soft front, but as the ambient temperatures increase I prefer a medium front.

But again, ambient temperatures are only one factor in determining track temperature. If it is a cloudy 80 degree day, the track will not be as hot as a clear, sunny 80 degree day, so tire choice can vary greatly.

If your pace is not quick enough to get a medium front up to temperature, then the added wear you will get from it might cost you more in the long run due to a lowside because the tire is too cool to grip.

A trackside vendor will also be able to recommend a compound based on the surface conditions at the track, but you have to be able to tell them your typical track times for a venue that they are familiar with.

If you build a relationship with a trackside vendor, they will be able to begin to learn your riding style and how you wear your tires. Especially if you check in with them between sessions to ask about wear characteristics, pressures, suspension settings, etc.

I am very lucky with the relationship I have with my trackside vendor. They are former racers and really know their stuff. They set up my suspension for me, monitored that setup, offered advice for adjustments and even made suggestions with tire compound for various venues I visit.

They also get out on the track and ride with me, so they have a very good idea of how I ride and the pace I run. Without their advice, I would be playing a guessing game. The next best thing would be to develop a relationship with some of the control riders who work the track days you attend and seek their advice based on what they see in your riding.

Good luck getting the right choice made. It is a very personal decision and has many variables...

 

^^^ All excellent advice.

stamford, Jeff and I have ridden together on several occasions. We have different front suspensions, same rear shock brand, setup by different people, running different tire brands, and depending on the track or personal feeling, run the same or different lap times. Yet, our tire wear pattern comes out nearly identical and have experienced our tires going off at about the same time.

The general consensus, with the faster guys, is that this bike is hard on rear tires, using the stock shock. I don't believe you're at that level, yet. Keep that in mind, though, as you monitor rear wear. Tearing is what you'll see.

Keep in mind, too, that a lot of the tire threads on the board are built around individual perception. You may need to try a couple brands before you find one that suits what you like to feel from a tire. I'm on Michelin because that's what the vendor, at the time, dealt in and I've progressed through their lineup. Fortunately, I like their tires. However, if someone asked me for a DOT to start out on, I almost always suggest Bridgestone. They work well, have a profile that is pretty neutral, and are fairly inexpensive. PM "ironhead46". He started on BT002RS and recently went to the 003(RS?). "hordboy" is one of the fastest on the board and runs an RS rear with a slick or DOT front.

Lastly, you can't really tell the difference in track surfaces. It may look one way, but, wear your tire the other way. As Jeff stated, surface temp and your riding style play a role, too. How the track is layed out is another big factor. Again, this is where your trackside vendor comes in handy. They know what happens to the tires, at that track, on that type of bike. Just know that this is a whole trial and error process as you progressively get faster. Also know, that the faster you get, the more it costs....alarmingly so.

 

Thanks for all the great info guys. 1 more stupid quesition, where abouts do I find "track side" vendor, only at the track? Can i contact them outside a track day? I know at the 2 track days I was at they had a pirelli guy but I am not getting pirelli for reasons we don't need to get into. Is usually only 1 vendor at each track day?

As far as getting one of the RS tires or maybe michlien power one 2ct, I dont think I want to go that route for this first set. The rossos I was on were absolutely sliding around like crazy every corner, the rear gave acceptable feed back on where its limits were (first small small wiggle, then small steps, then spin up, (didnt get past that). While the front had NO feed back, It would go from grip, 4-5 inch step, to crash (dont ask ). I know thoes rossos arnt a track tire and arnt near the quality of the tires yall mentioned but for this time, i want a DOT race tire. If I cant get them to brake loose when i want I'll go down to a notch.

As far as my riding style goes I have noticed I am hard on the brakes and brake up to the apex on corners that allow it. I noticed I could keep pace with 90 percent of the people on the brakes up to the apex then would loose all my time on drive out. So for at least this first set I want a solid track day only tire that will give the proper feedback needed to push into the corners deep with confidence. If I cant get em to brake loose then I'll try the cheaper RS tires that will last longer. I would rather go through a set of tires I dont need in 3 days then keep a set I don't have confidence in for 6. Hope that makes sense.

Any way, once again thanks for the help guys!!

 

As far as my riding style goes I have noticed I am hard on the brakes and brake up to the apex on corners that allow it. I noticed I could keep pace with 90 percent of the people on the brakes up to the apex then would loose all my time on drive out.

If you're losing the time on the way out, you're rushing on the way in to the apex. You should be starting to apply throttle by the time you hit the apex. Sounds like you're still trying to get slowed down. Back down a few notches and concentrate on getting setup for the turn while upright, then, focus on powering through the apex. As you get more comfortable, you can start dragging the front brake going in as you still throttle through and on the way out. Throttling is essential here, as you'll overload the frontend through the apex and lowside, if you're coasting or still braking. You've gotta' start transferring weight to the rear of the bike, at that point.

You may pick up the book Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch. There is some excellent info in there. Some of us had the opportunity to witness many of his tips firsthand at Barber. He had his brakelight hooked up, so that following riders could see exactly what he was doing with the brakes.

Like Jeff, I would try Power One Race tires. You may contact STG for purchasing, profile, and compound offerings. Some of the guys here are already running them in a racing environment, so you may search that.

 

Whoever your trackday provider is, NESBA, STT, Track Addix, Apex 2 Apex, etc... you should be able to contact them and get the tire vendor info. I can contact my trackside vendor at any time. I have the cell numbers of the owners and they are more than happy to take a call from me to offer advice.

They are also running some end of the season specials on tires right now to clear out their inventory for the winter, so you might be able to find a pretty good deal this time of the year. The problem will be that they may not have the exact tire compound you are wanting on the rack, so the sale prices won't apply to anything you have to order.

Sounds like you might want to give some Pilot One Race tires a try if you don't want to go with Pirelli.

They are really good from what I hear...

I run Pilot Power 2CT's on my Street bike, but I run Pirelli slicks on my track bike.

Good luck...