I know it sounds simple, but anything to look for? Good brands? Bad brands? Specifications? Are they all the same and I should just find the cheapest available?

Plus, is it ok to buy 2nd hand ones that have been used for 2-3 years? Or maybe they just die after couple years of work and it doesn't worth the money?

Thanks,
Ronen

The primary function you want to look for is a thermostat. You want these things to heat up to a good temp and then stay there. Otherwise they'll cook all the oil out of the tire and they won't be soft and sticky anymore.

As far as brands, I'd stick with name brands so you have some reputation behind them. I run "chicken hawks".

And as far as them losing their effect. It's like any other appliance that has a heating element. They will burn out eventually. Generally 2nd hand is the way I recommend. It helps people that don't have a lot of coin get deeper into the sport than if they bought everything new.

Cool, thanks!

What should be the working temprature? The one I'm looking at are the Bandit Pro Team warmers, and the guy told me they are set for 80C work temprature. Isn't that a bit high?

And what if I don't use slick tires, is it still ok to use tire warmers? I intend to run eitehr Michelin Pilot Power or Pilot Sport, those are not 100% track tires.

If you're running pilot sports or powers I wouldn't worry about tire warmers. Those tires have enough heat multipliers in the compound that they'll come up to temp in about a lap. PLus they are designed to run at street temps, which are cooler than track conditions, so getting them too hot may cause them to get greasey and lose traction.

As far as 80c, you'd have to check with a good tire guy to see what the manufacturer recommends. But until you start running on H2s or Metzler Rennsports or Pirelli Supercorsa's I wouldn't worry about the heaters.

..unless you can get them for a steal :wink:

..unless you can get them for a steal :wink:

Ha ha .. either that or I'm very rich .. yeah, I wish.

But seriously, you said the pilot are considered to be street tires so they would heat up much faster on the track. Then why isn't it the same with the D207? It takes them ages to warm up, and even then only if it's a very, very hot day. Where's the difference?

And what does "heat multipliers" mean?

I checked the other brands you mentioned (Rennsports, Supercorsa) - vveeryy expensive. I will probably have to exprience some of the cheaper brands for a while, maybe crash my bike couple more times before I use those... :shock:

Okay the heat multipliers are in with the mix of the tire compound. Basically tires are made of a mixture of different materials, rubbers, oils, silcone bits, etc. Depending on the ratio of the material determines the characteristic of the tire. So if you add more silica for example, you basically have little grains of sand that shimmy around inside the rubber of tire and create friction. More friction = more heat. But, more friction also equals shorter lifespan of the tire.

Comparing d207s to anything is bad. D207's were horrible tires. How anybody actually rode on them is amazing. They are hard, they don't offer very good grip, and yes they took forever to heat up. But they also lasted forever. You could run the track, do burn outs, do wheelies, do whatever and the tire would still have tread.

Now pilot sports were good tires. They would heat up responably well. Although their compound was designed for cooler temps. You could rail around with those tires when it was like 10C without any problem. Now supersoft tires like Rennsports don't have neough heat multipliers to generate heat so they need to be heated from the outside. The downside to pilots having a lower operating temp is that the ceiling isn't as high. What you think might be getting a pilot good and sticky on a relly hot day isn't really the case. On a very hot day, pilots will actually began to melt. They get too hot and become greasy, this is okay if you're not pushing the bike super hard, but if you really get into it you'll wish that your tires were cooler. In late july and august when I used to run pilots on the track, it was nothing to be able to spin the rear coming out of turns. Now with the rennesports I don't lose traction at the high end anymore. True they lose a bit when they're cold but I'd rather have cold starts then have to restrain my topped out charge.

Oh and getting better tires is better insurance than wrecking, fixing that and then realizing you need better tires.

I had the same thought process when I started making my jump to racing.... if I buy track plastic then I won't be able to afford a couple of practices, but if I go to the practices and ditch it I won't be able to afford the rest of the season.

Sometimes you have to go slow and steady and get everything in order before you make steps forward. I've gone years without a steering stabilizer, because everytime the budget gets fat enough to afford it, man new sticky tires, or one more race weekend, or a drum of NuTec sound real nice especially since they make me go faster and are way more fun than a safety device like a damper. But winter saving will change that.

So before you get warmers and fry street tires, you might want to try better tires a few times. And if you're going to the track you might be able to pickup some "take-offs". These are tires that a racer used for a race, they are still very good to a privateer but not quite good enough to be competetive to a racer. I've seen take-offs go for like $50 ( $25 each front and back) sure they moght be a little burnt and blue, but they'll give you a taste of what's beyond street tires.

A little off topic but, which tire would be the better choice if I'm doing track days and highway riding, the Pilot Powers or the new Dunlop Qualifiers? I just wanted and opinion from the racers here. I know one set of buns aint gonna last me the whole season so I will probably try both. Just wanted to hear what racers think would be the better dual purpose tire.

Sorry I can't help. I haven't run Pilot Powers yet, but if they're anything like the Pilot Sports they replaced you'll be very very happy.

And as far as Dunlops go, I've pretty much written off D's in my mind. I ran too many sh@tty D207's and D208's to give that manufacturer anymore of my hard earned greenbacks. (that's slang for dollars to all the canadiens, eh)

And as far as Dunlops go, I've pretty much written off D's in my mind. I ran too many sh@tty D207's and D208's to give that manufacturer anymore of my hard earned greenbacks. (that's slang for dollars to all the canadiens, eh)


Id Have to agree with fierohink on everything except this statement... My last season on the track witch was about 6 track days..Open track riding...I was on Dunlop 208s and they were great. I did have my suspention done by the pros at t trackside... it makes a difference, but to your average track day guy like me the Dunlops are awesome... Even caught in the rain at Mid Ohio a few times...Ive heard the faster guys put them down but I would ride on them again in a second. Just my .02

It is very difficult task.

Can anyone suggest a good tire warmer for a trackday warrior on a budget? Something that works well and basically warms the tire up enough so I don't go out on cold stones that have gone through a bunch of heat cycles. I'd prefer not to spend $400.

My .02....

ChickenHawk
Woodcraft
T3

...in that order.

Im not saying there arent other good ones out there, but those are the ones i have had experience with.

If you don't want to splurge for the digital ones, at least get some that have 3 settings (low/med/high). You don't want to get some that only have 1 temp (usually 180deg). There are times when you dont want your tires that hot all the time, or want them to cool down slower...and some brands require different temps.

I wound up purchasing these dual-temps from MOTO-D a few weeks ago after hearing about them from a friend who has them too. The price was perfect for what I was looking to spend and I've since used them a few times and they work very well! They arrived quickly and in a nice box.

You can get them here for brand new for $150 www.motodracing.com (http://www.motodracing.com/sportbike_motorcycle_trackday_gear.html)

http://www.motodracing.com/images/moto-d-tire-warmers.jpg