Another thread about tire warmers...

[taylormade21]

Ok, so I've read many threads regarding tire warmers on race tires, dot race tires, street tires etc. many opinions about tire grip, longevity, overkooking and so on for track days.
So here's my question...would putting tire warmers on either dot race tires or good street tires WITHOUT power at least reduce the heat cycles? Could this help with longevity without what some might say overcooking a street tire?
I'm not looking to be able to go out 1st session balls out,...just wondering if throwing on the warmers WITHOUT power could in some way reduce the heat cycle issue.... :dunno

 

[thedub]

I mean, if you are going to go through all the effort of buying tire warmers, bringing them to the track, putting the bike up on stands, and wrapping the tires with them, why not just plug them in at that point?

 

[taylormade21]

Well,...free warmers that are just laying around, I don't have a generator and all you fast guys seek out the power outlets like a fat kid and cake.
Also, there seems to be a conceness that warmers plugged in can and will overcook tires or draw out the gasses quicker on street tires. Soooooo, just wondering if wrapping them could or would help reduce heat cycles. Even for slicks or dot race tires....

 

[taylormade21]

And I've never seen this side of warmers addressed...

 

[Slow Goat]

DOTs warm up fast and don't suffer heat-cycle degradation, as opposed to race tires which don't and do.

Apples and pancakes.

 

[FXCLM5]

Yes

Dave Moss @ a Keigwins day told everyone @ riders meeting to never throw away old warmers and just recycle them to other riders who could potentially just throw them on (without power) to help reduce heat cycles.

This does not directly apply to only A riders, it was meant for the entire group, reducing/limiting the amount of heat loss is only beneficial is what i gathered after Dave's speech.

 

[taylormade21]

Yes

Dave Moss @ a Keigwins day told everyone @ riders meeting to never throw away old warmers and just recycle them to other riders who could potentially just throw them on (without power) to help reduce heat cycles.

This does not directly apply to only A riders, it was meant for the entire group, reducing/limiting the amount of heat loss is only beneficial is what i gathered after Dave's speech.

Thanks for the info

 

[DJ Thrawn]

The overcooking theory is new to me. I tend to run street tires are leave them on warmers all day so they only go through a single heat cycle.

some may say that's doing more harm than good?

 

[stangmx13]

heat cycles are mostly a thing of the past. i can only feel them on Soft compound race tires and only if im pushing hard. and even so, the grip doesnt really change that much. its more that the tire is more susceptible to tearing or poor wear after a heat cycle. Soft tires are finicky when it comes to pressure/temperature/track conditions, so im not surprised that a "heat cycle" can affect that. however, reducing my pace by 1-2sec is usually enough to work around the affects.

the race tires most ppl use at trackdays are Med, Med+, or Hard compounds which dont give a shit about heat cycles. if they lose grip, its because uve worn off the rubber. its not because of heat cycles. and really, we dont even need to talk about street tires. they dont heat cycle.

as for the original question... yes, installing unplugged warmers will help the tire to retain heat in btw sessions. the heat retained is very dependent on ambient conditions. the act is pointless on a summer day, esp if u leave the bike in the sun since the tires will never cool down. itll def help if there is some wind and air temp isnt that high. etc etc.

 

[eeeeek]

I really don't see the point of throwing on blankets to reduce "heat cycles". They just aren't a thing anymore.

In all my years of riding the track, literally hundreds of track days, I never used tire warmers. Big bikes, little bikes, Slicks, DOTS, etc. My tires would be warmed up in less than a lap and I never had any issues.

 

[taylormade21]

The overcooking theory is new to me. I tend to run street tires are leave them on warmers all day so they only go through a single heat cycle.

some may say that's doing more harm than good?

I read an article either in Sport Rider, Roadracing World or some other magazine/online article stating that. But for the past couple days, I've searched for it but can't seem to find that article.

 

[stangmx13]

Dunlop and Pirelli iirc both recommend turning warmers off if you aren't going to be using the tires for 2+hrs. So ya, no sense in overcooking the tires.

As for warmers and street tires, it's very possible that a warmer can get a tire past it's operating temp. I'd imagine that's a big no no.

 

[afm199]

Back in the day tires cycled out quickly and went off.

Today they don't. I don't run warmers at trackdays. I run my slicks sometimes to the steel cords. That's when they start to spin up a lot.

I really don't see the point of throwing on blankets to reduce "heat cycles". They just aren't a thing anymore.

In all my years of riding the track, literally hundreds of track days, I never used tire warmers. Big bikes, little bikes, Slicks, DOTS, etc. My tires would be warmed up in less than a lap and I never had any issues.

Totally this.

 

[MOTO-D]

Newer riders benefit the most from a great tire warmer like the ones from MOTO-D because they still have not perfected their knowledge of the track, body position, throttle control, and braking.

Expert riders who have developed a better skill set can do well even without a warmer at a trackday event where you can go less than full pace for the first 2-3 laps......a tire warmer is a must for racers looking to go fast and almost full pace from the start.

youtu.be/8u344x0SRS4​