strange Pirelli slick question

[stangmx13]

The sizes don’t mean anything. They are just an identifier, not a measurement. So phrases like “it’s rly a 190 and my bike likes 190s” are meaningless. We have no idea what the actual dimensions of the original 190/55 were, and I’d bet they were not close to either slick dimensions. I’d also bet the original setup was in no way optimized for the original tire size for track use.

Pick a tire, stick with it, and work on optimizing everything for it. If I were u, I’d absolutely pick the 200 over the 180 for a literbike. If the 180 was unequivocally faster, Pirelli wouldn’t make the 200 and run it for the pro series.

 

[easter bunny]

The sizes don’t mean anything. If I were u, I’d absolutely pick the 200 over the 180 for a literbike. If the 180 was unequivocally faster, Pirelli wouldn’t make the 200 and run it for the pro series.

I understand the sizes are subjective. That was the point of this post. I never claimed anything about either tire being better or faster. I said I couldn't visually tell the two apart after getting one mounted accidentally. Based on my measurements both tires are dimensionally very close. The 200 is remarkably close to its stated dimensions where the 180 appears to be oversized. Like I said before do with that what you will.

The bike was set up to run 190s before slicks moved to 200s. I have no idea if it likes one better than the other nor can I tell what lap times were run on what tire. All I know is it felt great on track. I might actually try a 180 in practice amd experiment. Lord knows I can't be much slower than I already am.

 

[stangmx13]

The bike was set up to run 190s before slicks moved to 200s. I have no idea if it likes one better than the other nor can I tell what lap times were run on what tire. All I know is it felt great on track. I might actually try a 180 in practice amd experiment. Lord knows I can't be much slower than I already am.

no need to worry about that. the bike was setup for a tire of specific dimensions and profile, both of which are unknown. so we can't reproduce that setup and have no basis for comparison to the 180 or the 200. I wouldn't be surprised if the 190 was wider but shorter than the 180. plus, the profile changes would affect the feel more than the dimensions.

IMO, Pirelli and Dunlop these days use "180", "190", and "200" to imply which bike the tires should go on, to reduce confusion. most newer riders think that 600s get 180s and 1000s get 190s or 200s. I personally met a few new track riders that shied away from Dunlops because they didnt make a 180.... even though Dunlop recommended their 190s for 600s at the time. they've since made a 180 and that convo doesnt seem to come up anymore.

 

[easter bunny]

the bike was setup for a tire of specific dimensions and profile, both of which are unknown. so we can't reproduce that setup and have no basis for comparison to the 180 or the 200.

This bike was set up for a 190/60 slick before Pirelli moved to a 200. I've only ever made minor changes since Dave fiddled my knobs. Maybe my current setup works better with the smaller tire. Maybe it's less rotating mass and unsprung weight. Maybe it's all in my head. It's just been quite interesting to see there's really not a lot of size difference between the tires.

Just to make it all more confusing I'm thinking about switching to Michelin this year! :laughing

 

[afm199]

This bike was set up for a 190/60 slick before Pirelli moved to a 200. I've only ever made minor changes since Dave fiddled my knobs. Maybe my current setup works better with the smaller tire. Maybe it's less rotating mass and unsprung weight. Maybe it's all in my head. It's just been quite interesting to see there's really not a lot of size difference between the tires.

Just to make it all more confusing I'm thinking about switching to Michelin this year! :laughing

You won't have a big problem, other than adjusting damping a bit.

 

[Holeshot]

Just to make it all more confusing I'm thinking about switching to Michelin this year! :laughing

Don't. Run what you know and get more comfortable and quicker on the bike. If you were already on Michelins, I'd suggest the same thing. A tire change won't really "change" anything. Dunlop or Pirelli...there's very little track knowledge on the other brands here on the West Coast, sad to say.