Tire Warmers Save The Day
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Dunlop Q4 Front / Q3+ Rear
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So DOT tires that specifically call for no use of warmers and zero benefit from warmers other than in your head......
sure they work better when warm, but the DOT tires have a very wide operating temp range where they are above 95% of "best" traction and no doubt even on the lowest setting you far exceeded that optimal temp range
I guess atleast you had the 50* temps helping you cool them back off into the optimal temp use range..........
In general, I have been very skeptical of tire warmers. Even when I raced. But, I was always on the west coast with much warmer weather. Not the extreme weather we have in Texas.
I share a paddock with the Dunlop tire distributor at the track. When I spoke to him about it. He said, yes, you see all the guys that race use the tire warmers with DOT tires, summer and winter. The key they figured out is to get a set of warmers that have an low adjustable range because 120 degrees is the maximum you want for the Q series tires. The race slicks take 160 to 180 degrees and that would destroy the Q series tires. SBT had a set on sale so I thought I would check it out. Regardless of everyone's thoughts or opinions, going into turn 1, first lap there is always a little movement from the tires. Not the case with when using the tire warmers. Is some of it in my head absolutely, because you cant argue with feel. Used properly with DOT tires, warmers work great.
Kids regardless of any opinions you see here, always consult your local track tire distributor to help you make your decision.
I share a paddock with the Dunlop tire distributor at the track. When I spoke to him about it. He said, yes, you see all the guys that race use the tire warmers with DOT tires, summer and winter. The key they figured out is to get a set of warmers that have an low adjustable range because 120 degrees is the maximum you want for the Q series tires. The race slicks take 160 to 180 degrees and that would destroy the Q series tires. SBT had a set on sale so I thought I would check it out. Regardless of everyone's thoughts or opinions, going into turn 1, first lap there is always a little movement from the tires. Not the case with when using the tire warmers. Is some of it in my head absolutely, because you cant argue with feel. Used properly with DOT tires, warmers work great.
Kids regardless of any opinions you see here, always consult your local track tire distributor to help you make your decision.
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Curious on where on the West coast you were and where in TX you are now.... having lived in San Diego, San Francisco/bay area, the environs of both Portland and Seattle, 'extreme weather' in TX is sort of a conundrum to me. Relative to where?
Day to night transitions in San Diego were the most brutal I've dealt with because of the high desert to the east funneling all the cold air downhill to the ocean. Particularly in the winter. Low humidity, nothing to hold the heat, it just radiated away to space as soon as the sun went down.
Anywhere there's a large body of water nearby (Puget Sound, or SF bay), the day/night temps tended to stay within a smaller range of values. Most often within ~ 20 F of each other. Wasn't necessarily very warm, but it didn't get ridiculously cold, either.
Here in VA, I routinely see much closer to 30F swings in day to night temps, and the 'sweep' occurs over a wider base point over the course of a year.... the lowest numbers I've seen have been single digit and the highest in the low triple digit range.
Day to night transitions in San Diego were the most brutal I've dealt with because of the high desert to the east funneling all the cold air downhill to the ocean. Particularly in the winter. Low humidity, nothing to hold the heat, it just radiated away to space as soon as the sun went down.
Anywhere there's a large body of water nearby (Puget Sound, or SF bay), the day/night temps tended to stay within a smaller range of values. Most often within ~ 20 F of each other. Wasn't necessarily very warm, but it didn't get ridiculously cold, either.
Here in VA, I routinely see much closer to 30F swings in day to night temps, and the 'sweep' occurs over a wider base point over the course of a year.... the lowest numbers I've seen have been single digit and the highest in the low triple digit range.
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Well you show vortex tire warmers in your picture and the lowest setting according to Vortex is 140*f..but when I have tested them actually in use they have always been above 150*f...
that is far too hot for DOT's regardless what you have been told.... 110*-130* really is the sweet spot for most DOT's
have you actually seen your warmers sit at 120*f ?????????
I didn't see your reply until I had put everything away after riding yesterday. I only had time to take quick picture. It would have been better to make a video of the warmers on the bike and the control unit operating. Pictured below is the single control unit that manages both tires independently. You select Front or Rear and dial in the temp you want for each with the arrows The adjustable range of the tire warmers is 32f – 210f (I set them both at 122f). Once set, you watch the temps go up to the desired tempter. Once it reaches the set tempter it fluctuates 1 to 2 degrees above and below your setting. Once I take off the warmers, I use a tire temp reader (I think it's made by "accutech") that pierces the tire about 3mm or so. I've been getting readings between 118f and 122.5f.
After 2 days at the track and 14 (30min) sessions using the warmers, I've cooked a rear tire and the front still looks pretty decent. Which is typical for non-tire warmer use as well.
Vortex Dual Temp Tire Warmers (Had to call Vortex to get the adjustability range before purchase)
https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/...vE8egVL0COmtvcJr6ydgbzFKSUo2KQDBoCR7MQAvD_BwE
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After 2 days at the track and 14 (30min) sessions using the warmers, I've cooked a rear tire and the front still looks pretty decent. Which is typical for non-tire warmer use as well.
Vortex Dual Temp Tire Warmers (Had to call Vortex to get the adjustability range before purchase)
https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/...vE8egVL0COmtvcJr6ydgbzFKSUo2KQDBoCR7MQAvD_BwE
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Wait, what? You are running tire warmers on street tires?
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I have never seen a tire warmer you could set that low. so that is interesting you say you can set it that low
the linky you provide is just their standard 2 position set up of 140* or 180* (but they run atleast 10* hotter than that in my experience) and that is what they show on their own website too (and the control box looks identical to what you show)
You sir are absolutely right. I see that now as well. The pictures online at STG do not show the control unit or the proper warmers. The warmers in my pic below fit a little better and they also have a thick elastic mesh to help insulate the tire and wheel. (See pic below red circle area). The part number is correct though (TW101 ). That link was text to me by a my friend who has these warmers already and also pits in our garage with a ZX6 as well. I just followed the link, made sure the part number was right and clicked "buy".
The Vortex site has it all correct of course.
You mentioned the 10* hotter. The one pic in the garage was just after seeing if they fit properly. I never had them turned on. We were reorganizing the garage so I only used them just outside the garage in a cold 15mph wind. That may have compensated for the tempter differential. Next weekend I'll set them a little lower and try them in the garage.
I asked track management about that. They said, "your pitting, not parking, no worries". Umm ok.
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