I saw on one of Alex's threads he said that someone had suggested to him 32F/36R for tire pressures.

Is that about what is usually recommended for our bikes? What pressures do you guys run your tires at?? Do you put air in them after warmed up or while cold?

Also, I guess rear settings would play in here too...?? I weigh 170lbs with all gear on...and I put the rear on 6...which is supposed to be stiff...right? I really liked the way it made the bike feel. Everyone else here says they don't like the bike when the rear gets stiffer. I personally thought the bike felt more "planted" with the rear set on 6. Am I just imagining this??

@215 lbs i run 36f/34r on the street and 30f/29r on the track.

I always run rear preload at the highest setting and i replaced my front springs with 70% stiffer ones from racetech. MUCHO difference...

@215 lbs i run 36f/34r on the street and 30f/29r on the track.

Interesting. I'll give those pressures a try for the street. The mfgr's recommendation of 36f/42r seems WAY to hard and I weigh about the same as you all geared up. I had set them down to what motogpfan had said. Seemed WAY better than the recommended pressures.

TWM....you run higher pressure up front than you do in the rear?? Explain this to me if you have time...

the front tire is exposed to the air much more than the rear which cools it off, and since under acceleration the rear tire is reducing load on the front end that reduces how much it heats up as well. Therefore, i run the front higher to keep the pressure about where I want it.

Also, by reducing tire pressure in the rear, it should sag a little more and put a little more meat on the ground.

These figures depend severely on what type of tire you are running and what kind of riding you are doing. I ran 36/36 when I had the stock Pilot Roads and was taking it easy. Now I have Pilot Powers on there which are a significantly different tire performance wise. For the street I run a little less in the rear and for the track, since they heat up ALOT I run very low pressures.

Now on my F4i on the other hand. I run Michelin Pilot Race, and at the suggestion of Michelin I run 29PSI in the front and 22PSI in the rear, and they are like goddam magnets.

My advice to you is to bring the rear down from 42 (seems excessively high to me) in the rear to maybe 38, and to leave the front alone until you feel a lot more comfortable.

Should this thread not be in maintenance? Just curious.

let me re-iterate that those pilot roads are basically touring tires, don't get too wild on them, they're great in the wet though.

may 05, pilot roads ~34f/32r

http://mcnicholas.smugmug.com/photos/23612402-M.jpg

sept 05, pilot powers 32f/30r

http://mcnicholas.smugmug.com/photos/45506354-M.jpg

http://mcnicholas.smugmug.com/photos/45506412-M.jpg

January 06, Dunlop 208's @ 29f/29r

http://mcnicholas.smugmug.com/photos/53511767-M.jpg

after 20 laps

http://mcnicholas.smugmug.com/photos/53511589-M.jpg

july 06, pirelli supercorsas @ 30f/30r

http://mcnicholas.smugmug.com/photos/83566071-M.jpg

after 20 laps... Wow. No chicken strips there... :shock:

This thread is also of interest to me. The mfg recommended for the 919 is 38f/42r iirc. I've been running around with them like that since i bought it, but it seems kinda nervous feeling. Nothing wrong, just feels like the suspension is too firm when i KNOW it's not. So last night i put it on 36f/38r. I took my wife on a ride today, but haven't ridden solo to really see if i notice a difference. I'll see how it feels tomorrow...

Should this thread not be in maintenance? Just curious.

Yeah, it should. I wasn't thinking when I posted it. Maybe Alex will come along and move it to maintenance.

Now I have Pilot Powers on there which are a significantly different tire performance wise.

Pilot Powers are awsome tires. I would highly recommend getting them once the stock Pilot Roads are used up. They have a lot more grip than the Roads, but what was more impressive was the feedback they provided. Immediatly after they were installed as I was turning out of the parking lot, I said to myself, "ok, why didn't I get these a long time ago?"

32/34 on BT 56 's works great for me experiment with it and youll find what works for your setup and style

Now I have Pilot Powers on there which are a significantly different tire performance wise.

Pilot Powers are awsome tires. I would highly recommend getting them once the stock Pilot Roads are used up. They have a lot more grip than the Roads, but what was more impressive was the feedback they provided. Immediatly after they were installed as I was turning out of the parking lot, I said to myself, "ok, why didn't I get these a long time ago?"

Yeah. The Pilot Roads have a vague feel to them, especially when leaned over. They're real twitchy if you hit even one piece of gravel. Me no likey. I'm getting Pilot Powers soon.

:?: is there a rule of thumb...

@215 lbs i run 36f/34r on the street and 30f/29r on the track.

Higher tire pressure when you have more weight?

And you reduce the tire pressure when racing??? what's the pro's and cons???

is one better for grip and one better for turns? or something.... somebody explain please...

And you reduce the tire pressure when racing??? what's the pro's and cons???

When racing, your tires get really hot. So the air in them wants to expand more and thus exerts more pressure on the tire. So the starting pressure is set lower so that when the tire is at operating temperature the pressure builds to the proper range.

Think this is just a feel thing because it also depends on track temp, air temp, type of tire, gross weight and riding style. Best to try what works for someone else that is like you, see how you like it and make adjustements from there.

got it about racing.... but how bout the temp is at normal operating and what ever expanded already has....

what's the difference between low and high pressure on tires...

is there more traction at lower pressure. so you can have faster acceleration?

and with more tire pressure is it smoother on the turns???

Correct me if i'm wrong (I'm new to bike tires, but have lots of experience with auto tires at the track), but the less pressure in your tire the more of the tread you have on the road = more grip. But your steering/leaning feel and stability are reduced along with your air pressure. So it seems to me that you're trying to strike an optimum balance between the two, getting the best of both worlds.

I took my bike out for a little ride today with 35f/38r as opposed to 38/40 where it was set before and i am much happier with it. Doesn't feel as twitchy and bouncy going over bumps. And it actually seemed slightly easier to lean into a turn. Does that sound right, or is it just me?

but the less pressure in your tire the more of the tread you have on the road = more grip.

I could be wrong here too, but based on my four years working in a tire store, your statement is correct... to a point. My experience is limited to car tires, but the things I've read show that once the pressure gets too low, then you begin to decrease the area of the contact patch. In cross-section, the tread area takes the shape of an upside-down U, such that the areas of tread nearest the sidewalls makes contact with the pavement but the middle of the tread doesn't make contact. At that point, the contact is much smaller, so you not only have reduced grip but a lot of "looseness" in your handling.

Granted, motorcycle tires are a whole different animal....

Very true, vthoky...but i guess i'm used to talking to track guys who kind of assume that there *is* such a thing as too little air pressure. Besides, if you're getting to that point you have long said bye-bye to any sidewall stiffness whatsoever...so it doesn't really cross my mind to state the obvious. But theoretically you are absolutely correct.

I saw you stated in another thread that you're a bit of a car nut. Ever do any track events or anything like that? Or is it more of a garage tinkering thing? (I love both. :twisted: )

I think tire pressure debate could rival any thread on "oil type" :lol: :lol:

I saw you stated in another thread that you're a bit of a car nut. Ever do any track events or anything like that? Or is it more of a garage tinkering thing? (I love both. :twisted: )

At the present, I'm more of a garage tinkerer. I'd love to do some track time (though my Pathfinder is not the ideal candidate). Virginia International Raceway is an easy drive from here, and one of the fellas at work is a regular there (with his BMW wagon). I used to have Nissan 240SX ... that'd be a fun one for the track. My sister-in-law has it now. Hmm, now I wonder if she'd lend it back to me once in a while. :wink:

I've got some 350Z/G35 lust going on at the moment. I've driven both, and love 'em. Unfortunately, the dollars-in/dollars-out ratio isn't working in favor of my hobbies right now.

So, what's in your track toybox? :)

So, what's in your track toybox?

I'm actually pretty new to the track, having only started my track events late last year. I'd been a car nut for a while and got to restore a '69 Camaro (my dream machine), but then realized that it wasn't anything i would want to take on track (scary power on a 3600lb chassis with '60's era suspension...NO THANKS :shock: ). So i sold my daily driver and bought a '93 Mazda RX-7. That thing is a track machine for sure. I started doing driving schools with it and realized right off the bat that it was MUCH more capable than me. Since then i've been to VIR a few times (North twice, South once), and Rockingham a couple of times as well (yes, the old NASCAR ring, but on the infield track). It was a dream come true and i met a lot of really nice guys out there. But since i'm moving to MO, just bought my first house, might be expecting our first baby here shortly...i don't think i'm going to have time for it, and may be selling the RX-7 here soon. So i'm kinda bummed, but i got the 919 as a cheaper and less time consuming recreational vehicle.

I'm really going to miss being around all the good tracks we got there in VA/NC. So far i've only found one good track within ~130 miles of where i'm going to be in Kansas City. :cry:

But it doesn't really matter what car you've got (well...besides a Pathfinder ;) ), just go out and do it. A lot of people think you have to have a really fast or sporty car...not at all. You can learn so much just by taking your daily driver out there and tossing it around the track. And it's a complete blast. I've become a track junkie who's gonna have to give it up here...at least for a little while.... :?

...might be expecting our first baby here shortly...
:clap

...can learn so much just by taking your daily driver out there and tossing it around the track.
Yes soooo true. A friend and I had a blast at Road Atlanta with a Toyota Matrix! What a great track to drive and to watch races...
The turn just after the pit entrance is a down hill 90 degree right hander that you enter after coming up a hill with a pedestrian bridge at the zenith... insane...
http://www.roadatlanta.com/RA-aerial-big.jpg (http://www.roadatlanta.com/RA-aerial-big.jpg)

let me re-iterate that those pilot roads are basically touring tires...

Today's "touring tires", were yerstoday's performance tires. I can't help to laugh at some of the comments made about the stock 599 tires.

My Pilot Road's did just fine up the mountains.

I run 36/42 commuting.

31/34 up playing around.