[AceRider]

Howdy,

Does anyone have an opinion on the trackday life (20 min sessions, 5-6/day) of Michelin PowerRace tires if you DO NOT use tire warmers and therefore have a lot of heat cycles on them?

I have used mine for two trackdays and they are bluing, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

I am buying tire warmers, but just need to know if 7 cycles is max, cause then I need new tires as well...

This is not wear and tear issue, just a question on heat cycles.

On another note, is there a way to tell if your tire has undergone too many heat cycles? Does it get hard, not warm up, something else to indicate its condition?

Thanks.

 

[benprobst]

Howdy,

Does anyone have an opinion on the trackday life (20 min sessions, 5-6/day) of Michelin PowerRace tires if you DO NOT use tire warmers and therefore have a lot of heat cycles on them?

I have used mine for two trackdays and they are bluing, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

I am buying tire warmers, but just need to know if 7 cycles is max, cause then I need new tires as well...

This is not wear and tear issue, just a question on heat cycles.

On another note, is there a way to tell if your tire has undergone too many heat cycles? Does it get hard, not warm up, something else to indicate its condition?

Thanks.

The Michelins do pretty well with heat cycles, though not as well as the Pirellis it seems. The problem is burning the catalyst out of the rubber. Its more of a feel thing than anything. You can do compression tests, pushing a screwdriver or a key into the rubber. A new tire will hold a very clear picture in it for a while, an older tire will push the imprint out quickly. But even with that its a feel thing, there is no set "holds it for 5 seconds its good, 2 seconds, no good". Just keep it simple, if the tires feel god then run them, if they dont replace them. Tire warmers will make them last a bit longer, but if you have good wear patterns without warmers, the difference wont be significant. For sprint races I pull rear tires every 6-14 laps, they dont even look used, as in almost zero rubber missing, they have just lost that top 3% of their traction that I call on for sprints. While in endurance races we have run rear tires for 4 hours, and you cant even tell they are dot's when the race is over. So change your tires when YOU think they need to be changed not the advanced guy who says its time, or even the tire guy, especially tire guys at trackdays.

 

[AceRider]

Thanks!