Rain tyres for on track

S1000RR  FORUM

Help Support S1000RR FORUM:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Flup

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Messages
45
Reaction score
0
Location
Netherlands
I am looking for some Rain tyres for track use. I am far from being a pro so just want to ride safe on track in the rain.
My buddy rides the Pirelli Diablo Rain but the local tyreshop advices me the Bridgestone Racing Battlax W01.
Which one gives me the most confidence on track with grip?
 
Race Wets

Over the years I?ve used Pirelli, Metzeler and Bridgestone wets and all of them are extremely good. They all feel subtlety different but once up to temperature they all offer good levels of grip. At present I currently use Metzeler Racetec Rain tyres.

The general rule of thumb for using wets is you only need to fit them if you start to see spray coming off the tyres. Once fitted you have to keep heat in them in order for them to perform consistently and offer good grip so you have to push. If you go to slow you will loose all heat in the tyres very quickly which significantly increases the risk of crashing. Conversely, if the circuit starts to dry out you are best advised to pit and change tyres. If not you run the risk of overheating them which effectively destroys the tyre. The point is don?t expect to put race wets straight on and expect them to grip instantaneously. For them to work properly you need to generate and retain heat so your pace has to be fairly quick from the moment you remove the tyre warmers and leave pit lane. Once you do that the level of grip available on a wet track is very good just be aware the margin for error is much less.
 
Metzeler Racetec Rain

These are what I currently use...

attachment.php


Front: 120/70
Rear: 190/60
 
Thx, clear information.

Mayby you can help me with the following:

My first tyres on the bike where Bridgestone S20. I got a puncture in the tyre before the session start on Assen. The only option was to buy slicks at the track.
So now I have slicks installed and it went pretty good on track. Didn't had tyre warmers either so started very slow the first few rounds.

I have bought a extra set of rims and looking now what I should do.

Option 1
First set on Slicks
Second set on Bridgestone Battlax S21

I have driven in the rain on track with the S20 and they felt ok.

Option 2
First set Pirelli Diablo SP\Metzler Racetec
Second set Bridgestone Rain

I know they Pirelli SP are not for rain. But do I have with this set some overlap if I see the comment from Ryan above?
If I have to wait for the spray to come off then it might already be to wet on track for the Pirelli SP?

The bike is track oriented but I do ride on the street (dry weather).
 
I wouldn't use a track tyre without warmers as A you are losing laps getting them up-to-speed and B increasing your risks.

In the UK with its weather patterns I'd use hypersport tyres and have wets as spares. If I did not use warmers.

- Alex
 
Back
Top