And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Hard to believe there's any traction at all on that wet track.
Racing Rain tires are pretty impressive these days. The compounds stick really well (but overheat easily) and the sipes clear the water away pretty well.
You get great traction....right up until you don't. Like a switch.
Watching that video clip brought back memories of a very awkward track day at Laguna Seca doing a class with Keith Code/Superbikes School back around '97. Rained all day. Had to get new tires for my 900sssp Ducati. Couldn't find the tires I needed, so I followed the recommendation of the tire girl at the bike shop, who told me that these tires (don't remember what they were) worked well on the 600cc 4 cylinder bikes with similar hp. Big mistake! Those tires slid everywhere. The front would slide as I would initiate the turn. Gather it up and then both would slide at the apex. Then the rear would slide as I exited the turn. The only time it wasn't sliding at least one tire was on the straights between corners. What kept me awake was it was not consistent which tire would slide where. The training was to get it into a higher gear and stay off the brakes, just use what engine braking it had to slow for corners, and don't change gears. I think half the class had crashed by the end of the day. Flat wore me out dealing with the constant slides. Made one street ride later, up highway 1, and came back on the freeway after it started raining. Even on dry road, those tires were unpredictable for grip. I think the girl gave me $100 for the tires, when the good Dunlops got into stock. Race compound was what the Duc required for safe handling on the street or track, with my light weight.
I guess some people have never met a smart or accomplished "girl". A beautiful Aussie friend of mine was the head of tire tech for Firestone for Indy car racing. Before that she was the head of scoring and timing for Indy car racing. She took me to the scoring level in the Pagoda at Indianapolis ( where the CEO of the track is not allowed) to meet her nine scoring techs and the two mainframes they used to keep track of the 18 scoring loops on the track. I suppose she would be just another " useless girl" to you. Sad. Bubbarust
If you know where it is, and how to use it there is *some* but not a lot. Does require a lot more precise throttle work and a much different braking technique than dry. It pays to get good at racing in the rain - which requires doing it a LOT - because everyone hates it so much being good at it is one heck of an advantage.
I raced the SV650 class back in the 90's at Road Atlanta. When it started raining they stopped the racing. The residue from the dry, soft race compound would make the track crazy slick even of you had rain tires. The day after a hard rain was a day of good grip if you had fairly new tires.
Racing Rain tires are pretty impressive these days. The compounds stick really well (but overheat easily) and the sipes clear the water away pretty well.
ReplyDeleteYou get great traction....right up until you don't. Like a switch.
I have a set of Metzlers on my Wide Glide that'll do that. They will, but I won't...
ReplyDeleteBut all those gallons of cold water sloshing in your boots gives you extra weight and therefore extra traction!
ReplyDelete(Me three weeks ago).
I'm surprised those bikes can even Go that fast carrying those huge balls
ReplyDeleteWatching that video clip brought back memories of a very awkward track day at Laguna Seca doing a class with Keith Code/Superbikes School back around '97. Rained all day. Had to get new tires for my 900sssp Ducati. Couldn't find the tires I needed, so I followed the recommendation of the tire girl at the bike shop, who told me that these tires (don't remember what they were) worked well on the 600cc 4 cylinder bikes with similar hp. Big mistake!
ReplyDeleteThose tires slid everywhere. The front would slide as I would initiate the turn. Gather it up and then both would slide at the apex. Then the rear would slide as I exited the turn. The only time it wasn't sliding at least one tire was on the straights between corners. What kept me awake was it was not consistent which tire would slide where.
The training was to get it into a higher gear and stay off the brakes, just use what engine braking it had to slow for corners, and don't change gears. I think half the class had crashed by the end of the day. Flat wore me out dealing with the constant slides. Made one street ride later, up highway 1, and came back on the freeway after it started raining. Even on dry road, those tires were unpredictable for grip. I think the girl gave me $100 for the tires, when the good Dunlops got into stock. Race compound was what the Duc required for safe handling on the street or track, with my light weight.
....so I followed the recommendation of the "tire girl"...
Delete=========
Oh dear. How in the world do people get this way?
I guess some people have never met a smart or accomplished "girl".
DeleteA beautiful Aussie friend of mine was the head of tire tech for Firestone for
Indy car racing. Before that she was the head of scoring and timing for
Indy car racing. She took me to the scoring level in the Pagoda at Indianapolis ( where the CEO of the track is not allowed)
to meet her nine scoring techs and the two mainframes they used to
keep track of the 18 scoring loops on the track. I suppose she would be just another " useless girl" to you. Sad.
Bubbarust
Slip slidin' away.
ReplyDeleteIf you know where it is, and how to use it there is *some* but not a lot. Does require a lot more precise throttle work and a much different braking technique than dry. It pays to get good at racing in the rain - which requires doing it a LOT - because everyone hates it so much being good at it is one heck of an advantage.
ReplyDeleteHigher air pressure in ties = higher speed before hydroplaning. Also, there's a ratio between contact surface area and speed.
ReplyDeleteI raced the SV650 class back in the 90's at Road Atlanta. When it started raining they stopped the racing. The residue from the dry, soft race compound would make the track crazy slick even of you had rain tires. The day after a hard rain was a day of good grip if you had fairly new tires.
ReplyDeleteThere ain't. Those guys are just REALLY good.
ReplyDeleteProbably crazier than F1 drivers in the rain.
ReplyDelete