Pilot Power not a track tire?

[Kham]

hey Michlin god father, someone just told me Pilot Power is not a track tire? really? Did i miss some important info?

[Degsy]

hey Michlin god father, someone just told me Pilot Power is not a track tire? really? Did i miss some important info?

"someone" is an idiot. It's not a race tire, but it's definitely a track tire.

I bet 'someone' owns a gixxah!

[Kham]

they're track guys too. they also mention a lot of compaints about the triangle front profile just "letting go" for no reason and without warning. don't know. haven't been reading much.

[Degsy]

they're track guys too. they also mention a lot of compaints about the triangle front profile just wash out for no reason and without warning. don't know. haven't been reading much.

Trust me, anyone who complains about Pilot Powers on the track is just blowing smoke. There is no better non-race tire for the track. Dunlop have been using triangle profile fronts for at least 7 years on their RACE tires and they handle like a dream.

[Kham]

here's couple of posts and you're right. he's got gixxers and RSV.

"Uh Oh. You offended somebody by not including their favorite tire.

Theres some dislike on the net for the standard pilot powers. The fronts have a very triangulated profile which makes for fast/quick steering but seems to be creating traction/stability issues at full lean. People complain of them just "letting go" all of a sudden with no warning.

~~this of course must be weighted cause we are talking the net and who knows the truth and relevance of such statements and we all know riders tend to blame tires for their own mistakes right?~~

Whats strange is that michelin decided to use a rounded profile on their pilot race and pilot road while using the triangulated profile on the pilot sport. Hmmmm Guess they figure Joe sportrider wants ultra quick handling badly. But why not the same profile between all three? One of the mags did a test of the three and all levels of riders preferred the rounded profiles.

Theres been a lot of positive though about the new dual compound PP's. Harder at center and softer on sides fwiw ."

"

[Kham]

this guy got zx10r.

"pirelli diablo's.


i gave pilot powers a whirl, f'ing junk IMO. the front end just let go is right, lowsided at my last trackday. IMO they are too hard a compound also. back to pirelli for me.

a buddy of mine runs the diablo corsa 3, he swears by them. "

[Kham]

reason for teh post is i need new tires and thinking of trying something else.

[Degsy]

I have a set of the new Pilot Power SC2 ready for VIR....meanwhile....


"I Thought these were Full Race Tires", says Nicky Hayden after backing it into a turn at Las Vegas Motor Speedway aboard the 2004 CBR1000RR w/ Pilot Powers.

[Degsy]

this guy got zx10r.

"pirelli diablo's.


i gave pilot powers a whirl, f'ing junk IMO. the front end just let go is right, lowsided at my last trackday. IMO they are too hard a compound also. back to pirelli for me.

a buddy of mine runs the diablo corsa 3, he swears by them. "

Translation:

"I crashed my ZX10 at the track and I'm a God-like rider so it MUST have been the tires."



Kham, if you want to try something else, try Dunlop Qualifiers. The Pirellis are older technology.

[Kham]

no Dunlop man. is it cheaper? nevermind.

[Kham]

it was in this post respond to mine... by the same guy above.

"suspension is fine. im not saying it wasnt somewhat my fault, i dont remember if i was on the gas or not.

the PP is by no means a track tire and IMO doesnt grip as well as other tires. i wont go back to the track w/o pirelli supercorsas on my bike, like i used to run.

ive heard numerous stories of people losing the front w/ PP's for no apparent reason."

[union]

Ive read that when the power lets go there is little warning. This is from people that know how to ride on the track and they usually trash a set of tires pretty fast. Other then that they are a great tire. Most of us are the limiting factor and not the tire. Im willing to be those guys complaining about the tire either had too much time on them or just screwed it up and used the tire as a likely excuse.

[duey]

i'm going to try a set of the PP's myself for the track this year, but my qualifiers didn't let me down last season. Qualifiers seemed to be a well rounded tire for me as i commuted on them and didn't give me any negative results at the track.

[bigred875]

lol i got a brandy new set on my Z cuz i heard they were great tires....i'm use to M1's

[Karaya One]

They don't explain anything about temps, set-up, tire pressure or anything else. And to compare the round profile of a Road to the semi-triangular profile of the Power is just silly.

As for the 2CT being better, the tires use the same casing!!!! It was just a compound change! And the dual compound portion of the tire is about an inch from the edge on either side.

To have a bike just lowside and go away? Other factors were involved that no one is admitting to. The standard street Power is an excellent street tire, trackday tire and race rain tire. And this is proven every day, all season long.

[richw]

sounded like whining to me

There is some variations in philosophy that might compliment one riding style over another or specific suspension settings.
I am a pussy so not worried about such things. Got qualifiers cause they was new and 30 cheaper then the powers.


Mostly don't worry be happy

[06ZX6R]

would you guys reccomend the PP as an occasional track tire? I still have the stockers on, but am looking to upgrade probably this spring. I have heard a lot of good things about them, and if I make it to one trackday a year thats good for me. I dont push the bike extremely hard on the street, but there are times where I can't have a tire that let go with no warning.

Alex

Duey- sounds like you like the qualifiers. Good all around/economical tire?

[JeffL]

Why blame yourself when you can blame the equipment?

[slaps76]

I put them on my VFR, and noticed a huge difference over the stock tires. Made it feel like a new bike, the steering was much quicker, more precise, it took a bit to adjust, compared to before it took more effort to lean the bike into a corner. Almost like I was riding on tires someone let the air out of before the PP's.

Did a couple of track days, and while my abilities don't allow me to ride anywhere near the bike's limits, they felt great to me.

[Doc]

I used the PP's on my Hawk last year for my 2 trackdays. I am not very fast but I had no problems and absolutley loved em! Gino took my bike around the track and didn't complain.

I liked em so much I bought the PP race for my racebike for this season. I am told they will last all season. we shall see.

I am a Michelin Fan though so I am biased. Alot of the Hawk guys are running Pirelli's

Speaking of this, Do novices have any kinda contingencies?

[Kham]

Why blame yourself when you can blame the equipment?

gotta put some blame on the equipment. after all you can't crash without a bike.

[Kham]

I put them on my VFR, and noticed a huge difference over the stock tires. Made it feel like a new bike, the steering was much quicker, more precise, it took a bit to adjust, compared to before it took more effort to lean the bike into a corner. Almost like I was riding on tires someone let the air out of before the PP's.

Did a couple of track days, and while my abilities don't allow me to ride anywhere near the bike's limits, they felt great to me.

had the exact same impression compare to the stock D208 36/40psi and stiff suspension, LOL... now that's funny, which is why i question when i hear negative things like that. if general opinion is true then i might want to reconsider the alternative.

[duey]

would you guys reccomend the PP as an occasional track tire? I still have the stockers on, but am looking to upgrade probably this spring. I have heard a lot of good things about them, and if I make it to one trackday a year thats good for me. I dont push the bike extremely hard on the street, but there are times where I can't have a tire that let go with no warning.

Alex

Duey- sounds like you like the qualifiers. Good all around/economical tire?

Alex,
I love my qualifiers, i put about 6k miles on them last year. That was mainly 40mi commute each day, and weekends here and there with few of the guys here. I'd ride them as hard as i could on the Blue Hills when i could almost everyday through wet/dry/cold weather, and no complaints. I i did enough of commuting and twisties to not square off the tires, and again never let me down. I'm not that crazy fast, but was fast enough to one of the faster riders at my penguin racing class and again tires never let me down.

But just to get a general feel of different types of tires i'll still be going with the PP's, then diablo's. So i first hand see how the tire feels on my own bike given the type of riding i do.

[LiononaLeash]

I've used the Pilot Power for 2 seasons street and 3 trackdays. If they made the standard Pilot Power in 190/55(as this is what the 06 ZX-10R calls for in the rear), I would continue purchasing this tire. The 2CT's are a bit pricey, but I will probably still buy them since I can't see cutting 30 or 40 bucks out of the cost when you are gonna use them on the $10K motorcycle.

I don't know... I also may try the Continental Sport Attack, I remember a review in Cycle World that said they were very close to being as good as the Pilot Power, in alot of respects.

[richw]

Last comment

I am always suspicious that what we have is the

FRESH TIRE

a brandy new set of the old style tire might give you the same "new bike" experience compared to warn tires you are replacing