Trackday tyre test

The range of tyres these days is unbelievable; there’s seemingly something for every occasion. Touring tyres, sporty touring tyres, sporty road tyres, sporty tyres for people who were born on a Wednesday and have an R in their name…

But here on PB we like to keep things simple which is why we’ve rounded up the crème de la crème of road legal performance tyres – the tyres that tread the line between road and race, perfect for those of you who’ve got a season of hard road riding and trackdays ahead.

But because these tyres have one foot in the race paddock and another on the road, they vary a little in their attitudes. Some manufacturers, like Bridgestone, have aimed their R10 squarely at the racier end of the market, whilst Metzeler have packaged their race technology in a slightly more road biased product.

We’ve rated them on a sliding scale to show you how road or track biased each set is, because we’re nice like that. Then we loaded them into a van, booked the most unhinged tyre tester we could find and subjected each set to a hard, day-long track test, so you can make sure you have the fastest, grippiest, most peg-scraping summer ever. That’s over £1300 worth of rubber toasted just for you.

On test…Bridgestone R10 type 3 £267 pair

Dunlop D211 GP Racer medium £280 pair

Metzeler Racetec K3 £250 pair

Pirelli supercorsa sP £290 pair

Michelin Power One Road £240 pair

The definitive guide to the best performance tyre for your 1000cc sportsbike

Words Emma Franklin, Bruce Dunn Pics Jason Critchell

2012’s best sticky hoops

Trackday tyre test

Tester 1 Bruce DunnLong time road tester, 250GP racer and experienced tyre tester, Bruce has been the man behind many a PB tyre test. He’s here to represent the ultimate evaluation as he’s able to push the tyres to their limit in a highly consistent manner. His lap times, GPS datalogging and opinions will form the foundations of this test.

“Tyre tests are the most demanding form of testing I do,” says Bruce, “because it’s not all about going as hard as you can. You have to ride at 9/10ths in order to push the tyre to its limit while also freeing up mental capacity to note all the subtle differences between the tyres on each session, and also remain utterly consistent. It’s a tall order but I really enjoy doing it.”

Tester 2 Emma FranklinIf Bruce is representing the top 5% of riders, PB’s deputy editor is here to represent the majority. Emma rides a litre bike on the road and the occasional trackday. She also races a TZR250 at club level. She won’t be pushing

as hard as Bruce, but will be able to pick up on aspects of each tyre that Bruce’s skills allow him to ride around.

Test bike 2012 Suzuki GSX-R1000.Suzuki’s big litre bike is here as the test mule. Chosen for its lack of electronic aids and power delivery, the GSX-R1000 is a good representation of your typical road-spec 1000cc sports bike. Although as standard the GSX-R wears 120/70 up front with a 190/50 rear, all the rear tyres on test are the slightly taller profile of 190/55.

FitterJames Powell, of InFront Motorcycles, Chester, is an experienced tyre fitter, mechanic and racer. When he’s not tweaking his customers’ road bikes, he’s fitting tyres at trackdays or spannering for his mates at BSB. He’s here to make sure each pair are fitted correctly and help us ensure the pressures are set to the manufacturer’s recommendation. What James doesn’t know about tyres isn’t worth knowing.

How we did itWith our pair of identical GSX-R1000s, fitter James set about removing the wheels and tyres from one while Bruce completed installation laps on the other. One bike was fitted with the datalogger and was used for all of the track test, while the other was used for its wheels alone to speed up the tyre changing process.

With the installation laps completed, Bruce returned to the pits to tweak the suspension. He dialled one click of rebound damping to the forks and a full turn of rebound to the shock. No further suspension alterations were made for the rest of the test. He then set a lap time for our control tyres – the OEM spec Bridgestone S20s.

All test tyres were set to the manufacturers’ recommended cold pressures but, owing to the cool conditions, we opted to warm each on warmers for 30 minutes prior to fitting for safety reasons. Bruce then completed six warm-up laps then came back into the pits to adjust the pressures to the manufacturers’ suggested working/hot pressures (where given) before heading out on 15 datalogged test laps.

13°18°

the testDry, sunny intervals, air temperature 13° Track temp 18°

The test trackBlyton Park near Gainsborough is the perfect facility for testing tyres. The newly resurfaced 1.6 mile circuit offers a 160mph straight, undulations, technical chicanes, hard-braking areas, off-camber corners and plenty of run-off plus it allows us to configure the layout to our own requirements. We’ve got sole use of the track so we’re able to subject each set of tyres to a fair, repeatable, unobstructed lap. www.blytonpark.co.uk

The control tyreBridgestone S20 £248

Best lap time 1:06.88

Weight: Front 4.75kg; rear 6.5kg

Contact: www.bridgestonebikersclub.co.uk

Bridgestone’s S20 is the newest tyre in their range and comes as standard fitment on our 2012 GSX-R1000 test bike. As a sporty road tyre it’s not in the same category as the rest of the tyres on test but it’s here to illustrate the performance difference between a road biased tyre and the more track-biased tyres on test here. As we’re using the OEM spec S20s their performance may well not be indicative of the S20s available from your local tyre shop as they will have been made to Suzuki’s own specification for cost reasons.

Bruce Dunn James Powell emma Franklin

ROaD tRacK1

2 3

4

5 6 7

8 9 10

Trackday tyre test

Michelin Power One £240 (per pair as tested)

Bruce says: “Straight away I could feel the difference between these and the OEM-spec control tyres. There’s bags

more grip, they’re more reactive to your inputs and there’s better feedback. They steer accurately and have decent amounts of side grip which gives good confidence mid corner. The rear feels well connected too; revving hard in second gear on corner exits felt under total control. However when I was starting to put together my fast laps stability wavered. On the exit of Lancaster, flat in third gear, the

handlebars started kicking. It happened every lap and seriously affected my top speed on the straight as I was having to roll off slightly. If the circuit had been smoother this probably wouldn’t have happened, but I feel these tyres didn’t cope well with being unsettled. Turn-in is vastly improved over OEM, but from a performance riding point of view it’s not very linear – the effort required changes at various points of turn-in. I’d say they’re massively improved from the stock tyres and there’s good grip but instability on acceleration and braking doesn’t inspire confidence.”

Emma says: “They feel knitted to the road, like there’s loads of grip on offer, especially from the rear when on the gas. But I was

never fully content with the front end. The front tyre felt light, excessively so, like it wasn’t biting in to the surface hard enough and as a result gave me a bit of a flighty ride and affected my confidence on the brakes.

I found it hard to be consistent with them. Sure they’re grippy, but there’s something quite quirky about them in the way they steered that I just couldn’t get on with.”

ROaD tRacK1

2 3

4

5 6 7

8 9 10

“Revving hard in second gear on corner exits

it felt under total control”

Technology AST (Asymmetric Technology), 3CT (Three Compound Technology). The rear Power One has three different compounds: extra soft on one side, soft on the other and medium in the centre. This asymmetric design allows you to reverse the tyre so the softest compound goes on the side that will take the most corners.

Compound: roadWeight: front 4.4kg; rear 6.25kgWorking pressures: none given (cold pressures set to 30psi front, 25psi rear)Working temps: front 42˚C, rear 55.5˚CBest lap time: 1:04.88Web: www.michelin.co.uk/motorcycles/

Trackday tyre test

Dunlop D211 GP Racer £280 (per pair as tested)

Pirelli Supercorsa SP £290 (per pair as tested)

Bruce says: “These are at the sportier end of the spectrum and it shows with how they made the bike feel – angry. The bike comes

alive with these tyres in more ways than one. I certainly went quickly on them, quicker than on the stock tyres, Michelins and Metzelers but I was just gritting my teeth and holding on. Getting the bike from upright to leant over is much more linear than it was with the Michelins or Metzelers and mid-corner stability is vastly improved meaning initial drive is good, but overall stability is

compromised. The bike shakes and slaps quite a bit and you need a firm hand to hang on to them, but in spite of this I was able to make up time massively on corner entries and exits.

“Braking is superior. I was able to brake later and harder than on the Michelins and Metzelers, just as I was able to get hard on the gas earlier when exiting corners. Because these Dunlops are at the sportier end of the spectrum there’s a little more compromise with them which explains the stability issues. They would need more setting up to get the most out of them. But overall I’m impressed.”

Emma says: “For me these felt awesome. Turn-in is absolutely spot on. I apply input and it leans without any resistance or undue

flightiness. It’s a direct, connected feeling. On the back straight I experienced a little hint of the instability Bruce described but nothing to those extremes. The Dunlops gave me a great feeling of confidence without compromise. They perform like a sports tyre: they’re pointy and accurate but they do make you feel like you’re working for your lap time – they’re no magic carpet ride.”

Bruce says: “In many ways these perform in a similar way to the Bridgestone R10 race tyre but I managed to go faster on these.

Like the R10s the amount of rider input needed to get them turned is much less than the others, and riding fast on them becomes really, really easy. Once the faster lap times came I noticed they start to move around quite a bit. They squat and squirm under hard acceleration, especially when you’re still leant over, but this isn’t a bad thing. In fact to me it gives a great sensation and understanding of

how much grip there is; they’re letting me know how much more I can push them. Pirelli claim to have stiffened up the sidewalls of the SP but they’re still a lot softer than those of the competition, and it’s this give in the side-wall that creates the communication of grip.

They could turn as quickly as the raciest tyres on test (the R10s) and they were impressive in the chicane, but I’d say they needed just ever so slightly more effort to get them from knee to knee. Still, it’s a very impressive performance and these tyres really suit the GSX-R1000 in stock trim.

Emma says: “They’re sublime. I knew Supercorsas were good, but I’d convinced myself these new SPs would be a little more

road biased, so I was surprised when I nailed my fastest lap of the day on them. They don’t feel as pointy as the Bridgestone R10s when changing direction, but they’re so stable and consistent they allow me to get on the gas earlier and the brakes later. Plus you don’t give grip a second thought and I know from past experience how well the Supercorsas last, so these would be my pick of the bunch.

1

2 3

4

5 6 7

8 9 10ROaD tRacK ROaD tRacK1

2 3

4

5 6 7

8 9 10

“I was able to brake later and harder than on the Michelins

and Metzelers”

“They could turn as quickly as the raciest tyres and were impressive in the chicane”

Technology The rear features Dunlop’s 7000 series Multi-Tread compound meaning there are seven zones of compound across the width of the tyre, maximising side grip, stability and drive. They also feature NTEC technology which has filtered directly down from the handmade race tyres and allows them to be run at very low pressures (as low as 17psi) to maximise grip.

Technology A bi-compound rear allows for increased mileage and high grip cornering. The compound on the shoulders of the tyre is now 23% softer than that of the previous model Supercorsa, which forced Pirelli to completely redesign the carcass of this new SP. It’s now more rigid making it deform less in aggressive cornering situations.

Compound: front medium; rear enduranceWeight: front 5.5kg; rear 6.25kgWorking pressures: 32psi front; 23psi rearWorking temp: front 42˚C; rear 53˚CBest lap time: 1:03.56Web: www.dunlopmotorcycle.eu

Compound: no choice of compoundWeight: front 4.25kg; rear 6.15kgWorking pressures: front 36psi; rear 29psiWorking temp: front 56˚C; rear 58˚CBest lap time: 1:03.19Web www.pirelli.com

Trackday tyre test

Metzeler Racetec K3 £250 (per pair as tested)

Bruce says: “Of all the tyres here these feel like they sit more towards the road end of the spectrum, but the overwhelming

sensation I get from them is just how stable they are. On the back straight I could blast up to top speed without any problems at all and the datalogger proves it – on these tyres I managed a genuine 160mph. You can accelerate really hard and they stay totally planted. Around Lancaster, the flat-in-third corner directly before the straight, these tyres allowed me to fire out while I was still

standing the bike up; the side grip is very impressive. There’s good feel in all the places you need it – from the back when accelerating and on the brakes when trailing in. Where the Metzelers lost out was in the turn-in and direction changes; they’re so tough to turn-in, requiring a big shove and a lot of effort. The data shows they were the most ponderous through the chicane, at 2mph slower. But they balance this by being very stable at speed once upright. They feel physically heavy. The ride quality is also a little bit severe too, choppy and a little harsh.”

Emma says: “In one word: planted. They feel reassuringly heavy (the heaviest tyres on test) which gives a great sensation of

connection to the tarmac but makes the handling feel slower. I found them an effort to haul from one side to another in the chicane and they didn’t feel as pointy as the Dunlops or Bridgestones. If you like tyres that give the ultimate sensation of grip, these are for you, but if you like your tyres a little livelier and quick to turn, they’ll annoy. Good bet if you plan to do more fast road riding than trackdays.”

ROaD tRacK1

2 3

4

5 6 7

8 9 10

“The datalogger proves I managed a genuine 160mph on the back straight on these tyres”

Technology The structure of the Racetec K3 is derived from the Supersport racing version but geared to improving road performance, particularly straight-line stability. Metzeler has incorporated Intelligent Tensioning Technology into the carcass (differentiated tensioning of carcass and belt across the cross-section) to widen the contact area at lean, while the 0° steel belt construction allows higher stability in all aspects of performance.

Compound used: no choice of compoundWeight: front 4.3kg; rear 7kgWorking pressures: front 36psi; rear 29psiWorking temp: front 42˚C; rear 50.5˚CBest lap time: 1:04.71Web: www.metzelermoto.co.uk

Bridgestone R10 £267 (per pair as tested)

Bruce says: “The R10s perform absolutely brilliantly. They deliver total stability, grip and feedback. From a racer’s point of

view these tyres perform so well they can act as a bit of a get out of jail free card because you can get away with braking deep into corners, or changing line at the last minute without any penalty. The way they change direction is probably one of their most outstanding attributes. It’s quite overwhelming. You get that real knife-edge race tyre performance without compromising stability. I was easily

fastest through the chicane on these, but I was still in good shape stability-wise to power through Lancaster and then onto the back straight. I’ve got nothing bad to say about these tyres at all, really. Yes, they are at the more extreme, racy end of the trackday tyre market and as a result will need careful warming if you were to use them on the road, but that’s just common sense. The R10s deliver performance in a totally unflappable, reassuring way – they’re like the rubber equivalent of the Honda Fireblade. Brilliant tyres, highly recommended.”

Emma says: “These feel exactly how I expect race tyres should. Never mind the grip, all the tyres here on test were ultimately

grippy, but these Bridgestones do incredible things to this Suzuki’s handling. They make the bike feel like its up on its toes, primed and ready to move. They turn the quickest of any tyre here, in fact they caught me out because they don’t need as much input to get them over. I could just fly through the chicane on them. If I wanted a set of tyres purely for track day use, these would be them.”

1

2 3

4

5 6 7

8 9 10

“The R10s deliver performance in a

totally unflappable way. Highly

recommended”

Technology The tread pattern uses three-dimensional grooves that have varying angles of cut, instead of just a straight vertical groove. Bridgestone claim this helps provide excellent grip under acceleration and stable handling under hard braking. The soft carcass construction and updated compound allow quick warm up and good traction under less than optimal conditions.

Compound used: mediumWeight: front 4kg; rear 6.45kgWorking pressures: front 30psi; rear 25psiWorking temp: front 51˚C, rear 56˚CBest lap time: 1:03.53Web: www.bridgestonebikersclub.co.uk

ROaD tRacK

Trackday tyre test

the factsWe’ve analysed the fastest lap by each set of tyres and overlaid them on a circuit map to see where and why some do better than others.

The ‘Ump’ Low speed direction changeA right-left flick that requires a lot of physical input to get the big Suzuki from your right knee straight onto your left knee, it’s a great test of how agile each set of tyres is. Here we’ve measured the time it takes each set of tyres to get through the chicane, along with its entry and exit speeds, as well as lean angles.

1st BridgestoneTime through chicane 3.94secEntry speed 53.3mph at 41.82˚ of leanExit speed 61.5mph at 40.46˚ of lean

2nd PirelliTime though chicane 4.03secEntry speed 54.4mph at 43.39˚ of leanExit speed 61.4mph at 40.46˚ of lean

3rd DunlopTime through chicane 4.05secEntry speed 54mph at 43.90˚ of leanExit speed 59.6mph at 42.33˚ of lean

4th MichelinTime through chicane 4.08secEntry speed 51.1mph at 40.99˚ of leanExit speed 59.6mph at 40.66˚ of lean

5th Metzeler Time through chicane 4.11secEntry speed 52mph at 43.31˚ of leanExit speed 59.1mph at 39.15˚ of lean

High speed direction changesPort Froid is an exhilarating high speed chicane with a lot of run off. It’s approaching 100mph so you need to be electrified with your steering inputs. It’s a good test of how reactive each set of tyres is and also a good measure of how linear the steering characteristics are. Again we’ve measured the time it took each set to get through the chicane and also recorded entry/exit speeds.

1st Pirelli Time though chicane 9.73secEntry speed 81.8mphExit speed 98.6mph

2nd Bridgestone Time through chicane 9.80secEntry speed 77.1mphExit speed 96.7mph

3rd DunlopTime through chicane 9.86secEntry speed 76.5mphExit speed 96.2mph

4th Michelin Time through chicane 9.91secEntry speed 79.8mphExit speed 96.9mph

5th MetzelerTime through chicane 10.29secEntry speed 75.4mphExit speed 95.8mph

Braking to mid corner1st Pirelli 6.0sec2nd Bridgestone 6.1sec3rd Dunlop 6.11sec4th Metzeler 6.12sec5th Michelin 6.2sec

Apex speed1st Bridgestone 56.5mph2nd Dunlop 54.3mph3rd Pirelli 53.13mph4th Metzeler 52.8mph5th Michelin 52mph

Hard brakingBishops corner sits right at the end of the back straight and it’s tighter than it looks, so to prevent us from ploughing a new furrow into the farmer’s field beyond we need to scrub off 110mph to make it round. Braking here is the ultimate test of front end stability and also trail braking prowess. The figures below show the time from the start of braking to letting off the brakes at the apex and also apex speed.

Top speed at end of straightThe back straight at Blyton is 727 metres long and features a bumpy mid-section where we deviate off the fresh tarmac in order to miss out the chicane. It’s a great test of high speed stability and shows a wide variance in each of our test tyre’s performances.

1st Pirelli 162.1mph2nd Michelin 160.5mph3rd Metzeler 160.4mph4th Bridgestone 159.2mph5th Dunlop 158.5mph

Bishops

Ushers

Lancaster

the ‘Ump’

Jochen

twickers

Port Froid

Fastest laps1st Pirelli 1.03.192nd Bridgestone 1.03.533rd Dunlop 1.03.564th Metzeler 1.04.715th Michelin 1.04.88

High speed side grip Lancaster is a high speed corner that leads onto the back straight and is an extreme test of a tyre’s grip and drive whilst under incredible load – 100mph flat in 3rd gear whilst still at 30 degrees of lean. Tyres with good side grip will be able to inspire enough confidence to keep driving hard until the bike’s fully upright. Bruce rated each tyre on how well it gripped and how stable it was under power.

1st PirelliJoint Bridgestone3rd Metzelers4th MichelinJoint Dunlop

And the winner is... Pirelli Supercorsa SPThe fact that all the tyres on test were at least two seconds quicker than the OEM control tyres – themselves not bad at all – speaks volumes. All of these tyres will make you ride faster and more confidently in the right conditions. They’ve all got an abundance of grip and all have the potential to improve your bike’s steering. But a couple of the tyres delivered standout performances.

There’s no getting away from the fact that the Pirellis posted the fastest lap times. Both of our testers were blown away by how they delivered this pace in a totally unflappable way. The Pirellis made riding fast very easy and provided an excellent sensation of grip in all situations. If you’re looking for a set of tyres to have some road and track fun this summer, these are for you. They even last remarkably well too.

But if you want to get your track bike shod with something tasty you won’t go wrong with a set of Bridgestone R10s. They’re similar in performance to the Pirellis but felt that little bit racier and sharpened the bike’s handling. The R10s will be right up the street of those riders who enjoy a quick-steering bike.

Trackday tyre test

Big thanks toJames Powell of InFront Motorcycles (07810 300127) for his superb tyre fitting skills. If you’re looking for advice or to buy tyres then James is your man.

Richard Usher of Blyton Park. Richard’s done a great job developing Blyton – it’s the perfect venue for testing and trackdays. www.blytonpark.co.uk

Do it yourselfBike trackdays at BlytonIf you fancy having a crack at Blyton Park, why not rock up to one of their trackdays this summer? BikeDays.co (That’s .co only and NOT co.uk) are running a series of sessioned bike days this summer with prices starting from just £69. Blyton Park is located five miles outside of Gainsborough in Lincs.

11 May23 May5 June19 June4 July1 August

To book call 07788 992589 or go to bikedays.co