I'm buying spare wheels (damn theyre cheap!) and sticky tires to do track days, and I'm wondering for those ofyall that do them, what tires do you run?  I have a 120/70-17 D208 on the front, and a 130(something) D404 on the rear, but that tire is in no way aggressive enough for a racetrack.  I heard a 150 would fit, but my bike is an '89 and the 130 looks tight enough as is.  The only tires I have seen at work are BT45's and I believe Maxxis or Continental.  What would yall recommend?

I do, on my 600rr...dont have the gs anymore.
My buddy has an old cbr600F1 (87 model) and uses the same size as the gs. This is his tire after chasing me around a very fast track last month:


These were Dunlop d220 I think. I'll ask him. They were street tires though and they were fine at speeds exceeding 140mph (turn 8 is a 140mph turn). You can run 140/80's or 140/70's (bias ply). Pirelli has the Sport Demons which are really good too.

here I am first few sessions of my first trackday. Been there again since...
This is Willow Springs Big Track.

Bridgestone BT090 110/70 & 140/70.   Very sticky and predictable when they slide. Usually get 1-3 track days out of a set. This does depend on how hard you are on the brakes and how abrasive the track surface is. You will not reach the edge with a 150 on a 3.5" wheel. I get both the front and rear to the edge very easily but there still is plenty of traction surface left.

I have done one track day, and ran the BT45's.
They were very predictable and stuck very well letting me get the knee down almost every lap.

Other than that I dunno.

It seems that the most of the East coast GS guys swear by the BT-090 while the GS racers in California (Bob B. amoung them) have told me that a 150 is fine.  I went with the 150/60 Pirelli Supercorsa and had tons of grip for three full track days last season.  

Here is a picture of how the the tire's profile is modified.




I sold my GS this summer and have been off the track since (just a little summer riding on a BMW touring bike, actually, since then)  but I'm now talking seriously with a seller about buying his RGV 250.

Quote from: pantablo

These were Dunlop d220 I think. I'll ask him.

He was running Dunlop GT501's, bias ply tires. He thinks they worked pretty well.


I think the 150's just need a little getting used to since they pinch at the edges causing them to "fall in" as they near the edges. If I were to run a gs at the track I would stick with 140's. Actually, if I were running an extra set of wheels at the track I'd get me a 88-89 gsxr wheel or a bandit 400 wheel to run a 150 properly...

looks like the hurricane was cold tearing the tire....drop the press to get more heat into the tire
the 150 is real pretty but why pay for a tire that you can't use the whole thing.  get a 140 and no chicken stripes.... :mrgreen:
a hurricane front rim is narrower than a GS...2.75 to gs's 3.0

us East Coaste people have Stickboy to sell us rubbers.....i think he is having a winter sale. and ya can get more than 3 trackdays on a set of tires.
stick gets about that on the F3 with old cheater quallifying tires....super sticky compound
we were getting 4 hrs on the F3 with BT-96's endurance racing a couple of years ago

Yeah Stickboy is the hook up for 'stones. I liked the 96 better than the 090 eventhough I am told they are the same compound.

hmmm...winter tire sale....my TL needs new shoes....

Here's the BT96's during the first day riding my GS at a Tally track day:

so a 150 will fit on my stock 89?  that makes finding sticky rubber easier...

Just need to modify the stock brake torque bar to allow for the wider tire clearance.

Or install a gsxr caliper that hangs from the bottom and there is no problem with clearance. The chain clearance is the limiting factor either way.

On stock rims, the best tire I have used is the BT 090 in the 140 size in the rear and a 110 on the front.

Predictable, great grip, warm up fast and actually got four track days out of a set before they started to go away.  Probably from too many heat cycles, as there was still some tread left.

If you want to run a 150 get a bandit 400 rim, if you want to run a 160, get a bandit 600 rim, or an '89 GSXR rim.

I have the '89 GSXR rim for my dry tire, and am using the Metzler Rennsport tires in a 160 width.  They stick as good as any slick I have used.

Paul

i got a 150 on my '92 and i didn't have to modify anything

Yes a 150/60 should fit without clearance problems.



Adam

the same size tire from different manufacturers will vary quite a bit. So a 150 from Michelin will fit easily but a Bridgestone 150 might not (b'stones are notorious for running on the big side). I ran a 150/60 Michelin Pilot Sport and didnt have clearance problems.

Werase643-that trackday was end of November. Track was cold but tires were plenty warm. He was riding well above what the bike could handle. He also had his bandit 1200 there and was tearing those tires up pretty good too. He's an exceptionally good (and fast) rider.

Check out a couple videos of us tearing it up.
http://f1.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/mr.sparky@sbcglobal.net/lst?.dir=/videos&.view=l
Pay particular attention to the speedometer on the bike following us taking video. He was riding a 02 gsxr750. Both videos are cool.