Another question we get all the time at the shop is about tire pressure. There seems to be way more mystery about this that there really needs to be. Most sport bike manufacturers recommend 36 psi for the front and 42 psi for the rear. (check your manual to see what is recommended for your bike) Having discussed this with the tire manufacture representatives (Bridgestone, Pirelli, Michelin) it seems weird but it’s pretty hard to get a number from them. They are happy to say what the maximum pressure for that tire is but getting the optimum riding psi out of them is like pulling teeth. So, since I don’t have an official answer for you I’ll tell you what I normally recommend and what I have run on my street sport bikes for years. 36-38 psi front 36-38 psi rear Tire pressure is all about operating temperature, not about getting more contact surface. While a lower pressure can give you more contact surface, if the tire is running too hot, you’ll have less grip. Also, you can run into damage issues due to overheating, especially with the Michelin Pilot Power 2CT series tires. (2ct, Power 3, Road 2 and 3) The fronts will start to wear unevenly and you’ll end up with a ruined tire way before it’s worn out. The rears seem to be a little more resistant to damage. I like the lower pressure on the rear as it seems to wear a little better and get up to temp faster. In Alberta where we have 3 or 4 corners in the whole province, we spend a lot of time traveling in a straight line wearing the middle of the tire out. I find that with a little lower pressure, I ride on more of the tire and the flat spot doesn’t happen as fast. Maybe I’m just imagining it but that’s my observation. At the lower pressure, the rear does run a little hotter and again if you run the Michelin PP2CT tires, keep an eye on them as they are more heat sensitive than the other brands. I don’t do high speed runs in the 220 -300 range so the lower pressure in the rear does not create too much heat for the tire. When we install tires at Redline Motorsports, we set them to 36/42, the manufacturers recommended psi and it’s up to you to then adjust it to the psi you prefer. For track riding on street tires, set the front to a minimum 32-34 psi and the rear to 33-35 psi and see how that goes. Don’t forget to bring the pressure back up when you return to the street or you may damage your tires over the long run. For those who like to set land speed records when they go out, the faster you go, the faster your rear tire wears. Two riders with the same tire, in a straight line, one rides slower the other faster, same distance, the faster riders tire will flatten off quicker. Sorry, speed has a price. *all tire pressures noted here are cold – always check your tires cold so you have a consistent benchmark. Hot temps will be 1-6 psi hotter. ** Cruiser tires are a different, this info is intended for sport bike tires. What’s my favorite tire? And why? It was a new tire that came out last year, but that’s for next time…
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 15:18:19 +0000
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