Triumphrat

richm

Yes, another Tire Post! But I have not found this question elsewhere o the site, so here goes……..

As the days get shorter and cooler here in the Great White North, I’ve noticed that grip really starts to drop off when the temperature drops. It’s more apparent on the rear tire (which is the OEM type Metzeler) and the decline in grip is very noticeable below about 7C or 8C (or around 45F). This is on dry roads and I don’t intend to ride when it’s below freezing.

This drop in grip is to be expected and I do ride accordingly but, have any of you fellow RATs living in colder climes come across tires that have behaved better than others in the cold?

wenzel850

Your right it takes my Marathon 88 longer to warm up as the temp drops.

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Quentin

mindfulness

absolutely, lower temps mean less heat in the tires=less grip. definitely have to reduce lean angle accordingly.

cheers


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'10 Ducati Monster 1100 s | abs
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A few recent memories...
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Ammo

winter riding is a new mindset. I used to commute 35 miles one way and my cut off temp was 17F

even the corners that look nice and clean should be treated as if they are slick... because they are. ;-)

richm

I used to ride year round in the UK, but here in Canada that's just not feasible. I wont go riding if there is any chance of ice on the road but we do get some nice sunny days in Winter that are at least a couple of degrees above freezing and I'd definitely grab the chance to go for a ride. If there were tires that maintained grip at lower temperatures it would be of benefit. I just hate the idea of the Thruxton sitting in the garage until Spring.

vzshadow

The only time I've ever been down on a bike was going about 5 mph down my steep driveway. The temperature was 25°F (-4°C). I learned that at that temperature, the tires were cold, there is very little friction between tires and asphalt.

daveiniowa

I hadn't been out riding in a good while. 35 degrees out and my tires wouldn't seem to warm up. Maybe if I'd done some more highway riding but the start and stop in town didn't ever let them really warm up. Corners had to be taken much slower.


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Askari

If you run lower tyre pressures this will allow the tyres to deform more and heat more. On a race track this will allow the tyre to shed used layers of rubber.

During cold weather months, tire pressure checks become even more important. According to SaferCar.gov, tires in general lose about 1 psi for every 10 degree drop in outside temperature. With that in mind, the best practice is to check your tire pressure often, and to keep a decent tire pressure gauge in your tool kit, or somewhere on your bike so you have no excuse not to check.

our advice:

When setting your pressures with cold tyres (tyre temperature at the outside ambient temperature), set them to the vehicle manufacturers’ recommended pressures.
If you set your pressures in a warm garage or workshop, add 0.2 bar (3psi) to the vehicle manufacturers’ recommended pressures. This will ensure that you compensate for the cold temperature and run at the correct pressures

This was some stuff i Goggled, would seem that you need to add pressure and more importantly caution. I also saw the 1/2 hour to heat as mentioned by another postee!

Askari

Whilst Goggling actually saw that in very cold weather tyres will actually get colder. This might be what you have noticed @ town, the cold ambient temp and cold road actually is more that the the heat generated by friction.

tsmgguy

A cold riding day here is 5 C . . .

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2003 Lucifer Orange Triumph Bonneville T-100, completely stock except for chromed fenders.
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Photo: The GT1000 at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats