Hi Guys I hope this isn't a stupid question but... Here goes. I'm new to slicks for this season and have brought some very basic tyre warmers https://www.holroydtyrewarmersnew.co.uk, so my question is do i leave the tyre warmers on all day (when in pits obviously) even through lunch? its my belief the idea is to try and lessen the amount of heat cycles, and does it matter if left on for a hour or so?. Any advice is greatly appreciated Many thanks in advance Greg
Rule of thumb. on 45 minutes at least before your first session. Set pressure hit before you go out first session. Remove and unplug/turn off when you head out. At lunch etc, you can leave them on but I tend to turn off for a while and make sure they are back on again 45 min before I go out. it’s worth checking the temp when you come in from a session to see how it is compared to when it comes off the warmers, and adjust if needed. Especially if you’re seeing some tyre wear. can’t emphasise enough: unplug when not on the bike and make sure you take them off before riding away
If you’re using a drum type extension lead make sure you uncoil it, not seen it myself but coiled up they can trip pit garage electrics apparently
As above really! Easy to leave them plugged in and ruin them. Maybe try to get an extension lead with a switch on there so you don’t have to keep unplugging them. Sounds really obvious but make sure you stick a hand on them when you uncover them to be sure they are warm (you should feel how hot the warmers are but still) it’s so easy to have a failed warmer and not realise
as above, i would add you still need to go easy for the first half a lap or so to warm your tyres . especially on cold UK tracks Tyre warmers are more delicate (& expensive)than many realise, especially with cheaper warmers Don't ever pull on the warmer to spin the wheel to unwrap it. is very easy to overdo it in the rush and break the elements. instead turn the wheel with your hand to unwrap the warmer from the wheel, this also gives me a chance to feel if the tyre is actually hot on both sides before going out unplug them when not in use, and don't leave them on the floor of the garage to get trodden on or ridden over. some folk loosly roll theirs up, i prefer to hang mine up on the box wall or over my chair when you come in, clean all stones and marbles off the tyre before putting the warmer on , the liners can get torn up and can expose the wire elements
I'd disagree with that, if you get out of the garage and onto the track quickly I just go from the off on warmers, first corner knee down without any issues.
Great shout on not leaving them lying on the floor, that’s probably my worst habit at trackdays and I always wind myself up with it!
A tip I saw in a Spike Edwards vid is to roll them off, ie roll them up as you remove them (so the inside is outside). It is neat and tidy, then makes refitting simple and no one falls over them and no tugging! Note many have issues under front mudguard, seems fairly normal.
Exactly this. Only need to do an outlap if you’ve got shit warmers. most of the time the tyre out of blankets will be hotter than it will be after a lap even. some great advice in here. Especially about checking they’re actually hot. That happened to a mate of mine at Silverstone and resulted in a turn one Highside.
Velcro the warmer on beside the valve. Makes it simples to check pressure as with warmer on you don’t have to hunt for where the valve stem is.
A few questions if you can answer?! My tyres are always a million times hotter off track than out of the warmers (biketek with no temp adjustment), sometimes you can’t touch for longer than a second heat. Yet my pressures are always about right. Is that normal? I do have a thermal heat detector thing, is there a ballpark temp they should be? If a tyre is too hot does it need more or less pressure? I’ve never known which!
Depends how the wear looks. If it is too hot, have you tried the pressures straight away? If it’s over when you have the warmer on, you’d normally let some psi out to get back in the right operating range. Overhot tyres can slide and lose grip more easily, it’s one of the issues many U.K. riders have when doing Spanish trackdays Tbh if the wear looks fine tho, and it’s not sliding, no reason to change imho.
And Google Dave Moss, some of his old pre pay-for-everything info is great and includes stuff like tyre wear and probably have something on ideal temps
I normally check pressures within 60 secs off coming off track, helmet off straight on the stand and check before they can cool too much. The wear I’ve had on supercorsas has looked ‘ok’ but they don’t last long at all on the rear. I had a brand new rear at Snett last year and it’s pretty much on the wear markers after 120 miles! But I only use them when it’s a bit cold for slicks. I do know of Dave Moss, it’s probably well worth an investment to his info as it could save some money on tyres I guess..
This is good advice in any situation where a coiled type extension lead is being used. The coil of wire causes excessive heat and can catch on fire in extreme circumstances. Have witnessed the damage it can do first hand, the home owner almost lost his kids and his house was complete destroyed!
