Hi, know this has been asked before, and I apologise now, but, ..... Standard tyres and wheels on 749. Rear is a 180/55 x 17. Front is 120/70 x 17. Tyres are mich pilot power 2ct. The standard pressure of 32.5 rear and 31 front always seems low, I know that Ducati run lower pressures than Jap bikes, but, do you run the recommended pressures?
I run mine at 32 front, 34 rear but im running Maxxis supersports. Im pretty sure the 2CT has a slightly higher pressure as it has a higher cross sectional profile but im sure someone will be along to put that right if not. This is a really common question and for good reason but I would try varying your pressures and note how it feels and inspect the tyre wear. Dont forget the pressures in the manual are a bit of a "cover all aspects" strategy rather than exact science. Its also a matter of personal taste as some people prefer running higher & vice-versa.
33 (and a bit) front and 36 (and a bit) rear (I'm converting from bars) on my Michelin 2CTs on the 999. The rear is a 190 which may change something. My tyres seem to last almost 7'000 kms which seems to be about 4'300 miles. Bike feels great at these pressures and I can tell after just a couple of corners if they are down a smidgeon - bike no longer wants to turn. These are the pressures recommended by my Ducati garage. Works for me.
A lot depends on the tyre manufacturer/construction, but think of the tyres as the first part of your suspension (because that's what they are!)...... if you run soft suspension, then use higher tyre pressures (that's a part of why manufacs suggest 36F/42R - they can then set their bikes up softer 'out the box'), but if you like hard suspension, then tyre pressures need to be lower to take into account that some flexing is needed somewhere for road use. A lot of Ducs are set up with hard suspension from the factory, so people tend to find that using 32/36 works a lot better than the 36/42 of the Jap bikes .......... as always, tyre pressures should be seen as a starting point for you to find what suits you and your riding style.
I'm trying to understand what contributes most to the tyre warming up, is it the friction of the tyre rolling along the road, or the movement of the tyre's walls as they are distorted as the bike corners? I suspect it's a combination of both , but I would still be interested to know what the experts say (David?) I have 2CT's on my 749s, and make a point of feeling the temperature of the tyres by pressing my hand on the front and rear tyre whenever I stop the bike, out of curiosity, and as an experiment, after riding 30 or so miles. For some reason I expect the rubber to be hotter than it feels, especially when I have been exploring the cornering potential as much as my ameteur prowess allows! I have felt the temperature of the tyres on hundreds of occasions as it's now become a bit of a habit, but I am always surprised that they don't feel that hot. I'm intrigued by David's suggestion of 31f 29 r as this is a 5 P.s.i lower on the rear than Michellins recommendation. Am I correct in thinking that a lower pressure will result in more ' distortion' of the tyre wall and a consequent increase in temperature/faster warm up?
As far as I know it's the movement in the tyre carcass that heats up the compound more than the friction on the road surface, so using lower pressures on a race track gets tyres hotter faster ...... If your playing around with settings, not a bad idea to use '10% road/20% race' as a guidline ... that is, the cold pressure setting should increase 10% after road riding and 20% during racing (hence using a lower initial pressure on track). ie - 30/36 cold would become 33/40 immediately after riding on the road. But, as with suspension tuning, don't get too uptight about it - the whole point is to get a bike that feeds back enough to you (not anyone else) to make you confident enough to enjoy the ride.
Because I don't have sufficient knowledge/experience- I have stuck exactly to the manufacturers recommended pressures, and I have had my bike set up by an acknowledged expert ( Rob@Pro-twins) . I have found the handling to be nothing short of perfection and the tyres perform magnificently, but thinking along the lines of Ghost's moto: which is' That if you always do what you always did, then you will always get what you always got'- I am open to exploring possible changes to the tyre pressures to further improve on what is already to my feeling - perfect.
The racers will be add to this (tell me I'm completely wrong) but my track instructors (all top flight French racers) told me repeatedly that the only thing that heats the tyres is fierce braking and hard acceleration. You do this far more on the track than the road (which is why the tyres wear at a rate of knots on track). I suspect that lowering cold pressures for the track is to (a) compensate for this (what feels squiffy on the road feels great on the track) and (b) it may (may) increase the tyre contact patch for cornering. I concur that the most important thing on the road is to feel confident and to have a set-up you feel comfortable with. I have this, which is the reason I always get 2CTs for my bike. Other tyres may feel better, but I doubt they will much for me. The limiting factor on the road for me is no longer the bike. It's the road conditions and my own ability.
Lower cold pressures allow for more movement of the tyre...particularly so with heavily treaded tyres, such as wets ( thats why you run wets at a higher pressure than dry tyres....they heat up more quickly and therefore increase in pressure )...its the movement of the silica molecules in the tread against each other that cause the increase in heat, and subsequent increase in pressure. We run our BSB slicks at 37f 24r ex tyre warmer....after a session they are often 1-2psi more in the front and 3-4psi more in the rear having had a serious thrashing.....rears always increase more than fronts, giving rise to the theory that its putting the power down that heats the tyre more than braking......after all, most braking is done through the front tyre, and as its smaller in air capacity than the rear, if it took the majority of pressure you'd expect the smaller volume of air to heat more quickly and show a greater rise in pressure than you get in the back, which doesnt happen.....hope that helps......The structure of the carcase also determines what pressures you should run....for instance the Metzeler Racetechs need to run a slightly higher pressure than the Pirelli Supercorsas.........
I sometimes give my tyres a squeeze, that way I can tell if there's air in them. However, I'm not always that thorough as Freak will testify
Have to ask as my curiousity is getting the better of me.what's this all about.it seems to be contagious.everyones doing it.is there any etiquette involved as too where they can be inserted,do I have to be a senior member in order to be qualified to use them.I feel I'm missing out if I don't start throwing a few in.should I spread the word or is it exclusive too duke owners only.I have too know!
My pressures seem to be higher than others.35f 39r.Does this mean I ride like a girl?(I do anyway)What are the disadvantages of running too high a pressure?Or is it down to the feel of the bike?
Interesting what Nog has to say about tyres, and what causes them to heat up. I always thought that looking at wear patterns on tyres at track days, that the camber thrust effect is what causes the scrubbing action you see in the little balls of rubber you get on the edges of the tyres, this is because of the mismatch in speed between one side of the contact patch and the other when going around a corner. This is caused by the difference between the radius of the turn you are going around, and the radius of the tyre at either end of the contact patch. This scrubbing action must account for the majority of the heating and wear on tyres used on the track? I tend to keep 32 in the front and 36 in the back, on Diablo Rossos on my SS, on road or track, and haven't found them wanting for grip, and that includes lean angles all the way to scraping the header pipes, and the nice bonus is that my mates on the track who are going similar speeds seem to be scrubbing their tyres much more than mine. I have no idea how much of this is down to riding style though.
Road wise I run 34 r 32 f normally year round regardless of brand Race bike ( control Dunlop tyre) if it's wet or cold f/r 25/24 if dry/warm 26/26 or around as close as my cheapskate halfrauds gauge allows
