Suzuki GSX-R Motorcycle Forums Gixxer.com banner

Rain tire substitute

2K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  Misti Hurst 
#1 ·
I've been looking at getting some of the Michelin Pilot Road 4 for rain tires on a spare set of wheels so that I can still enjoy the track on a rainy day. I tried it once on my Q3+ tires and it was no fun. I like the PR4 because it has siping to the edge unlike the PR5. What do you guys think, will they work?
 
#2 ·
I have never run them, but have a riding buddy that can carry a decent pace (he's never been on track, but I would place him mid-B) that has. If it is a dry track and you are the same pace or faster, you will eat them up. I love Michelin, but will not buy that tire as I am substantially harder on them and no they wont last. If it is wet they will prob be fine. In other words, I would bring your other set and be prepared to swap if it dries out. And if you are going to do that, why not just go with a rain/track tire?

Personally, I try to stay off the track if it's wet. I did it once, dude in front of me went down, I backed WAY down, and went down three corners later. Just not worth the risk to me. Rain tires are way to expensive and will tie up another set of wheels.

I am getting ready to buy a set of the Road 5s for road tires as they got away from the sipping on the edge. I am hoping they can handle knee dragging in the dry and can handle decent lean in the wet. The PR2s have worked for me for years, but they are old/hard to find now.

If you are racing, that is different. You need the practice as you will have wet races...
 
#3 ·
I'm not racing now, but I do have the desire to try it after I build my skills up. I figure by the time I am seasoned as an advanced group rider I will be ready to try racing. I plan on having the PR4 mounted on a spare set of wheels that I carry with me to the track. I figured they would work well in the rain and decided on them specifically because they have siping all the way to the edges, and they would be cheaper than rain tires. Figured it would be a good way to get some wet track time under my belt. Last time on my Q3+ tires was NOT fun. I pulled off after two really sketchy laps.
 
#5 ·
I'm not racing now, but I do have the desire to try it after I build my skills up. I figure by the time I am seasoned as an advanced group rider I will be ready to try racing.

Fuck that. Best way to build your skills up for racing....is to GO RACING. :punk

You can work out the kinks during morning trackdays *cough* *cough* I mean morning practice. :lol Either you have your shit together when the flag drops or you don't! :eek :lmao
 
#4 ·
That guy is currently on the Q3+, but takes it easy in the wet and no track duty. He likes them so far. I had a set of Q4s on my 600, but they only lasted 5 days of mountain riding and no good in the rain, especially when they hit the wear bars.
Rain takes a light touch for sure. And when I mentioned racing, I really meant in a season where points are important, not just every now and again.
It is a whole different world in the A group. It may change your mind, or you may be hooked. The last club I ran with in A didn't really frown on contact, as long as you didn't put someone down. Lol
 
#6 ·
I've seen people say that before, but I'm still nowhere near ready to try racing. I've only been riding motorcycles for 2.5 years now so I'm still really inexperienced. I was riding track 30 days after I started, but only like 3 times that year. The second year where I was hitting the track multiple days a month is when I saw real improvements. I just have so much more to learn and smooth out that I wouldn't feel comfortable racing. I can't imagine how shitty I'd feel if I took out someone because I was out there before I should've been.
 
#12 ·
I actually think this is a really smart decision for you based on your own feelings of preparedness. Some riders, feel more comfortable improving their skills and confidence before tackling racing and that's awesome. When I started racing I had very little experience and had several crashes because even though I was reasonably quick, I had very little understanding of what I was doing on the bike and how to improve my own riding. It wasn't until a sponsor sent me to all four levels of the California Superbike School (where I've now been a coach for 15 years) that I started to really improve my own riding. At the school I began to understand the fundamentals and how to improve at a constant pace so that I wasn't riding over my head and making costly mistakes. I immediately got much faster and continued to improve quickly. CSS even offers the Code R.A.C.E School which I was fortunate enough to be able to take as well. The race school is an awesome pre curser to racing as you work on much more "race" focussed techniques; high, mid and low lines, radar lines, starts, braking and downshifting etc....every session is timed and the coach/student ratio is only 1:2 so there is a ton of personal attention. AND, the best part is that at the end of each day (it's a two day camp) there is a mock race that is filmed by one of the coaches.

A lot of our students who are interested in racing end up taking the race school prior to their first race and find that it helps give them a little taste of what racing is actually like while also improving their overall riding skills.

Anyway, food for thought. I like that you are focussed on improving your own riding before racing :). All the best!

Misti
 
#7 ·
I've only dabbled with them briefly in the wet on the road, but I've always read reviews praising the Pilot Power 2CTs are being great in the wet. As I understand it Michelin STILL continues to make these tires these many years later. They are more sport focused than a Pilot Road.


 
  • Like
Reactions: 8you4t
#9 ·
I've heard good things about them as trackday tires in the dry. And I hear they are decent in the rain on the street. I love my Q3+ on the street even when I had them out in some really heavy rain. But when i put them on a wet track they were bad enough that I'll never do it again. Maybe I'll just have to pony up for some actual rain tires.

These are the ones I've been eyeballing.
 

Attachments

#10 ·
If you have a spare set of wheels that you want to mount a rain tire to, then why don't you just go to race rains? Wanting track performance out of road tires is a stretch. Also, are you actually gonna ride in the rain, or just the wet? If you're just gonna go in the wet, stick to trackday DOTs and don't bother mounting another set.
 
#11 ·
I’m a control rider for a midwest track organization so I have to ride in the rain. Not my favorite thing to do but it does hone your skills. Smooth is everything. I’ve been using Dunlop roadsmart 3’s on a second bike. They allow for a pretty good pace. No where near racing rains but unlike racing rains they last just fine on a drying track.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top