I was going to talk about this in my thread on endurance racing, but I figured that a discussion about race tires deserved its own thread. Hopefully it won't turn into a "What kind of oil is best?" type of thread, but here we go:
I've been going through what the viable options are for race tires on my 250 Ninja, and here's what I've come up with so far along with the pro's and cons that I am aware of (be aware that I'm looking at this from more of a racing prespective than a trackday perspective):
Dunlop Alpha 13's:
Pro: Relatively inexpensive ($270.00 shipped from Race Tire Service.)
Pro: Folks are saying that they are fairly durable tires. Could be good for longer endurance races where you don't want to change tires if possible.
Con: Outright grip does not seem to be on par with true race tires. I'll admit I haven't found much solid info on the Alpha 13's, but I'm not finding that serious racers are beating down Dunlop's door to use them. They are the spec tire for the KTM RC390 race series in MotoAmerica. Spec race tire does not necessarily mean "great race tire". It means that everybody in the series has to use the same tire, so it levels the playing field. This has previously been the case with the AMA 600 Supersport classes and the Dunlop spec tire. In general the AMA racers used the tire because they had to, but front running club racers who ran on Dunlops typically used non-AMA spec tires because they worked better. Dunlop's own description of the Alpha 13 is that it is a "Hypersport tire" so that tells me a lot about the level of outright grip. From that perspective it's a con to me.
Dunlop 125cc slicks:
Pro: Price is pretty good. ($280.00 shipped from Race Tire Service)
Pro: Grip is going to be good (at least for a little while)
Pro: They are light. Best place possible to save weight on a bike.
Con: They are designed for bikes that are at lest 150lbs lighter than the 250 Ninja. That means the tire life is going to suck.
Con: The tire profile is designed for a bike that is expected to lean much further than the 250 Ninja.
Con: The compounds available from Dunlop are too soft for good durability.
Con: Dunlop does not actually recommend them for 250 Ninjas like they do with their 125cc rain tires.
Con: I don't know anybody that is using them.
Bridgestone 125 CC slicks:
Pro: Harder compounds available to suit the 250 Ninja better.
Pro: They are light. Best place possible to save weight on a bike.
Con: Still not going to be as long lasting as other more suitable race tires.
Con: They are designed for bikes that are at lest 150lbs lighter than the 250 Ninja. That means the tire life is going to suck.
Con: The tire profile is designed for a bike that is expected to lean much further than the 250 Ninja.
Con: Price. More expensive at $340.00 from Sportbike Upgrades
Con: Questionable suitability as a good race tire for the 250 Ninja. Yes, there are guys (mostly on the west coast) that are making them work, but I had an conversation with the highly respected tire guy "Stickboy" who is the go-to guy for WERA racers and he admitted that some guys are making them work, but there are others that put them on and do not like them at all.
Pirelli Supercorsa:
Pro: True race tire. The most popular choice for racers at the pointy end of the field.
Pro: Tires are available in the correct width (110 front and 140 rear) although I do see that a lot of folks are using the 150 rear. Pirelli made the 140 available after the 150. Using the 150 make zero sense now that the 140 is out there. The 150 is heavier and you can't use all of the tread because of the pinching on the 3.5" rim. Wasted extra weight in the worst place possible.
Pro: Durable race tire. Especially compared to the 125cc slicks.
Con: More expensive at $345.00 From Orion Motorsports. (Shipping cost unknown)
Note: the 150 rear is available in SC1 and SC2 compounds
Pirelli 125cc sized slicks:
Pro: Price isn't too bad: $270.00 from Orion Motorsports. Shipping cost unknown though.
Pro: They are light. Best place possible to save weight on a bike.
Pro: Three compounds available for the rear.
Con: They are designed for bikes that are at lest 150lbs lighter than the 250 Ninja. That means the tire life is going to suck.
Con: The tire profile is designed for a bike that is expected to lean much further than the 250 Ninja.
Bridgestone R10 Race DOT tire (this is new this season):
Pro: True race tire in the right sizes for the 250 Ninja (110 front 140 rear)
Note: Stickboy says that the heavier riders are liking the 120 R10 width front as an option.
Pro?: Reviews so far are very positive. Not a lot of them though.
Pro: Price. $300.00 shipped from Stickboy
Pro: Bridgestone almost always has the best contingency available.
Pro: Almost certainly more durable than the 125cc race slicks.
A note on rain tires: IMO, If you want to be competitive in the rain, 125cc sized rains are the only real option. Tire life will suck, but the grip will be there. Bridgestone, Dunlop, or Pirelli will all be better than any of the other options.
So, my decision (so far) is to go with the new Bridgestone R10's because I think that they will provide the best balance of grip, durability, price and contingency.
Hopefully this will be a helpful thread in making decisions for race tires. Please discuss.
Links to tire distributors/ sellers (You may need to find different vendors depending on the region of the country you live in):
Dunlop Alpha 13's and 125cc slicks:
Race Tire Service:
http://stores.racetireservice.com/AL...inja-KTM-390/#
Pirelli Supercorsa SC, 125cc slicks, 125cc rains:
http://www.orionmotorsports.ca/shop/
Bridgestone R10, 125cc slicks & rains: Stickboy Racing:
http://stickboyracing.com/