scrubbing tyres

[fletch_407]

im quite new to the race thing and wondered......
when running on brand new tyres, how does everyone run them in.
ive herd of the old trick of sandpapering them to get rid of the releasing agent. but it seems crazy to scrubb them in on the track. its not like the bikes road legal and i could go do a few miles to scrubb them in.

how many laps/ time does it take before you can open the taps on the track if you scrubb them in on the track that is?

[Alan P]

Assuming you've got tyre warmers (you need to leave them on for 40-50 mins), the warm up lap will be more than sufficient. To be honest, the most I ever do is take it easy on the first couple of corners each side of the tyre then go for it.

If you haven't got warmers then that's a different story and I'd give them a couple of laps (warm up and careful as she goes on the first lap), but as long as you don't push the frnt too hard or ask too much of the rear, then they should scrub up fine in a lap or so.

Personally I'd never touch them with sandpaper and especially never with any sort of solvent or other solution.

[lucky77]

Hey Fletch,

I agree with Al, I attacked mine with a file once thanks to some "advice" and all it did was make a good tyre into a screwed one within one race distance (when it should have done at least 4). 2 corners on either side and im ready to rock and roll.........thats getting em toasty in warmers first tho!

[simmo]

you need to use tyre warmers really, and you will get your 10min practice in the morning, so use that to scrub them in, and if they have been on the warmers, they will be scrubbed in within the first lap or so, as previously mentioned, then you will be good to go full gas from the start of the race...

[saltire88]

I have used emery paper in the past when I have been stuck. Apart from that a few laps will scrub them in.

[AFM327]

I've been using Pirelli's for the last few years and one lap is plenty, even without warmers. Tires these days don't have the release agent problems like they used to have. One of our fast club guys actually won a couple open class championships a couple years ago without ever using warmers. I've seen him run as high as 5th in an AMA superbike race, back when they were really superbikes.