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Cold weather tire pressure?

2K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  ducvet 
#1 ·
Not sure if this is a silly question or not, but do you alter your tire pressure when the temperature starts dropping?
Here in Wisconsin we'll be hovering around the 40-50* mark for the next month or so until the snow starts falling.

Today I took the bike out for a relatively short 30-40 minute ride and the front end felt very odd, like the bike wanted to change direction very fast, and then felt "loose" mid corner.

I stopped at a gas station and checked the pressure and had 30 PSI in the front and 32 PSI in the rear (Pirelli Corsa II).



Now, I know these temps aren't ideal for sport bikes, or any other bikes for that matter, but my only other option is parking it and I just cant do that yet :(
 
#2 ·
Going for a ride out to Wildcat and Mindoro tomorrow. Looking like it'll be a mid-40s to mid-50s day. I generally drop pressure 2-3 lbs front and rear starting off to get/keep a little more heat in the tire at those temps, and then adjust from there as the the day goes on.
 
#4 ·
I'm on Q3s for street duty, so my normal range for fair weather is around 32/31 for F/R. When temps drop I'll start the ride around 30/28 for F/R.

Look to see what the recommended street pressures are for whatever tires you have, then try 2-3 lbs lower to start....so basically start at trackday pressures on the street when temps are lower.
 
#7 ·
I'm only 25 and feel like the winter blood of my earlier youth already takes much longer to appear :D

I vaguely recall being a 16 year old riding my brother's Ninja 250 to a city 45 minutes away when it was 29*. I was either much tougher back then, or, more likely, I wasn't quite as smart :)
 
#9 ·
I advise my customers to run trackday pressures when running in colder weather. This can be different for different tires so be sure to check with the person who sold the tires what those pressures are.

I run michelin tires and would run a pilot power @ 30 front and 28 rear on a Ducati (or similar weight bike). Power 3's I will run @ 28 front and 25 rear
pilot roads 30 front and 28 rear as well.

At the lower pressures the tire heats up better at the cost of some tire life. I would always prefer less tire life than a crash due to cold tires. Keep in mind warm tires do not mean summer time traction as the road surface is still cold.
 
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