DOT tires to slicks…how sticky they feel!
Julian V. Taylor
Editor-In-Chief
When you hear professional racers on TV explaining their favorite tire choices and how much grip they have, did you ever think about relating that to our world?
They talk about how long the tires last in a race and how the extra one hundredth of a second made a difference coming out of a corner in their overall plan of the race. They talk about the compound and whether what they chose was the right choice or not. Well I am not proposing that I pushed these tires to their limits like they do, but I certainly felt the difference between slicks and DOT tires when I tested the difference recently at a couple of local circuits.
For my last three track sessions I opted to put on Bridgestone Battlax Slicks to test the difference between riding the same circuit with DOT tires and full race slick tires. I want to start with WOW, what a difference; you have to do it if you haven’t done it just to feel the difference!
I have always used tire warmers too at the track to keep the heat cycles of any type of tire controlled for safety and tire life; warmers save the tires for a little longer. But when you first ride out onto a new lap with hot slicks the difference is phenomenal even on the first lap.
Glue! That is all I can say, bloody glue!!!!
I scrubbed them in on the first couple of laps then started to open my machine up. The main difference I found was the ability to accelerate mid corner, tons earlier than on DOT’s. I was taking corners much faster with lean angles that I didn’t know were possible and it felt really secure and safe. I don’t propose to be any Valentino Rossi, but I am not slow. So when you put shoes like this onto your bike it just adds to the excitement and with that excitement and control comes speed.
Braking was faster too. I could feel the bike gripping more than normal into some of the faster exits of the straights into sharp corners, scrubbing MPH was easier than normal and again the control was right at your finger tips.
So far I have done two-and-half days on these tires, and they still have their little indented holes to show their life. The side walls are worn but not finished so I hope another session is still possible.
If you are thinking of putting slicks on for your next track day, I highly recommend it. Take it from me, it’s worth the investment.
I would like to thank the messier of tires Quentin Mize for enabling this test to take place. Check out Mize Tires. He is the guru of tires, and even if you don’t live anywhere near him, contact him on the phone or internet. He really knows his stuff and supports all of the main tire brands.
