Blue Tyres

Mike Robins

Mike Robins

New member
i dragged my 999R out of the garage today to look at it in the bright sunshine after months tucked away over winter. both tyres are blue in bands either side of the central tread area. they are Michelin Power Race and i only did 1 track morning on them from new, so apart from the usual rough face from a trackday there should be lots of life in them.

i heard that blue tyres are slippy and have lost their grip. anyone know anything about that. should I go to the expense of a new set (i guess after every track day) or take a chance?

M
 
i don't track day but run Power Race on the road, mine have been through quite a few heat cycles now ( but not many miles)and before i put bike away last year i had started to lose grip at the rear, tyre had tread left but it was sliding more on hard throttle opening, pulled it out for its service a few weeks ago and both tyres are now blue :(

i think the blue is chemicals being released from the rubber, might ask my mate at michelin about this on Monday if i remember and find time
 
cheers lads. not the answer i was looking for, but there it is. when i said blue, i meant really blue by the way! like metallic, shiny, wholly inappropriately (for a tyre) blue.

i guess i'm gonna have to stay out longer and have the tyres stay warmer at the next track day. must get as much value out of them as poss. i'd prefer to get two track days out of them rather than 1. it's the fag of taking the bike back and forth to the fitters every time as well as the expense.

cheers

m
 
Don't take the chance Mike - if you've got any doubts about your tyres just change them to be safe, rather than sorry.
 
Mike Robins said:
i dragged my 999R out of the garage today to look at it in the bright sunshine after months tucked away over winter. both tyres are blue in bands either side of the central tread area. they are Michelin Power Race and i only did 1 track morning on them from new, so apart from the usual rough face from a trackday there should be lots of life in them.

i heard that blue tyres are slippy and have lost their grip. anyone know anything about that. should I go to the expense of a new set (i guess after every track day) or take a chance?

M
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have a word with dunclivvy hes a tyre guru :D
 
im no expert but if uve done 1 trackday then theyre not fooked, only means theyve been through a good heat cycle m8, but like mike says if ure not sure about them then change them.

/ian
 
Hi Note you are in Glasgow, I am new to Ducati, is there many owners around the Fort William/ Inverness area?? I would be keen to start a meet up here?
 
Personally I wouldn't worry about them, I have had many a set of 'Blue' part worns and they have never given me any trouble at all !
 
ok so there are different views on this. i guess i@ll just have to rock up on the DG night in April and see if I slide and how far. must be worth a go if i take it easy?

m
 
Mike Robins said:
ok so there are different views on this. i guess i@ll just have to rock up on the DG night in April and see if I slide and how far. must be worth a go if i take it easy?

m
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Just make sure the pressures are correct and warm up well, say 3 laps and go for it they should be fine, I used Racetecs that my mate used to race on and they never gave me any problems at all, you will find the blue gone after the first session on the track, enjoy !
 
I've got to agree with Ian, I have Power Race soft's on my track wheels and they have done many track miles now (since being new in 2005!!!) and i have lost count of how many heat cycles they've done. They go blue after about a month (between DG trackeves). I keep them in a dark room with a constant temperature. They haven't lost any of their grip (ok I haven't got 150 hp going through them). I believe it is a chemical reaction in the tyre, but don't worry about it! :)
 
SB1 said:
Hi Note you are in Glasgow, I am new to Ducati, is there many owners around the Fort William/ Inverness area?? I would be keen to start a meet up here?
Click to expand...

Maybe best to start a new thread mate, that way its doesnt get lost in this one

:)
 
Mike Robins said:
ok so there are different views on this. i guess i@ll just have to rock up on the DG night in April and see if I slide and how far. must be worth a go if i take it easy?

m
Click to expand...

you'll be fine with them mike, just give them a few laps to warm up. should be plenty life left in them !
 
Mike Robins said:
i dragged my 999R out of the garage today to look at it in the bright sunshine after months tucked away over winter. both tyres are blue in bands either side of the central tread area. they are Michelin Power Race and i only did 1 track morning on them from new, so apart from the usual rough face from a trackday there should be lots of life in them.

i heard that blue tyres are slippy and have lost their grip. anyone know anything about that. should I go to the expense of a new set (i guess after every track day) or take a chance?

M
Click to expand...

Hi Mike, sorry to here of your woes. I work for Michelin, although nothing to do with motorcycle tyres. Ask me a question about bus tyres and I might be able to help! I did however, have a word with one of the technical guys at H.O. I don't know if it's much help, but here is what he said.

"Blueing of tyres is sometimes an indication that the tyre has run 'hot', this may be down to many factors but the main cause is incorrect pressure settings or wrong suspension settings (working the tyre to hard).

As with all things - it is impossible to say if the tyre is suitable for further use without a full technical examination.

As a suggestion - pressures should be approx 31 psi front and 28/29 psi rear.

There is talk on the site regarding heat cycles - Power Race as with other full competition tyres are designed for maximum performance when used for the first time - subsequent use (such as track day) the tyre will not be as good as the first time!

You normally get one days use out of Power Race provided you use tyre warmers between sessions."

Let me know if you require any more info.
 
dunclivvy said:
Hi Mike, sorry to here of your woes. I work for Michelin, although nothing to do with motorcycle tyres. Ask me a question about bus tyres and I might be able to help! I did however, have a word with one of the technical guys at H.O. I don't know if it's much help, but here is what he said.

"Blueing of tyres is sometimes an indication that the tyre has run 'hot', this may be down to many factors but the main cause is incorrect pressure settings or wrong suspension settings (working the tyre to hard).

As with all things - it is impossible to say if the tyre is suitable for further use without a full technical examination.

As a suggestion - pressures should be approx 31 psi front and 28/29 psi rear.

There is talk on the site regarding heat cycles - Power Race as with other full competition tyres are designed for maximum performance when used for the first time - subsequent use (such as track day) the tyre will not be as good as the first time!

You normally get one days use out of Power Race provided you use tyre warmers between sessions."

Let me know if you require any more info.
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Aye fair enough - I still say ride the @@@@ers, an average trackday rider will probably not notice any degredation !
 
Following on from Dunclivvy's excellent explanation i was also told that even one overheat can cause a drop in performance, the thing to look at is how much the tyre rubber has hardened because of the overheat, difficult without proper technical equipment :( comparing with a new tyre should give an indication, see how soft and compliant the rubber is, if tyre has been subject to a lot of heat it may have a "crusted" surface if so its past its best, if in doubt replace.

i knew my tyres were going off because i ride the same road a lot and know how the bike feels, they showed no signs of bluing last summer but performance dropped and now they are blue, it was easily noticable that tyre didn't grip as well, rear started to move a lot earlier and front didn't seem as planted.

I run at the pressure suggested and suspension is well set-up, given the number of heat cycles they've been through which won't be helped by the abrashive scottchgrip on Hartside i think they've done well :)
 
See- this is what happens when you run powerful bikes! They eat tyres!! Now if you run an old Sh*ter like mine, it don't eat tyres so much!!!

...I do agree with Ian though, trackdayers aren't gonna give the tyres the kind of pounding that a full-blown race would.
Given Duncan's comments, and I remember talking to him about this when he stayed at Torvaig Towers, I am amazed by the performance of my Power Race tyres. I know my bike is light and only puts probably about 75hp through my rear 160, but they have worked brilliantly and pretty consistently. I also agree with the comments about tyre pressures and correct suspension settings. It's all very well getting 'ballies' on the tyre edges, but if the suspension ain't right, then these hero-talk-in-th-pub-blobs ain't gonna be anything other than an over-heating tyre!! :)
 
Mike,

Given that you've already "blued" your tyres, and Dunc's excellent reply - I would suggest that you've given that set of tyres a good ole pounding already.

The degradation in their performance may not yet be obvious, but from Dunc's reply, I would suggest that the first time you do experience this downturn in performance, it may already be too late.

The choice is yours mate, but I know what I'd be doing ;)
 
...you could always stick a set of slicks on yer bike and ride on the road with them!!!!!

...Scotch, you know what I'm on about!!!!! ;) :p
 
many thanks to everyone who has given comments and views. It shows the great benefit of being a dun member. Tough final decision, eh? Why not join me at the DG knockhill track night on 29 April and find out whether I am a belt and braces man or a crazy risk taker who slides his way down the track towards a £2k repair bill!

M
 
Mike Robins said:
many thanks to everyone who has given comments and views. It shows the great benefit of being a dun member. Tough final decision, eh? Why not join me at the DG knockhill track night on 29 April and find out whether I am a belt and braces man or a crazy risk taker who slides his way down the track towards a £2k repair bill!

M
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...oh I'll be there, on my old blue tyres!!!!! ;)
 
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