This all depends on the tyres you’re running.
We split the need for tyre warmers into two categories:
- – Whether you’re riding to the trackday
- – Or whether you have a dedicated track bike
Road bikes and warming tyres
If you are riding to a trackday then you’ll have road-legal tyres fitted. Of course not all road tyres are the same but you don’t have to have tyre warmers with road tyres. You should instead take your time to build heat in the tyres over the course of a few laps. Always check your pressures when you enter the pits after your first session to check that your tyres are running within the manufacturer’s recommended pressures.
Trackday bikes and warming tyres
If you run a dedicated track bike, then tyre warmers are a wise investment. The vast majority of race tyres down to sticky road-legal tyres will need tyre warmers to ensure you are able to reach and maintain the recommended tyre temperatures and pressures. If you run slicks, you’re braver than me if you run them without tyre warmers.
While some manufacturers of road-legal track-focused motorcycle tyres, like a Bridgestone RS11 or Pirelli Supercorsa V3 SP claim you don’t need tyre warmers, you’ll benefit from them.
Tyre warmers help reduce the risk of a crash, improve tyre life, give you a consistent benchmark to go from and allow you to accurately set your pressures before you go on track.
Renting tyre warmers
Of course even on road tyres, there is a benefit to using tyre warmers. You can pre-warm your tyres before you go on track, which will improve your confidence and usable track time. It will also reduce the risk of you crashing due to your tyres not being up to temperature and therefore within their operating window. There is also the advantage of improved tyre life when tyre warmers are used, due to the reduction of cold-tear (where the outer surface is warm but the inner carcass is not, meaning the outer surface tears off the tyre under load) and the control of heat extremes.
Most trackday organisers will rent you a set of paddock standard and tyre warmers for a reasonable fee. So even if you’re riding to the trackday, you should consider this option but it makes sense to call them first to arrange the rental.
Just don’t forget your tyre pressure gauge!
Recommended trackday tyres and tyre pressures
We’ve published a guide that shows you each motorcycle tyre manufacturer’s trackday tyre offerings. From full-on race slicks, to fast road rider tyres that will be more than capable of dealing with a trackday.
We have also published a guide listing all the manufacturer’s recommended pressures for their track-focused motorcycle tyres.
Leave a Reply