Dunlop 208gp Issues
 

Has anyone had or heard of issues with these tyres on the track??
Twice now the rear has just spun up and let go without warning!
After the first incident at the hairpin at cadwell i put it down to a bit to much gas on a coolish tyre, my mate and a few people told me after that that these tyres had a tendancy to offer good grip then just spin up without any warning. Well after the tyres had plenty of heat in them yesterday about 4 laps, it did exactly the same thing at Barn! Only i was probably going twice as quick! Knee was down just starting to pick the bike up then bang im spinning on my arse down the tarmac!
The tyre had balls of rubber the size of marbles around the edge of the tyre prior to that session and when i was recovered noticed the tyre edge had been polished up and was like a new tyre again on that edge!
Anyone heard of this before??

Chris

I used these a few times on the 996R with no real issues. I know that JPM used these a lot and really rated them - maybe PM him?

Tim

Ran these and 207GP and 209GP's without any problems at all, great grip but you do need to get heat in to them, never had a single problem on track with them but always took my time on the road from the off.

I have run on 208's on my RS for 2 seasons and they have been fine, just fitting 209's for this year.

Always been good, but maybe I'm not pushing them hard enough to notice?

Suspension set up!

Ive ran 208s and now 209s.........both of these were bobbling up and lasting only 1-2 trackdays on the rear!

Had my suspension set up and bingo the wear rate has increased significantly, and the bobbling has dissapeared and replaced by wear that just looks right!

The R6 cup boys seem to manage on them fairly well :)

Jon ..
 

.. what tyres were you using when the R fell over on that roundabout? I seem to remember there was no warning.

Is there a pattern developing? :D

Hi,

2 years ago in Germany had terrible problems you are describing, next morning on checking the bike over noticed an oil leak at the rear shock (Ohlins).

Nice man at Ducati dealership next to Nurburgring took a new shock off a shop bike and fitted it for me, tyre wear back to normal and tyre no longer stripping rubber.

Have a quick check at the shock??

Almost certainly suspension setup, or maybe tyre pressure. Sounds like you're running out of travel as the bike squats and the tyre is shearing. Andy's right, bobbling is rarely a sign that the tyre is working correctly, more usually that it's sliding around.

Check that you're using all travel available on the rear, if not then back off on preload/compression damping, if you are then add in a little compression damping and check your sags.

If you're not using tyre warmers there's always a chance that the outside of the tyre is getting very hot while the carcass is cool, I get this on the DD bike, but the slides tend to be progressive rather than on/off.

Good luck.

Ali

I had 207RRs on the MV and they were a sod when cold, sliding front and spinning rear, great when hot though. Is there an urban myth around these tyres?

BTW - both Stu and I have front slides on Bridgestone 014s when cold so perhaps it's just a factor of this type of fast road/trackday tyres.

I hate Dunlops, they seem to take forever to get any heat into them. I had an off on 207RR's after 4 laps as well, one moment I was cranked over into a corner with loads of grip, the next the front just let go and I was down. Had only just started to up the pace and wasn't in full attck mode but there were no slides, no warnings, nothing slippery on my line and I was on the gas at the time so I shouldn't have been loading the front too much. One of those times where you just can't work out why you're on yo a55. Follows a similar lowside on Dunlops a year or so previously.

I've got 207RR's on the 888 at the moment, cos that's what it came with. Can't wait to wear them out and get some Diablos which seem to defy all but the most rash attempts to unsettle them and only slide predictably when they do let go.

Dunlops
 

Thanks for the replys lads. Some good points will definately have a good look at the rear shock, and have the suspension checked by one of the pros that attend the events! Mick Grant was there at the previous day!

WIll also invest in some tyre warmers, but like Jools said its left me wondering why im skating down the track on my arse, both times and especially this time the tyres were definately up to temp id done about 4 steady laps just picking the bike up out of the right hander spins up and bang down she goes! Ive lost all confidence in this tyre will try some supercorsas next time out. This was after about 4 sessions were the bike felt so good and planted, ill post some pics of the damage to see if i get some sympathy!!!

Hi,
I'm on my second set of used 208gp's and cant fault them on my R1. You do have to have good suspension setup and I recently started using warmers. I've been out in a wintery March at Silverstone and very hot August Summer on them and found them to be totally reliable and progressively slide when pushed. Also check your pressure as I found small changes made a difference.
Andy

A few pics before and after
 

A ****ty end to the day!

Super Corsa's, fantastic tyres but again need warming and absolutely useless in the wet.

Mine were sliding like a good pair of ski's coming back from Germany in the rain last week, seriously like riding on ice, but, fantastic when warmed up on a track.

Good luck plse let me know what you think to the Super's.

you cant even begin to compare 207rr with a 208gp...........which in itself is noticably inferior to the 209gp.....

So get suspension set up

try 209gps

.....and practice a bit more about where and when you open the throttle! (little bit tongue i cheek, but relevent to us all!)

The point Mr B was that type of tyre needs to be hot to grip :P

The point Mr H is, if you know its not hot, dont ask it to do something it cant do even at the best of times.......... ie two things steer and brake, or turn and power!

It doesnt fall over on its own!

Andy ...
 

... how can you be sure it's up to temperature squire? Do you have a themo-couple plugged into your ar$e? The answer is you don't know, so you guess, and if you get it wrong as many have on here you're on the ground.

The point remains, if you're using track biased tyres get tyre warmers. Having correct suspension settings helps but the in the end unless you have them good and hot you're gambling with gravity.

I rest my case your honour ;)

Andy i know what your sayin like Henners says how do you know when there hot enough, id been pushing hard all morning, and the bike was planted. So after 4 laps in the baking heat yesterday i thought there would be plenty hot enough! And what you say about practicing putting the power down, how do i do that?? Unless i get a set of stabilisers or an infinate amount of bodywork to throw at it. Maybe Rossi or a 'GP Star' like yourself could have saved it but this is a tyre/suspension issue which of the latter im trying to determine with the help of you guys, but its not an ability issue!

Incidents are created.....they dont just happen! The only time you are gambling is when your asking it to do too much = rider error!

The most popular phrase at any collision/incident is..........."all of a sudden!"

Dont get me wrong it aint a personal go at anyone, just the facts. Obviously if the suspension is working to the best of its ability, and i have experienced that tyre wear, so i would say yours isnt, then that will help with the survival margins!

I cant speak as a GP star (unfortunately) But i can speak as a class 1 car/motorcyclist that has dealt with years of collisions striations (skids to you and me)!

Have you confirmed if your using tyre warmers?

And i would say try the 209gp.....it is noticably leaps and bounds a better tyre than the 208gp!

208s
 

No mate wasnt using tyre warmers but definately will be from now on, just aquired a genny.

WHat about the Supercorsas then???

Came off of those at Donington a couple of years ago..........no tyre warmers..too much gas!

I have used rennsports for quite a while, which I think are the same as the supercorsas (great on dry - rubbish in wet). I also had a major rear end kick out at redgate, donnington on the renns, tyres were warm enough, just too much gas!!!

I have now started using racetecs (k2) which really are great, but again they are rubbish without warmth in them.

Les :-)