| Author | Message | ||
     Firewhirl |
My Metzeler SportTec M1 sport tires are bald again, I'm not getting much time out of these tires due to my commuting (Skunk strip)and I'm also not easy on tires. I will be doing some track days this year and was wondering if I switch to the Z6 will I have enough grip on the track? Will these tires handle a hot summer track day? I know the M1 will grip better but how much better? I know you should not mix and match tires but one guy I heard does track days, uses a Z6 on the rear wheel and a Sportect on the front with success. What you think? The M1 do help with preventing the bike standing up in corners compared to the stock tires, will it revert back to standing using the Z6? One thing I don't like about the Z6 is there are no thread depth indicators down the center of the tire. So you never know really how much tread you have left. Which web site has the best prices on tires? Anyone have a hookup on cheap prices locally Wash DC area? | ||
| Skyguy |
Firewhirl, I run all of my rear tires until they are bald. I have heard from the folks at Continental that some of the Euro guys are running Road Attacks on track days and are very happy with them. I have a set sitting here awaiting mounting but I have to go dig my motorcycle out of the snow............ They say they are going 7000 to 8000 miles of "spirited" riding. | ||
| Jcbikes |
Conti Road Attacks - Good grip and long lasting. See links for a report on them and also where I found the best price with free shipping if you buy over $200.(front & rear tires) http://www.canyonchasers.net/reviews/accessories/road-attack.php http://www.ridedirect.com/ | ||
| Jackbequick |
Firewhirl, I just mounted a pair of Metzler Z6's on my bone stock M2. They replaced the 5 year old originals (Dunlop D206/D207 combo) that were hardened, starting to cup, and looked like they had flats for left, right, and straight to me. I've only got about 35 easy miles on them in freezing weather but they feel so much better. Very neutral and natural in the easy transitions I'm doing about the winter gravel accumulations and new spalls and potholes. I'll have a better impression in another month or so but I'm thinking I bought a tire more for a touring rider, good in wet conditions, and something that should last 10K miles or so on my bike and with my style of riding. I am not a track day kind of a guy in any sense of the word. Does anyone think I misread the character of the Z6's? Jack (Message edited by jackbequick on March 21, 2006) | ||
| Josh_ |
I've run Metzeler Z4s on my S3T at Road America and Z6s on my FJR1300 at RA. The Z6s are incredible. Even pushing 145HP they always felt stable. I could overheating them by severe breaking or snapping the throttle, but they quicky came back where the Z4s would feel "greasy" for half a lap (and the orig Dunlops felt greasy for a whole lap) After putting 2 days at RA on fresh Z6s in the "A" group with CLASS, I put another 8500 street miles on them before changing the rear. The Z6 has 3 different tread wear indicators but yes you kind of have to guess about the center tread. Did I mention I like these tires? Note that I run the FJR-specific "B" rear tire, $220 retail. | ||
| Henrik |
Haven't tried the MeZ6 yet, but always ran MeZ4 on my S3. Unless they changed the profile between the MeZ4 and the MeZ6, I think you got their character pretty spot on Jack. I did a bunch of track days on the Z4s and was, at the time happy, with the grip they provided. I had the front end chatter on me a few times, but the tires were pretty much shot then. Other than that the Z4s worked fine. Very neutral profile, which felt comfortable and secure to me. I didn't find I was running out of traction until I got fast enough to be running out of ground clearance as well - and that was with the pegs raised on an S3 with the rear jacked up as well. The MeZ6 are supposed to match the MeZ4 feature for feature, except for grip, where the Z6 is supposed to be far superior ... according to the Metzeler website. I have a friend that used Sportec fronts and MeZ4 rears on his RC51, and that worked well for him. But mixing tires is always questionable, since most are designed so that front and rear work together, especially in wet conditions. As for enough traction - only you can tell for sure, as it depends mostly on your riding style and the speeds you travel. Hope this helps more than it confuses  Henrik | ||
| Chadhargis |
Josh...you're lucky indeed! I had a Z6 mounted on my FJR when I had it, and I ate the rear tire up in 1400 miles. Granted, it was not the "B" spec tire as it had not been released. So that might be the difference. I switched to Pirelli Diablo Stradas, and have never looked back. The wear good, and handle great. I've got a set ready to go on my Ulysses. My Ducati "track •••••" bike wears standard Diablos. Did a Pridmore CLASS track day on my Duc, and the Diablos performed well. How'd you like Reg's track day? I had a blast, and the staff photographer took some great shots. Here's me rounding turn 5: http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g222/chadhargis/_I7G5194.jpg | ||
| Donutclub |
Road Racing World has a good write up on new Metzeler SportTec M3 tires that are supposed to last longer and have more grip than the M1's. I'd be curious to give these a try. | ||
| Jackbequick |
Thanks for the input on the Z6's, Henrik. I got a few more miles on them again today and they do feel good. Jack |
