Scrubbing In New Tyres.

[oollit]

I have eventually recieved the Bridgestone BT-021's that i ordered for the CBR and while i was admiring the new tyres my eyes were drawn to the warning stickers advising me to take it easy for the first 100 miles, this got me thinking about the best way to scrub in new tyres.

Is it better to just run them in during one long 100 mile run, or a few shorter runs?

Are you trying to wear away the outer layer of shiney rubber or is the idea to get a few heat cycles in to the tyres to chemically alter them?


I did a quick 2 mile shakedown run tonight after work, just to see if anything fell off the bike after all the work i have done lately. Every thing seems ok and hopefully everything is still attached to where it is supposed to be.

The old tyres that were fitted to the CBR were completely knackered and i can already feel an improvement in the bikes handling now that the new tyres have been fitted, it turns in so much quicker and feels a lot more stable. I have never ridden on tyres as badly squared off as the old tyres (although CMS's ER5 that i did my test on came very, very close) that were on the bike when i got it. I was blaming the CBR 's lack of handling on it being a big heavy old dinosaur compared to my FZR 400RR which is pretty well sorted with progressive springs, heavier fork oil and a 2007 R 6 fully adjustable rear shock and only weighs 160kg wet.

Hopefully i will get some time to get a few miles on the bike on Sunday, if the weather is half decent.

[Dickie]

You're just trying to get rid of the shiney stuff, which is the release agent they use to get the tyre out of the mould. Do it any way you like, but if you get a dry day do it all at once I'd say.

[RK6]

You're just trying to get rid of the shiney stuff, which is the release agent they use to get the tyre out of the mould. Do it any way you like, but if you get a dry day do it all at once I'd say.

The following was ripped from Cameron Autotech's website:

Running Tyres In

It's important to understand that running tyres in doesn't just mean scrubbing-in the tyre surface. Scrubbing a tyre surface is only one of the reasons for running tyres in:

• A tyre needs to be seated on the wheel. This is not fully achieved when fitting the tyre and it needs to be ridden on with caution to complete the process.
• In order to achieve optimum performance, the various components of the tyre (belts, tread strip, etc.) need to correctly bed-in to one another. If not correctly run-in, a tyre may not give the best possible performance.
• When new, a tyre has a very smooth surface and in order to obtain optimum grip, the smooth surface needs to be scrubbed in. At first the bike should be ridden as upright as possible. Gradually, the angle of lean can be increased, always ensuring that a portion of scrubbed-in tread remains in contact with the road until full lean angles are achieved. During this time the bike should be ridden cautiously. Hard or sudden acceleration and braking should be avoided because optimum traction levels will not be achieved until the running process is completed.

Not all manufacturers use releasing agents during the manufacturing process, but for those that do, the scrubbing-in process will need to take into account the fluid residue as well as the smooth surface. These agents can also contain anti-ageing preservatives and this is why the manufacturers do not remove them before shipping to their customers.

Wet weather can increase the required running-in distance by as much as three times.

Rubbing a new tyre's surface with an abrasive material in order to scrub the surface in, has little affect. Even very abrasive materials will not scrub the tyre's surface sufficiently for the bike to be ridden hard right away. And besides, the tyre still needs to be seated on the wheel and the various components still need to be bedded-in against one another. Put simply, there is no short cut to running a tyre correctly.

Following the fitting procedure, the tyre should be wiped with a dry cloth in order to ensure no residue of tyre fitting lubricant remains. 100 miles is considered a safe distance to run tyres in. When this distance has been covered, the tyre should be checked to ensure correct seating and inflation.

If a crash occurs on a new tyre, and assuming it has no fitting paste residue, it is very unlikely the tyre is at fault. Thankfully, very few people crash on new tyres, but in virtually every case we have been notified of it can be put down to lack of care by the rider. Over the years we have found that if a crash occurs it is often that it is more often than not after a new rear tyre has been fitted, usually within the first mile, invariably at low speed and generally when the rider is making one of the three following manoeuvres:

• Pulling out onto the road when leaving the fitting bay.
• Turning right when pulling out of a T-junction.
• On a low speed roundabout

In these cases, riders have been leaning their bikes over far more than they realised and combined with an opening throttle, the new smooth tyre with its reduced traction levels can spin up with obvious results. These crashes usually happen at low speeds because the forces acting upon the tyre are lower than a higher speed and therefore it is far easier for a tyre to lose traction.


Hope that sheds some light on the subject for you.

[coullstar]

Just loving nail it!!!!!!!!!

[RK6]

Just loving nail it!!!!!!!!!

Precisely.

Although that doesn't work for us all, hence the above!

[metallninja]

Just loving nail it!!!!!!!!!

[oollit]

Some good advice from the Cameron Autotech's website RK6, many thanks.

I went out for a spin today, racked up 86 miles and had problems at all. I started off taking it easy but i ended up getting a bit of confidence and just nailed it.

Didn't slide or spin up the rear at all so it looks like there is plenty of grip even though the tyres are sports tourers.

Will have to start planning the trip to Ireland now

[coullstar]

Ive got so called sports tourer tyres on my superduke and it got a right pasting yesterday. Didnt notice any difference from using sports tyres. Unless your doing trackdays you dont need these supr sticky tyres in my view. just another comfort blanket.

[airwave]

road riders don't get 'sticky' tyres up to temp
use touring tyres
suits normal road riding better