Re: power generator and tire warmer question by John Bickle | GTAMotorcycle.com

Re: power generator and tire warmer question by John Bickle

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Re: power generator and tire warmer question by John Bickle

Re: power generator and tire warmer question
The highest number of return/failures we get is after the first weekend after winter. The warmers fail in that fist day/weekend after winter. The only thing I can contribute to it is the cold weather and people leaving them in trailers/garages.
The wire is teflon coated so in these warmers that come back the first of the year they snap at a connection. In other warmers makes ,when we repaired other makes, they break at a bend in the wire where it has gotten hot. So the wire is rolled up tight bending the wire or connection into unnatural bend and then it seems to want to stay that way when you use it in the spring. So take them inside. Ever try to roll up a frozen extension cord?
Most companies supply a bag that you are forced to roll the warmers up into a tight tube to fit in. Consider that most of these companies never deal with our weather. It may get cold but not -15C or worse. Just the northern states. So rolling them up and leaving them for 6 months is not as bad when they are warm.
Also if you roll them up tight you bend the connections. So you are trying to break them by doing so. We supply a bin that is bigger then most and fitting them in the bin is fine,,as long as you don"t roll them tight enough to fit two sets in it. The bin also prevents things from being put on them and damaging them in the rush to pack up. So go to Wal-Mart and buy yourself a $3.49 bin and save yourself grief if you own another type of warmer.Basically wind the warmer around your fist.
Okay I'm going to copy and paste this so next year I won"t need to type a novel again.
Warmers are not idiot proof! If you wish to maximize your tire life you need to pay attention.
Tires wear faster today,,FACT. riders demand better performance then complain about wear. So only you can extend or waste your tire life. ALL tires are the same in wear but different in set-up and suspension is a big part of it. EVEN green group riders.
So,,don"t blame the tire guy, the suspension guy or the warmer guy if your tires wear.
That being said you can help extend their life. Heat cycles are not the culprit as much as how you heat cycle the tire.
No warmers,?,cold tearing,poor warmers?, cold tearing,lack of application time?, cold tearing,poor set up?, cold tearing,improper tire pressure?, cold tearing. Cold tearing is something most of you won't see. It happens mid session and you basically left say,$30 on the track that session instead of $5. Cold tearing wears rubber off the tire needlessly.
When I see cold tearing it usually is a result of the points above. So if you wish to save tires wear, be proactive and take a lesson on how to do things and learn. Or blame the tire and try another make,,,and another ,,and another.
That being said [rant] at 20 C with MY warmers you need 45 minutes to heat soak the tire. We have the most insulation of any warmer on the market. So if you use another make you may need more time.If it's 5 degrees you may need more time. NO,,, 20 minutes won"t heat soak a tire. 45 minutes minimum with any warmer. If anybody says you need less time then get another set of warmers. FACT,, no matter how much heat I throw at a tire it only absorbs it so fast. So you can heat the tire fast enough to melt stuff but it won"t absorb that heat to the core any faster. The only thing that helps heat absorbtion is insulation. If you put the best furnace you can buy in your house and leave the doors and windows open,,, is the furnace at fault for the house being cold? So if you feel the rim warm to touch you are getting heat to the core of the tire. Failure to heat the tire uniformely could and will result in the side wall breaking down prematurely,,,then you think your suspension is shot and now go beat up your suspension guy!
So now we have the tire hot for your first session. Go out have fun,, come in put your warmers right on,,but your may not have to plug them in. If you do a 20/20/20 track day rotation it takes 15 minutes at 20 C to loose 15-20 C. At the same token it takes 20 minutes to regain 15-20 C. WITH THE WARMER ON THE TIRE but not plugged in. And BICKLE warmers. This info is not the same with different makes of warmers.
So 20 minutes before your session turn them on.

Cayuga and Shannonville will not build heat under 15 Celcius. So if your tires are 80 C going out and you ride for 10 laps you will propbaly come in at 55-6-C,ish. Calabogie and Mosport,Tremblant you will maintain heat. Calabogie at 10 C you will maintain heat.
You can see evidence of this in a race on a very cold day when guys crash on the last lap or so and are not going faster. The tire just lost heat. So racing on a cold day,,be a hero in the first laps!

And when you are done for the day,, put your warmers on but not plugged in.while you have a beer or two and let the tire cool gradually.

Now we scratch the surface!! Good luck.

John
 
Re: power generator and tire warmer question by John Bickle

Bump!

Good read and very informative.
Thanks for posting.
 

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