Time for tires soon, and I have it narrowed down to three:

Michelin Pilot Power 2CT
Bridgestone Battlax BT016
Pirelli Diablo Corsa III

It seems that any one of these tires would be an improvement over the OEM Dunlop Sportmax Qualifiers, and would all be useable for a trackday or two. A win-win situation really.

I ride a 2007 600rr, daily commuting on the freeway, spirited canyon/mountain rides on my days off and hopefully some trackdays in the near future. I know that any tire in this class will wear out quickly, but I would rather spend the money on tires than sacrafice cornering performance. I used my Qualifiers all the way over tp the edges in the rear and to within 1/4" of the edge on the front tire, but naturally the middles were worn flat compared to the outside from all of my highway commuting. My Dunlops lasted me 7,000 miles before hitting the wear bars.

So, which tire would you choose and why?

 

Corsa III's have a harder center compound in the rear - they held up well for me on my F4i (commuting and track days).

 

Good to hear. How is the profile of the Corsa 3? Is it more triangular like the Pilot Power, or rounded like others?

 

More rounded than the Pilot Power so it doesnt fall into the turn, but still turns fast enough.

 

didn't like the corsa 3's, but did love the supercorsas. I picked the 2CT's...My new tire will be pilot races.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GraphiteAccord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">didn't like the corsa 3's, but did love the supercorsas. I picked the 2CT's...My new tire will be pilot races.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You seem to lean towards the very aggressive tires. As much as I would like to have the dry traction of something like the Pilot Race, or Super Corsa, I don't think I they would fair too well in inclimate weather. I am a year-round rider, and usually see a few days per year with snow on the roads and a fair amount of rain and near freezing tempuratures.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tornadom &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am a year-round rider, and usually see a few days per year with snow on the roads and a fair amount of rain and near freezing tempuratures</TD></TR></TABLE>

You might be better off with a 2nd set of wheels for trackdays. Mount take-offs on the extra wheels, and use something like the Pilot Road 2 (I think Bridgestone and Dunlop have comparable tires now as well) on the bike to ride every day. Should be more than enough grip for the occasional canyon blast and not wear out in 4k miles like the more aggressive tires.

 

The BT-016 looks awesome. I can't wait until people start using them to see how they perform and hold up.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jasper_db1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The BT-016 looks awesome. I can't wait until people start using them to see how they perform and hold up.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Here is what I was told about the BT016:

The center compound on the rear tire is the same as the BT021 (comparable to Pilot Road), the shoulders are the compound from a BT015 (about where my qualifiers or even the regular Pilot Power is at) and the very edges are the same compound as the BT002 DOT race tire.

The front tire uses a center compound similar to the BT015 and the sides from a BT002.

If this is true, it should wear decently and have more thanenough grip in the corners... I just want to get some more responses. I was impressed with the 2CT, have never ridden the Corsa 3 and only have a few miles with the BT016.

 

i loved my corsa 3's. the pilot power profile gets weird after the center gets flat. the supercorsa's have a better profile anyway.

also, the 2ct's have good cold grip, but are an on/off switch at the limit and get greasy when hot. 2CT's and too much pace have victimized alot of riders at the track.

track wheels are a must in my book, even if i'm running mid-b pace, i'd rather be too slow for my tires than too fast.

 

Those sportbike tires wont handle freezing cold temps very well. I've done it, and it sucks. No grip, no feeling.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Those sportbike tires wont handle freezing cold temps very well. I've done it, and it sucks. No grip, no feeling.</TD></TR></TABLE>

thank god for california sunshine

 

the III's have softer compounds than the PP 2CT's. I would not recommend those for any style of commuting.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bad-monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i loved my corsa 3's. the pilot power profile gets weird after the center gets flat. the supercorsa's have a better profile anyway.

also, the 2ct's have good cold grip, but are an on/off switch at the limit and get greasy when hot.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Very good job at pointing out the flaws of the 2CT, you're completely correct. The new 2CT, compared to a worn 2CT are two different tires. The newer will have MASSIVE turn in, while the worn will lack the twitchiness the new has.

I said pilot race/super corsas for one reason, the heat. When the road temp is 130 degrees, the 2 CT's heat up, and then over heat quickly when pushed. The greasy feeling sucks, and when on edge, the 2 ct is GONE.

But, for what the OP is doing, and the climate, I think it'd work well for him.

 

Why don't you get a set of metzeler m3 sport tecs they're great tires

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MugenHonda &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Why don't you get a set of metzeler m3 sport tecs they're great tires
</TD></TR></TABLE>

It'd be like buying a Kia sophia over a civic. Yea, it's cheaper and works, but there is a reason why the civic is the best selling.

The metzeler is trash, there is a reason why it's the second-rate pirelli.

 

I love my Corsa III's.

 

Pirelli owns metzeler or vice versa
On the street, and on track days, the metzeler can handle the work load that has been addressed by the topic creator.
I own both and to be honest, the corsa III is stickier, but also wears out quick.
Then again I have the III on the r1 and the metzeler on the 600

 

one tire that i never gave a chance was continental, for me it was only pilot powers or pirellis and i tried out a set of contis and its probally the best street tire ive ever used. you can actually get some miles out of them, you can do canyon runs, and a trackday here and there. im def putting a set of sport attacks on my 600rr when my dunlops wear out. plus there affordable. heres a really good review. they also do a few other reviews on dunlops and pilots.

http://www.canyonchasers.com/r...k.php

 

i'm using the OEM B016's currenty and i love the way they feel compared to my Dunlop Qualifiers (that were on my '03 600rr before i sold it).

i don't have much experience with the other tires you've mentioned but i do know that you can't go wrong with the 2CT's as well. a lot of my friend use this tire and feel it's a major upgrade over most.

i've read some reviews of the BT016 and it seems to be the next tire to have like the Michellins. the non-OEM BT016's have a 5 compound rear, 3 compound front. my OEM spec tires only have a 3 compound rear and single front.

anyways, check out some of the reviews in the sport rider mags...if you feel they have credibility that is.

good luck!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mashimaro &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

the non-OEM BT016's have a 5 compound rear, 3 compound front.

good luck!</TD></TR></TABLE>

So one of the 5 compounds could be potentially too hot, and greasy, but the outter may be just perfect? that is what worries me...

2Ct Vs pilot power, is the pilot power which compound all the way around?

 

its been a few weeks since i got the email, but newenough.com was advertising those BT016's. the price was nearly 20 bucks lower than the 2CT's, but claiming to be comparable in quality... i wanted to jump on them, but havne't heard anything, since they haven't been out for that long.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bad-monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i loved my corsa 3's. the pilot power profile gets weird after the center gets flat. the supercorsa's have a better profile anyway.

also, the 2ct's have good cold grip, but are an on/off switch at the limit and get greasy when hot. 2CT's and too much pace have victimized alot of riders at the track.

track wheels are a must in my book, even if i'm running mid-b pace, i'd rather be too slow for my tires than too fast. </TD></TR></TABLE>


The pilot power gives great cold weather grip. I disagree with them being an on/off switch though for the 2ct or pilot power. The michelin's hide a lot of problems and that's why it seems like they just let go. It's because you aren't realizing you're losing your grip. The Diablo Corsa III's are very good and compliant and give great feedback as to what the bike is doing. I've seen pilot powers, 2ct, and the diablo corsa III all run a very comfortable Advanced pace without issue. My favorite is the DCIII as they wear like iron. After 3 hard days they still look great.

 

I'm currently looking around (craigslist, ebay, etc...) for a set of 07/08 wheels in good condition. If I can find a nice set, I'll put Pilot Road 2ct's on a set and maybe some Power Race, or other track-oriented tire for trackday use later on.

If I can't find a set for cheap, I'll probably go Pilot Power 2ct or Diablo Corsa 3.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tornadom &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm currently looking around (craigslist, ebay, etc...) for a set of 07/08 wheels in good condition. If I can find a nice set, I'll put Pilot Road 2ct's on a set and maybe some Power Race, or other track-oriented tire for trackday use later on.

If I can't find a set for cheap, I'll probably go Pilot Power 2ct or Diablo Corsa 3.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yup find that extra set WERA boards should have something.

also, Power race's suck. i'd go with any other R-comp from the big 4 tire co's except the PR's.