Tire Pressure / Temperature

Tires are manufactured with a rubber compound that delivers maximum traction at a small temperature band. Some rubber compounds have wider ranges than others but the goal is for the tire to be in that temperature range during the race.

For those of us without fancy temeprature gauges or convenient access to temperature data from the manufacturers tend to use pressure rise from cold to hot as an indicator of how close we are to that ideal pressure. A 17 to 20% increase in tire pressure is considered by many as the sweet spot e.g. if the tires were at 30 psi when cold and 35 to 36 psi when you pulled off the track then you had the pressure right. If they tire pressure was 30 to 34 psi when you got off the track then your initial 30 psi was too high.

If cold rear tire pressure is too high and the tire doesn't reach best temp during your race then you've lost the advantage of traction. If you run too low a cold pressure, the tire will flex too much and reach too high of a temperature during the race and get "greasy" - requiring that you back off for a lap to let the tire cool down a bit.

There's so many factors that come into play including compuond choice, bike, and riding style that there is no blanket perfect temperature for everyone. The tire guys, when giving you one, are just getting you into the correct ballpark and it's up to you to adjust it for your needs.

Pressure Change Meaning Consequences
Too much/ high of a rise Initial tire pressure too low Tire gets too hot during the race, overheats and becomes "greasy".
Too little / low of a rise Initial tire pressure too high Tire doesn't get hot enough to reach tire manufacturer's desired maximum adhesiveness.


Road Racing World did some testing on weaving in their February 2002 issue to see if they could get any temperature rise into the tire while weaving. What their conclusion was that it does not make any difference when you weave. They said in the article that your tires get hotter faster if you just go out and push hard on the first lap before you get back to the grid for the start of the race.

Additionally, if you do not have warmers, it best to let the bike sit in the sun to warm the tires. The tires can have a 10-20 degree difference if the bike is sitting under a canopy or inside the garage area. But the most effective way to warm your tires is to put the bike in the sun and use tire warmers at the same time.

Some helpfull links: