FAQ
Common Inquiries Answered
WHAT ARE TYRE WARMERS?
They are like an electric blanket for your tyres. They are electrically powered heaters that are designed to wrap around your tyres so that the tyres are brought up to operating temperature and appropriate hot tyre pressure before you go out on the track.
WHY USE TYRE WARMERS?
Tyre warmers allow:
• Harder Starts: A tyre that is up to operating temperature has more traction. This is helpful in getting good starts and making a charge in the beginning of the event. Grip should remain consistent because the temperature also remains consistent.
• Improved Tyre Life: Tyre warmers minimise the amount of heat cycles a tyre experiences and so improving tyre life and maintaining more consistent grip levels for longer. Also, when tyres are cold, high-horsepower or heavier bikes can tend to cold-tear tires when used aggressively. This ‘tearing’ affects tyre grip and life.
• Dialling in your tyres: Different tyre brands and different compounds work best at their specified operating temperature; with a temperature adjustable warmer you can heat your tyres to the particular specification based on manufacturer, compound and track conditions.
• Saving money: Motorcycle tyres are very expensive and probably the biggest expense for any track day rider or racer. Tyre warmers not only allow you to maximise track-time, extend tyre life but the more consistent grip can also keep you wheels up for longer.
WHAT IS HEAT CYCLING?
Every time a tyre reaches its operating temperature and cools back down to ambient temperature, the tyre is said to have gone through a heat cycle. The impact of heat cycling varies depending upon tyre manufacturer and compound but generally, more heat cycles means less grip and tyre life.
Perhaps the most important heat cycle is the first one. When a tyre gets heated up for the first time, rubber bonds in the tread and carcass go through a chemical transformation. For practical purposes the friction coefficient (provides grip) and wear resistance (tyre life) of the tyre are two parameters that may change. Importantly there is a minimum temperature that must be attained by the tyre for the transformation to begin and there is a maximum temperature that a tyre is designed for, beyond which its rubber bonds break and do not self-repair. The transformation must happen through the entire depth of the tread and going into the carcass of the tyre, not just on the surface.
To maximise tyre life, at the end of the day, place the warmers (turned off) on your tyres to let them ‘cycle down’ gradually to ambient temperature.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEAT CYCLING AND TYRE SCRUBBING?
Tyre manufacturers often recommend scrubbing in tyres if they are not advising a heat cycle. The difference between scrubbing and heat cycling is that scrubbing applies to the surface of the tyre whereas heat cycling applies to the entire depth of the tyre. It is recommended you still scrub in brand new tyres for the first few laps even if you are using tyre warmers.
WHY USE CORSE PERFORMANCE TYRE WARMERS?
Corse Performance are amongst the best tyre warmers you can buy on the market. Here’s why:
• Manufactured to international quality standards.
• Longest warranty of any warmer on the market (3 yrs)
• Specifically shaped and tyre size specific to fit tyre profile.
• Side bands to cover tyre rim and promote heat soak.
• Digital adjustable heating system allowing you to precisely set to tyre, track and conditions and thermostat will ensure your tyre does not overheat.
• Your use of the tyre warmer and your motorcycle is carbon offset- you are doing the best for the environment.
• You can trade in your old warmers-any brand.
• You can buy single warmers.
• Advanced tyre management features and tyre warmer for an affordable price.
HOW LONG DO TYRE WARMERS LAST?
Cheaper quality tyre warmers last around 3 years of consistent use and care. Superior quality tyre warmers such as Corse Performance tyre warmers last at least 5 years. Through use, tyre warmers will degrade over time in terms of its heating effectiveness which may not be evident. Corse Performance recommends you replace tyre warmers every 5 years , or sooner depending on condition, even if they look okay to the naked eye.
WHAT TEMPERATURE SHOULD I SET MY TYRE WARMERS?
Refer to your tyre manufacturers recommendations for the tyre as a starting point. For example, for Pirelli Diablo slicks, Pirelli recommends a temperature of 80C. It will ultimately depend upon tyre size, compound and track conditions. You can fine tune and precisely set this temperature using Corse Performance tyre warmers. At a professional level, it is important to control the tyre temperature, but time is not an issue.
WHAT TYRE PRESSURE SHOULD I USE?
Refer to your tyre manufacturers recommendations for the tyre as a starting point. It will ultimately depend upon tyre size, compound and track conditions. You should check your tyres hot pressure when the tyres have been at their tyre warmer temperature setting for the required period. Note that hot tyre pressures can be 4-6PSI different from cold tyre pressures and that particularly for racing slick tyres a 1PSI change can have a significant impact.
HOW LONG SHOULD I HAVE THE WARMERS ON BEFORE USING THEM?
Refer to your tyre manufacturers recommendations for the tyre as a starting point. For example, for Pirelli Diablo slicks, Pirelli recommends 50 minutes at the operating temperature. So once your warmers have hit the specified temperature add this time to it. Good warmers gradually heat the tyre to the specified temperature enabling a good heat soak through the tyre itself and rim. Two important factors are: initial heat up time and complete heat soaking. Initial heat up should be a heat up cycle to let the rubber cycle up to temperature slowly, this gives the best results. A “heat soak” is what is desired. This is complete heating through the tyre, the whole carcass not just the surface rubber.
WHICH TYRES NEED WARMERS?
All tyres work better with some heat, even road/touring tyres. Some road tyres are designed to work in cold conditions, therefore tyre warmers are not needed, but gently pre-heating road and sporty road tyres is an advantage. Generally, there is an advantage to using tyre warmers on road tyres if you can set the temperature on the warmers low enough (say around 50-60C). You shouldn’t heat road tyres to 80C like you do slicks- refer to your tyre manufacturers recommendations for the tyre as a starting point.
HOW CAN I CHECK THE ACTUAL TEMPERATURE OF THE TYRE?
The best way is to use an infra-red gun and measure from a consistent spot on the tyre. Don’t make the common mistake of using touch. The surface of the tyre may be warm, but the carcass and the wheel might still be cold. Don’t just put your hand on the tyre! Feel the actual wheel: is the rim warm? In perfect conditions, the wheel should be nice and warm and the surface of the tyre almost too hot to touch – tyre dependant.
WHEN SHOULD I REMOVE WARMERS BEFORE RIDING?
As close as possible to actual riding. As soon as the warmers are removed, your tyre starts to cool, sometimes dramatically depending upon ambient conditions or if you have to wait in line to enter the track like on a track day. Keep this in mind as to the level of grip you may have.
HOW SOON AFTER RIDING SHOULD I PUT WARMERS ON?
As soon as you can. Race slicks and other performance tyres don’t like cooling down, then warming back up again (het cycling) repeatedly, while some dedicated race slicks only have a permitted amount of heat cycles, from cold to hot and back down again.
SHOULD I USE TYRE WARMERS FOR RAIN TYRES?
Yes. However, you will need to adjust your temperature setting according to your manufacturer’s recommendations. They can be used on ‘wets’.
HOW DO I CARE FOR TYRE WARMERS?
How you look after your warmers plays a huge part in getting great performance and maximising the life of the warmer. Corse Performance tyre warmers comes with comprehensive care instructions.
HOW LONG IS THE CORSE PERFORMANCE WARRANTY?
Corse Performance manufactures superior quality warmers and so we offer a 3-year replacement warranty – most manufacturers offer 12 months. See our terms and conditions.
HOW MUCH IS SHIPPING?
Corse Performance provides free shipping via Australia Post within Australia.
HOW DO I TRADE IN OLD TYRE WARMERS?
All tyre warmer sets regardless of condition or brand are worth a $100 credit towards a new set (only one trade-in set for each new set). If only one tyre warmer is provided, it will be worth a $50 credit towards a new set (only one trade-in set for each new set) or new individual warmer (only one trade-in warmer for each new warmer).
The warmers are used like cash, the racer pays a portion of the new set with the old set to be traded in and we need to receive them in order to apply the credit. See our terms and conditions.
HOW DO I RETURN AN ITEM?
Corse Performance promises to deliver high-quality products in good condition. If, for any reason, your purchase is not satisfactory, we will gladly replace it or refund your money (excluding delivery charges where applicable). See our terms and conditions.
WHAT IS A CARBON OFFSET?
A carbon offset is a project or activity that reduces greenhouse gas emissions or sequesters (captures) carbon from the atmosphere to compensate for the emissions created by your own activities. Corse Performance uses an Australian based carbon offset provider organisation which offsets carbon emissions by planting native forests, which capture carbon dioxide from the environment as they grow.
WHAT EMISSIONS ARE OFFSET?
Corse Performance offsets the following Greenhouse Gas emissions for the effective life of the tyre warmers:
• The use of your warmer considering the electricity consumption and hours of use.
• The use of your motorcycle at the track.
The amount of Greenhouse Gas emissions is determined using the standard carbon calculator for those activities specific to Australia.
WHERE ARE NATIVE FORESTS PLANTED?
The carbon offset provider works with private landholders, local and state governments to restore our unique landscapes by revegetating cleared land with biodiverse, native forests. They have to date planted over 500 native forests in every state and territory of Australia (except Tasmania and Northern Territory) and in New Zealand. The forests are located on their own properties, private farms, National Parks, private blocks, Councils' parks and reserves.
Many of the projects were established to help connect parks and reserves to create wildlife corridors and preserve biodiversity. Although mostly located in rural regions, a number of the forests are also in the fringe of urban environments providing health and recreational values to the local communities. When a forest is planted on a site, the ownership of the land does not change hands, but an agreement with landholders is established to secure the forest on the land for up to 100 years, with a preference for 'forever' plantings.
WHY DOES CORSE PERFORMANCE CHOOSE TO ENABLE PLANTING OF BIODIVERSE FORESTS?
At Corse Performance we believe in providing Australians with the most socially and environmentally responsible way to offset carbon emissions. By establishing self-sustaining, multi-species forests, it means that as well as planting trees native to the local area, a mix of native trees to restore the native vegetation present prior to settlement and land clearing are also planted. Planting a biodiverse mix of native species is the only way to ensure that the resulting forest meet the highest standards of ecological sustainability.
On top of capturing carbon, this approach has several extra environmental benefits:
• Biological diversity is improved
• Habitat for native animals is increased and migratory routes extended
• Salinity can be reduced
• Water quality in catchments can be improved
• Tree roots can bind the soil to reduce erosion.
WHAT STANDARDS ARE MET?
The carbon offset provider uses the Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM) developed by CSIRO and approved by the Australian Department of the Environment to measure the carbon uptake of the forest at each planting site. Where FullCAM is not available for a project area, the Reforestation Modelling Tool (RMT) which is also issued by the Department of the Environment is used. The methodology developed by the Australian Government for the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) for mixed-species environmental plantings and observation of the Forest Practice Codes in each Australian state and territory is also applied.