I've been reading the crash threads (sympathies to all those involved), and I keep hearing that tyres need to be warmed up, before getting optimum grip

I know this might be *slightly* (if at all) less relevant to the 04 tyres than the S02's which appear to be particularly slippy when cold, and I saw at the BAR Honda Factory the difference bewteen a cold/wet tyre grip when touching their tyres (extreme case).

Thing is, how do you know when they are warm; are we talking 30 mins of moving driving? Does fast/slow make a difference? Or are we talking 5 mins?

 

I always do a steep side to side shimmy for a while as I start off and try to wheelspin a couple of times. Gives me the illusion of safety

 

I have no scientific basis for it, but at this time of year I would want about 10 miles of mixed driving into the tyres before I would get out of numpty mode.

In warm weather, at least 5.

Would stress the mixed bit. Not straight line stuff.

Could be an interesting thread.

 

On Eagle D3s I find it takes ~ 5 miles in the current cold/wet conditions and a mile or two when it is warm/dry.

The Eagle D2s I had before only took about a mile before I could get decent grip in cold/wet conditions but there were not so good in the dry.

 

5-10 miles of mixed driving seems about right to me. Doesn't really cause me too many problems as I live in town, and it takes me that long to get anywhere where I would start pushing the car on bends.

Secondary point though - how long does it take for tyres to cool down again? Meets for me often involve caning the car for 2 hours, lunchstop for 1 hour or coffee break for 30 minutes, then start thrashing the car again - what is the risk of starting off again with cold tyres?

 

I agree with about 5 miles down roads with lots of corners and a bit of weaving or 10 mixed. Also depend heavily on the conditions, cold and damp roads will mean it takes quite a bit longer, but then its probably not really worth hoofing it too hard as its a little dodgy!

In the summer I will give it 2-3 miles and gradually ease into it.

 

Too many factors to give a definitive time limit.

The more forces acting on the rubber, the quicker it will warm up. 1 hour of stop start driving in traffic may never allow the tyres to warm up.

How warm is safe?

How safe is warm?

Personally, I don't rely on having warm tyres from now until March or so.

 

I'd say 10 miles of twisty b-road driving makes a big difference to the feel, but I wouldn't say that they would be fully up to temperature.

 

You should be a litigator Mark

who's in for an F1-style tyre warmer GB? Could wire them up in the garage with some remote control device to fire them up half an hour before you go out of a morning (the writer accepts to responsbility for the heaters failing to throughly warm your tyres, resulting in you doing a 360 as you leave your drive)

 

Under 5 miles, the tyres are hopeless. Drive like a granny for the first 1-2.

5-10 miles they produce adequate grip by most people's standards.

Over 10 miles, they're fantastic, wet or dry.

What I do notice is the difference between a garaged car and one left out on a frosty night!

In the first scenario, 5 miles is plenty. in the second, it's like the wheels on that stone-age car in the Wacky Races for 10 miles!