HaulinAshe
Well-known member
This report is not yet finished. I will update this post as the miles continue.
The BT021s have caused me to coin a new technophrase, Foreign Object Recovery Period or FORP. I'm defining this as the time period required for the tire (especially the rear) to "re-grip" the road surface after encountering a foreign object such as a golf ball size gravel, small tree branch, narrow & muddy patch of runoff, or one of those infamous acorn patches. See below for more info.
* 0.0 miles
Nice looking tire, but aren't they all nowadays? Price was average, $224 for the pair from SWMotoTires.com.
Can't speak to how tough they mount because I paid the local guy to mount them for me. He said "nothing unusual".
Balance required the average weight that I would expect, but the "local guy" missed the dot alignment a bit too. Required 0.875 oz front, 1.25 oz rear. For comparo, that's much better than the "dotless" Avons I tested.
I did notice that the BTs spun very true, with very limited wobble or runout.
* 200 miles
No slipping or unusual characteristics from the start. I actually worried that I might not be scuffing them in enough before pushing the tire. But the BTs behaved consistently from five minutes of warmup to the 200 mile mark. Turn-in is very smooth and rivals the ME880/Strada combo for handling, and believe me that's good. I think loyal Avon fans would like the BTs over many of the other brands I've run, because the turn in is fairly quick and requires noticeably less bar pressure than something like a Strada.
High speed run, two-up (on a closed course) was extremely smooth up to 135 mph. Gyroscopic response from lean angle and bar deflection inputs was predictable and very linear. It may be my imagination, but I would swear that I can feel the difference in rigidity of the tire between straight up and leaned over. I can feel more of the road surface inputs while straight up, which would make sense given the multi-compound design of the tire. I felt it more from the rear than the front.
Moderate braking into a corner stop yields very little wash-in or wash-out. Overall this is a nice handling tire so far.
* 500 miles
It's been almost all flat lands and slabs thus far. There is a bit of flat spot on the rear, but not nearly as much as I expected and have seen from other brands. Although, the cooler temps could be contributing to the lessened wear. The tires definitely have a warm-up period. Typically takes about 10-15 minutes in the 60-70F ambient temps for the tires to smooth out and handle well. That's a tad bit more than Stradas and less than my experience with Pilot Roads.
* 1,300 miles
Last 700 miles has been exclusively two-up and loaded. Around 300 slab, 200 twisties, 300 slab. I expected the handling to go away after accumulating 800 miles of slab time, but the handling, even two-up, remains good. I ran some HARD twisties on NC-80 and NC-197, some of which was mildly wet. The BTs definitely don't like wet stripes, but then again, neither do I!
Balance is still good. Low triple digits (on closed course) remains smooth and minimal vibration. Seems the BTs are holding their shape and tread depth more consistently than anything else I have run. The contour/shape of the tires, especially the rear, is more in-line with the original shape than anything I've experienced thus far. IMO, Bridgestone really has hit on something with the multi-compound approach, at least as far as consistent tire wear is concerned.
Measured tread depth at 1,300 miles averages:
Front
2.9 mm side walls
3.0 mm center
Rear
4.3 mm side walls
5.8 mm center
Bear in mind, that I was pushing HARD in a two-up config in the NC twisties. So I guess it makes sense that I may have scrubbed a bit "extra" off the rear sidewalls while snatching acceleration post-apex. Time will tell just how well balanced the multi-compound is for my geography/road surfaces/riding style.
Now for the FORP - Foreign Object Recovery Period should be measured as an index, where 0.0 sucks and 1.0 is well... a Diablo Strada. Stradas IMHO, reach out and grab the road after encountering a foreign object. They seem to possess a will of their own that drives them to suck asphalt aggresively. For that reason they get a FORP rating of 1.0 from me.
If the BT021 has one uniquely distinguishable characteristic, it's its FORP. The BTs will solidly recover from a foreign object, but they will make your "cheeks" pucker before doing so. The BTs seem to grip clean asphalt as well as any tire I've run, but encounter a good sized chunk of gravel, or a speed bump width of mountain mud, and you best be vertical or wear your Depends. I don't consider them dangerous or unsavory, just surprising in how far they travel sideways before touching down and staying locked. Perhaps it's the rigidity of the harder center compound that makes the tire hold its contour and "rise up" more than other designs. I can only speculate.
Other than a FORP rating of 0.4, I like everything about the BT021s thus far. They are definitely one of the better handling and better performing tires I've tested.
FORP ratings to date:
1.0 - Pirelli Diablo Strada
0.8 - Metzeler Z6
0.7 - Avon Storm
0.5 - Metzeler ME880
0.4 - Bridgestone BT021
0.2 - Michelin Pilot Road
0.0 - Metzeler Z4
I sprayed the tires with a bit of cleaner, wiped them down and snapped a couple pics for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
The BT021s have caused me to coin a new technophrase, Foreign Object Recovery Period or FORP. I'm defining this as the time period required for the tire (especially the rear) to "re-grip" the road surface after encountering a foreign object such as a golf ball size gravel, small tree branch, narrow & muddy patch of runoff, or one of those infamous acorn patches. See below for more info.
* 0.0 miles
Nice looking tire, but aren't they all nowadays? Price was average, $224 for the pair from SWMotoTires.com.
Can't speak to how tough they mount because I paid the local guy to mount them for me. He said "nothing unusual".
Balance required the average weight that I would expect, but the "local guy" missed the dot alignment a bit too. Required 0.875 oz front, 1.25 oz rear. For comparo, that's much better than the "dotless" Avons I tested.
I did notice that the BTs spun very true, with very limited wobble or runout.
* 200 miles
No slipping or unusual characteristics from the start. I actually worried that I might not be scuffing them in enough before pushing the tire. But the BTs behaved consistently from five minutes of warmup to the 200 mile mark. Turn-in is very smooth and rivals the ME880/Strada combo for handling, and believe me that's good. I think loyal Avon fans would like the BTs over many of the other brands I've run, because the turn in is fairly quick and requires noticeably less bar pressure than something like a Strada.
High speed run, two-up (on a closed course) was extremely smooth up to 135 mph. Gyroscopic response from lean angle and bar deflection inputs was predictable and very linear. It may be my imagination, but I would swear that I can feel the difference in rigidity of the tire between straight up and leaned over. I can feel more of the road surface inputs while straight up, which would make sense given the multi-compound design of the tire. I felt it more from the rear than the front.
Moderate braking into a corner stop yields very little wash-in or wash-out. Overall this is a nice handling tire so far.
* 500 miles
It's been almost all flat lands and slabs thus far. There is a bit of flat spot on the rear, but not nearly as much as I expected and have seen from other brands. Although, the cooler temps could be contributing to the lessened wear. The tires definitely have a warm-up period. Typically takes about 10-15 minutes in the 60-70F ambient temps for the tires to smooth out and handle well. That's a tad bit more than Stradas and less than my experience with Pilot Roads.
* 1,300 miles
Last 700 miles has been exclusively two-up and loaded. Around 300 slab, 200 twisties, 300 slab. I expected the handling to go away after accumulating 800 miles of slab time, but the handling, even two-up, remains good. I ran some HARD twisties on NC-80 and NC-197, some of which was mildly wet. The BTs definitely don't like wet stripes, but then again, neither do I!
Balance is still good. Low triple digits (on closed course) remains smooth and minimal vibration. Seems the BTs are holding their shape and tread depth more consistently than anything else I have run. The contour/shape of the tires, especially the rear, is more in-line with the original shape than anything I've experienced thus far. IMO, Bridgestone really has hit on something with the multi-compound approach, at least as far as consistent tire wear is concerned.
Measured tread depth at 1,300 miles averages:
Front
2.9 mm side walls
3.0 mm center
Rear
4.3 mm side walls
5.8 mm center
Bear in mind, that I was pushing HARD in a two-up config in the NC twisties. So I guess it makes sense that I may have scrubbed a bit "extra" off the rear sidewalls while snatching acceleration post-apex. Time will tell just how well balanced the multi-compound is for my geography/road surfaces/riding style.
Now for the FORP - Foreign Object Recovery Period should be measured as an index, where 0.0 sucks and 1.0 is well... a Diablo Strada. Stradas IMHO, reach out and grab the road after encountering a foreign object. They seem to possess a will of their own that drives them to suck asphalt aggresively. For that reason they get a FORP rating of 1.0 from me.
If the BT021 has one uniquely distinguishable characteristic, it's its FORP. The BTs will solidly recover from a foreign object, but they will make your "cheeks" pucker before doing so. The BTs seem to grip clean asphalt as well as any tire I've run, but encounter a good sized chunk of gravel, or a speed bump width of mountain mud, and you best be vertical or wear your Depends. I don't consider them dangerous or unsavory, just surprising in how far they travel sideways before touching down and staying locked. Perhaps it's the rigidity of the harder center compound that makes the tire hold its contour and "rise up" more than other designs. I can only speculate.
Other than a FORP rating of 0.4, I like everything about the BT021s thus far. They are definitely one of the better handling and better performing tires I've tested.
FORP ratings to date:
1.0 - Pirelli Diablo Strada
0.8 - Metzeler Z6
0.7 - Avon Storm
0.5 - Metzeler ME880
0.4 - Bridgestone BT021
0.2 - Michelin Pilot Road
0.0 - Metzeler Z4
I sprayed the tires with a bit of cleaner, wiped them down and snapped a couple pics for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
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