Menus
- Dr Jeckyl and Mister Hyde !
- TT for Track Technology, a tire with track technology
- Champion DNA
- Belt
- Chemistry
- Single-ply carcass, bigomme, NTEC
- Winter testing
- Promise kept !
- Practical aspects: A wider range
- Conclusion
Dr Jeckyl and Mister Hyde !
TT for Track Technology, a tire with track technology
It was at the Mireval test center that we discovered the Sportsmart TT. 100% new, the "TT" marks the return of the company in a portion of the road / track segment, deserted 20 years after the disappearance of the D 207 RR. TT does not stand for Tourist Trophy, as one immediately imagines, but Track Technology, i.e. track technology.
Its 50% track 50% road positioning puts it between the Sportsmart2 Max (80% road 20% track) that we had tried and enjoyed under a deluge of rain and the D 212 GP Racer (90% track 10% road).
At the top of the Dunlop hypersport pyramid, we finally find the all new D 213 GP Pro, presented this summer to professional pilots. With the TT, there is no need for heating blankets, its range of use is as broad as that of a road tire. However, its very high track potential is still paid for by lower capacities than those of the Sportsmart2 Max on wet ground. We cannot have everything. However, do not imagine it as a bar of soap in the rain, but it will not have the excellence of the 2 Max in this area. On the other hand, it will still be able to manage your daily life and in particular take you on the track via the road, without risk or degradation. In short, if you only drive sporty, or with a "very rare" roadster it will do your business. At the limit if you have occasional or even regular shopping cravings, it will also be able to prove itself worthy of your ambitions, without slackening hot, nor leaving in tatters..
Champion DNA
Belt
Completely new, the TT has a front two-ply crisscross rayon (processed wood fiber) carcass that reduces deformation, providing more handling and less wear. It is separated from the steel belt by thermal insulation. This belt which always uses the JLB technology (Jointless Belt) guarantees the holding of the tire at very high speed, without deformation under the effect of centrifugal force. Thus, at 300 km / h, the diameter increases by only 2 mm, which eliminates any reduction in floor area and thus reduces wear..
Chemistry
Combined with a new front profile, inspired by the Roadsmart 3, the new construction of the TT is supposed to offer feedback worthy of a track tire, while offering very high levels of handling and stability. The whole thing is surrounded by a rubber blend exclusive to TT, which contains less silica than 2 Max and more carbon black. Characteristics which improve its aptitudes at high temperatures, but reduce its potential a little when cold. As today the temperature of the track will never exceed 14 °, we will quickly get to the bottom of it..
Single-ply carcass, bigomme, NTEC
At the rear, there are different technical choices, adapted to the constraints undergone. So, is the carcass single ply to allow optimization of the ground contact surface when exiting a bend during acceleration. However, to ensure good rigidity of the tire in this phase, the engineers rely on the sidewalls which take advantage of the rise of the folds wrapped around the bead wire. Always for better efficiency, the rear tire is bi eraser, with a narrow band in the center offering high abrasion resistance. On the shoulders the rubber is identical to that of the front and close to that present on the D 212 "E". Since we are talking about erasers, let us point out the designs that can be seen there, which are also new. Not naughty!
In addition to the evacuation of water, they would also ensure the ventilation of the rubber thanks to the passage of the air in their channels. One way to (symbolically?) Improve the resistance of the tire in high temperature conditions.
Last but not least, we find here the NTEC process (New TEChnology) which designates the ability of Dunlops to be used with reduced pressures on the track, to optimize the contact surface on the ground. Thus, instead of the manufacturer’s pressure (often 2.9 kg on the road), here we only use 1.9 kg when cold, or between 2 and 2.3 kg when hot. In a heatwave, with a very fast driver, we can even drop to 1.5 kg, which offers 24% more contact surface, without risk for the tire overheating. At the front, we can reduce from 2.5 to 2.1 kg when cold, to find 2.3 kg when hot. Good time to see all this, the outside temperature has risen a few degrees. We will be able to check "in situ" what a seasoned biker finds handlebars in hand.
Winter testing
It is with an ambient temperature of 7 ° that we reach the Mireval test center. This pearl of the south, evokes the circuit of Philip Island, with its hilly terrain and the view of the sea in the distance. The sun is there, but the icy wind sweeping the track quickly brings you back to France. Before testing the latest Dunlop, I rediscover the track on the handlebars of a superb Suzuki 1000 GSXR-R fitted with Bridgestone RS 10.
First ride of the season after several months of rest, in the cold and with more than 200 sharp thoroughbreds, I’m not far behind. I have planned Esquad Miler heated gloves and a rain coverall so as not to freeze to death due to the temperature felt at over 200 km / h. 7 laps of warming up, then I leave my rain jacket just to be less crowded. I’m leaving, still in Bridgestone, but a little bolder.
The incredible "potato" of the GSXR surprises me. Indeed, as Damien said in his test, "past 9000 rpm the engine of the GSXR turns into a rocket thruster" … In fact in third gear, at the approach of 200 km / h, the wheel before rises! Nothing bad, except that with the gusts of wind, I put the front wheel a little across, which causes a small swerve, quickly amortized by the excellent part-cycle of this rolling legend. On the other hand, at the end of the straight line, I discover that these brief oscillations pushed back the pistons and that the stroke of the brake lever has significantly increased. Even though I have a lot of leeway, it still gives you a good little adrenaline rush in your blood … Have a good time joking, now that my lap times are regular, the "discovery" stage ends. We put on the Sporsmart TT on the beautiful Suz ‘and it’s off again!
Promise kept !
Designed to operate without electric blankets, the TT offers a very quick set-up. As soon as I start the descent just after the turn which follows the straight line of the pits, I have the strange and pleasant feeling of being in "freewheel", so much the bike has become easier to enter in the curve. Yet the tire pressures are the same 1.9 kg in front and 2.1 behind, but maybe the RS10 would have asked for more? A few minutes apart, the gusts of wind are still the same, but I feel them less, the bike has become more stable. In fact everything is easier. Join the point of rope? Just watch and you are there! tilt the bike in the series of turns called "Omega"? Nothing’s easier. Enter the curve quickly after the pits and hold your line? Child’s play. After seven laps I am signaled to return.
The verdict is final. My lap times, certainly light years from the real pilots, but so far consistent, have dropped by 5 seconds, without forcing! Handlebars in hand, the difference is obvious. I follow the curves as one threads pearls. More confident in the ability of the bike to enter the turn, I enter stronger and more serenely in the curves. I am faster and more relaxed! I leave for 7 new laps and I gain another 2 seconds, still without forcing. Now I do the whole circuit in third and fourth. My trajectories are rounder, safer. The confidence is there. The excellent feedback reassures me. Braking stability is king, whether it’s the tire or the GSXR-R. What amazes me is that the gain is felt at low speed, on handling and at high speed, on stability in fast curves. Two contradictory qualities that the TT manages to unite.
Of course, my times are far from those of the Dunlop testers, who are also seasoned pilots, but I, a “seasoned biker”, undoubtedly feel the benefits announced! The bike heckles me less and now the little wheelie session at 200 in a straight line no longer scares me. It falls back online. During an installation, the temperatures of the tire are measured 48 ° on the left rear shoulder, 52 ° in the center and 64 ° on the right. In front and in the same order, 45 °, 50 ° and 54 °, with a track at 13.4 °. Despite the cold and my rather cool driving, the tire warms up nicely, confirming, if necessary, that heating blankets can easily be dispensed with..
Finally, the reduction in the level of silica does not outrageously affect the behavior of the TT under these rather cool conditions. Less tired, I go round the laps, without even seeing the signals that tell me to go home. However the plane will not wait for me! After 38 laps, I’m dizzy and it’s really time to go. The tire still shows no signs of weakness. It even displays an excellent state of freshness!
Practical aspects: A wider range
Faced with the development of medium-displacement in emerging countries, but also with us and their arrival in the Supersport 300 category, Dunlop has developed the Sportsmart TT in 110 front 140/70 and 150/60 rear. Note that the 140 is not a bigomme, unlike the 150, which is justified by the low power involved. Although intended for small engines, these small sizes, like the large ones, are all manufactured in Montluçon. Like what, it is possible! Beyond that, there are of course the usual dimensions, which are all already available..
| Front / rear | Rim | Cut | L / S | Coded | Availablity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before | 17 " | 110/70 R 17 | 54H | 635175 | January 1, 2018 |
| Before | 17 " | 120/70 R 17 | 58H | 635176 | February 1, 2018 |
| Before | 17 " | 120/70 ZR 17 | (58W) | 635177 | March 1, 2018 |
| Back | 17 " | 140/70 R 17 | 66H | 635178 | January 1, 2018 |
| Back | 17 " | 150/60 R 17 | 66H | 635179 | January 1, 2018 |
| Back | 17 " | 160/60 R 17 | 69H | 635180 | January 1, 2018 |
| Back | 17 " | 160/60 ZR 17 | (69W) | 635181 | January 1, 2018 |
| Back | 17 " | 180/55 ZR 17 | (73W) | 635182 | March 19, 2018 |
| Back | 17 " | 180/60 ZR 17 | (75W) | 635223 | March 1, 2018 |
| Back | 17 " | 190/55 ZR 17 | (75W) | 635224 | February 1, 2018 |
| Back | 17 " | 200/55 ZR 17 | (78W) | 635225 | February 1, 2018 |
Question prices, count around 280 € for a game in 120/180, which places the TT between the Sportsmart 2 Max (240 €) and the D 212 GP Racer (330 €). In front of him, the competition is called Continental Race Attack Comp end, Bridgestone Battlax RS10, Metzeler Racetec RR K3 (and a bit the Sportec M7 RR), Michelin Power RS, which casts a wider net because it also ensures equivalence with the Sportsmart2 Max and finally the Diablo Rosso Corsa (even the Rosso III, a little less sporty. In short, very beautiful linen, in the middle of which the Sportsmart TT will not have to be ashamed.
Conclusion
Well born, this future champion will know how to put you in confidence from the first laps of the wheels, whatever your level. Not outrageously afraid of the cold, it should still perform reasonably well on wet roads, even if that is not its preferred area. If your heart swings between the track and the road, it will meet your expectations in both areas. With it, you will get good lap times without fear and without heating blankets. You will just need a pressure gauge to transform you into mister Hyde at the entrance of the circuit. Do not forget the pump to become that good Dr Jeckyl once again once your basic instincts have been released, you will be able to return home serenely..
Strong points
- Ease of piloting
- Wide spectrum of use
- Maneuverability
- Stability at high speed and when braking
- Feedback
- Made in Montluçon
- Good apparent endurance
Weak points
- Not tested in the rain or on wet track
Test conditions
- Itinerary: HPC circuit of Mireval
- Motorcycle: Suzuki GSX-R 1000 R
- Problem encountered: a bit chilly in the morning
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