Got the ICE bike

[Jeff]

Dave, how big of a bike are you on though?  I've seen some larger bikes with homemade stuff that shredded tires in no time, and spit screws during the first few laps before being totally ruined.

I was going to do exactly as you do, but saw stuff that made me think otherwise.  Plus, these should last me 2-3 years...  (i hope)  :D

[tzracer]

Jeff Fredette, of Fredette Racing Products has been making ice tires for a few years. Here is a link for more info.

http://www.dieseljo.com/IceRacing.html

[Protein Filled]

Fredette is "THE MAN" when it comes to buying ice tires. He is known as one of the best...

[cb186]

Fredette is "THE MAN" when it comes to buying ice tires. He is known as one of the best...

i agree. i built my own set at the begining of the season, rode on a set of Fredettes a couple weeks in, on someone elses bike, and ordered up a set the next week. the little ttr's and such might be ok with the gold screws, but try a 450 and it sucks.

[the_weggie_man]

Build the ice fenders even on play bikes! if you've ever seen someone get chewed up by a rear tire you would never run without the fenders.

[Super Dave]

Dave, how big of a bike are you on though?

At the time, RM250's, WR250's, and YZ490's.

And TT500 dirt tracker.  Non were my bikes.  Always back to the big piles of cash that I had.

[Jeff]

Fredette.  That's the guy in Chicago...  But I will tell you, Stu from Motosports Factory in Waukesha is making a DAMNED good tire for a bit less...

Dunno...  Since I'm amateur, I'm trying to cut corners as best I can, but still have good enough stuff to last.

Damn Dave...  Big bikes like that with short studs...  That's sliding :)

Ice fenders...  Yes...  Don't have them yet, but will.  For what it's worth, I don't go with the typical dirt gear that I see everyone else wear.  I use my old non-vented leathers complete with back protector and then throw a farm & fleet black insulated jump suit over that.

If I fall through, I'm pretty much Fscked since I've got about 50lbs of gear on...  But I stay warm!  ;D

[Thorny]

Dave in the pic of you on my TTR you have, the bike had 1000 in the front and 900 or so in the rear. As far as cheaper, my time putting them in was about 2.5 hrs. (and I am fast with a cordless too!) and cost on those screws is about $100. This year I had the guy who sets all the AMA ice events up here make me some for $300. Now I have a set of "ice only's" and the set of dirt tires that were on it. That's not really any different in cost but the darn tires are ten times better. By him using a 1" long screw in the rear and 7/8" in the front into an inside liner, thats compared to me using all 5/8" just into a nobby,  the tire has allot less flex in it making the grip UNBELIEVABLE!!!

[tzracer]

Many of the people I have heard of that are making ice tires are basically copying the Fredette tires. The keys are location and angle of the screws.

Tires such as Fredette's make a difference even on bikes like XR100s.

[Super Dave]

So, here the question is begged, and this would probably be a deciding factor on what anyone should do.

What's the purpose?

Road racing has an incredible amount of traction.

Dirt track racing has a WHOLE lot less traction.

The skill of being able to feel for traction is a skill that dirt trackers tune very well when compared to us, road racers.

Ice riding has a lot more traction than dirt track.

Tires will make a difference in traction.  Being smooth and gentle, yet quick, with less traction is a lot harder than with more.  If you're skill building...well, they do water down the track at American Supercamp.  That makes it slick.  You've got to be smooth.

[tzracer]

Professional ice tires do not really make it easier, just raises the bar. You can learn the same lessons with any tire, the professional tires just have a higher limit.

What tends to happen is one person in a group of riders buys them. The tires work much better than everyone else's. So to keep up with your friends, everybody gets them (or copies them).

[Thorny]

Well rider school instructors, no one asked or commented about dirt tracking? So back to the question, get the better tires, reason- you can use them for a few years, sell them with your bike, not lose nobbies every other time you ride, switch them to your standard nobbies when the ice fades, put new screws back in when they get dull and not lose the samee screw after 2 laps...........bottom line, stop analizing every damn thing and trying to show everyone how freekin smart you are and just say, "Just ride the f^cker!"