VOL. 55 ISSUE 22 JUNE 5, 2018 P111
As promised by Dunlop, there
were no tire warmers allowed at
the test. We were given brand
new Q4s and told to do one
warm-up lap, then pin it. Good
news is, they performed excep-
tionally well.
I'll say right away the most
impressive single aspect in my
mind was how quickly the Q4s
got up to a good working tem-
perature. Anyone that's ridden
Chuckwalla knows the heat of
the place means getting rubber
up to operating temps isn't too
difficult, but still, the way the
impressive for what is primarily
a street tire. As I changed to a
Graves-fitted R1, I could begin
to understand what was going
on underneath me more clearly,
and the lap times began to drop.
Braking stability was very good,
with loads of feedback being
presented to the rider.
Initially I used the R1 with the
190/55-17 rear, switching later
to the 200/55 ZR17. This made
for a much calmer ride under ac-
celeration, better stability under
brakes and more edge grip.
Here the R1 felt at home, rather
than on a bit of a knife-edge like
it did with the 190.
But where the Q4s are per-
fectly suited—in my opinion—is
on a 600. Using the 2018 Suzuki
GSX-R600 with a 180/55 ZR17
and a Yamaha YZF-R6 with a
180/60 ZR17 allowed the Dun-
lops to really shine. The combi-
nation of Dunlop Q4s, machine
weight, power and handling,
especially with the R6, was ab-
solutely beautiful to experience.
The R6 allowed the Dunlops to
grip and grip, without making the
rider feel like the machine power
would overwork the tire.
During each run on different
machinery, I had to remind my-
self this was a tire designed for
street and track-day use in an al-
most 50:50 ratio, so remember-
ing that fact made the Dunlops
an excellent track partner.
The Q4s lack the outright
grip of a race-only tire, but for
a street tire capable of turning
some fast laps, their perfor-
mance is very impressive. CN
Dunlops would throw good grip
almost immediately at the rider
was impressive.
With a snaking Kawasaki ZX-
10R underneath me, however, it
didn't take long before the Kawi's
power would begin to overhaul
the Q4's rear grip. Yet when the
Q4 finally did begin to slide, it did
so extremely progressively and
calmly, rather than offering lots of
grip and suddenly letting go with
no warning.
Turn-in performance is very
On Track
We did not get the opportunity
to ride the Q4s on the street, so
our only chance to sample the
goods came at a hot, windy and
super dusty Chuckwalla Valley
Raceway in Southern California.
Having ridden the Q3+ tires
last year and the incredibly
impressive Bridgestone R11s at
Utah Motorsports Campus a few
weeks back, it gave me a good
basis for comparison with the
new Q4s.
Dunlop even
inscribed
their logo
onto the side
of the Q4 for
some added
style points.
