THE DRIVE : Best Wet Weather tires ...
- Thread starter odie
- Start date
No issues with my old WR G3 (Assymmetric) passenger car tire during mild winters with more rain than snow.
No issues with my current (to be replaced) Z-line A/S. Even with the water-drop indicator gone, I done have issues in the rain with them. They will be replaced tomorrow with Nokian Entyre C/S.
My also current WR G4 SUV, have no issues in heavy rain the last time I drove up to Mammoth... so LA had heavy rain while Mammoth had snow on the same day driving.
No issues with my current (to be replaced) Z-line A/S. Even with the water-drop indicator gone, I done have issues in the rain with them. They will be replaced tomorrow with Nokian Entyre C/S.
My also current WR G4 SUV, have no issues in heavy rain the last time I drove up to Mammoth... so LA had heavy rain while Mammoth had snow on the same day driving.
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- Apr 22, 2016
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caveat emptor, us your best judgement
For wet weather performance, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and Conti ExtremeContact Sport have no other rivals this side of the Hoosier H2O, and that one is not not intended for highway use. If top wet performance is what you want, don't waste your time with an all season (no season) tire.
Originally Posted by krzyss
Traction C for Hoosier H2O has me worried.
I would rather be driving A or AA rated tire in the wet.
Krzys
The Hoosier is a track tire, not DOT approved for public road use.
And the UTQG rating is for wet braking.
Traction C for Hoosier H2O has me worried.
I would rather be driving A or AA rated tire in the wet.
Krzys
The Hoosier is a track tire, not DOT approved for public road use.
And the UTQG rating is for wet braking.
I understand but Hoosier H2O is supposedly wet track tire.
Maybe it has tread pattern to evacuate water but why not have a compound that provides traction in the wet too?
It sounds like the compound is the R compound (UTQG 40) but with a pattern to evacuate water.
I do not know much about tire design or racing but wouldn't the design benefit from compound handling water better?
Perplexed,
Krzys
Maybe it has tread pattern to evacuate water but why not have a compound that provides traction in the wet too?
It sounds like the compound is the R compound (UTQG 40) but with a pattern to evacuate water.
I do not know much about tire design or racing but wouldn't the design benefit from compound handling water better?
Perplexed,
Krzys
Originally Posted by krzyss
I understand but Hoosier H2O is supposedly wet track tire.
Maybe it has tread pattern to evacuate water but why not have a compound that provides traction in the wet too?
It sounds like the compound is the R compound (UTQG 40) but with a pattern to evacuate water.
I do not know much about tire design or racing but wouldn't the design benefit from compound handling water better?
Perplexed,
Krzys
Read this:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48&
there are limitations on the UTQG ratings. It is a wet skid on asphalt and concrete surfaces, stuff you'll see more on the road. Racetracks tend to be asphalt surface, it's rare for a racetrack to be concrete road surface. It does not evaluate wet cornering forces.
I understand but Hoosier H2O is supposedly wet track tire.
Maybe it has tread pattern to evacuate water but why not have a compound that provides traction in the wet too?
It sounds like the compound is the R compound (UTQG 40) but with a pattern to evacuate water.
I do not know much about tire design or racing but wouldn't the design benefit from compound handling water better?
Perplexed,
Krzys
Read this:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48&
there are limitations on the UTQG ratings. It is a wet skid on asphalt and concrete surfaces, stuff you'll see more on the road. Racetracks tend to be asphalt surface, it's rare for a racetrack to be concrete road surface. It does not evaluate wet cornering forces.
Last edited:
I think the UTQG traction test confirms my suspicion.
Originally Posted by MacManus99
For wet weather performance, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and Conti ExtremeContact Sport have no other rivals this side of the Hoosier H2O, and that one is not not intended for highway use....
Compound of of Hoosier H2O is much worse in the wet than AA, A or B rated tires. Its tread pattern may be good evacuating water but wet traction is lacking.
I suspect street tires have better wet grip than wet track tires. I wonder if somebody did any testing of such scenario.
Krzys
Originally Posted by MacManus99
For wet weather performance, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and Conti ExtremeContact Sport have no other rivals this side of the Hoosier H2O, and that one is not not intended for highway use....
Compound of of Hoosier H2O is much worse in the wet than AA, A or B rated tires. Its tread pattern may be good evacuating water but wet traction is lacking.
I suspect street tires have better wet grip than wet track tires. I wonder if somebody did any testing of such scenario.
Krzys
A couple of thoughts:
First, that Hoosier wet tire IS a DOT tire.
Ya' see, some sanctioning bodies require certain classes to run street tires (with the thought that that will limit the amount of "cheating" done by tire manufacturers. Silly sanctioning bodies!)
Second, racing tires - even wet weather racing tires - have a heat problem - and that limits what tread compounds can be used. They can't use regular street compounds. Those run too hot at racing speeds.
Third, NHTSA (DOT) only requires that the UTQG rating not to over state the ability of the tire. They don't have to test then so long as they don't EXCEED the rating. So a 40 C A is such a low rating that almost any tire will pass that rating.
The fact that all Hoosier's tires offered thru Tire Rack have a 40 C A UTQG rating does NOT meaning they have the same tread compounds. It only means that Hoosier assigns those extremely low values in order to meets the Government regulations.
First, that Hoosier wet tire IS a DOT tire.
Ya' see, some sanctioning bodies require certain classes to run street tires (with the thought that that will limit the amount of "cheating" done by tire manufacturers. Silly sanctioning bodies!)
Second, racing tires - even wet weather racing tires - have a heat problem - and that limits what tread compounds can be used. They can't use regular street compounds. Those run too hot at racing speeds.
Third, NHTSA (DOT) only requires that the UTQG rating not to over state the ability of the tire. They don't have to test then so long as they don't EXCEED the rating. So a 40 C A is such a low rating that almost any tire will pass that rating.
The fact that all Hoosier's tires offered thru Tire Rack have a 40 C A UTQG rating does NOT meaning they have the same tread compounds. It only means that Hoosier assigns those extremely low values in order to meets the Government regulations.
My relatives in rainy Vancouver have found the best autocross street tire in the wet is the Continental ExtremeContact Sport. Better than the autocross 200TW cheater tires even! I had some BFG sportcomp2's with a AA traction rating as well and they have been the best wet grip tire I've used.
