As my recent excursion into the hedge has got me thinking, (over and over) what went wrong I was wondering about a good tyre that will be superb in the dry but able to cope with a sudden bit of wet, under a tree, for example

I have searched and the R888's get a good deal of recommendation but I don't understand the vast amount of different types.

Can anyone advise please?

Cheers,
Steve

R888's are road legal but they border on nearly being a slick.

That is what iwas trying to allude to in your frst post.

In the dry they will be superb unitl they break away by which time you are probably beyond the limit, in the wet i can only guess you have to tip toe along....

I would think that other speed rated tyres with more tread would be a good all round bet.

What were you running on when your accident happened?

They are available with different compunds. I believe 9/10 suppilers only sell the compound suitable for our needs (soft, not super soft). Can't comment as to how they perfrom, as so far my tyres have only rolled the chassis out of the garage and back in again!

Out of curiosity, what brand/model/size of tyre were you using when the car went?

Ive got R888 on mine that MNR supplied, but i havent yet teken it out on the road.

Looking at the compound, and makeup of the tyre im unsure if i would be keen on pushing them on a wet road, and i was thinking about getting another set of wheels with some tyres more suited to wet weather.

On my 200sx when i had it i was running Goodyear Eagle F1, which werent as soft, and had a little more pattern to them, in the wet they were a bit slippery, but great in the dry

quote:

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Originally posted by Flamez
R888's are road legal but they border on nearly being a slick.

That is what iwas trying to allude to in your frst post.

In the dry they will be superb unitl they break away by which time you are probably beyond the limit, in the wet i can only guess you have to tip toe along....

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You could try what I did a year or two back on my CBR400RR bike. Be a tite a$$

Ask the tyre shop to fit a rear tyre that will last rather than have grip.

Then commute in all weathers.

In no time at all you will know what wet diesel covered roads are all about.

You'll learn quick.

Plus there will never be a safe tyre for our roads. you just have treat them with care.

I know how easy it is to get carried away even if it's wet/damp.

Martin

Proxes own warning on R888's

quote:

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Caution: Careful attention is required in wet conditions due to limited aquaplaning capabilities

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Bit of background, the tyres (205/50/15's) I have on are just the cheap sh1t things that came with the wheels from Halfords.

On the day I stuffed it, it had been wet but the sun was out and the roads dry, coming over a little rise there was a damp patch where water runs over the road and it was only a slight twitch that pitched me on to the grass and that was that.

All I was thinking was a decent tyre may have hung on a tad better, coping a little better with the change in conditions, even if I sh1t me pants, but without crashing!



[Edited on 19/8/08 by coozer]

The roads around me are often Dry but have patches of water draining across them from the fields. Thats why I chose a trye capable of dealing with pools of standing water. The R88 my be better in the dry and as good in the Damp but will aquaplane in standing water.

It does help to know where the very wet patches will be and to drive with that in mind.

Paul

Steve, so sorry to hear about this.

As far as tyres if your after advice speak to the owner at C&S tyres at Boro. He races a couple of vehicles and is a motorsport stockist.
He did me a cracking deal on R888's fitted but did advise on the Proxes T1R - and also a good all round Yoko which were both cheaper than the R888's..

The last couple of years I've been driving on r888s in all weathers and they are fine so long as you drive appropriately. Large areas of standing water is where they perform the worst so I tend to avoid dual carriage ways and motorways in heavy rain.

I don't really need the grip performance from them on the road so I have another set of alloys I'll fit Toyo CF1s or similar to commute on.

I have Kuhmo's (Spelling??) they came with the wheels (From Halfords), and there wasnt any option.

They seem OK in the dry, and in the wet, with the V8, they are decidecly CRAP!.

Even when there are damp patches, I tend to drive more slowly. Its all too easy to get caught out.

Most of us are average drivers, some of us are better than that. However, the conditions on the roads will catch out even the best of us.
The roads are too unpredicatable with damp patches, oil and diesel spills anywhere and everywhere.


All I can say is:

Drive within your capabilities, as you life may well depend on it.

Worse still is living in a wheelchair. My father was confined to a wheelchair from when I was about 7 years old (Multiple Sclerosis - No fault of his own).
So I have first hand knowlege on how a serious disability puts a blight on your life and curbs a lot of the things you want to or can do.

Just dont take chances. By all means have fun, but be sensible when you are doing it.

R888 tyres have too little tread cut in them for my liking on wet roads. That's why I went for T1s. I don't like these much though. At track speeds when I get a bit of heat in them they're good but they're a lot less grippy when cold and on the road they don't heat up too much on such a light car. My wheels came with Pirelli P6000 tyres which were better than the T1s despite looking pretty ordinary.

I've got R888's on13"CRX rims. They stick like the proverbial in the dry. First run out was in the wet at Anglesey track and surprised me with the amount of grip they gave. Never had any problem turning in and only lit up on the exit when I gave it too much gas. I came back from Peterborough in the wet as well and had no problems. Just drove according to the conditions (which was still quick);just short shift and treat the loud pedal gently, brake early and give the car time to settle before turning in.

I have a set of 15" with Bridgestone Potenza's and found these to grip about the same in the wet (probably better on standing water) but nothing like as well in the dry. The result is you don't have to adapt to the conditions as much; just be cautious all the time.

Find the limits on the track and know the limits on the roads!

adrian

Thanks guys, I did do a track day on the current tyres and they were OK in the dry. Pushed them quite hard and they got pretty warm and rubber rolled up on the edges.

I was just suprised how easy they let go when it was wet/damp, only thing to note probably is that it slides a little on roundabouts when on the load peddle but thats what i'd expect from RWD.

Just like to add I appreciate all the comments about taking it easy but I was not going fast or pushing it when the off occurred.. Crash speed was probably around 30mph, the big ditch making it 100% worse!

Cheers,
Steve

Sound advise Adrian. I have just put 888's on my MK and they are excellent in the dry. I would never push my car in the wet on public roads and try to avoid wet weather driving at all costs. So the question really isnt what is the best tyre but how best to suit you driving style to the conditions


Paul

Coozer - do you have any previous experience of quick RWD cars?

I have:

Yokohama A048's on an Elise and love them, I also have the R888's for dry days on the 7 and T1-R for wet days

I'm really liking the look of these though - Toyo Proxes R1R here

They apparently are a cross between R888 and T1-S which would seem a really nice blend for a 7. I'm definitely going to get a set when my T1-R's wear out.

Coozer - most accidents happen at LOW speeds (dont listen to the police!) its when you LEAST expect it to happen it happens. I'd probably find a big carpark or tarmac area you can goto in the wet and practice - that's what I've been doing (cant afford skidpan lessons) - once you know how YOUR car is going to react it makes 'saving' it next time much easier.

Don't get too disheartend though - look at how many MASSA swapped ends at Silverstone


[Edited on 19/8/08 by muzchap]

Something like an Avon ZZ3 would make a huge amount of difference. I can't remember the numbers but I drove a car on the precursor to the ZZ3 and it was excellent in the wet or dry. The only scary bits were driver error!!!

rubber fetish....

quote:

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Originally posted by Davey D
Coozer - do you have any previous experience of quick RWD cars?

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Sorry Steve, I didnt mean to question your driving altough having re-read it thats the way it sounded. Was just meant to be a general warning/observation.

Pretty sure having said that, that I'm probably going to be "Cutting grass" soon!

adrian

quote:

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Originally posted by adithorp
Sorry Steve, I didnt mean to question your driving altough having re-read it thats the way it sounded. Was just meant to be a general warning/observation.

Pretty sure having said that, that I'm probably going to be "Cutting grass" soon!

adrian

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At least your not sounding like throwing the towel in now...I hope!

adrian

Im running yokohama A539 and in the dry and various wet conditions have stuck to the road even when i thought it was going to break away so i will be keeping these

quote:

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Originally posted by DRC INDY 7
Im running yokohama A539 and in the dry and various wet conditions have stuck to the road even when i thought it was going to break away so i will be keeping these

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Steve, I doubt that any tyre would have behaved sufficiently differently to allow you to have caught that spin.

I've used the 14" R888's on my Indy for the last 2 1/2 years, wet or dry, and even on one occasion in 3" of snow! They have been brilliant on the road, only ever "going off" when on the trackday at Teesside.

However I haven't had the chance to try a back to back comparison with other tyres.

I have now bought a set of 13" wheels, and need to decide what to shoe them in. It's coming down to Yoko A048's / Yoko A539's or another set of R888's.

The only slight thing I would have said, and it's been said before, fit 13" wheels rather than the larger sizes. If 13" is good enough for Caterham / Westfield and the Locost Racers, then it's good enough for me.

Cheers

Mike


P.S. I had a set of the Avon ZZ3's on my E39 BMW 540i V8 and it was almost un-drivable in the wet, with drifting round diesel soaked roundabouts almost compulsory. Combine that to the fact that a set of 4 only lasted me 6,000 miles and I wouldn't use them again!