I never had any problems with the OEM Michelin Pilot Sports on my Car. I replaced them at 37,000 miles with another set, so I was quite satisfied with there overall performance.
I used to commute 50 miles each way, and in the rain the car was quite stable.

I think a wider tire will give you a better contact patch, if its designed as a rain tire as well......the faster the tire can displace the water, the more efficient it will be........

Summer performance tires in general should have both excellent wet and dry performance characteristics, and are generally noisier than a conventional tire.........In winter/colder weather your SOL........

 

Wide tires are bad for the rain also. More prone to hydroplaning. I think a really wide rain tire probably wouldn't be putting that much tread on the road as there would have to be very wide blocks to help pump the water from under the tire.

 

I noticed a huge difference in the dsg3s vs my bfgoodrich kdw, but so far between the dsg3 and the t1r i have not noticed a difference.

-Sean

 

I know that wide tires are more prone to hydroplaning. If we could we would use bike tires, but that isnt very effective for every other function.

What i don't understand is porsches, for example, have extremely wide tires, but handle amazing in the rain. Even scca pro cars are running anywhere from 305-325 widths are have superb wet traction and handeling. How come they handle so well in the rain?

-Sean

 

MOST TIRES HAVE A BREAK IN PERIOD WHERE IT NEEDS TO SHED OFF CHEMICALS ON THE RUBBER. aFTER ABOUT 500 OR SO MILES YOUR TOYOS SHOULD PERFORM BETTER

 

wet setup has softer suspension settings.

 

Seems tire pressure plays a critical role as well............

Heres an article regarding wet performance on your tires..


click here

 

Yeah, i know this as well, but thats not that big of a factor. Like i said i haven't had a chance to really run the car in the rain with these tires. So far they are great, but haven't had a chance to run them yet.

I am just talking about any car in general. Not just tires - i want to know what the best suspension set up, tire pressure, and whatever else allows a car to perform in rain.

-Sean

 

Good peice of information here. My tires are actually perfectly inflated at 35 PSI - just checked.

-Sean

 

What tires are the Porsches / scca pro cars running? You will note that the race cars drive ALOT slower than normal.

Although I don't think you have this problem but if you run some serious camber in the rears, I believe it kills rain performance.

 

If you note, they never change any suspension geometry when they run in the rain....its always the tire changes that allow them to continue to run safely........
the compounds used in racing rain tires is quite soft....as a result running even in wet dry areas on a track will aid in the tires failure prematurely.....
The idea with a rain tire is an extremely soft flexible compound, that will not generate much heat as long as they are tracking on wet/rain soaked conditions......

 

I know most porsches come from the factory with michelin pilot sports.

Toyo is the tire sponcor of the scca - not sure of the exact model they run in the rain though...

-Sean

EDIT: looks like the toyo T1-S...for the scca rain tire

 

With the stock well worn Bridgestone all seasons my car definitely felt like it wanted to hydroplane in heavy rain at highway/freeway speeds. I just had to slow down a little to feel safe. I haven't been in the heavy rain yet with my Yokohama V4Ss but I expect that they'll be a lot better.

When the weather takes a turn for the worse it doesn't hurt to slow down and pay a little more attention. Those of us in Alberta who know this usually end up getting to point B. Those who don't often end up in the ditch.

 

A lot of you have good points. Their is no one tire that is perfect in the rain and at the same time perfect on dry pavement. You have to pick a tire that is closer to the center or a tire that performes the best on the surfice you want it to shine.

Someone posted a chart on here that showed which tire was the best on dry or wet.

 

i deal with the rain just about everyday I have toyo neo gen and cant complain one bit about them never felt unstable