Wet traction tire recommendations?
 

I really like the way my SVX drives and handles... except when it's raining. Today it almost swapped ends with me in a light drizzle on a curvy road with which I'm very familiar; just snapped out and caught me completely off-guard. Anyway, I'll be needing new tires before long and would appreciate recommendations for a good, wet traction tire to replace my Bridgestone Potenzas. I've been satisfied with the ride, handling, and treadwear of the Bridgestones, but they just don't seem to like water.

Thanks.
dcb

That sucks my potenza do well until it gets deep.

Decarrb,

Please state if your SVX is AWD of FWD.
Also, which Potenzas do you have (RE-?);and do you have stock tire size?

Potenza RE-910
P225/50R16, on stock wheels
AWD

dcb

Ditto except I got the RE950's

I really liked how my Yokohama db's did in the wet but now that they're almost worn they are just like any other tire. I'd go for any performance tire with a directional "V" pattern and/or water channels.

I had the Dunlop Asymmetrical (5000, I think), they were good in water but potholes destroyed them. I now have Avon M550 A/S and they are very good wet and dry and are pretty quiet. They roar like crazy on the macadam roads of the south (what tire doesn't?) but on recently paved roads they are dead silent. It was odd that when I first put them on they seemed sluggish but that disappeared after a few weeks. I can corner as hard as I want and they don't make a peep, something many tires don't seem able to duplicate. I bought them around the first of the year and they aren't showing any signs of edge wearing, something that was troublesome for me with both the Bridgestones and Dunlops. Trust me, it was more a driving style issue rather than an alignment issue. It just seems the Avons are dealing with that where the others didn't. I had bought the asymmetricals because I thought the closed shoulders would wear better but they didn't.

Best tire I have had in the rain was the yoko avs db.

Dry traction ain't exactly great though.

I've had both the Yoko AVS dBs on my '92 AWD SVX, the original and the S2 are both very good in the rain. The originals were alot quieter, but the S2's are much better in the snow.

I also have the Dunlop S-5000 AS (assymetrical) on my '97 (same tire size as the stock '92). The DUnlops are equal to both Yokos in the rain and closer to the S2's in snow. They are just a little nosier than the S2s.


The rear end should NOT trade places with the front even if you're having fun on a curvy road. A light rain can sometimes bring oil which has been imbedded in the road to the surface (oil floats on water). If this happens alot in rain on different roads it is not oil. Is you tire pressures set with approx. 5 psig more in front than in back? Is your AWD clutch pack smooth or herky jerky in its action? How are the struts?
All these things can affect the cars attitude and grip in a turn.

I'm sorry but you won't like this last statement.
The last thing is that you were going way, way too fast for the conditions and not using the gas/brakes properly for an AWD car.

No worries; you may be right (about the speed). That little adventure played over and over through my mind last night and I came to the conclusion that there had to be oil on the road, either from a spill or due to the fact that this was our first rain in a couple of weeks, and it for whatever reason made that stretch especially greasy. I was not pushing the car or goofing-off at all; just going back to the office after lunch, on "auto-pilot," so to speak, when suddenly I sensed the back end wanting to come around. (Never touched the brake until I got it straightened-out.) That's what was so disconcerting. I've been driving for 30 years, and this felt exactly like a winter-precip moment.

Checked tire pressures Saturday; I keep all four slightly above Suby spec. (And while well past their prime, they're far from bald.) No misbehavior of which I'm aware from the AWD or struts. On an overall aggressive driving scale of 1-5, every once in a while I might rate a 3.

Regardless, the Bridgestones have never instilled confidence in rainy weather, and yesterday's incident just prompted me to think, hmm... maybe the time for new tires is nearer than I realized. Thanks for the feedback.

dcb