What wet tyres do you use?

Rosco · Post by **Rosco** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:53 pm

A bit stuck as to what to go for here for my mag alloys. I've been recommended Toyo T1R's and Hankook RS2's, but obviously would like to hear what you guys use. Is there any actual wet circuit tyres available in these sizes?

Any help appreciated!

Steve

Post by **Bruce Fielding** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:05 pm

If you want wets for the track, you need 15s all round. Then you can use Avons, like crates do. Get another pair of 15" mags, or almost as light, get a set of Team Dynamics...

Rosco · Post by **Rosco** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:13 pm

A bt late for 15's, I've got another set of mag alloys arriving tomorrow. So what tyres do you find work well?

Post by **Bruce Fielding** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:28 pm

[quote="Rosco"]
A bt late for 15's, I've got another set of mag alloys arriving tomorrow. So what tyres do you find work well?
[/quote]

Seriously, nothing 16" works very well on track...

Avon CR500s are the only way to go with a car as light as an Atom.

It's fun trying other tyres, though...

I've used four other tyres - Michelin Pilot Sports, Dunlop something or others (SP 9000 I think), Bridgestone somethings and something else I can't remember. All are built for wet weather on heavier vehicles, so they don't work on Atoms. All are better than dry trackday tyres, but nothing really works to get you around a circuit quickly - sideways, yes, but quickly, no....

Rosco · Post by **Rosco** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:33 pm

Wow, I am shocked to hear CR500's. These were the control tyres for the Caterham Superlight series and were quite literally diabolical, I kid you not. Good dry tyres, but terrible in heavy rain. At Rockingham, VW Golfs were lapping us in qualifying, then the next day in the dry, we were leaving them for dead, that's how little grip we had with those tyres. Are you sure?

RichardR · Post by **RichardR** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:25 am

I'm going to try Hankook RS2s on my spare rims.

I've tracked them on my Mini Works in atrocious rain and they were great.

They're a track compound (like the R888, A048) but with much more tread. The Toyo T1Rs are more performance road tyres and IMO much too hard for an Atom.

Rich

Post by **Alec** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:16 am

[quote="RichardR"]

They're a track compound (like the R888, A048) but with much more tread. The Toyo T1Rs are more performance road tyres and IMO much too hard for an Atom.

[/quote]

I thought that my original Toyo T1Rs were good in the wet when I first got the Atom and was going to put them on again for the wet/winter after I'd tried the Yoko A048s, which I didn't like one bit in the wet.

However, after I had put Toyo R888s on, I did change back to the T1Rs but, because I found that they didn't give as much grip or confidence in the wet as the R888s I soon changed back again.

I've driven a lot in the rain with the R888s, both on the road and on the track, and I find them a very good all round tyre.

The last time I was at Aintree my lap times weren't much slower in the wet during the last couple of sessions when it rained. The only other cars to go out with me in the rain were a Caterham and a Formula Ford, both on full wets, and neither kept up with me.

RichardR · Post by **RichardR** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:23 am

I think the consensus is that R888/A048s will still give the best grip in the wet - as long as there's not too much standing water for them to shift with the meager tread. When that happens they'll be undriveable.

Rosco · Post by **Rosco** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 6:05 am

Looks like it might have to be R888's then. At least if it's dry and my other tyres give way, I can use these too I suppose.

Bruce - Another pointer about the Avon's, last time I was at Brands GP in my Caterham, I met up with an Atom 300 (running what he called wet tyres) and he absolutely annihilated me around any corners. When it dried out later in the day, he couldn't stay with me, apart from of course the straights

Post by **Bruce Fielding** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 7:50 am

Track driving and car/tyre performance is no indicator of the real world. Talent has a lot to do with it, too. I would always want to know whether someone could actually Drive (with a capital D) before taking a view on how seriously I treated the data. The guy in front of you might just have been more comfortable on one surface, or just not as good a driver as you...

Rosco · Post by **Rosco** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 7:58 am

Totally agee with you, as many people I competed with that were brillaint in the dry, weren't nearly so good in the wet as they just could not be smooth enough and were not going off line either. I went out with the chap in the Atom and I can assure you, he was not smooth in the slightest and if he was driivng my Caterham, he'd have span many a time.
I qualified 6th out of 24 in the wet that day, so I don't think I am too shabby

Maybe CR500's work for you and Atom's, but they don't for Caterhams and understeer really badly. They have more weight over the front wheels obviously, but in my mind, that should aid grip.

Post by **Hedge** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:45 am

Where do you live, Rosco? (before the Avatar police get on your case

)

Cheers, Hedge

MonsieurX · Post by **MonsieurX** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:54 am

Hasn't anyone tried snow tires?

I use Pirellis Zero Sottos and they do grip really well under any conditions...

Not sure on an Atom but worth trying...

Post by **Bruce Fielding** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:06 am

[quote="Hedge"]
Where do you live, Rosco? (before the Avatar police get on your case

)

Cheers, Hedge
[/quote]

According to his profile, on a small Island in the English Channel

Rosco · Post by **Rosco** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:34 am

In that little old Isle of Wight!

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