1b tyres for wet weather

[S2T]

Up till now I have been using the 'old style' 888 in SG compound which seem to be OK when the track is wet. However when we come to deluge conditions I was wondering how the Rainsport 3's are for a light car. Certainly some of my rivals in tin tops rate them but their cars are significantly heavier, so would welcome opinions/experiences and whether there are other tyres to consider for either 13 or 15" rims

[Simon_Jones]

I bought a new set of 215, 13" Avon ZZS this year and have used the car for sprint/hillclimbs (a couple of class wins at Castle Combe and Abingdon in coolish or damp conditions) plus track days.  I had a set of ZZS 3 years ago and although they were OK the new set seem much better and I'm sure the compound is different - not just because they are newer. 

 

I did a track day at Abingdon a month ago in deluge conditions.  It was so bad that they closed the track after the sighting laps and I was aquaplaning at 40-50mph.  However, once they reopened the tyres felt good in very wet conditions with lots of standing water and I was significantly quicker than other cars (as per dry conditions).  Here is a video from another car on the day - I come past on the last lap.  

 

[maurici]

I'm comming to state the obvious:

 

Setup in the car is much more important than the tyres you use in wet as long as they are not fully slick (and even so...).

 

In my old, soft  and nice to drive former car... Using TOYOs in wet conditions, I was in a regular basis faster than sprint dedicated cars with proper wet Avon’s.

 

None of my competitors giving it a go with road-ish- tyres was anywhere near to me, Even with apocalyptic conditions in MIRA where the waves generated by my car approaching the final turn were higher than my roll cage.

 

However, right now with a stiffer setup, the car is undriveable to the point to pack up and go home if some drops of rain are appearing during the timed runs.

 

In my opinion, if you are driving to a point where toyos 888 can’t cope with the rain, you should not be playing with you luck on the track.

If you are still looking for something better than 888 in wets, I would not go for any road tires in such a light car, and will try the Toyos R1R if they are still available.

[AdamR]

As Maurici, had good results with soft 888s in the wet, faster than many 'dedicated' sprint cars on 'proper' wets. Perhaps driver skill / seat time is the key

[Onliest Smeg David]

R1Rs excellent in wet. I've just managed to get hands on a new set 😁

So there are a few about if you hunt high n low!

[Mighty Mart]

Nowhere near knowledgeable enough to recommend tyres but wouldn't staying away from very wide tyres help with grip in the wet also....really wide tyres will aqua plane a lot easier than narrower ones?

Mart.

[AdamR]

If very wet, yes. And narrower tyres will heat up faster.

[Terry Everall]

Avon turbospeed CR28 used to be a great wet tyre. Think they were 185 wide

[AdamR]

Wow, can't believe that's a 1b tyre! Far too good in the wet 😆

[Terry Everall]

I think its a 1B not 1C but I have not checked

[S2T]

Terry 1b for pre 1/10/90 cars, funnily enough was offered a set on rims earlier in the week

[AdamR]

4 hours ago, Terry Everall - WSCC Competition Secretary said:

I think its a 1B not 1C but I have not checked

I did and they are 1b, according to Avon anyway. They've gotta be the best option I'd have thought.