Tyres for the winter/wets

[Boogie 20]

Hi chaps,

just after people’s thoughts on winter tyres. I’m running 185/60/13 and 205/60/13 yoko A048’s and I have a spare set of wheels with the same tyres for the track (as there’s little tread). I’m toying with getting a cheap set of wheels off to use during the winter and possibly as wets when i get do a track day. 

Do I stick with 13’s and it’s Toyo proxes CF2’s, yoko A539 or falken ZE914 in 185/60/13 or do I go up to 14 or 15’s where I can get uniroyal rainsport 3’s in a 195 or continentals. I don’t want to spend a lot 

[AdamR 1,899]

185/70/13 Rain Experts work well for me at ~£160 a set. Lot of fun in the dry too!

[Boogie 20]

I’m leaning more towards 15’s and going with either rainsport 3’s (£160 for 4) or Michelin pilot sport 3’s (£200 for 4). I did look at toyo’s But they don’t get the best reviews. I have been quote £330 fitted, for a set of yoko AD08RS but that’s a bit more than I wanted to spend and they are only  B rated for the wet.

The tyres will be used for 70% road and 30% track

[Steve (sdh2903) 2,179]

There’s a guy on eBay who sells the ps3s for about 120 a set. Think he gets them from a race series and they are usually 7mm minimum but obviously show signs of wear. I’ve had a few sets off him and they are very good tyres.

[Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO 3,114]

5 minutes ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

There’s a guy on eBay who sells the ps3s for about 120 a set. Think he gets them from a race series and they are usually 7mm minimum but obviously show signs of wear. I’ve had a few sets off him and they are very good tyres.

I've had them on an Impreza. How are they on a kit car, Steve? I'm currently running T1R's in the winter and don't want them again!

[Steve (sdh2903) 2,179]

Better than T1rs but then most tyres are!!

 

i had them on my 1st kit which was a bec and they were fine. A good all round tyre, couldn’t fault them, I’ve gone back to them for this build as well. I couldn’t take the weather anxiety of R888rs living up here, and r1rs are getting scarce. Plus at 120 quid a set they are cheap as chips.

 

a few people now have mentioned how good the rain sports are as well though.

[Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO 3,302]

1 hour ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

There’s a guy on eBay who sells the ps3s for about 120 a set. Think he gets them from a race series and they are usually 7mm minimum but obviously show signs of wear. I’ve had a few sets off him and they are very good tyres.

Yes I got a set of those when I first built the car. Bargain. 
 

Never really tried them in anger as I managed to get a set of R1Rs and sold the PS3s on. They seemed perfectly fine from memory. 

[maurici 668]

11 hours ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

 I couldn’t take the weather anxiety of R888rs living up here, 

Why is people so scared with r888??

 

For wet and damp is one of the best roadlegal tyres you will EVER find. They work SO MUCH BETTER  from the box even in wet and freezing conditions than a normal sportish tyre...

Particularly on a 600kg car.

 

The only point where r888 will flaw is with floded roads, or BIG puddles where they will struggle to evacuate water due they lack of tread...(and you should not be driving a kit car under this conditions anyway regardless of the tyres) but elsewhere is the best money can buy.

 

It was my only tyre when sprinting in 2B and my best performances (a few of them) have been in the wet because the tyre is soo good...

 

I really dont get it. 

(And its been my road tyre forever... in vx220, in clios, in sevens and in MX5)...

 

[Steve (sdh2903) 2,179]

I found they were great in the dry but only once you got them a bit warm. Which was even more tricky in the wet in a light ish car. In fact in the sport 250 in heavy rain they couldn't cope at all. After swapping to r1r the car was at least 50-70% more drive able in the wet although dry grip was obviously reduced. But living in the west of scotland plan for rain!

 

This is the r888r and not the 888 as I have no experience of those. 

 

Tyres are horses for courses, everyone has their own preferences.

[Steve (sdh2903) 2,179]

36 minutes ago, maurici said:

(and you should not be driving a kit car under this conditions anyway regardless of the tyres)

 

So what do you do when your 100 miles from home and its starts hammering down? Park up and wait for better weather 

[maurici 668]

33 minutes ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

 

So what do you do when your 100 miles from home and its starts hammering down? Park up and wait for better weather 

100 miles from home... stop in the side or the road, and burn the car to keep yourself warm sounds by far like a better idea than driving it back home under an scottish storm. 🤣🤣🤣

 

Seriously tho... never had the feel of needing anything else on the road. As you say... race horses are.

[SootySport 904]

Don't go to Scotland, too wet and cold up there .

[Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO 3,114]

12 hours ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

There’s a guy on eBay who sells the ps3s for about 120 a set. Think he gets them from a race series and they are usually 7mm minimum but obviously show signs of wear. I’ve had a few sets off him and they are very good tyres.

It's this fella, I met him last weekend. Nice chap: https://www.facebook.com/lee.bennett.528

 

 

[Steve (sdh2903) 2,179]

10 hours ago, maurici said:

and burn the car to keep yourself warm sounds by far like a better idea than driving it back home under an scottish storm. 🤣🤣🤣

 

 I can just imagine the insurance claim now. So how did the fire start sir? Well. It started raining and...........

[Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO 3,302]

11 hours ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

 

So what do you do when your 100 miles from home and its starts hammering down? Park up and wait for better weather 

Or 1500 miles from home on an Austrian autobahn with 3” of standing water to drive through! 🤣