Summer tyres good in the wet

[villar4sotrondio]

Hi to you all.

My summer tyres are AVON ZT5 (H speed rated) in 195/60/R15 size and of abysmal performance in the wet particularly when compared to my Semperit winter tyres. I don't want them any more even though they are still half worn and in excellent condition having never been abused.

Does anyone know of proper summer tyres able to perform in the wet suitable for these cars?

Is there VOLVO recommended tyres for these cars like in other premium brands?

Thank you.
Fernandez

[Bonefishblues]

Uniroyal Rainsport 3 does exactly what it says on the tin, to coin a phrase. Excellent tyres IME.

[villar4sotrondio]

Originally Posted by Bonefishblues

Uniroyal Rainsport 3 does exactly what it says on the tin, to coin a phrase. Excellent tyres IME.

Thanks.
Yes, that's one I have in mind. Uniroyal are experts in the field.
Have you used them for long?

Fernandez

[kenny]

I run on uniroyal rainsport 3 which are A rated for wet grip and they are fantastic, I get them from tyreleader in Germany, they don't list them in your size but they do one called rain expert. http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyre...-r15-88v-79935
The down side with with any make of tyres is with better grip is you lose some fuel efficiency and tread life but at £42 each delivered to your door they ain't expensive.

[Alex121]

+1 for uniroyal rainsports.

I've got rainsport 3s on the front and 2s on the rear and they're fantastic, so much grip and second to none in the wet.

[Bonefishblues]

Originally Posted by villar4sotrondio

Thanks.
Yes, that's one I have in mind. Uniroyal are experts in the field.
Have you used them for long?

Fernandez

Yes, had them on our previous Saab, and now on the S60. Also used their predecessor the 2. Recommended without hesitation, get'em bought!

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by villar4sotrondio

Hi to you all.

My summer tyres are AVON ZT5 (H speed rated) in 195/60/R15 size and of abysmal performance in the wet particularly when compared to my Semperit winter tyres. I don't want them any more even though they are still half worn and in excellent condition having never been abused.

Does anyone know of proper summer tyres able to perform in the wet suitable for these cars?

Is there VOLVO recommended tyres for these cars like in other premium brands?

Thank you.
Fernandez

The Volvo dealers in Germany use the tyres with the lowest combined wet and dry braking performance figures across their range of different cars.
For summer tyres that is a top of the range Continental (Stamped made in Germany only), although there is no real difference to the top of the range Dunlop tyres that the Merc dealers use. They do use Michellin tyres for their SUV's as do the Merc dealers.

If you use all weather tyres in the UK, take a real good look at the top of the range Goodyear tyres, as Goodyear seem to be producing the best performance all season tyres.

I bought new summer tyres in 2014, but I could not find any certified test data for the exact tyre size, so just use this report plus one other I can't find:
https://www.adac.de/infotestrat/test...cePageId=31821

This is another good report:
http://www.tyrepress.com/2015/02/pre...-counterparts/
(Click on the table for a better view)

That report listed Dunlop Sport Blu Response as equal top performer with the Goodyear tyre. Duns were cheaper than Goodyear or Contis, so that was the decider.
They are incredible in the wet and in combination with new Bosch factory recon calipers on the rear, stopped the car so quickly I found it difficult to test the ABS pulse rate because the car stopped before I could even get full pressure on the pedal!

I don't trust non German reports, as the Germans take braking distance performance very seriously, because it makes a big difference at very high autobahn speeds.

[baldmosher]

Another one here with Rainsport 3 on the front. I've found them excellent wet and dry, but haven't really pushed them too hard yet.

Previously had Toyo Proxes TR-1, also great when driven hard, but VERY soft and wore out the shoulders in about 15 months. Not amazing grip in the wet but aquaplaning became a thing of the past after my previous budget tyres.

[GP1]

Originally Posted by baldmosher

Previously had Toyo Proxes TR-1, also great when driven hard, but VERY soft and wore out the shoulders in about 15 months. Not amazing grip in the wet but aquaplaning became a thing of the past after my previous budget tyres.

Due to the poor tread design the T1R is awful for aquaplaning, hence they changed their block design..

[baldmosher]

Well, I drove through a 2" deep puddle at 90mph* in monsoon rain on the M56 a couple of years ago as if it wasn't there, I braced myself for some scary steering and it didn't happen, so I certainly don't find that observation bears out in reality for me, at least.

Albeit this was with brand new TR-1 tyres all round, so maybe as they thin out, wet performance gets worse? I didn't notice anyway, the shoulders wore down to bald before I got down to 4mm in the middle.

That said, I'm quite sure I read that they are designed more to be track/summer sport tyres so I wouldn't be recommending them again for general use. Rainsport 3 are just as grippy in the dry, probably better in the wet, but moreover, they tend to be cheaper too.

*there is no proof of this speed, officer, and as my speedo was over-reading at the time, I can't be totally accurate, so let's say 70mph for argument's sake