Uniroyal Rainsport 3 -Verdict?
Discussion
A bloody brilliant tyre. When it comes to tyres I am very very fussy, I have tried the usual high end brands and models such as the good year eagle F1's, michelins HP Primacy 3's etc etc and I went out on a limb to try out these RS 3's (20 inch alloys) and I can tell you I was bloody impressed.
In the dry they are probably good as or just below the high end brand but my goodness in the rain these will wipe and i mean wipe the floor of any tyre!
In a once skitsh car is now a planted demon horse in the rain. I had the pleasure of testing these in the rain extensively for over 2 hours and they honestly were a shock at how good they were. The rain when testing them for was so bad that you could hardly see the motorway from the rain that was covering everything - most cars were only doing 35-40mph and on my 150 mile trip I seen two accdients which looked like they aquaplaned and went off into the barriers. Me on the other hand was comfortably and I mean comfortably doing 70mph give or take, mostly take.....
These tyres were so predicatable, never once did I feel scared or worried in heavy spots/puddles/patches of rain that were in front of me, hell I became so confident I was looking for the water and they never let me down at all.
Even when the rain was shockingly heavy and I mean shockingly heavy the tyres still cut through it without issues and very predictably (again a very key thing) but I could hear the water being pushed out like pressure washer.
I am a total convert - will never have anything else on the front wheels of my cars. EVER!
In the dry they are probably good as or just below the high end brand but my goodness in the rain these will wipe and i mean wipe the floor of any tyre!
In a once skitsh car is now a planted demon horse in the rain. I had the pleasure of testing these in the rain extensively for over 2 hours and they honestly were a shock at how good they were. The rain when testing them for was so bad that you could hardly see the motorway from the rain that was covering everything - most cars were only doing 35-40mph and on my 150 mile trip I seen two accdients which looked like they aquaplaned and went off into the barriers. Me on the other hand was comfortably and I mean comfortably doing 70mph give or take, mostly take.....
These tyres were so predicatable, never once did I feel scared or worried in heavy spots/puddles/patches of rain that were in front of me, hell I became so confident I was looking for the water and they never let me down at all.
Even when the rain was shockingly heavy and I mean shockingly heavy the tyres still cut through it without issues and very predictably (again a very key thing) but I could hear the water being pushed out like pressure washer.
I am a total convert - will never have anything else on the front wheels of my cars. EVER!
IATM said:
A bloody brilliant tyre. When it comes to tyres I am very very fussy, I have tried the usual high end brands and models such as the good year eagle F1's, michelins HP Primacy 3's etc etc and I went out on a limb to try out these RS 3's (20 inch alloys) and I can tell you I was bloody impressed.
In the dry they are probably good as or just below the high end brand but my goodness in the rain these will wipe and i mean wipe the floor of any tyre!
In a once skitsh car is now a planted demon horse in the rain. I had the pleasure of testing these in the rain extensively for over 2 hours and they honestly were a shock at how good they were. The rain when testing them for was so bad that you could hardly see the motorway from the rain that was covering everything - most cars were only doing 35-40mph and on my 150 mile trip I seen two accdients which looked like they aquaplaned and went off into the barriers. Me on the other hand was comfortably and I mean comfortably doing 70mph give or take, mostly take.....
These tyres were so predicatable, never once did I feel scared or worried in heavy spots/puddles/patches of rain that were in front of me, hell I became so confident I was looking for the water and they never let me down at all.
Even when the rain was shockingly heavy and I mean shockingly heavy the tyres still cut through it without issues and very predictably (again a very key thing) but I could hear the water being pushed out like pressure washer.
I am a total convert - will never have anything else on the front wheels of my cars. EVER!
Don't forget the rears. Pushing the limits on a very wet motorway runs a high risk of a high speed oversteer/ditch/barrier type incident imho., especially if the amount of grip at the front is substantially higher.In the dry they are probably good as or just below the high end brand but my goodness in the rain these will wipe and i mean wipe the floor of any tyre!
In a once skitsh car is now a planted demon horse in the rain. I had the pleasure of testing these in the rain extensively for over 2 hours and they honestly were a shock at how good they were. The rain when testing them for was so bad that you could hardly see the motorway from the rain that was covering everything - most cars were only doing 35-40mph and on my 150 mile trip I seen two accdients which looked like they aquaplaned and went off into the barriers. Me on the other hand was comfortably and I mean comfortably doing 70mph give or take, mostly take.....
These tyres were so predicatable, never once did I feel scared or worried in heavy spots/puddles/patches of rain that were in front of me, hell I became so confident I was looking for the water and they never let me down at all.
Even when the rain was shockingly heavy and I mean shockingly heavy the tyres still cut through it without issues and very predictably (again a very key thing) but I could hear the water being pushed out like pressure washer.
I am a total convert - will never have anything else on the front wheels of my cars. EVER!
Although I try to avoid taking the car out in the rain if I can,I posted not long ago that I had put two RS3's on the rear of mine.
I have covered 1500 miles on them now and am very happy,when the two fronts need replacing then RS3's it will be.
I was caught out on Saturday leaving the house roof off but 20 mins later it started to rain quite heavy. It was 80% city driving with lots of turns and roundabouts and not once did it try to let go on me which it has done before on a damp surface using Toyo's.
They get the
from me.
I have covered 1500 miles on them now and am very happy,when the two fronts need replacing then RS3's it will be.
I was caught out on Saturday leaving the house roof off but 20 mins later it started to rain quite heavy. It was 80% city driving with lots of turns and roundabouts and not once did it try to let go on me which it has done before on a damp surface using Toyo's.
They get the
from me.TVRJAS said:
I was caught out on Saturday leaving the house roof off but 20 mins later it started to rain quite heavy. It was 80% city driving with lots of turns and roundabouts and not once did it try to let go on me which it has done before on a damp surface using Toyo's.
They get the from me.
I think you've more to worry about than tyres.They get the
from me.PositronicRay said:
TVRJAS said:
I was caught out on Saturday leaving the house roof off but 20 mins later it started to rain quite heavy. It was 80% city driving with lots of turns and roundabouts and not once did it try to let go on me which it has done before on a damp surface using Toyo's.
They get the from me.
I think you've more to worry about than tyres.They get the
from me.
PositronicRay said:
TVRJAS said:
I was caught out on Saturday leaving the house roof off but 20 mins later it started to rain quite heavy.
from me.
I think you've more to worry about than tyres. from me.
I know us TVR drivers are quite hardened to driving in sub zero temperatures with the roof off but heavy rain is a 
I was meeting a fellow TVR owner and 3-5 mins from his house big black skies were overhead,made it in time to his house to get the roof on before the downfall
TVRJAS said:
PositronicRay said:
TVRJAS said:
I was caught out on Saturday leaving the house roof off but 20 mins later it started to rain quite heavy.
from me.
I think you've more to worry about than tyres. from me. I know us TVR drivers are quite hardened to driving in sub zero temperatures with the roof off but heavy rain is a I was meeting a fellow TVR owner and 3-5 mins from his house big black skies were overhead,made it in time to his house to get the roof on before the downfall
I have had a set of RS3s on the back of my BMW E46 330i...I bought them approx 1yr ago and they were totally shot after <12k miles. The previous (and now current) Hankook K112 Evo 2s lasted at least half as long again and are equally as good in the wet and slightly better in the dry.
Cost is about the same in 225/45/17
Cost is about the same in 225/45/17
If I am then send it my way
I presumed he meant roof off in heavy rain is what I should worry about. I won't loose sleep either way
Not doing to bad.... it will be my first parrot.. But if you can explain what I'm missing then I'm all
But so we don't go off topic.. Rainsports 3's great tyre
I presumed he meant roof off in heavy rain is what I should worry about. I won't loose sleep either way
Not doing to bad.... it will be my first parrot.. But if you can explain what I'm missing then I'm all
But so we don't go off topic.. Rainsports 3's great tyre
Turkey said:
IATM said:
A bloody brilliant tyre. When it comes to tyres I am very very fussy, I have tried the usual high end brands and models such as the good year eagle F1's, michelins HP Primacy 3's etc etc and I went out on a limb to try out these RS 3's (20 inch alloys) and I can tell you I was bloody impressed.
In the dry they are probably good as or just below the high end brand but my goodness in the rain these will wipe and i mean wipe the floor of any tyre!
In a once skitsh car is now a planted demon horse in the rain. I had the pleasure of testing these in the rain extensively for over 2 hours and they honestly were a shock at how good they were. The rain when testing them for was so bad that you could hardly see the motorway from the rain that was covering everything - most cars were only doing 35-40mph and on my 150 mile trip I seen two accdients which looked like they aquaplaned and went off into the barriers. Me on the other hand was comfortably and I mean comfortably doing 70mph give or take, mostly take.....
These tyres were so predicatable, never once did I feel scared or worried in heavy spots/puddles/patches of rain that were in front of me, hell I became so confident I was looking for the water and they never let me down at all.
Even when the rain was shockingly heavy and I mean shockingly heavy the tyres still cut through it without issues and very predictably (again a very key thing) but I could hear the water being pushed out like pressure washer.
I am a total convert - will never have anything else on the front wheels of my cars. EVER!
Don't forget the rears. Pushing the limits on a very wet motorway runs a high risk of a high speed oversteer/ditch/barrier type incident imho., especially if the amount of grip at the front is substantially higher.In the dry they are probably good as or just below the high end brand but my goodness in the rain these will wipe and i mean wipe the floor of any tyre!
In a once skitsh car is now a planted demon horse in the rain. I had the pleasure of testing these in the rain extensively for over 2 hours and they honestly were a shock at how good they were. The rain when testing them for was so bad that you could hardly see the motorway from the rain that was covering everything - most cars were only doing 35-40mph and on my 150 mile trip I seen two accdients which looked like they aquaplaned and went off into the barriers. Me on the other hand was comfortably and I mean comfortably doing 70mph give or take, mostly take.....
These tyres were so predicatable, never once did I feel scared or worried in heavy spots/puddles/patches of rain that were in front of me, hell I became so confident I was looking for the water and they never let me down at all.
Even when the rain was shockingly heavy and I mean shockingly heavy the tyres still cut through it without issues and very predictably (again a very key thing) but I could hear the water being pushed out like pressure washer.
I am a total convert - will never have anything else on the front wheels of my cars. EVER!
Can we talk about the wear rate of RainSport 3s?
I ran a set of RainSport 2s on my Saab 9000 and I really liked them and they seemed to wear well. Fitted a set of the SUV version to my wife's Qashqai 2 years ago and they are still fine now, probably done 10-15k in that time and fronts are part worn.
Fitted some RainSport 3s to the back of my e36 323i cab last March to replace the Falken FK452s that were worn out. I have been a little slack with checking the tyres but they were fine last time I checked. Just looked them over while washing the car and they are pretty much racing slicks
I have just worked it out - 8770 miles, and 10 months. That can't be right can it? They have worn fairly evenly so I'm not sure it's a geometry problem. It's not hugely powerful, I don't cane it everywhere. It's all around town and the odd motorway slog, no hooning these days. I don't indulge in traffic light grand prixs and in any case the ASC-T spoils any fun on damp roundabouts. Tyre pressures as quoted in the handbook.
Reading the past few pages it seems some people reckon they are hard wearing and get 15k miles, indeed I don't remember the 9000 being bad and the Qashqai has been fine, but these are different sizes (and the SUV type on the Qashqai. However, a couple of peopel have mentioned 9-10k. I reckon if I had got mine replaced at 2-3mm then based on how bald they are now I would have done 7-7.5k miles and 9 months life.
This can't be right can it?
I ran a set of RainSport 2s on my Saab 9000 and I really liked them and they seemed to wear well. Fitted a set of the SUV version to my wife's Qashqai 2 years ago and they are still fine now, probably done 10-15k in that time and fronts are part worn.
Fitted some RainSport 3s to the back of my e36 323i cab last March to replace the Falken FK452s that were worn out. I have been a little slack with checking the tyres but they were fine last time I checked. Just looked them over while washing the car and they are pretty much racing slicks
I have just worked it out - 8770 miles, and 10 months. That can't be right can it? They have worn fairly evenly so I'm not sure it's a geometry problem. It's not hugely powerful, I don't cane it everywhere. It's all around town and the odd motorway slog, no hooning these days. I don't indulge in traffic light grand prixs and in any case the ASC-T spoils any fun on damp roundabouts. Tyre pressures as quoted in the handbook.
Reading the past few pages it seems some people reckon they are hard wearing and get 15k miles, indeed I don't remember the 9000 being bad and the Qashqai has been fine, but these are different sizes (and the SUV type on the Qashqai. However, a couple of peopel have mentioned 9-10k. I reckon if I had got mine replaced at 2-3mm then based on how bald they are now I would have done 7-7.5k miles and 9 months life.
This can't be right can it?
Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Saturday 9th January 18:33
I've just ordered a pair for the back of my MX-5. The old ones are ditchfinders that it came with, showing about 2mm. Fronts are Pirelli 6000 (3mm) which aren't popular here, but they will do for now.
It's not unusual for a RWD car to chew up rear tyres, esp something like a 323i. I think RS3's are indeed a soft compound. You don't get anything for nothing. I once took about 1mm off a set of Yokohama 032r on a Caterham over the course of 1 weekend and 700 miles, most of that on the A1 and only a bit of hooning. They gripped like a bionic blacksmith in the dry though and they were like gummy bears.
If I get 7 or 8l out of the rear RS3's on the Mazda I'll be happy enough, it's a summer car and modest miles.
It's not unusual for a RWD car to chew up rear tyres, esp something like a 323i. I think RS3's are indeed a soft compound. You don't get anything for nothing. I once took about 1mm off a set of Yokohama 032r on a Caterham over the course of 1 weekend and 700 miles, most of that on the A1 and only a bit of hooning. They gripped like a bionic blacksmith in the dry though and they were like gummy bears.
If I get 7 or 8l out of the rear RS3's on the Mazda I'll be happy enough, it's a summer car and modest miles.
I know the rears will always wear more on a RWD car but my old MX-5 got much better mileage from sticky Toyo T1-Rs and also GoodYear F1 GSD3s. I know the BMW is heavier and more powerful, but it's no M3. Seems a very poor tyre life. Never had anything nearly so bad, even on heavy FWD turbo barges...
All that jazz said:
Although the reviews on the tyrereviews site need to be taken with a pinch of salt, the majority of buyers have commented negatively about the excessive wear rate of the RS3s vs. RS2s.
That is true.However, having priced them up I can get a set of 4 for £315 fitted on my drive so I'm happy with that.
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