Best Trackday Tyre for Damp/Wet Conditions?

[splitpin]

NB > Best Trackday Tyre for Damp/Wet Conditions?

Not worried about dry conditions; car is a Radical, so I'm on full competition use only slicks in the dry: As you'll know a Radical has little weight (about 500Kg) and enormous grip aided by downforce.

Need some tyres that would get me by if I get caught in damp conditions (as you do during our 'Summer'!). A trackday tyre with a bit of tread pattern may be enough for the damp - if it p*sses down, you'll find me back in the pits! Why not Wet Pattern Slicks? > cos all slicks deteriorate pretty quickly just by ageing and as I need a wet pattern very infrequently (touchwood!), it's mainly money down the drain, particularly as part worns wet slicks are hard to come by, therefore also pricey.

In the sizes that I would need (hence no Kuhmos), the following are available >

Toyo R888 in medium or soft
Yoko 021R in super soft
Yoko 048R in medium or supersoft
Hankook Z211 in medium

What do you reckon would be the best in damp conditions for a very light high grip car - just to be clear, not worried about wear rate or dry performance at all.

Thanks

[ScottL]

R888's are relatively soft. They work well in the wet/damp on my X-Bow (770kgs).

[splitpin]

ScottL said:

R888's are relatively soft. They work well in the wet/damp on my X-Bow (770kgs).

Cheers Scott: as they are available in medium or soft, which would you recommend? Soft presumably?

Also, I'm just a bit concerned about my rims being a bit too wide for the tyre sizes that are available which are pretty limited. Just to give me a feel as to whether I'm in the right ball game, what width tyres do you use on what width rims?

Thanks & Appreciated.

[ScottL]

splitpin said:

Cheers Scott: as they are available in medium or soft, which would you recommend? Soft presumably?

Also, I'm just a bit concerned about my rims being a bit too wide for the tyre sizes that are available which are pretty limited. Just to give me a feel as to whether I'm in the right ball game, what width tyres do you use on what width rims?

Thanks & Appreciated.

For any given tyre size there is a rim width range. For example a 235/40/18 (standard rear tyre on a X-Bow) is 8" to 9.5". The X-Bow comes with a 9.5" wide rear wheel.

What size (wide and diameter) wheels does your Radical have?

Edited by ScottL on Monday 13th April 13:15

[robm3]

ScottL said:

R888's are relatively soft. They work well in the wet/damp on my X-Bow (770kgs).

Scott, just posted a similiar request. Do the R888's truly work well in the wet?
Seems to be some different views here but as you run them you'd know.

Is it standing water they struggle with e.g. the tread patterns not being able to displace quick enough.

[Porkie]

R888's will work well in anything other than extreme standing water in my experience.

BUT just get some wet slicks! Yes slicks age, but so do R888's and as its just for trackdays and not for racing where you are chasing every tenth they will be more than adequate.

[Bizzle]

I don't do many track days but I do a lot of competition drifting and grip/traction is a really big deal for us. I use (because im sponsored by, but in all honest I would use them anyway) Marangoni Mythos. They are like a Toyo T1R but they grip better and don't cook themselves and chunk up. They are utterly phenomenal in the wet. To the point where other people running similar but WAY more expensive branded tyres quite literally get left behind in terms of wet traction. We used to drift at Teesside Autodrome quite a bit (don’t know if anybody has ever driven it, but it’s a Kart track mainly) the qualifying course we use is a long straight, followed by a sharp right, sharp left hairpin uphill and then a long sweeping 150deg right. The sharp left hairpin is a pain in the arse for most people when wet because they can’t get traction and literally end up spinning the wheels and generating bugger all forward motion. When driving on the Mythos you can literally drive around the outside of people. Awesome tyre.

Okay they are not "track day tyres" but they are really VERY VERY good in the wet and just as good in the dry.

Edited by Bizzle on Friday 17th April 16:03

[mat205125]

If you can keep the heat in them, you can run your slicks in surprisingly damp conditions, however once the heat is gone it never comes back.

Add a Dunlop Formula R to the list. Not sure on sizes though.