Thread: Making tyres better in the wet - any tips???

Modern tyres sure have.

The tyres we are talking about are crappy, over inflated expired hard ones.


Simple really.

I should've added "impractical here, where I live and work".

Two sets of rims/tyres may very well make sense in another situation.

Each to their own.

Andy, Love the suggestion, but I might have to borrow the V8 from your series to do that

I have probably exaggerated how slippery these tyres are... Just that when they were new they stuck like glue - even in the wet - and were better than any HTs or ATs I have tried. They are still safer than any 7.50 cross plys I have tried (original fitment). And safer than most 235s I have run.

I just measured them - minimum tread depth is 8-9 mm. Tread wear is even - which means they aren't overinflated - despite insinuations to the contrary.

I have found ths same as Rick - higher pressures helps traction in the wet.

The IIA is a mainly an offroad toy, so sees very little road/highway use (except when it is called in to cart firewood)...

My other "car" has (new) Maxxis Bighorns . They don't grip quite as well as the MTRs did when new, but still better than most tyres.

Originally Posted by mike 90 RR

I run mine at 36 psi ... This is the max psi written on the side wall casing of my tyre // What does yours say

Practical demonstration .... If you want to do a burn out ... Pump up your tyres hard as a rock, and they will light up easily

Lower psi will give you more tread contact on the road


The rains have just started in Perth this week, So all the roads are greasy // Take care

Mike

Mike - if you look closely it should say that is the max pressure to use when seating the beads. Not the max pressure in use. [EDIT - just checked and MTRs do state a max pressure = 50psi]. When new, I tried pressures in the 30's. The supple sidewalls of the MTRs flexed too much. When I pumped them up higher the on-road handling improved significantly. The same goes for the bighorns on the 110.

I agree with you on dry roads - but the opposite is true on wet roads.

As you say, this the roads have been very greasy of late - due to the first decent rains in about 6 months. So maybe the tyres are not to blame... I will try them again after the next lot of rain.

Originally Posted by isuzurover

<snip>
The same goes for the bighorns on the 110.

<snip>

ditto. I've had to run significantly higher pressures on road with the Big Horns than I ever did with BFG MT's, the case is much more supple.
I've found the Big Horns (and the two sets of BFG MT's in between) much, much better in the wet than the Bridgestone MT's I ran seven years ago, they did give me some pucker moments
The last three sets of MT's have been comparable in grip on road to the BFG AT's on the Patrol, and don't chip as badly either.

I know the frustration. When I bought my Lotus the car had NEW tyres on it. Unfortunately they were 10+ years old. I was driving down a hill near me at about 30k in the wet one day and tried to stop. Not a chance. I eventually managed to pull it up but I nearly jumped out I was going so slowly.

I just bought some new ones. Due to the tiny size of them (by todays standards) it was only like $400 including tubes. It doesn't make sense to have old tyres on a sports car.

Also, tyres are legally supposed to be used within 5 years of manufacture I believe. Someone may be able to confirm this? The manufacture date is stamped on them. I was told this is because the rubber cracks which can allow water in and rust the steel belting leading to failure.

I drove home with a friend in our MINI's one night in the pouring rain. He had cut race slicks on (just enough groves to be able to drive on the road). I thought he was going to go off but he had heaps of grip - more than me on full road tyres.. It shows that compound is very important in the wet.

To be honest, I have never heard of this tyre "use by" date before... In fact I know an old German mechanic who stores new tyres in the shed for 2 or 3 years before using them - so they would "last longer"

I doubt very much that it is a legal/rwc requirement. As I have put several vehicles through RWCs over the years with no issues. I am some of these vehicles would have had tyres over 5 years old. Even in Germany, which is one of the strictest places in the world when it comes to RWCs, I got a golf roadworthied with VERY old tyres, and it passed (though with a comment on the form that the tyres were old). I replaced them shortly after. NB - I always carefully check all my tyres for defects, etc...

I found this thread...
Expiry Date on Tyres @ ExplorOz

http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/..._bye_date.aspx

Originally Posted by Tombie2

All manufacturers put only a 5 year life on their tyre products..

.

Any evidence of this???

This document says Japanese tyre manufacturers say 10 years and EU say 6 years:
Essentials of Tire Expiration & Manufacturing Date - AC Delco Auto Parts - Zimbio

However these are only reccomended replacement intervals. The tyre is still 100% legal after that time if it is free from visual defects and has more than 1.5 mm tread (although I would never suggest people run tyres down to 1.5 mm)