low profile tyres in the wet

[msc125]

i\'ve heard that lower profile tyres have stiffer sidewalls, which compromises the handling in the wet, is this true?

are there any other handling characteristics of low profile tyres which differentiates them from er.. not so low profile tyres?

[iaint]

Part of the function of the tyre is to absorb shock.  Lower profile tyres absorb less and transmit more to the suspension.  

The ride will be a little harder and noisier than the equivalent hig profile tyre.

Not so sure about the sidewall stiffness effecting grip levels in the wet though.  Only heard mention of the fact that they\'re usually wider tyres and therefor can struggle to get rid of enough water resulting in low grip/aquaplaning.

[msc125]

cheers for the reply

any differences in tyre wear?

[dai capp]

The tyre walls vary by tyre brand - SO2\'s are very stiff walls and Toyo Proxes more pliant. The great stability in bends tends to be more down the fact that they are lower profile and therefore have less less height in the tyre wall to generate movement.

Grip in the wet is mainly due to tyre make up, compound and pattern. Some V pattern tyres can generate a wet patch under the tread as they are designed to funnel water out but in harsh conditions can fail to move enough water.

Tyre wear depends on compound. Performance tyres again tend to be quite sticky ie a softer compound and will wear quicker.

Tyres are very personal I love Toyo Proxes but I know others who won\'t fit them, conversely I couldn\'t get on with Dunlop SP9000 but I know people who rave about them.

For me there are three tyres I have had in the past and would have again, Toyo\'s, Bridgestone SO3 and Goodyear Eagle F1. If pushed I would also consider Pirelli P Zeros but they are very expensive and wear quickly, again in my experience, and don\'t offer a proportionate performance benefit.

Hope this helps - it\'s all subjective of course just avoid remoulds (which my RX had on it when I bought it :eek :eek

Cheers

DC

[MikeLMR]

nothing wrong with high quality remoulds. All the major air lines run planes on them and so do most lorries.

[dai capp]

Originally posted by MikeLMR
nothing wrong with high quality remoulds. All the major air lines run planes on them and so do most lorries.

I don\'t disagree but how many are high quality, look how many tyre carcasses litter the sides of motorways.

As I said it\'s subjective and my preference would be to avoid them. My RX suffered from horrendous steering wheel judder at anything over 60mph when I got it. I had the wheels tracked and balanced and aligned but nothing helped. Changed from the remoulds to Proxes and the judder disappeared. Reason for the judder tyre people said the tyre was distorting at speed - something that was mentioned on here also.

Cheers

DC

[Donato]

The best way of getting grip in the wet is to lift your right foot. :p

[MikeLMR]

as you said the quality varies, we are bound to see more and more remoulds around as we have to recycle more of the waste products from the auto industry. Short of grinding them up and using them that way remanufacturing tyres is going to become more common place in the future.

what make were your remoulds ? most of the major tyre companies make "remanufactured" tyres for lorries and some even run them through the exact same production line they make the new tyres on.

The point on lorry tyre carcasses isn\'t a fair comparison either, lorries run multiple tyres per axle so a deflated or damaged tyre can continue to be run without it being noticed, a car will be stopped pretty soon after a tyre deflates

not to mention the distances they clock up under maximum loads. Car tyres are overspecified and will spend the majority of their life lightly loaded.

[dai capp]

The remoulds on mine were made by Colway...

Point taken re the multiple axels and abrasion- interesting what you say as well about re-use. I guess with the trend moving towards recycling generally this is something we will see more of. I know the Waste Electrical Directive is changing the way the electronics industry deals with its old product so cars won\'t be any different.

Quality remoulds here we come. Now where\'s my old copy of Vic Reeves Big Night Out - That\'s Reeves and Mortimer Quality Remould Products, Vic  

All the best

DC