Wet/All Season tires...do they work?

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Boshk
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by Boshk

With such a small contact patch, whether its 23 25 or 28mm tires, can 'wet/rain' or 'all season' tires really make a difference to grip/traction?

eg Conti GP4000ii vs Conti All Season
Michelin Pro vs All Season etc etc

For cars and motorcycles, its a little easier to see how they would work with the treads, different compounds used in the makeup of the whole tire etc. For motor vehicle racing its even more pronounced, some 'rain' tires can't be used when it drys out.

Does cycling tires follow similar trends?
Do All season tires provide more grip in the wet due to 'better' treads, how about if used on hot dry days?

AJS914
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by AJS914

A grand prix 4000 grips fine in the rain. The chief difference between the 4000 and the 4-season is the increased puncture resistance (both tread and sidewall).

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alcatraz
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by alcatraz

Is it just compound and tread? Seems the casing hasn't evolved much lately, has it?

/a

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themidge
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by themidge

I think it's mainly due to compound as such small tyres that we ride aren't in any danger of aquaplaning (though who knows with some of these super wide, supposedly aero ones people use). Grip on road tyres is all about 'sticking' to the road to get as stable a contact as possible.
In this regard, supple tyres with a good compound are probably best, though they might only be for summer wetness as puncture resistance may become and issue in winter. I don't think you can really make a super puncture-resistant tyre that is also very supple.

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TonyM
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by TonyM

Yepp the rain/winter/all season tires are usually more about puncture resistance. Therefore some penalties in terms of weight, rolling resistance and softness.

So you have to decide if you look for a rain tire or a winter/ puncture resistant tire.
If you look for a rain tire only and are not racing or cornering very intensively then a regular tire should work fine for you.

The main difference with car and motorcycle street and race tire is that yoy don't even have one horse power on your bike :mrgreen:

BikeAnon
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by BikeAnon

TonyM wrote:
Sat May 12, 2018 3:20 am
...you don't even have one horse power on your bike :mrgreen:
Speak for yourself. :D


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TonyM
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by TonyM

Ok in that case ...

commendatore
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Location: North Carolina

by commendatore

AJS914 wrote:A grand prix 4000 grips fine in the rain. The chief difference between the 4000 and the 4-season is the increased puncture resistance (both tread and sidewall).
Is the compound of the 4 season the same as the gp4000? I’d like to have something on hand for wet days that leave bits of rock all over the road but hate to give up any grip.

bilwit
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Location: Seattle, WA

by bilwit

I've been on both the GP4000SII and Four Season in some of the rainiest periods in recorded PNW history and the the GP4ks are completely 100% fine. Four Season just felt like boat anchors to me :noidea: I'm not pushing them at the limit in and out corners when it's pouring or otherwise dreadfully wet out there though so there's that.
Last edited by bilwit on Sat May 12, 2018 9:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

commendatore wrote:
Sat May 12, 2018 8:58 pm

Is the compound of the 4 season the same as the gp4000? I’d like to have something on hand for wet days that leave bits of rock all over the road but hate to give up any grip.

GP4000 SIIs use the BlackChili compound for lower rolling resistance. The GP 4S use a softer compound for better grip at the expense of rolling efficiency.

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Lewn777
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by Lewn777

Continental 4 seasons won't really make hardly any difference in the real world to wet weather grip vs a GP4000 S2. That's confusing because it has a tire compound called max grip silica, whereas the GP4000S2 has black chilli. Silica is basically used as an additive to the tire compound to increase grip and decrease rolling resistance even though they are using a harder compound rubber than the softer black chilli. I can confirm in my experience wet weather performance is about the same, but the 4 season gives away about 5 watts in rolling resistance, not too much really. It seems the main difference in the continental range between the GP4000S2, 4 season and Gatorskin variants is the puncture protection and increasing weight penalty.

For my awful roads even in summer the 4 season is a better bet for reducing punctures, but actually I much prefer a Panaracer Race D Type 3 Evo to a Conti 4 seasons.

Orbital
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by Orbital

I took a chance with the Michelin all weather tires. Besides the fact they were next to impossible to mount, they have an incredibly high rolling resistance. The puncture resistance is great tho and was basically what I was looking for when I purchased them.

jlok
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by jlok

what about Vittoria Corsa Control?

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Lewn777
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by Lewn777

I'm keen to try the Michelin Pro 4 Endurance v2.
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.co ... ce-v2-2015

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bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

Wet weather tyres do make a difference but often tyres marketed as and used as wet weather tyres don't actually offer improved grip because they improve puncture resistance and puncture belts reduce casing flexibility. The compound on the 4 seasons is not that soft. The 4season is a classic example it is really a training tyre were as the gp4000s is a race tyre. The race tyre offer better grip.

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