Rain tires

2wheelNsanity · Post by **2wheelNsanity** » Mon Oct 10, 2011 5:07 pm

I did the onsite search for the subject, but nothing came up. My question is "Which tires would be best for wet conditions?, seeing how fall is upon us and winter is soon around the corner. I have found some all-weather tires like the Heidenau K47 and the Shinko SR550, any thoughts on these tires? My Buddy 170i came with 3.5" X 10" Primas, these don't seem to have much of a tread pattern, so are these good in the wet?

jmazza · Post by **jmazza** » Mon Oct 10, 2011 5:38 pm

I always have liked my Michelin S1 tires for wet conditions.

siobhan · Post by **siobhan** » Mon Oct 10, 2011 6:51 pm

I've used Michelin S1s for years and I second jmazza's recommendation. I've ridden in insane rainstorms and they've been great. They also have good wear life. The slush, well, studs would've been nice

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Oct 10, 2011 10:56 pm

Don't know about the K47, but what I've heard about the Heidenau K58s are that they're great as a seasonal cold/wet weather tire but not good in warm and dry weather (too hard/rough). I know some riders who swap theirs out as some would with car tires.

350kmi · Post by **350kmi** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:48 am

I have tried two tires promoted as good in the rain, the Continental Navigator and the Michelin S83. Here are my thoughts:

Last winter season I ran the Michelin S83s and was really happy with their overall performance. They have a pretty open tread pattern with lots of smaller tread blocks working together. When I first saw them I was worried the blocks would flex in turns causing poor handling but this did not prove to be the case and they were actually pretty fun to ride with. On the downside they were a bit noisy and the rear tire was pretty well worn out after 2000 miles.

This year I am running Continental Navigators and so far I have not been so happy with them. They really don't feel as confident in the corners as my previous tire sets of tires (stock tires, Pirelli SL26, S83.) They are also tube type tire so I had to add a tube when I installed them. On the plus side they have a very deep tread (10/32" new compared to 6-7/32" for most other tire models) are wearing slowly, after 800 miles the rear has only worn 1/32", the S83 were down that much after 500 miles. It makes sense that the softer S83 would grip better than the harder Navigators.

I was actually pretty surprised with how well the Pirelli SL26 did in the rain. They are marketed more as a sporty tire but over the summer I rode through some pretty heavy down pours and they dealt quit well.

Also, last time I looked the Shinko SR550 were listed as tube type tire so they should have a tube installed if you decide to give them a try.

thehypercube · Post by **thehypercube** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 6:52 am

i'm pretty sure my buddy came with shinkos installed. don't know which model though. they were fishtailing all over the place all winter long. not a fun experience. continental then heidenau have both done very well in the rainy season though.

2wheelNsanity · Post by **2wheelNsanity** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:51 pm

Thanx all, I'll use this info when I get the tires next month.

BootScootin'FireFighter · Tue Oct 18, 2011 6:30 pm

I just got the VRM 351 from Vee Rubber, their "winter tire". it's done great for me, super grippy, and confident on wet roads. Only problem is I got a small lac on the rear yesterday and now I need to order a new one since the plug won't hold that kind of tear for very long.