The best wet weather Tyre(Tire)???

[OB_Dirty Pete]

SoreHead...ME Z3...not race compund (you'll never get them to operating temp in the wet, or even on a dry street in the summer for that matter...they're RACE tires...they need to run hot.)

IMHO and of many mags, ME Z3 is the best all-round rain compound/pattern there is.

MUCH stickier that the OEs on dry, too.

Feel'em. They're spongy even when cold.

[This message has been edited by Dirty Pete (edited 19 October 1999).]

 

[OB_SoreHead]

OK. The time has come for a new set of rubber. My original rear is almost at the wear indicator (about 2 weeks riding left I'm guessing).
What is the best wet weather tyre out there for this bike? The bike has more then I can handle in the dry so that's not important.
As I live in rainy Dublin I need the absolute best wet weather tyre. Something that will last a bit longer then the Bridgestone would be nice too but grip is the most important part.

 

[OB_BullDog]

If you live in Dublin I am sure Avon Tyres are a big player their. They seem to have excellent wear characteristics, and perform very well in the rain, large sipe lines cut into tire.

Haven't heard of too many busa owners putting Avon's on thier bikes though, maybe look into as far as European riders go.

 

[OB_SoreHead]

Interesting option. Dirty Pete reckoned that the Metzler's were the best tire but I can't remember the exact model that he said.

 

[OB_crazy bill]

i have a mez3 race compound and have only had it in the rain a couple of times. i didnt have any problem out of it at all. as far as hooking up it sure tries alot harder than the axe did , but actually hooking up is a virtual impossibity. getting a schnitz clutch and some dyno tuning right now so i might have a different opinion in a few days.

 

[OB_SoreHead]

I#'ll go with the Z3's then.
Do they last better or worse than the bridgestone?
Also is there any point in only changing the rear tyre as the front is still perfect?

 

[sherm]

Sorehead, there is a UK guy, Martin Taylor, on the R1 forum. He has been using MEZ4's and says he gets almost twice the mileage as he did with MEZ3's with no big performance loss. It rains a lot there too.

I put MEZ4's on my Hayabusa last week. The steering is definitely quicker than with stock tires.

 

[OB_SoreHead]

Thanks. What's the address of the R1 forum and I'll get a chat with him?

 

[OB_Dirty Pete]

SoreHead the front's the important one for wet turning and braking, but if you can only start with the rear, it's a good start.

If I were you I'd stretch to wallet to get both.

What's a front bun cost compared to a dump?

 

[OB_SoreHead]

I'll need to price them . Rubber is bloody expensive in Ireland. A rear Bridgestone is £215 ($307) withe the front being about 2/3 of that price so it's a big outlay for a set.

 

[OB_KawAbuser]

Take a look at the new Michelin Pilot Sports

They are the latest technology derived from the Pilot Race with a compound and pattern for the Street.

I just got a set and love them.

 

[OB_BullDog]

Sorehead, with radials (so I have been told by tire guru's) you should always keep the same belt pattern! Meaning.. if you have a bridgeston radial front, you run the same in the back, if you have Dunlop front, dunlop in the back too! etc... You should run a couple matching rears untill the front dies then start fresh. Most people will not notice the different, but if you are an aggressive rider you will not benefit from one GOOD tire and I crappy! ESPECIALLY if the back tire out rides the front and gets you into trouble. If I was changing brands tire by tire. I would put a quality front on first, then a rear.

Apparently the Dunlop D207ZR's are 94% as sticky as the old D204GP's, anyone else believe this? I love my D207's, best wearing Dunlop to date. I used to run race tires, Avons heated up real quick! Fun to ride on..

 

[sherm]

R1 forum is www.yzf-r1-forum.com:8080/~yzfr1

 

[sac98281]

I myself will be going with michelin pilot road 2. From the research I have done based on user experiences, this tire lasts long and from the website has really good compound design and very good wet weather performance.

 

[bigoltool]

Ridden in a lot of rain here in the northwest US. Of the tires I have tried my favorite set so far has been a Metzeler M3 front paired with a Metzeler Z6 Rear. Close second in the rain would be my current Avon Storms. Although I may change my mind if I were to go back to a 190 rear storm. I tried a 200 rear and it is almost exactly as wide as the stock Bridgestone 190 but it is almost 20mm wider than the Z6 190 which undoubtedly affects the handling somewhat. After that I would have to rank the full set of M3's and lastly the stock Bridgestone's.

 

[sleepless_red]

Avon Storms. They wouldn't call them Storms for nothing.

 

[ks-waterbug]

You do realize this thread is from 1999


Still good to know whats being ran