Semi-slicks ... in the wet?

[Golf Houso]

I'm very close to getting a complete set of Falken semi-slicks for my VR6 and I was just wondering about other people's experience with this type of tires in general and in particular wet weather driving. I realise the lack of groves but they can't be that bad in the wet, can they?

[gareth_oau]

i think it was last month's edition of motor magazine (dtd January 09) (had a mcLaren on the cover) did a giant tyre test.

They tested road tyres, semi-slicks and a race slick all in both wet and dry.

Its a good read and gives you an objective opinion of semi-slicks in the wet

[Golf Houso]

i think it was last month's edition of motor magazine (dtd January 09) (had a mcLaren on the cover) did a giant tyre test.

They tested road tyres, semi-slicks and a race slick all in both wet and dry.

Its a good read and gives you an objective opinion of semi-slicks in the wet

Could you summarise the review's opinion of semi-slicks in the wet in a single word Gareth ?

[gareth_oau]

ummmm, iceskates?

i dont have the data here, but I'll check when i get home and offer you a comparision. the difference in wet weather braking between a good road tyre and a semi-slick could mean the difference between using your brakes to stop vs using that big truck to stop

[Golf Houso]

ummmm, iceskates?

i dont have the data here, but I'll check when i get home and offer you a comparision. the difference in wet weather braking between a good road tyre and a semi-slick could mean the difference between using your brakes to stop vs using that big truck to stop

Ahhh ok fair enough, I look forward to seeing the stats... Although I'm honestly not too surprised, ice-skates is a good word, $hit would have also sufficed...

[beeza]

Ok, well i have first hand experience with this.
This is what happened to me, mind you it was on a racetrack (Lakeside).

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=22961

It was drizzling and i had KUMHO V70As on, although i was contemplating whether to leave my (street)Toyo T1-Rs on or not. I decided to go with the semi slicks, and it was a bad choice. The rear end of the car just snapped out and i was a passenger the rest of the way. Ok it doesn't help that i have upgraded swaybars fitted.
Realistically they will probably do a fair job in the wet as long as you don't push it. You just have to be really sensible when it rains thats all. Awesome grip in the dry though.
Hope this helps to make your decision.

[Blitzen]

Branko, I have had semi slicks on my last 2 cars(Falken Azinis on the SRi, and I currently have Federal 595RSR's on the Polo).
I have found that they can be a bit of a handful in the wet. You will break traction in the wet if you are too heavy with the right foot. If you are careful, you will have no dramas.
I have found no real difference in braking distance in the wet, but if you are a bit over zealous in the corners, you will find out what understeer is.
My biggest thing about having the semi slicks on the 2 cars has been the clutch letting go prematurely. Engine power Vs the extra grip means the standard clutch suffers. As you found the other night when I took you for a drive, the dry grip is amazing. I got over 20,000km out of the Azinis, and I have got nearly 20,000 out of the Federals, and I can see them doing another 20,000km easy.

[Golf Houso]

Thanks for the input guys, and yes I do remember how well the car gripped Ryan it felt like the tires were deflated but it was going! Another issue is whether or not I can help myself, I have always driven fairly sensibly in the wet but I might get cocky at some point. But since I own my car for pleasure and not for necessity (study and work in city) I could see myself using these tires during the regular use of the car i.e. drive when I feel like usually late at night in the dry

In regards to the drivetrain strain, the clutch on the VR is quite firm and although its not quite as far up as I expected its certainly not going to last that much longer anyway (the car has done 72,500 km's) but probably long enough considering my relatively low usage levels and the low km of the vehicle so I'm really not that worried about it.

[Blitzen]

Thanks for the input guys, and yes I do remember how well the car gripped Ryan it felt like the tires were deflated but it was going!

Deflated??? Sorry mate, what do you mean...I was running them at 35psi cold.
By the way, the car wasn't running to its full potential the other night...It had 2 fault codes then, now rectified, so it feels a hell of alot better now!! It felt very laggy after the repairs, and had them cleared in Brissy on the way through.

[Golf Houso]

Deflated??? Sorry mate, what do you mean...I was running them at 35psi cold.
By the way, the car wasn't running to its full potential the other night...It had 2 fault codes when, now rectified, so it feels a hell of alot better now!! It felt very laggy after the repairs, and had them cleared in Brissy on the way through.

I meant the lack of wheelspin, it just bogged down and gripped I haven't been in a car that did that before. It wasn't like some harder compound tire or something with alot of PSI which which just squeal and spin without really going anywhere.

It was pretty quick when I was in it, and the semi-slicks under those conditions certainly made a big difference in your car.

[Blitzen]

Ahh, sweet as man...Sorry about that. I'm still buggered after the drive home. Seriously though, if you do go with the slicks, you do have to consciously remember that you have them on in the wet, and another thing I found, was slippery intersections(like the Horsely Drive, Cumberland Hwy one) where you get lots of truck turning, you really have to watch for Diesel/oil on the road too, even on dry roads, but doubly so in the wet. I had a small incident in my SRi where I came into an intersection on the old Hume Hwy in Albury, and found myself under steering into the traffic island due to Diesel on the road...All I can say is thank God the tyre walls were higher than the lip on the traffic island. I just bounced off, and was able to drive away(after a thorough inspection of the running gear...No damage).

[Golf Houso]

Yeah no worries Ryan, I've been caught out on oil and diesel slicks before, I almost launched off a road divider into a truck once in the GL and I wasn't even pushing it.

I'll look into this a bit more before I decide to order them in and put them on my VR6 which will still be a reliable daily, well eventually...

[KWICKS]

Branko, I have had semi slicks on my last 2 cars(Falken Azenis on the SRi, and I currently have Federal 595RSR's on the Polo). .

Fixed for you. I just ditched a set of Falken Azenis RT-615's on my Spec B Liberty. They lasted 40000km. They were ok in the dry, being larger than OEM width (225/45/R18 vs 215/45 R18 OEM) they were more comfortable, and reasonably quiet.

BUT WET GRIP WAS APPALING - EVEN IN AN AWD CAR. And I dunno about calling them semi slicks, they have an aggressive dry tread pattern but they are not an R-compound.

After these my thinking about tyres quickly changed to prioritise the question "When am I likely to need my tyres to be great the most?" and the answer was "In the wet", because all other things, like speed, reaction time, etc on the road remain constant in an emergency stop unless it is wet...

[Blitzen]

Hahahahaha...cheers mate...The last few days have been a blur...so many kilometers!!! Sydney to Townsville.....

[tinto]

I have a set of Toyo Proxes R888 that I had on the car for an extended period (even in the wet). Usually they're just on for track days, but sometimes i've been too lazy to switch the wheels over so have ended up doing a fair few road km on them.

In the wet they're fine - just dont' drive like a git - i.e. use the normal amount of caution and remember you're sharing the road. Disclaimer is that this was through the Perth winter / rain, so really pretty pathetic in terms of sitting water on the road (i.e. not much).

But the R888s are a real R compound as opposed to an 'aggressive looking' tread pattern like the Falken Azenis Rt.

Which semis were you looking at?
Get something with decent rain gutters (like the R888 have), and they're reasonable. Horribly noisy tyres though - sounds like you're being chase by a swarm of angry hornets.

As an aside, I'm keen on the Kumho KU36 for my every day tyres when my current KU31 expire. They're somewhere between semi and street tyre.
If you're considering the Falkens, perhaps check these out too - they're relatively new.