Semi-slicks ... in the wet?

[Golf Houso]

I was actually looking at the Falken RT615's the main reason being I can them (in a 15) for very close to what I can pay for a decent sports tire i.e. 150 a tire with fitting and balancing...

My budget (being a full time uni student) is basically $600 for a complete set, the semi's look good for the price anyway. Do kuhmo make the that tire in question in a 205/50/15?

[beeza]

My budget (being a full time uni student) is basically $600 for a complete set, the semi's look good for the price anyway. Do kuhmo make the that tire in question in a 205/50/15?[/QUOTE]

Yes they do, you'll find that just about every manufacturer makes that size and as its also a fairly common size the pricing is usually quite good.
You can't just get them from your nearest Bob Jane. I think you will need to look for the Kumho Motorsport Dealer in your state. Don't quote me on this but i'm reasonably sure that thats the only way to get them. The XS KU36 is definitely a good tyre. I don't have any experiences with it but there is a guy running with them on a fairly stock Supra and he is doing VERY respectable lap times and after the sprint meet he just drives home on them. As mentioned before they are not an "R" specific tyre so they are not a true semi slicks.

[gareth_oau]

As promised, here's an extract from the detail from Motor's test.

the tyres tested are 215/45/17s on a Renaultsport Clio shod with Brembos and excludes "cheapies"

Ive included the best and the worst data for the road tyres for relative comparison.

The Semi-slicks don't lactually look that bad in the wet.

Other tests included lateral g, apex speed etc.

Overall the best semi-slick was the Dunlop (rrp $445) scoring 144 points, compared to the Federal (rrp $240) with 63 points.

By comparison the best road was the Bridgestone (rrp $296) with 120 points, vs the worst being Federal (rrp $180) with 82 points.

If you are looking at a cheap budget semi-slick, you might want to be a bit more cautious compared to these in the test

(I think I might choose the Bridgestone RE001s next time!!)

...................................dry slal.....wet slal.....dry brake......wet brake
Semi-Slicks
Dunlop Direzza 03G..............13.0s.......14.2s........34.2m... ........39.6m
B/S Potenza RE55S ..............12.8s.......14.1s........34.4m...... .....39.7m
Toyo Proxes R888................12.8s.......13.8s........34.7m ...........39.6m
Federal 595 RSR..................13.3s.......14.6s........35.1 m...........39.4m

Best of Road Tyres
B/S Potenza RE001...............13.1s.......13.2s.......36.7m
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymm............................................. .........38.1m

Worst of Road Tyres
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymm.....13.6s
Federal 595 Evo.................................14.2s
Dunlop Sort SP Maxx..........................................40.3 m
Federal 595 Evo............................................... .....................41.8m

Slick
Dunlop Formula R.................12.6s........13.9s........31.9m. ..........55.7m

[beeza]

Yeah, that was a good read.
Although it is only a guide. On another given day these results may have been different. These tyres would also perform differently if they were tested on a different car. There are so many factors that come into play, I wouldn't even know where to begin.
I wouldn't buy a specific tyre just because of what this guide said. I would ask peoples opinions at the track, its probably where you'll find the most relevant information.

[Timbo]

I was actually looking at the Falken RT615's the main reason being I can them (in a 15) for very close to what I can pay for a decent sports tire i.e. 150 a tire with fitting and balancing...

Why do you think they are so cheap? The RT615 is NOT a semi-slick; they're totally *****, IMO -- hard ride, noisy, grip and traction (wet and dry) generally less than a good sports tyre. I replaced mine with Bridgestone Adrenalins, and was impressed by the all round improvement, but I dare say that'd be the case with any decent sports tyre.

I would not recommend a proper semi slick such as the R888 as a daily drive tyre. They work well on the track, but as the test results show, they're generally less adept in daily driving conditions. And they're noisy and uncomfortable.

[gavs]

A lot of your grip associated with braking come from your chassis setup and suspension components. Many vehicle manufacturers are selling cars standard or as an option with "semi-slicks" or "cup" tyres. WRX STi, BMW M3, RenaultSport Megane 225 Cup (as an option), Opel VXR (a.k.a HSV) as a Walkinshaw performance option.

At work, we find with developing new suspension systems that tyres do play an integral part in braking (and we do alot of testing on gravel and dirt!), but the single biggest factor we find is the chassis setup, sometimes the difference from OE to what we produce can be upto 5-6meters on the same tyres and we're dealing with 2-3 tonne off-road vehicles.

[Golf Houso]

Thank you very much Gareth, that gives me some good perspective into the differences between the tire styles. I do also realise the significance of wet braking since I have done a defensive driver training course. Every meter counts, especially when obstacles are involved.

Why do you think they are so cheap? The RT615 is NOT a semi-slick; they're totally *****, IMO -- hard ride, noisy, grip and traction (wet and dry) generally less than a good sports tyre. I replaced mine with Bridgestone Adrenalins, and was impressed by the all round improvement, but I dare say that'd be the case with any decent sports tyre.

Well, had I known the difference I wouldn't be on here asking questions now would I EDIT: Well those Falken's ranged from 270 - 150 with pretty much almost every price spaced in-between, I'm not neccessarily getting them incredibly cheap so much as I have found a really well priced tire place.

I'll definately have to have a look at those Bridgestone's though...

[G-rig]

Anyone running Federal 595 EVO's? Seem pretty good for the price, but not sure.

[Golf Houso]

Well well, I ended up getting the RE001's, and needless to say they sucked in the wet, so I'll definately be getting something different when I finish my 16 inch BBS'

[John Deere]

I switched from RT615's (which I found ok, but a little dissappointing) to Advan AD08's...these are a huge improvement and they work pretty good in the wet (I never try to break land speed records in the wet tho...in fact I found the Falkens OK in the wet too.)

[G-rig]

I got RT615 at the moment and they are down to the indicator on the back so should come off soon. never had a drama in the wet but didn't push my luck either. However once the tread is down i wouldn't want to go through any puddles. Don't think they were worth the price although pretty good in the dry but still not quite sticky/grippy enough.

They aren't too noisy which is good but think i'll just go for a street tyre that lasts longer (dont track it).

The AD08's look good but dont meet the load rating for 18" for my 32. I thought the KU31 could be ok for the price but would cost almost as much as the F1 Asymmetrical from Tirerack so prob just get those.

Local price for the RE050A quoted at $485. Try to support the local shops but it's not even competitive.

[jamesatfish]

Looks like I'm jumping in too late on this one, but anyway...

I'm currently driving on Falken 'R-Specs' as daily drivers on my Polo (can't remember the specific tyre but can take a look if rquired). Basically I was recommended them as R-Spec tyres but after I drove them on the track once I took them off and put them in storage- they were worse on the track than the Michelin road tyres that I was running at the time.

They are only back on the Polo at the moment as my Michelins needed replacing and I've got a few motorkhana events coming up for which cheap rubber is a godsend.

As they're not 'real' R-Spec tyres they don't suffer in the cold or wet like a 'real' track tyre does. That said, I would recommend you stay as far away from them as you can - they do absolutely nothing well.

As for 'real' R-Specs in the wet - I've driven Michelin Pilot Cup Sports in the wet (on a Boxster S and GT3) and they're not much fun - they don't get hot enough to grip and there is little ability to disburse standing water which makes driving through puddles a bit interesting also. I wouldn't recommend it for everyday use on the road - just too dangerous.

Interestingly, although the Pilot Cup Sports are still OEM fitment on the GT3 at the moment, the UK is pushing through a law to ban the use of these type of tyres on public roads, basically as a result of their poor performance in the wet / cold.

[Peter Jones]

I've raced in the wet on TOYO R888s and they hang on far better than my usual road tyres, BFG G-Force Sports.

You'd never really get a semi slick up to temperature on the street.

Pete

[G-rig]

As they're not 'real' R-Spec tyres they don't suffer in the cold or wet like a 'real' track tyre does. That said, I would recommend you stay as far away from them as you can - they do absolutely nothing well.

That's what i was thinking.. don't get hot or sticky enough like an R compound, and bad in the wet. Will prob just get street tyres that are good in all conditions and last for 40-60km.

[Coxy09]

Well well, I ended up getting the RE001's, and needless to say they sucked in the wet, so I'll definately be getting something different when I finish my 16 inch BBS'

I had some of those Re001's, Agree whole hartedly, sucked in the wet, I had them on standard rims on a vr. The thing that always amused me about them however, was that everytime I went for a drive, the hotter they got, the less grip they had. Amazing....I told this to a bridgestone guy, he said I was driving wrong. I ended up arguing with him for about 3 months, (Anyone who knows me, knows im good at it ) but I ended up taking him up Mt nebo to show him what I meant. He was shocked. I am now running S drives, they feel absolutely awesome, great in the dry and good in the wet.

I still cant forget the day I went and raced my alfa out at willobank. The guys laughed at me for having stock road tires on, but later that afternoon it started raining, they were sliding and I wasnt. (They were on Semi's or full slicks) so yeah, just my two cents, but I hope it helps