All,
I just gained a lot of experience in the rain this weekend at the
Washington DC Region's Solo II held at the Jefferson Circuit track at
Summit Point.
This was my first time running my Yokohama A032R's in the rain.
The Yoko's behaved oddly in the rain. I think it's because of the tread
pattern. When the tires are tracking straight, they have great grip and
performance (short turns, especially in the slalom). I believe that's
because the tread looks like a diamond, pushing water to the sides.
However, when in a constant turn, especially at speed, the tread blocks
become more square with the track, and water builds up more easily and
hydroplaning occurs.
My first time around the track I found myself skating (severe
understeer) toward the side of the track. If I straightened out, I could
regain control. So I had to brake hard to eliminate the push, turn, then
accelerate. The tires had great braking, great initial turning response,
and great acceleration. Just no high-speed lateral grip in the turns. It
was quite a different driving experience.
I know that sounds like any other tire in wet conditions, but the
traction loss was very abrupt. There was a night-and-day difference
between "turn-in" traction and "turning" traction.
I was wondering if anyone else had the same experience with theirs.
People had been raving about how well these did in the wet, but they
certainly didn't behave anything like I am used to (all season street
tires). I don't have any experience with BFG's or Kumhos in the rain, so
I don't know how they behave, either.
Thanks for your comments,
John
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John Crooke
HS 90 Honda Accord
Silver Spring, MD
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