R888 in the rain

[Scott Haynes]

Wondering who has tried these in the rain. I am running the IRDC track day this weekend and it is all I have. Just wonderin if I should go get some cheap street tires.

BTW My tires are unshaved.

 

[FFRSpec72]

Wondering who has tried these in the rain. I am running the IRDC track day this weekend and it is all I have. Just wonderin if I should go get some cheap street tires.

BTW My tires are unshaved.

I hope it does not rain this weekend as it seems only a chance!

I have run the R888 in the rain and they are better in the rain then they are dry (they suck dry on my car and thus NASA allowed us to run RA-1 after they made us buy R888 at the start of the year). I ran my unshaved, same as I run the Nitto NT01 so you should have good tread depth.

 

[bob_mearns]

Prevailing opinion in my experience is that 888s are not optimal in the wet. My sum total wet experience on them is one qualifying session where they were OK - not remarkable, not awful. I think they really suffer in standing water. I say run 'em and work on your low traction skills - it's a track day after all, not a race. Have fun!

 

[Bill Bonsell]

888's in the rain....

Hey Scott -

Missed you at SCCA Track Trials on the 18th. It was wet early in the day. I was on full tread RA-1s and definitely better than the Azenis I was on in April. Weren't you on 888's in the rain then? I would certainly run the 888's rather than putting on a set of streets as long as they are full depth. My understanding is that Hoosiers are the best rain tire out there. But rain or shine, have lots of fun. Will miss the track day unfortunately, but going racin next year with Conference.

Bill
#38 '91 Spec Miata

 

[epsdan]

IMO, the 888's are terrible in a heavy rain/standing water. At the enduro, we ran (on a Pro3 car) 4/32 shaved 888's in the downpour, and if you got even a little off the wet line into the standing water, it was like driving on wet ice. I think the consensus is that tires are just to "blockey" with way to much surface area, and not enough grooving to effectively channel the water. We might have been a tad stiff in our suspension setup as well (we were carrying 29 gal of fuel), but it was mostly tire.

We found a set of 205 RA1's (the 888's were 225's) new at the ANT truck at the track, and bought a set of full depth tires and swapped them onto the car. Same driver, same conditions, 8 seconds better (memory) at PIR, no chicane.

On a damp track, I don't think the 888's are too bad.

On a dry track, I think the 888's will be quicker than the RA1's, but I also don't have the data to support this, yet. I do have a set of sticker RA1's and a set of sticker R888's - sounds like a good reason to go drive, to me!

Dan

 

[Scott Haynes]

Hey Scott -

Missed you at SCCA Track Trials on the 18th. It was wet early in the day. I was on full tread RA-1s and definitely better than the Azenis I was on in April. Weren't you on 888's in the rain then? I would certainly run the 888's rather than putting on a set of streets as long as they are full depth. My understanding is that Hoosiers are the best rain tire out there. But rain or shine, have lots of fun. Will miss the track day unfortunately, but going racin next year with Conference.

Bill
#38 '91 Spec Miata

I was not able to get some work done to the car in order to make it. I did run them in May but was playing with tire pressures so much I was not sure if it was me or the tire. From what I am hearing sounds like it was the tires. I had a really hard time in the standing water but it was ok on the rest. Except the VHT I hate VHT...

Good to hear. My car is just about done and I will be racing next year.

I say run 'em and work on your low traction skills - it's a track day after all, not a race. Have fun!

Now that is just logical thinking I can't deal with...

 

[tobybasiliko]

I think they stink in the wet. Hardly any better than a full slick. Even when they're
almost full tread depth. In stark contrast to the RA1.

In the dry, I liked them. Probably just a little faster than the RA1, but less squirmy at
greater tread depth, so I got a lot of use out of them.

With great luck, I hope to never use them again.

That's my opinion of the tires I had on my car this season and last. YMMV. In fact, it
probably will!

t

 

[Scott Haynes]

Got a chance to really push them in the rain. After missing the IRDC event I spent all weekend getting the car finished and made it to the Audi Club event in Portland.

Toby - You are right. They are awful in the rain. Many of the guys with street tires were quicker through the corners if there was any water on the track. Standing water makes them useless and just plain scary. Kept hydroplaning on the straights and could barely keep up with a Legacy wagon. (he was all wheel drive)

When the track did dry out a little the tires got some heat in them and they were not bad at all. Then It was a matter of driver skills. I still have some work to do...

I guess I just have to step up and buy some RA1s or real rains...