Wet traction tires

[generic808]

Ok, if you've been following my HID posts, you know that we were affected by very heavy rains here last week. I mean, it was a torrential downpour for a couple of days, and constant rain for the rest of the week. Ocassional statewide flash flood warnings, and flooding in low lying areas.

The thing that really bothered me was the wet traction performance of my tires. I'm running 225/45/18 Federal Super Steel's and I think they are great UHP tires for the price. They are a bit loud, but they grip like a mofo on dry pavement. But, after driving in all that rain, I'm a bit worried. When driving over puddled areas, the tires slow the car down pretty drastically. It's scary at times, especially on the freeway going 60mph. It feels like the car downshifts when hitting the water.

I ran Falken FK451's on my last car and absolutely loved them! The wet and dry traction on those badboys were second to none in my opinion. This time around, I didn't want to spend too much on wheels and tires, so I opted for the cheaper Federal's. Had I known the wet traction problems with these tires, I would've never bought them.

Any opinions/suggestions on good UHP wet tires for a decent price. I really like the grip of UHP's so I don't know if I can deal with All-Seaons at this point. I may go with the newer Falken FK452's, but I don't want to spend $800+ for a set of tires right now. Keep in mind that I'm in Hawaii and we usually pay about $150-$200 more for a set of tires than our mainland counterparts.

[SHIFT_COUPE]

Eric, its going to be difficult to find a tire that will satisfy your UHP taste while still getting a decently graded Wet Traction and Hydroplane resistance.

Have you thought about changing to an all season high performance tire instead of a strictly UHP tire? They typically have a better wet traction while still giving you the grip and handling you want.

Are there certain periods of the year over there that its extremely rainy? Kind of like the snow season here?

[generic808]

Yup, usually around Nov-Feb we get pretty heavy rains. Last year around this time, we had 40 straight days of rain. It seemed like something straight out of the Bible.

I was looking into All-Seaons and what really stuck out was the new Goodyear Eagle F1's. Over here they run about $225 a piece!! According to the reviews, they are the best performing All-Season tires. Unfortunately, they're too rich for my blood

[MagicM]

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position <-- this is al you need!

[generic808]

Pole Position's are pretty good tires, but the treadwear is horrible! My friend ran those on his car and he had to replace them at 15K!!

[BlackNWhite]

Pole Position's are pretty good tires, but the treadwear is horrible! My friend ran those on his car and he had to replace them at 15K!!

Tell me about it man. That's what I have on my car right now and I think by the time I upgrade to larger rims in Jan. or Feb, my tires will have very little tread left after 20K give or take.