Do wet roads make a material difference to the grip of your tyres?

[newbie2012]

Hi guys

here's a question that is pretty relevant with the current weather.

Do modern bike road tyres have materially less grip in the wet than the dry ?

I'm not talking about standing water, or wet roads with water straight after dry spells that turns the oil, rubber, mud, cow muck, diesel etc into that nice slippery soup crap, but after all that stuff has washed off.

My brain tells me that modern road tyres perform pretty well if you ride smoothly and a bit slower, but my mind tells me to back right off. What are your experiences ?

[Berries]

The Metzeler tyres I have on my bike are the best wet weather tyres I have ever used and they give me a lot of confidence. They have nothing like the grip they have in the dry though. A wet road surface reduces the friction available for a tyre to work with so yes, they will always have materially less grip in the wet than dry. Even after all the crap has been washed away, a film of water sits between your tyre and the road surface. At a macro level the hysteresis zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Get some tyres that give you confidence and you'll love riding in the wet. Get something not so special and it could put you off for good.

[Gremlin]

Yes, and it depends on the tyre. Some have substantially less grip, others don't suffer quite the same loss in grip.

A wet road is a colder road, the tyre isn't as warm, and another reason why the grip levels are not the same.

[onearmedbandit]

Riding at pace is still achievable in the wet as long as you are ultra smooth with the inputs, ie steering, throttle and brakes.

[russd7]

biggest problem is the variation of the road surfaces, wet tar allows for pretty much no grip regardless of what tire you have, i have had my rear wheel spin going in a straight line and not from opening throttle. like anything, ride to conditions and skill level

[skinman]

& intersections are often very slippery due to oil etc. of cause there are still the road markings to avoid if possible. The grib is compromised some tires worse than others as already mentioned & and also it pays to watch for surface changes, finding clean lines to ride on etc. the centre of back roads is often slippery so pays to ride the wheel lines if in doubt. Keep in the back of your mind that stopping quickly is difficult in the wet so look well ahead.
as you comment smooth is good, true always but more so when wet.

[Smifffy]

No.

Your tyres have the same grip all the time, for any given wear pattern.

Wet roads affect the road surface, and hence your tyre's interaction with the surface. There is no possible way that it cannot.

So, your tyres behave the same at the same wear and temperature, but on the same surface. Change the surface and the tyre/surface interaction changes.

Slow down in the wet. Because. The roads are wetter. The roads are more slippery and your tyres are the same.

I'm fucked if I know how some people can't work that out.

[macka77]

No.

Your tyres have the same grip all the time, for any given wear pattern.

Wet roads affect the road surface, and hence your tyre's interaction with the surface. There is no possible way that it cannot.

So, your tyres behave the same at the same wear and temperature, but on the same surface. Change the surface and the tyre/surface interaction changes.

Slow down in the wet. Because. The roads are wetter. The roads are more slippery and your tyres are the same.

I'm fucked if I know how some people can't work that out.

what a load of crap your saying !! the water doesn't change the grip level of the rubber, but it only changes the grip level of the road :laugh:

[Smifffy]

what a load of crap your saying !! the water doesn't change the grip level of the rubber, but it only changes the grip level of the road :laugh:

The water doesn't change the grip level of anything. Try reading it again. The water lubricates the interface between the two surfaces. Is that any clearer?

[3umph]

Water cools the tyre when wet so yes grip will be less then if the tyre was up to dry conditions temperature so yes you will have less grip as rubber is less pliable. Same imo would be riding in extreme cold where you tyres could not get to operating temperature where grip is optimum

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[Maha]

No issue in the wet with my current tyres at all, it's the unseen that can get ya. My tyres will cope with any condition I choose to ride in, but once again, if it is wet, there are circumstances that could change things in an instant ie: fluid from both other vehicles, and cows.

[Road kill]

I've enjoyed some of my best rides on wet roads because I get into this mind set where on known roads I'll pick a speed an try not to drift off it by more than 5kph while staying as close to ideal lane position as I can.
Keeps me thinking fast and totally concentrated on the ride.

I know my tyres won't have the grip in the wet they have in the dry but it's not a lot different, plus I seldom push hard enough to test them so not a lot of change is needed from dry to wet because their still well within their abilities which is better than mine anyway.

On wet roads just concentrate on "Riding properly" and your tyres should be well up to it as long as you do your part.

[MotoKuzzi]

Patches of slick tar is the real problem:eek5: - on ordinary seal with metal chip showing you can ride with virtually the same confidence as in the dry.

[awayatc]

I don't trust wet shiny roads....
makes me slow down and be very carefull.....
every time I think I shouldn't be such a blouse and speed things up a bit,
I get a quick and nasty reminder as to why I didn't trust wet and shiny roads.....

very easy to lose it in the wet....
trust your instincts

[gammaguy]

Water cools the tyre when wet so yes grip will be less then if the tyre was up to dry conditions temperature so yes you will have less grip as rubber is less pliable. Same imo would be riding in extreme cold where you tyres could not get to operating temperature where grip is optimum

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Actually its called a hydrodynamic wedge

Based on the principle that water cannot be compressed,it forms a thin but very slippery barrier between tyre and road surface,hence reducing contact patch therefore grip.QED

As you were

[actungbaby]

Hi guys

here's a question that is pretty relevant with the current weather.

Do modern bike road tyres have materially less grip in the wet than the dry ?

I'm not talking about standing water, or wet roads with water straight after dry spells that turns the oil, rubber, mud, cow muck, diesel etc into that nice slippery soup crap, but after all that stuff has washed off.

My brain tells me that modern road tyres perform pretty well if you ride smoothly and a bit slower, but my mind tells me to back right off. What are your experiences ?

Id listen to your own little voice its says back right do just that. i been riding bikes

For along time athough i had ten year break..ive was wondering what u are.. as new to

radial tires and see motogp boys going quick quick in the wet. but roads are just that.

Roads with oil that seeps to surface other road users children bikes cars.

I had oppsie other day touching white line with rear trire was only like 20 kph slid around a bit.

Just be realaxed and ride smothly and u can pick up speed but then u might stop quickly too.

Bigeest thing i learn as newbie was keep my following distance like double . dry condtions.

[rocketman1]

Better believe that wet roads are slippery. Just watch Superbikes in the rain, even the best ride slow.
Next time it rains , put on your running shoes or trainers, go and rub your foot back and forward on the tarmac, then do the same on a wet white line, not surprising when you hit one on the lean in the rain your off, especially when the white line is applied to the smooth motorway type roads. You can ride quite briskly in the rain just , don't brake too hard, stay off the white lines and don't ride on the SMOOTH tarseal bits.

[carburator]

Hi guys

here's a question that is pretty relevant with the current weather.

Do modern bike road tyres have materially less grip in the wet than the dry ?

I'm not talking about standing water, or wet roads with water straight after dry spells that turns the oil, rubber, mud, cow muck, diesel etc into that nice slippery soup crap, but after all that stuff has washed off.

My brain tells me that modern road tyres perform pretty well if you ride smoothly and a bit slower, but my mind tells me to back right off. What are your experiences ?

one the one thing that a lot of people have not touched on is suspension setup...
my road settings are hugely different to my track settings..

[oneofsix]

one the one thing that a lot of people have not touched on is suspension setup...
my road settings are hugely different to my track settings..

Unless you are changing your suspension between dry road and wet road then it has nothing to do with the question.

What about the water absorption of the tyre compound?

Heard that the road retains 80% of its dry grip when wet and it is the tread that deals to the wedge effect.

[98tls]

Better believe that wet roads are slippery. Just watch Superbikes in the rain, even the best ride slow.
Next time it rains , put on your running shoes or trainers, go and rub your foot back and forward on the tarmac, then do the same on a wet white line, not surprising when you hit one on the lean in the rain your off, especially when the white line is applied to the smooth motorway type roads. You can ride quite briskly in the rain just , don't brake too hard, stay off the white lines and don't ride on the SMOOTH tarseal bits.

Agree with that but will add that to my utter relief i found the smooth bits are not that bad,coming back from the Woostock rally on the coast years back it was pissing down when we left and still pissing down when we got over the hill and heading south,travelling pretty quick round a rough sealed sweeper i was confronted with a sudden change to very wet/shiny change,i was well over and thought "fuck this will be expensive" and seeing as there was nothing i could do to change anything just rode through it with only a big let go of the rear,i would have put money on the front going first but came out of it upright.Did though give me a fright as it was years ago and still vivid,when we stopped up the road my mate who was behind me did mention that he thought i was off:blink:

[.Llama]

The "Wedge Effect" is called hydroplaning.

[caspernz]

Wet roads simply increase the risk because the variables increase. Those tar snakes can be a nuisance with water on them, as can too many white lines. Decent tyres, a bit of caution and a bit less speed...all sweet me thinks.

Or to look at it another way, how close to the limits of the tyres do you get in the dry? Do you know how much brake to apply before you skid? In the wet and the dry? Quiet road in the wet, practise. Then try it in the dry.

But yeah, keep it smooth and you can still make decent progress...:clap:

[rocketman1]

Agree with that but will add that to my utter relief i found the smooth bits are not that bad,coming back from the Woostock rally on the coast years back it was pissing down when we left and still pissing down when we got over the hill and heading south,travelling pretty quick round a rough sealed sweeper i was confronted with a sudden change to very wet/shiny change,i was well over and thought "fuck this will be expensive" and seeing as there was nothing i could do to change anything just rode through it with only a big let go of the rear,i would have put money on the front going first but came out of it upright.Did though give me a fright as it was years ago and still vivid,when we stopped up the road my mate who was behind me did mention that he thought i was off:blink:

Yes that would give you a damn fright alright. I think that there is shiny tar and very shiny tar, I rode 50kms on Sunday morning on wet roads, not raining, struck a lot of shiny bits of road but mostly managed to wind my way through them by finding the non shiny bits, the bike felt quite confident through all this. However a couple of weeks ago coming back from a trip it started to rain and on a straight piece of road I managed to ride along one of those very shiny snakes of tar, I thought I was off , what a fright, and I was just travelling straight, not braking , turning or accelerating, plus I have grippy tyres.
I now realise how riders on those smooth wide tyred cruisers come off on straight sections of wet very shiny tarred roads.
I will contact NZTA to discuss this particular very shiny patch of road, I have done so before and they have been very prompt and helpful with repairs.
If you hit this patch of road in the rain with ANY lean angle I cannot see how you could stay on your bike.
My advise is ride in the rain but be very vigilant to pick your line through the shiny stuff

[eldog]

Yes that would give you a damn fright alright. I think that there is shiny tar and very shiny tar, I rode 50kms on Sunday morning on wet roads, not raining, struck a lot of shiny bits of road but mostly managed to wind my way through them by finding the non shiny bits, the bike felt quite confident through all this. However a couple of weeks ago coming back from a trip it started to rain and on a straight piece of road I managed to ride along one of those very shiny snakes of tar, I thought I was off , what a fright, and I was just travelling straight, not braking , turning or accelerating, plus I have grippy tyres.
I now realise how riders on those smooth wide tyred cruisers come off on straight sections of wet very shiny tarred roads.
I will contact NZTA to discuss this particular very shiny patch of road, I have done so before and they have been very prompt and helpful with repairs.
If you hit this patch of road in the rain with ANY lean angle I cannot see how you could stay on your bike.
My advise is ride in the rain but be very vigilant to pick your line through the shiny stuff

+1 also be wary of road surface changes part way through corners. Scan ahead through the corner. Been the victim of one of those nice new chip sealed parts which ended halfway through a corner in nasty large tar bleed patch. I would have better off keeping my inputs the same and ridden though it, but I didn't know any better at the time.

Go out and stop near to a tar bleed, actually get off the bike, walk on it, add some water and see how slippery it becomes - it will be an eye opener. Think how it would be when cold - worse like ice. It was for me. :rolleyes:

[leathel]

I had a few moments with my last tire, the current set is way better but are wearing much faster!

Its a bit hard to get a tire that lasts well and is great in the wet..