Measuring tyre grip

[Deleted member 35268]

Interesting posts. Probably not the right contribution but i'd like to moan about some of the tyres I've used.

Not scientific, just my experience over the past decade...

Vittoria Rubino Pro Folding Clincher Tyre (25c) - unbelievable awful in damp and wet conditions.
Specialized Espoir Sport Tyre Road Tyre (25c) - Probably the tyre I have come off on the most in damp or wet conditions.
Giant Gavia Ac 2 Tubeless Tyre (25c) - Actually OK in damp and wet conditions
Continental Gatorskins (28c) - Actually OK in damp and wet conditions
Continental Ultra Sport II Wire Bead Road Tyre - No idea as I took them off as I kept getting punctures.
And the best tyres I have ever had for the wet are
Schwalbe Marathon Plus Smartguard Rigid Road Tyre 25c 700c Tyres - AMAZING IN THE WET but slow and heavy as hell.

And for my next trick, I am hoping to buy some Continental 4 Seasons - not cheap but it is time.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Interesting posts. Probably not the right contribution but i'd like to moan about some of the tyres I've used.

Not scientific, just my experience over the past decade...

Vittoria Rubino Pro Folding Clincher Tyre (25c) - unbelievable awful in damp and wet conditions.
Specialized Espoir Sport Tyre Road Tyre (25c) - Probably the tyre I have come off on the most in damp or wet conditions.
Giant Gavia Ac 2 Tubeless Tyre (25c) - Actually OK in damp and wet conditions
Continental Gatorskins (28c) - Actually OK in damp and wet conditions
Continental Ultra Sport II Wire Bead Road Tyre - No idea as I took them off as I kept getting punctures.
And the best tyres I have ever had for the wet are
Schwalbe Marathon Plus Smartguard Rigid Road Tyre 25c 700c Tyres - AMAZING IN THE WET but slow and heavy as hell.

And for my next trick, I am hoping to buy some Continental 4 Seasons - not cheap but it is time.

As you said, not scientific even though you did sprinkle it with emperical anecdotes.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

Having just come back from a ride on my Rubino pro tyres in very damp and muddy conditions I will stick by them as a good all rounder. Yes, I lost grip on mud on the road and what tyre would`nt at 700x25. You should have seen the road where obviously a tractor had been. The second loss of grip was on a cycle path where there are pavers at the end of it with raised dimples. The raised dimples are fine but the rest is attracting moss and slime, so can`t really blame the tyres. The only thing you can do in these situations (other than pray) is to swap out the tyre with a winter one with tread. I will stick with the Rubino`s and take it easy in these sort of conditions.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Anyone who has ever spent time driving older vehicles, including commercials, with no seatbelts, no airbags, no ABS, and on crossply tyres with drum brakes will also pay a lot more attention to road conditions and adjust their driving style accordingly.
Modern stuff is easy to drive too fast like a muppet because you are cocooned in a nice warm box full of gadgets to play with, and you lose that direct connection with what is outside all around you.

Exactly!

Why so many young drivers think they're so good
They don't realise (having no comparison) that modern cars/tyres 'flatter' them..... until it all goes very wrong.............. usually at a higher speed

 

[MichaelW2]

Tyre grip is dependent on temperature of the rubber, that is why F1 tyres are babied so much with electric heaters and all of that odd driving at the start.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Tyre grip is dependent on temperature of the rubber, that is why F1 tyres are babied so much with electric heaters and all of that odd driving at the start.

Equally, surface condition is why rally car tyres are shredded after a gravel stage

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Equally, surface condition is why rally car tyres are shredded after a gravel stage

That statement needs some clarification.
It isn't the gravel per se that damages the tyres, but the endless wheelspinning in the corners. Rally cars don't turn corners like other cars, even F1, they turn by doing controlled drifts which requires massive wheelspins, which heats up the tyres, softens them and ablates the rubber.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

That statement needs some clarification.
It isn't the gravel per se that damages the tyres, but the endless wheelspinning in the corners. Rally cars don't turn corners like other cars, even F1, they turn by doing controlled drifts which requires massive wheelspins, which heats up the tyres, softens them and ablates the rubber.

Indeed, but it was just a 'quick & dirty' comparison

 

[NickWi]

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned Winter Tyres yet. I use Perelli P Zero Velo 4S which they claim has better wet grip than thier more sporty tyres of the same series. ( https://velo.pirelli.com/en/uk/p-zero-road-racing-cycling-tyres ). How they measure or test that I don't know, but I can say I've used a pair summer and winter for the last 18months and they've done the job in every season without any drama.

 

[Deleted member 35268]

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned Winter Tyres yet. I use Perelli P Zero Velo 4S which they claim has better wet grip than thier more sporty tyres of the same series. ( https://velo.pirelli.com/en/uk/p-zero-road-racing-cycling-tyres ). How they measure or test that I don't know, but I can say I've used a pair summer and winter for the last 18months and they've done the job in every season without any drama.

hmmmmm

 

[Yellow Saddle]

hmmmmm

Indeed.