Originally Posted by Birder Ganson
Hello all,
I recently bought a used 05' Ltd Roadster with ContiSportContact 2 tires. The car has 10,000 miles on it and there is a good deal of tread left. (I had the tires looked at by Discount Tire). It drives and handles well except when I get over about 52 MPH in the rain. The back end has broken loose a little each time. I do not like that feeling!
Are the Michelin PS2's that much better in the rain? I live in Houston so snow is not a concern just alot of rain. If not the Michelin's what other tire would you suggest? I have checked the air pressure and it's fine I hate getting rid of tires that are still good but...I would rather not wreck the car.
Hi Birder,
I recently had an opportunity to fully test the wet weather performance of the Crossfire. I was at a trackday in what can only be described as 'monsoon' conditions. I was running very worn PS2's on the rear (see pic) and fresh Pirelli P Zero Rossa's on the front. I have to say that I am in absolute awe of the wet weather grip of the PS2's and the Zero's. I am talking genuinely inches of standing water and 60 -100mph corners, and I pushed it as hard as I dared, much harder than anyone in their right mind (or me for that matter!) would on the road in those conditions. I was absolutely amazed at the cornering and braking forces that could still be generated. Braking performance of the Zero's was particularly impressive; I could still brake at the end of the straight without the ABS cutting in. Sure, I could feel the car aquaplaning over the deeper water, and I could easily brake traction if desired as you would expect, but the limit was still very high and the car always felt reassuringly stable and controllable. I would suggest that if anyone starts feeling instability on the road they are probably running incorrect tyre pressures, excessively worn tyres, or are simply going too fast for the conditions. It may also be worth getting your geometry (front and rear) checked in case something is amiss there.
I have run ContiSportContact 2's on my PT for 3 years (road and track, rain and snow) without problems, and they always felt particularly good in the wet.
Of course my experience all relates to the Coupe, but since the Roadster is actually heavier I would expect it to be slightly less prone to aquaplaning, although the aerodynamics may be playing a part. I would certainly have no hesitation in recommending the PS2's but the Zero's are a very good alternative and cost quite a bit less and seem to wear a lot more evenly on the front.
Here's the vid and pics for those that haven't seen them:
Slippery when Wet Video
