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.

 

I see 2 cheaper alternatives to getting new rubber...
1. go faster so the spoiler deploys.
2. press the button to deploy the spoiler

 

I didn't think about that the first time I read this thread. I agree put the spoiler out. I've got the Mich tires and I hydroplane from time to time but not as much as I do in my firebird.

 

All season radials are an option on the Crossfire. Sounds like you got the standard tires. With the rain you get it will probably be best to switch to either an all season or rain tire.

I don't think the spoiler is going to keep your tires from aquaplaning.

 

The PS2s and ContiSportContact 2 are asymmetric tires but neither has directional tread. A directional tread design would be expected to provide the best resistance against hydroplaning. From my limited rain experience, the PS2s do very well but I have not driven at speed through any pooling water. The water-channeling directional tread design of the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 is the tire you want to get if rain and/or standing water is something you experience frequently. It incorporates long channels in the tread design to remove water and keep the tread in contact with the road.

 

good review and rating on PS2 from Tire Rack.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ilot+Sport+PS2

 

This may be a stupid question (to your multiple postings) but did you by any chance have your cruise control engaged. It is highly recommended that when it starts to rain you should immediately disengage your cruise control.

I live in England (where it always rains) and have never experienced hydroplaning in my xfire (we also have much faster speed limits)... but I am also very aware that cruise control in the wet can cause hydroplaning (so I don't use it when wet!).

 

Good question on the cruise control. No I did not have the cruise control on. I leave it off in wet weather.
It rains quite a bit in Houston and it's usually a downpoor.

 

Sometimes rain is good...

 

some of us read this at work, jack@$$ --

 

here's a link to a car & driver test on 11 different summer tires. the test consisted of both dry and wet performance and consideration was given to price and treadwear. note that the Eagle F1 GS-D3, ContiSportContact2, and PS2 were ranked 1st, 2nd, and 4th, respectively. the reason the ContiSportContact2 rated higher overall than the PS2 is because of price and treadwear rating, not because of overall performance. but the ContiSportContact2 did outperform the PS2 on the wet surface. one thing to keep in mind is that the tires were not tested in standing water to measure resistance to hydroplaning.

http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires...y_f1_gs_ds.pdf

 

Keep in mind that when you these insert those types of pictures, there are also women on this board. While I'm far from a prude, I find there is a time and place for those types of pictures and this forum is not the place...

 

Well...I am a woman on this board. My husband might have found the picture entertaining. Me I am looking for logical input on tires in wet weather.

I read the articles on the 2 links posted and apparently my Conti's are real good in the rain. Uhmmm.
Not that I can tell. Well I will try keeping the spoiler out and I may have a look at the Goodyear Eagle tire.

I have read many of the forums post and this seems to be a very good group. Thanks for all your help & ideas.

 

I'm not trying to be a smart *** although this is how its going to come across. When it rains try to avoid the ponds (pools of water). I have to do this on my way to work, I've driven this way so many times I know were every single dip, bump, rut, or hole there is and I avoid them. 40 E just before the 65 split there is a huge pond when it rains in the Left lane, so I avoid it. again i'm not trying to be a jerk but most likely (not saying you did) you drove a fwd car before the crossfire. Rwd sports cars have wider tires and are more likely to hydroplane than fwd.

 

Thanks Dog! Yes I did drive a FWD car before this one. I will try and watch for the ponding water.

 

To those who I offended by posting a humorous non crossfire related picture on the forum... (and yes I am still childish)!

 

i also had a fwd car before my xfire... the rear end slipping is a weird feeling to get used to...but the car is not going anywhere your traction control will keep you goin straight and in the same lane, but the spoiler up believe it or not will help. but the contis are not good rain tires so new tires will help alot.

 

the spoiler should (based on my poor assumptions and calculations) add a downforce of approximately 20 lbs at 40 mph, 40 lbs at 60 mph, and 80 lbs at 80 mph. so at 50 mph there's around 25 lbs of down force. that's not a lot of weight, but it might be enough to have some small positive effect on hydroplaning resistance.

 

I have the spoiler out all the time now and I hope the TC will keep it going straight. Tire people sure don't like Continental Tire for some reason. They also don't want mine in a trade even though they all said they have alot of tread, almost like new. They will take other brands but these on the Xfires are an odd size in the rear. I'll just use these for awhile longer. Especially since it's about $1,500. drive out for a new set of Michelins.

 

birder,

as i review your original message and all the various posts, i have a few additional thoughts and questions.

is your crossfire actually hydroplaning or is it skidding?

you mention that it feels like it is losing grip in the rear. which would be more indicative of skidding (where the tires are still in contact with the road but slide laterally) vs. hydroplaning where the water pressure under your tires prevent the tires from making any contact with the pavement and the car typically slides straight ahead and does not respond to your input. there's quite a difference between the two. on wet roads tires will have more of a tendency to skid in a turn and it is the resistance to as well as predictability of the slide that determine a tire's wet handling characteristics. your contis should respond well in the wet.

if you're hydroplaning i'd be willing to bet that you're not going to be able to find a tire that substantially reduces the issue for two reasons: vehicle weight and tread width. the crossfire is relatively light, and the tires are quite wide, both of which contribute to making it easier to hydroplane since there's less pressure being applied by the tires to squeeze the water out of the tread channels. my experience has been that just about any passenger vehicle will start to hydroplane somewhere between 40-60 mph.

was your previous vehicle heavier? were the tires narrower?

one final question: what tire pressures are you running? increasing tire pressures can reduce the tendency to hydroplane to some degree. i like to keep my tires at around 36 psi.