How good are RE11 in WET?
 

I have over 10k miles with the stock sport tires and it started to show some wear signs. It was not concerning until I almost got killed because of the crappy Wet performance of these tires.

Last month while it was raining I was going 50mph, it was pretty slow because many other cars passed me at higher speeds, including a really old Toyota truck (just for reference). I kept such a low speed because even when the road was smooth and straight I felt my Z tail "loose" and going sideways, minimal but noticeable. My passenger was pretty scared of this water-planing feeling. VDC was on.

Then a few minutes later when I tried to swap lanes to dodge a big water spot, as I tried to turn my wheel the smoothest way possible, without giving it anymore gas, I fully lost control of my car, it went zigzag twice occupying both lanes before i managed to counter steer it and regain control. A semi truck passed very close and I almost got hit. I know I could have avoid this with a very slight counter steer in the first "drift" but I over reacted gave it too much turn.

During the few seconds I lost control, VDC light did not blink. It was really stupid, because my turning angle was less than 10°, and I wasn't giving it more at at that time. I couldnt believe my Z behaving like this, because in dry, it is a marvel.

So I'm looking for new tires now, but wondering if you people could provide me opinions about the RE11 in wet.

I considered the RE11 because of the dry performance as well, and its good result in street use, according to reviews.

btw sorry for my english...

not sure about the RE11s in the rain but I can vouch for the Continental DWS...very good in the rain :tup:

I'm using the RE11 and all i can say it they are excellent in both wet and dry roads :tup:

Thanks for your replies... Hydro-planning is my first concern, I know it is very likely to happen for RWD+Wide rear tires but at least not at 50mph...


How does it perform in dry, lets say spirited driving? it has a really high threadwear

the re-11 are a ultra high performance summer tire and will grip a thousand times better.

the conti dws are a all season tire, a jack of all trades master of none.

They are very good in the rain, but there are better tires (The Star Spec). Still, they are 10-15K miles tire, so prepare to run into your same problem as they wear down too.

Lime Rock Park LRP 370z downpour time trial run - YouTube

Do you mean the star specs are better overall, or better in the rain?

in the rain yes in the dry no, but they all a lot cheaper. they just don't come in 19

Well that's fine for me since I have 18" wheels. I'm planning on getting the RE-11's when my current tires wear out.

The margin is small, cant go wrong with either or. I have had both. the re11 is a slightly faster tire grip wise IMO, but the star spec feels better and more tossable

Well it will be used mostly for DD, but I will also be doing some light tracking. Want something that will do good on the track and is decent in the rain since this is my only car.

In my experience the stockers are no good in rain over 12k miles

I have the Continental DWS all seasons on my car right now and they are pretty awesome in the rain/snow.

I do plenty of spirited runs in the canyons, although I'm sure these are not as good as the RE11s in dry conditions they're not bad tires overall..."jack of all trades, master of none" is almost true for these tires except I think they are a master of rain/wet conditions so if that's what your main concern is these might be the best bang for your buck. They're priced decently, will give you decent performance in dry or snow conditions and they kick *** in the rain. RE11s are amazing & expensive tires that are geared strictly for dry performance.

Are you really comparing the dws to the re11? Its like comparing a kia forte coupe to a 370z. Wet or dry, they are way slower, but definitely cheaper.

the kia forte is probably better for daily commutes in traffic too. Tires are tires, you can compare whatever you want. I'm not saying they're superior or better in any way, just saying the DWS are great in the rain from experience. I haven't personally had RE11s or used them in the rain but I would assume dry performance compound might not do as well in the wet then an all-season compound.

I was disappointed in the stock tires in the rain. Feel like they come up pretty easy. Even with only a few thousand miles on them I was getting moderate hydroplaning at 65 mph on roads that were only puddled - not solid water. Or maybe I'm just accustomed to my 6,000 lb. truck...

I've been looking for tires for a quite long time, and choosed the RE11 for its dry performance. But at the same time I don't feel spending $1300 in some fancy tires that in a year will give me the same hydroplaning issues I had with stock.

So any opinion is useful to me. I Also Looked at the Potenza S-04 Pole Position, ADVAN S4 and the Ventus V12 (One of my top choice)

What I'm looking for is basically
-Must exceed dry performance of the stock sport tires. I dont do track or anything extreme.
-Much better stability and grip in WET.

Apparently I'm not the only one that thinks DWS might be better than RE11s in the rain...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/7...21f6d2da_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7...81edb270_b.jpg

I never said they were bad tires, it's just compare to the re11 from grip point of view. You are not in the same ball park, no where close matter of fact. You have never driven on them (or most reviewers on tire rack). When I was 16, I thought my 100hp protege was quick. Now my 330hp z feels slow to me.

Stock tires do suck, I got rid of them at 800 miles. If you don't track, just get yourself some s04s orw Michelin, trade a little grip for tirelife. Almost anything is better than the oem tires.

btw, do you really want to use tire rack stats when their test report show the re11 being 2.5 sec faster in both dry and wet in an older 328?

Feel is subjective, lap time isnt

What about the continental DW?

The ExtremeContacts has better ratings, but the majority of the people that bought a set said that they would only "probably" buy it again. RE11's got a def. from the majority! I know this doesn't mean much, but I'd go with the one that gets the best feedback.

Better than stock or dws, but no re11. You are now stepping up to a rx8

Re11 grip great, but are you prepare to replace them in 10k miles? If yes, buy it. If not, buy the next tier

Where'd you see this? Not bashing, just really curious. And like I said, for the money and tread life, the Continentals are great tires, everyone here loves them and so do I from experience. Judging from reviews on this site of the RE11s and tread life, I'm confident without having drive time on them that they are amazing, superior tires. But like you said, if you can afford them, by all means.

Also, I don't give those ratings on tire rack much weight, but they are what they are still. I'm sure not EVERYONE going the distance to rate these tires is a complete moron.

Aside from all that, from an engineering perspective, rubber compound that is built for extreme dry performance usually lacks in other categories.

You're not saying the DW is better in the rain than the DWS right? I'd have to disagree with you on that.

:shakes head::shakes head::shakes head:


back on track..... take out the fact that one is a all season and another is summer only! You still are trying to compare a tire in a lower performance class to a much higher one with the dws or dw to the re-11 respectively.

Go to full test report and read the data on each tire. I am sure there are variables to them since they were done at different times, yet the difference iS too great to ignore.

Yes dws is slower thaan dw rain or dry. (by a lot) The dw is a softer tire, the softer compound allows it to stick while the dws has sipes that allows it to work in light snow. Its a 540 treadwear tire!

This is not a knock on the dws, they are just built for different purposes.

I think I'm going for the Potenza S-04 Pole Position after reading several negative reviews of the continental DW about the steering response, and the low mileage of the RE11 used as DD.

What about the michelin PSS vs. RE-11? which is the better dry/wet performer?

Re11. they are both great tires dry or wet, but re11 is faster while pss last longer.

Re11's in the rain are tons of fun. No as much as dry. But I'm a very confident rain driver with my tires