{"id":6473,"date":"2024-07-19T20:40:32","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T20:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/this-is-how-motorcycle-tires-grip-in-the-rain-on-wet-roads\/"},"modified":"2024-07-19T20:40:32","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T20:40:32","slug":"this-is-how-motorcycle-tires-grip-in-the-rain-on-wet-roads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/this-is-how-motorcycle-tires-grip-in-the-rain-on-wet-roads\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is How Motorcycle Tires Grip in the Rain on Wet Roads"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"A<\/p>\nA lot of science goes into stopping a motorcycle in the wet, but you don\u2019t have to be an absolute unit like Aaron Colton to reap the benefits. (Bridgestone\/)<\/caption>\n

I\u2019m here today to make you a promise: If you\u2019ve got a decent set of modern motorcycle tires<\/a>, you\u2019ve got nothing to worry about when you ride in the rain.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t believe me? I don\u2019t blame you.<\/p>\n

Like buying oysters in Oklahoma or a Rolex on the streets of Bangkok, one person\u2019s guarantee is rarely enough to establish trust, regardless of how charming or handsome they may be. That\u2019s why, for the purposes of this article, the goods are coming straight from the source. After all, adjacent to motorcycle gear<\/a>, tires are an essential Motorcycle Parts and Accessories<\/a> component.<\/p>\n

After a few dozen emails and several hours of interviews with engineers, designers, and experts from Dunlop, Bridgestone, and Michelin, I\u2019ve been able to distill the fine science of wet traction into three simple steps.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: We recently test rode a variety of new-for-2024 <\/i>street bike<\/i><\/a> tires during the <\/i>Top Five Features of Michelin\u2019s Power GP2 Motorcycle Tires<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>What You Need To Know about the Michelin Anakee Road Tire<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Top 5 Reasons We Like Riding Bridgestone\u2019s Battlax S23 Tires<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Bridgestone Battlax S23 Motorcycle Tire Review With Videos<\/i><\/a>, and <\/i>Top 5 Features of Bridgestone\u2019s Battlax S23 Motorcycle Tires<\/i><\/a> articles.<\/i><\/p>\n

Step 1: Remove Water From the Road Surface<\/p>\n

\"Grooves<\/p>\nGrooves and sipes on tires like this Michelin Road 5 are your first line of defense in the wet. (Kurt Spurlock\/)<\/caption>\n

\u201cHydroplaning is what happens when you reach a certain speed and the tire can no longer dissipate enough water. At that point, you\u2019re basically driving on top of the water, and that\u2019s where tread pattern becomes important.\u201d \u2014Neill Rampton, manager of advanced engineering for Dunlop\/Sumitomo Rubber<\/i><\/p>\n

We all know that traction<\/a> is what happens when the rubber meets the road. That\u2019s pretty cut and dry on a clear sunny day, but when there\u2019s water on the pavement, our tires<\/a> have to \u201ccut through it\u201d to get to the grippy surface underneath.<\/p>\n

Motorcycle tire engineers like Neill Rampton achieve this feat by two distinct means. There\u2019s the tread pattern you see on the outside of the tire, and then there\u2019s the profile of the tire itself. Let\u2019s dig into the tread pattern bit first.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/b><\/i>How To Tell If You Need To Replace Your Motorcycle Tires<\/b><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

\"When<\/p>\nWhen it\u2019s actively raining or there\u2019s standing water on the road, tire grooves are a bedrock necessity. (Michelin\/)<\/caption>\n

Your tire\u2019s tread pattern is made up of larger grooves<\/a> and\/or smaller sipes, both of which are engineered to transport water away from your tire\u2019s contact patch. A tire that disperses more water can put more rubber in contact with the pavement below, maximizing available grip while also minimizing the risk of hydroplaning at speed.<\/p>\n

Now when I say \u201cat speed\u201d it\u2019s important to understand even the most grooved tires out there have their limits. Several factors are at play including the profile of the tire, the weight of the bike, and the layout of the tread pattern, but as you see in the graphic below, even the most rain-friendly tires have their limits.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\nThis computer analysis shows how speed reduces a tire\u2019s contact patch in the rain. The tire on the left is in good form, while the faster rolling model on the right has its contact patch reduced to the size of a dime and is moments away from hydroplaning. (Dunlop\/Sumitomo\/)<\/caption>\n

As your tires roll faster, your tread pattern has less and less time to grab and disperse water, causing the contact patch to shrink as you add speed. Outrun your tire\u2019s ability to shed water, and you\u2019ll find yourself surfing on top of it with no grip at all. Lucky for us, that\u2019s harder to do than it might seem.<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, motorcycle tires are for the most part \u2018pointy\u2019 which gives them higher contact pressures. Even on a slick tire with no pattern at all, a motorcycle tire is still a lot harder to hydroplane.\u201d \u2014Neill Rampton<\/i><\/p>\n

Yes, the rounded shape of a motorcycle tire carries an inherent advantage in wet weather. Unlike your typical car or truck tire, a motorcycle tire is tapered both from front to back and shoulder to shoulder, allowing it to slice through standing water much like the hull of a boat.<\/p>\n

\"Ever<\/p>\nEver wonder why racers often get away with slicks on a wet track? A motorcycle tire\u2019s profile is actually sharp enough to disperse some water on its own, even without grooves. (Michelin\/)<\/caption>\n

This explains why you\u2019ll often see roadracers head out onto a wet track with a slick tire rather than a dedicated rain tire: The sharply rounded profile of a racing slick provides enough water dispersion on its own to prevent hydroplaning, leaving it up to the rider\u2019s skills to find grip where they can.<\/p>\n

Of course that scenario doesn\u2019t apply to us mere mortals, which is why modern marvels like sport-touring tires remain the weapon of choice for most street riders. With that being said, compound clearly still plays a major part in the wet grip equation, which brings us to our next talking point.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Maximize Available Grip<\/p>\n

\u201cWe design compounds in such a way that they have a consistent level of grip over a very large range of pressures. We want tire warmup to have as little to do with the performance as possible. We\u2019re trying to simply take that stuff out of the equation, so whether it\u2019s 40 degrees and raining or 90 degrees and sunny, you\u2019re going to have a consistent level of grip.\u201d \u2014Keith Willcome, application engineering manager at Bridgestone<\/i><\/p>\n

Motorcycle tires work best when they\u2019re nice and warm because rubber becomes more supple at higher temperatures. Unfortunately wet conditions make it harder for tires to generate the heat they need because there\u2019s less friction on offer from wet pavement.<\/p>\n

While a wet surface will always have less available grip than a dry one, motorcycle tires are engineered to make the most out of a bad situation. This is where the fine science of rubber compounding comes into play.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/b><\/i>Motorcycle Tire Construction Explained<\/b><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

\"All-weather<\/p>\nAll-weather tires require less stress to achieve optimal grip, so they work better across a wider range of conditions. (Michelin\/)<\/caption>\n

Before the invention of silica-infused compounds, tire engineers had to employ very soft rubber<\/i> if they wanted a tire to perform well in the rain. Unfortunately soft rubber also has the unwelcome side effect of wearing extremely fast, so we don\u2019t have much use for it outside the racetrack.<\/p>\n

When the folks at Michelin introduced the first silica-reinforced motorcycle tire<\/a> to the public in the 1990s, they effectively gave birth to the modern street tires we all use today. The mention of silica<\/a> has gone hand in hand with wet-weather performance ever since, but to truly appreciate the miracle of these compounds, we need to understand how they work.<\/p>\n

\u201cSilica increases the hysteresis of the rubber compound at lower frequencies (more grip) while decreasing hysteresis at high frequencies (low rolling resistance). It essentially breaks the wet traction\/wear performance link and allows good wet traction while maintaining sufficient wear.\u201d \u2014Caleb Smith, Michelin 2-Wheel OE account manager<\/i><\/p>\n

At risk of stating the obvious here, \u201chysteresis<\/a>\u201d isn\u2019t exactly a household term. As you might expect, there\u2019s a long and complex explanation of hysteresis that the physics junkies in our audience would appreciate, but for the sake of everyone else, we won\u2019t get into it here. The short explanation is that \u201chysteresis\u201d is the amount of heat energy rubber generates as it rolls across the pavement.<\/p>\n

\"It\u2019s<\/p>\nIt\u2019s complicated: Rubber loads and unloads at different rates, and the difference between the two factors creates energy in the form of heat. (Dunlop\/Sumitomo\/)<\/caption>\n

When tire engineers optimize a compound for wet grip, their aim is to increase hysteresis at the lower operating stresses associated with wet conditions. This allows the tire to build and maintain more heat at lower speeds, which in turn keeps the rubber as supple and grippy as possible even when you\u2019re riding cautiously in colder, wetter weather.<\/p>\n

As my friend at Michelin noted above, silica also solves the problem of excessive tire wear because it reduces rubber\u2019s natural tendency to generate excess heat at higher speeds. Because street riders don\u2019t need tires that regularly take knee-down corners at 150 mph, this is a welcome trade-off that most of us will never actually detect.<\/p>\n

Step 3: Allow for Braking, Acceleration, and Cornering Forces<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at your front tire pattern versus your rear tire pattern, you\u2019ll see the patterns point in opposite directions. By aligning the grooves like this, you maintain stability in the blocks so they don\u2019t move around as much.\u201d \u2014Neill Rampton, Dunlop\/Sumitomo<\/i><\/p>\n

Tread patterns differ wildly between manufacturers, especially when we\u2019re talking about something like a sport-touring tire that\u2019s designed to grip well in the worst conditions. Despite this difference in appearance, all tread patterns essentially share the same goal when it comes to wet-weather traction.<\/p>\n

\"Here<\/p>\nHere we see the Sumitomo\/Dunlop\u2019s original patent for a tread design that maximizes tread block stability to maximize feedback and minimize tire wear. (Dunlop\/Sumitomo\/)<\/caption>\n

Adding grooves to a tire\u2019s tread helps disperse water, but it also creates a major trade-off. The more we groove a tire, the more prone that tire\u2019s surface becomes to squirming around under the stresses of braking, acceleration, and cornering.<\/p>\n

Over the years engineers have learned to combat this issue by arranging their tread grooves in very specific ways. There are plenty of great examples of this on the street today, but the best illustration of the concept actually comes from the world of roadracing.<\/p>\n

\"These<\/p>\nThese Dunlop rain race tires illustrate why our street tires often look the way they do: Tread grooves are angled in the direction of sliding forces to minimize the \u201csquirming\u201d of the individual tread blocks they create. (Dunlop\/Sumitomo\/)<\/caption>\n

Looking at the two rain race tires above, we see a major asymmetry in how the front and rear tires make the most of their tread. Out front, the grooves are all straight lines down the middle and 90-degree angles to the shoulder, while out back we see a much more \u201cconventional\u201d layout that slopes toward the shoulder of the tire more gradually.<\/p>\n

Tread blocks are their most stable and resilient when they\u2019re directly aligned with the direction of the forces they\u2019re resisting. We see straight grooves down the middle of both tires because the hardest braking and acceleration forces happen when a motorcycle is fully upright. Both tires feature their sharpest angled grooves on their furthest edges to resist pure cornering forces, but only the rear tire gets angled grooves in between because the direction of acceleration forces changes as the bike leans.<\/p>\n

The Big Picture: What To Look for in a Wet-Weather Motorcycle Tire<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\nA lot of variables are at play, but at the end of the day, ample grooving and the right compound are universal requirements for wet traction on the street. (Michelin\/)<\/caption>\n

Understanding how our tires grip in the wet is great, but what does all this mean for your average rider out on the street?\u00a0 Here are my main takeaways after many late nights of research and several hours on the phone with the industry\u2019s best and brightest.<\/p>\n

First<\/b>: All motorcycle tires represent some degree of compromise between maximum grip, maximum longevity, and wet-weather performance. Luckily for us, computer modeling and compounding technologies have become so advanced that most riders will never actually find the limits of a modern sport-touring tire on public roads.<\/p>\n

Second<\/b>: If you\u2019re struggling to truly \u201ctrust your tires\u201d in a wet corner, rest assured: There are NASA-grade geniuses at work engineering these things to be idiotproof in more ways than one. Stick to your manufacturer\u2019s recommended inflation pressures and let the science handle the rest.<\/p>\n

Third<\/b>: Motorcycle tires have an inherent advantage in the wet due to their rounded shape, but all tires have their limits. Excessive speed effectively shrinks your tire\u2019s contact patch in the rain, so you\u2019d be wise to keep those freeway speeds in check if hydroplaning isn\u2019t your bag.<\/p>\n

Last but not least, I asked each of the folks I interviewed for their \u201cinsider advice\u201d to anyone shopping for a wet-weather tire. I\u2019ll leave you with their parting words of wisdom.<\/p>\n

Caleb Smith, Michelin:<\/p>\n

\u201cOur testing shows it\u2019s not possible to achieve a max lean angle in the wet, so pay attention to the tread pattern in the middle 75 percent of the tire. You want enough tread void to evacuate water but not so much that the tread squirms more than necessary in the dry. For sport-touring purposes, you also want to look for a slick area on the edge of the tire to get additional dry traction at the higher lean angles you access during nice weather.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Keith Willcome, Bridgestone:<\/p>\n

\u201cBuy the best tire you can afford, and choose a brand with a good reputation. We try to design tires to inspire confidence so you can forget about the forecast and go ride. When you\u2019re looking at all the different choices out there, pay attention to how the manufacturer talks about each specific tire. That\u2019ll give you a pretty good clue as to where they put the most effort into designing their tire.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Neill Rampton, Dunlop\/Sumitomo:<\/p>\n

\u201cDo your research and make sure your tire matches your intended use. Don\u2019t buy a hypersport tire if you\u2019re looking to do a road trip in the rain. Also, don\u2019t be scared to talk directly to the manufacturer. We get a lot of questions from customers and there are a lot of people here willing to give you advice. Just call and ask.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A lot of science goes into stopping a motorcycle in the wet, but you don\u2019t have to be an absolute unit like Aaron Colton to reap the benefits. (Bridgestone\/) I\u2019m here today to make you a promise: If you\u2019ve got a decent set of modern motorcycle tires, you\u2019ve got nothing to worry about when you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/oJ68RV3K1-uLLrpc_AdiL0X9Jgw=\/840x630\/filters:focal(NaNxNaN:NaNxNaN)\/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com\/octane\/TBWVGMFVFNE5RBQHGL3S5P6D3Q.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-6473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/oJ68RV3K1-uLLrpc_AdiL0X9Jgw=\/840x630\/filters:focal(NaNxNaN:NaNxNaN)\/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com\/octane\/TBWVGMFVFNE5RBQHGL3S5P6D3Q.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6473"},{"taxonomy":"dealstore","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dealstore?post=6473"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/offerexpiration?post=6473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}