Bridgestone adrenalin Re-001 in the wet

[dumped echo]

I know there's a tyre recommendation thread but this might be more discussion about other things than just the tyre.

I've had these tyres on my civic for a while now and in the dry they perform great. But in the wet they absolutely suck. Wheelspin on accelleration and understeer in the corners. I'm not even talking about hard driving, just a bit more than minor throttle and a bit faster than "granny" cornering speeds.

On a pretty steep incline in the wet i tried to take off really slowly and it was hopeless. Had to take off in 2nd gear in the end.

The thing is i had these tyres on my other car (Echo sportivo) and i never really had a problem unless i was single spinning on a tram line.
Obviously there's a decent power/torque difference between the cars but the loss of traction was enough to get me worried.

I got a quick wheel alignment and the guys said it was pretty spot on.

So am i just finding out that these tyres are actually crap in the wet? or do you think there could be something else wrong with the car's alignment/set-up?

Thanks guys

[Mr_will]

I know there's a tyre recommendation thread but this might be more discussion about other things than just the tyre.

I've had these tyres on my civic for a while now and in the dry they perform great. But in the wet they absolutely suck. Wheelspin on accelleration and understeer in the corners. I'm not even talking about hard driving, just a bit more than minor throttle and a bit faster than "granny" cornering speeds.

On a pretty steep incline in the wet i tried to take off really slowly and it was hopeless. Had to take off in 2nd gear in the end.

The thing is i had these tyres on my other car (Echo sportivo) and i never really had a problem unless i was single spinning on a tram line.
Obviously there's a decent power/torque difference between the cars but the loss of traction was enough to get me worried.

I got a quick wheel alignment and the guys said it was pretty spot on.

So am i just finding out that these tyres are actually crap in the wet? or do you think there could be something else wrong with the car's alignment/set-up?

Thanks guys


you took off on a steep incline in 2nd gear? not a good idea.

i have had them on my DA9 for quite some time and they have been excellent both in the wet and dry.

[Jerfield]

Never had a problem with these tyres. had them on both my s2k and civic. great in the wet.

[aaronng]

What engine do you have? I can take off in 1st in the wet and I have a 2.4L engine. I agree that the wet grip is way way below the dry grip though.

[dumped echo]

Obviously i didn't want to take off in second...i just had no choice at the time. Big 4wd behind me was impatient.

Forgot to mention torque is courtesy of 1.8L, not single carby 1.3.

So do we all agree i got some other issues apart from the tyres?
Suggestions?
Personally i think i should get another alignment from an actual suspension joint rather than a tyre shop as i did previously....but its not like tyre shop is incompetent and it was free anyway.

[Killa From Manila]

control the wheelspin with ur right foot?

[whtteg]

Moving thread to suspension/handling to see if some of the gurus in there can give more help

[dumped echo]

control the wheelspin with ur right foot?

Yeah its controllable...but the problem is that it seems to have less grip than it should...

[OMG.JAI xD]

Light car with alot of power and not to mention front wheel drive.

Wont be so good.
Going uphill a front wheel drive looses less force applied onto the front wheels.
Re001 arent bad.
I have bald tyres n i can still drive without spinning.
All about control.

[Mullensxxx]

lol i think its the driver not the tyre here, i have no problems in the wet, been repping re001's for about a year and only look traction when i want it to happen, seems like alot of other people seem 2 share my same view about em, thread closed imo.

[bennjamin]

i think you will find any tyre will act the same , in the same situation you put on the tyres.

[jeffreymui]

is it because of ur car are on a bit of camber? which means u have less surface touching with the ground

[dumped echo]

alright...fair...

but the reason i'm worried is that yeah i've had these tyres for like 2 years now...on and echo (low power) but also on a friend's polo gti (more power) and i'm not saying these tyres are shit....i've loved them up until now.

I'm saying that after all your comments i think there might be something else wrong with the setup other than the tyres.

Can you guys point me in the direction of anything else i could get checked?

[dumped echo]

I have less than 1 deg neg camber. Stock DC2 ITR setup

Ok i just took the car out in the wet, then jumped into my other car with the same tires, and there is a slight difference most noticeable under braking. Other car feels like it pulls more g's before locking up
The difference isn't as bad as i thought though. I think i'll just get another alignment.

Thanks for your help guys.

[OMG.JAI xD]

As ive said.
Alot of power on a light front wheel drive chassis.

A golf gti is pretty heavy.

An eg with a b18 (im guessing so since you said u have a 1.8L) is still just over a tonne.
And as for braking.
Every brake system is different.
You have to compare it with the same car with the same setup.

Im running -2.5deg camber with bald tyres. I lock up heaps under hard braking in the wet.
But hardly understeer on turns. You have to know the limits of your car.
And remember a car with ABS and a car without ABS effects ALOT on braking.
Dont think ABS only works under hard braking.
ABS works under all braking, all the time.

[aaronng]

Yeah its controllable...but the problem is that it seems to have less grip than it should...

Also, what was the road quality? When I drive home in the wet, there is one patch of road that I will wheel spin even in 2nd, while there is another road that can take 1st gear 1/2 throttle with no problem.

[power_of_dreams]

No problems here.
I find the wet grip to be pretty decent, and this is with "semi-spirited driving".
Have not had any wheelspin with a little bit of "go" off the line.

[EG30]

Dont forget with FF cars when you take off and weight transfer to rear of car giving additional grip to the rear wheels at the expense of the front wheels where traction is needed the most. Great for rwd cars but not ours. When the front of car is up and little weight on the tyres dont expect even the best tyres to work properly even in the dry let alone in the wet.

To limit this adverse effect you need stiffer springs esp at the rear to resist the front lifting. Some cars like the WRX have anti lift kit avail to them off the aftermarket shelf. For our cars stiffer makes a big difference, after that to get the most traction for ETs there are also stiff engine mounts, traction bars and of course semi slicks to consider.

When I bought my EG5 over 3 years ago on stock sussy if I revved it past 1500rpm and dump the clutch the front wheel would spin and squeal getting no traction and a lot of attention. Once I installed a set of King std low springs on that made a huge difference at take offs despite them being pretty soft by coilovers stds. I since installed some GC coilovers which are twice as stiff which made a big diff yet again. With adj heights it helps too when you raise the rear a tad compared to the front which resist the front lifting as well.

[SPL_K]

I drive a DC2R K20 and I'm running -3.2 neg camber on the front and I have no problem taking off in the wet in 1st on these tyres. I've also used these tyres on the track in the wet and it seems to hold up fine for me. I think RE001 are the best bang for buck street tyre out there.

I think it might just be your driving.

[CB7_OWNER]

Has any1 addressed the tyre pressure?? you might just have the pressure too high, making it loose traction alot easier. try lowering it a bit?

[Mr_will]

Has any1 addressed the tyre pressure?? you might just have the pressure too high, making it loose traction alot easier. try lowering it a bit?


incorrect. in the wet, you want higher pressures, for a smaller contact area. distributing the same amout of force over a smaller area will enhance the tyres ability to cut through the water and make contact with the road.

lower tyre pressure, as youre suggesting, will distribute the same amount of force over a larger area, thereby increasing the risk of aquaplaning, and reducing grip

[CB7_OWNER]

O ok, i seee. theory is true

[gumbs]

Just another voice to say that re001s are fine in the wet, I have no problems with the front end at all in the wet, the rear can get a little more oversteery then I would like but thats my car setup not the tyres.

[power_of_dreams]

how many ks you guys getting out of the re001s?

[Limbo]

r ur tyres worn? also you've had them for 2yrs now...

[power_of_dreams]

no, not even. I've only had them for about 6 weeks.

just curious as to what people are getting out of them since they are supposedly a softer compound due to being more "street sport" orientated.

[90LAN]

are you a p plater
with lack of driving experience ?

[Limbo]

comon give the guy a break.
I have to say they were one of the best tyres i got, even on a boosted car so long as i don't flat boost the car in the wet they were fine and i was only running 195/55/15


are you a p plater
with lack of driving experience ?

[power_of_dreams]

are you a p plater
with lack of driving experience ?

what are you trying to say?
I just want to know what people are getting out of them, what's the fuss? :confused:

[bennjamin]

what are you trying to say?
I just want to know what people are getting out of them, what's the fuss? :confused:

Back on topic

i got RE001's. 195/50/15
Been thru approx 20,000ks over 2 years , 6 drag race meets and 5 full day track days. Tyres are still OK (+60%) front n rear.
Car is lowered approx. 2.25 inches front n rear and alignments every 8-10,000kms. Appear to have even wear.

As for wet weather driving - it wheel spins all over the shop. No different to any other tyre.

[chargeR]

I didn't read the entire thread but I have found the RE001 on my car (stock-ish DC5R) to give acceptable traction in wet conditions. If I am a little keen with the throttle they will spin all the way to redline but that is typical of any tyre. They are an okay compromise as a sporty street tyre. To expect anything more is foolish.

[Spunkymonkey]

I have 205/50/15's running a 1.8 L on a light chassis. as like the above two posts, generally have no problem. If I step hard in the wet it will wheel spin but that is to be expected.

[woznaldo]

I have a set of these in 205/50/16 on my WRX and i'm very happy with them. Wet grip is not as good as the Goodyear F1s they replaced but, not too far off.

[RtN]

...

As for wet weather driving - it wheel spins all over the shop. No different to any other tyre.

oh and I thought it was just cause I was running on nankang ns-ii's LOL

[aaronng]

oh and I thought it was just cause I was running on nankang ns-ii's LOL

Can't beat physics. :)

[g.ta]

old thread i know but just putting in my input.

grip in the dry is great but in the wet it's like walking over fresh dogshit.

agree with OP, wheelspin on hill starts and no traction entering and/or powering out of a corner.

[integraz]

Alot of mx5 guys are having the same problem, and they narrowed them down to earlier Jap spec being quite good, whereas Australian made weren't all that.

Personally I haven't had a problem

[JohnL]

You might want to consider what the road conditions were when you had wet grip problems. There's wet, and there's wet, and then there's wet...

The least bad of those wets is with a road that's been wet for some while and has been cleaned by the water. Possibly the worst wet is when the the road is a bit wet after having been dry for a substantial period of time (like weeks or months).

In this instance the road has been 'rained' upon for a long time by a steady 'fall' of chemicals from vehicle exhausts, coating the road surface with oil and diesel deposits that sit in the bottom of the road surface texture. When this is rained upon the oils etc float to the surface of the water, creating a very slippery lubricated road surface. After significantly more rain the chemicals are washed away, so the road becomes a lot less slippery.

If it hasn't rained for quite a while, and then it does, even if (or especially if...) the road is only barely wet then be very cautious because it can become instantly very slippery...

[r3ckless]

I gotta get new tyres round end of the year..... would prefer a good bang for buck street tyre, however i think i woudl prefer more grip i nthe wet, as that is when it cna be quite dangerous? How does the re001 hold up.. anymore feedback?

[g.ta]

theres 4 pages worth of feedback, how much more do you want?

[r3ckless]

Well, i heard mikxed responses on the qujality o the tyre in the wet, so i wanted some more.

[JohnL]

Well, i heard mikxed responses on the qujality o the tyre in the wet, so i wanted some more.

You always get mixed and often opposite opinions about any tyre. There are probably a number of reasons why, e.g. the way each person fits / uses a tyre (i.e. what psi they use, what width rim they fit the tyre to etc), whether a given car had something wrong with the suspension or a bad alignment etc, whether or not a particular person has unrealistic expectations...etc.

You can never really know for sure whether or not you'll like a particular tyre until you try it for yourself...