Tires for dry weather only?

BourbonNcigars

Well-Known Member
What category of tires should I be focusing on if my only concern is for dry weather traction on city streets and twisty back roads?

In my research it seems all the sport touring tires focus quite a bit on wet weather performance, which to me, indicates that if it's good at everything then it doesn't excel at one thing. I don't ride in the rain anymore, and I'm not overly concerned with wear (but of course, it's still a factor), so what tires should I be looking at? Tires that you'd more readily find on a supersport bike?

Thanks.
 
Thanks, Dustin. That's pretty much what I thought I was supposed to be looking at, but every thread on every forum I'd visit always focused on touring tires so it seemed like I was doing something wrong by not looking at them for this type of bike...
 
Have a look at the Dunlop Q3. I've never tried them myself but they seem to offer a lot of dry weather grip for a good price. Best value for money going at the moment, I think. They're also pretty light!
 
I love my Pirelli diablo rosso 2. For track tyre also look at pirelli diablo corsa. I went 55 on the rear and it really does improve turn in on the bends.
 
Just considere that you might hit a wet patch on a dry day. On the backroads especially in forests it can happen, often encounter water running over the street only in a small place. On the street I look always to get a tire that can handle wet conditions so I am not wiped out at the first moist spot on the street. That said the BT 16 Pro handle rain very well and the S20 too. The Q3 are only good at temperature that's the same for the Diablo Rosso, you must be fast to profit from them, in the city they are not very responsive. I would go for BT S20 or 16 Pro if wear is not a concern. You also can try the Pirelli Angle GT, they are very sport and have long life, I have my second set and they are as good as Pilot Power but with much better wear. I would rate them just a bit below the BT 16Pro in sport capabilities on the street, they are not for the track.
 
Just considere that you might hit a wet patch on a dry day.

I don't think this is any cause for concern but I totally get what you're saying. Even a supersport tire like the Q3 or Diablo Rosso will grip a damp road quite well indeed. Heavy rain, standing water and cold roads will definitely be a different story of course.

For what it's worth, I ran a set of ContiRaceAttack tires before and was extremely impressed with how much wet grip they had for what was nearly a slick by all accounts. Not as nice in proper rain, though.

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I got seriouse troubles because of water running over the street. Ok I was leaned over and it just did feel very bad, the spot was maybe 3 meters long and over the complete road. Such spots usually come from water that is running down the rocks and then over the street. Here in Cali it is not so often than in the European Alps but I saw people going down exactly at such spots especially when it is cold. Diablo Rosso Corsa and Q3 are bot made for cold or wet conditions and it is rather the reduction of traction that can throw you off. With the sports tires I can go faster and lean over at higher speeds and still have plenty of grip left compared to the sport touring tires. However when encountering at higher speed and further leaned over a wet spot as I described, it is easily possible to be over the edge of the traction a tire can provide. I had several times small slides (well about 2 inch maybe) in such situation so that I would not go for only dry performance on a tire. Of course if you do not use the traction of a super sport tire you will not come into these problem zones so it depends on the riding style. Personally I ride rain or shine since I am in California and prefer more allround tires such as S20 or Pilot Power compared to more track oriented tires.
 
Q3 is my suggestion. I just rode 100 miles in the wet a couple weeks ago, and the Q3 front worked just fine allowing for way more traction than I am willing to test.
 
I've finally had to force myself to stop researching tires (I only need the rear one due to a nail). Analysis Paralysis has set in. 95% of my riding will be twisty back roads and commuting, so any of the well thought of tires out there should be more than enough. Like everything else, each one has its fans and detractors, and I'm not an overly aggressive rider so I don't need much.

The Pirelli Angel GT may get ordered today. Partly because I love Italian food.
 
Nothing wrong with that choice at all but the Angel GT is a sport touring tire and those have a different focus than what you mentioned in the original post. There's tons of choice in that category as well

Michelin Pilot Road
Pirelli Angel
Bridgestone BT-023 or T-series
Dunlop Roadsmart
Metzler Roadtec
etc

These tires are designed for longer life, heavier bikes & heavier loads, better cold performance and wet weather performance than the previous tires you were looking for.
 
Oh, I see what you're saying now. Yeah, my focus changed a little as I read up on tires more. I started thinking about tread life after all (since I'm cheap), and general all weather riding since I've been flirting with the idea of putting the enormous stock rear fender back on (taking it off was the main reason I stopped riding in rain)...and I ride well into the cold weather. But, really, tread life on the sport tires was a bit lower than I was expecting.
 
I'm sure you'll like the Angel GT. All the reviews and shootouts I've read have been touting it as the best dry weather performer out of all the sport touring tires on the market right now.
 
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