Tires for rain
 

Rain season is upon us, the stock Prius tires are a bit slippery for my commuting taste.

What tires would you people recommend for rain and probably black ice in the winter?

Also some good cheap rims recommendations would be appreciated.

If you keep an eye out on the Subaru for sale pages on Facebook you can probably score some cheap winter tires.
I have pilot super sports on stock wheels for warmer months and when it gets cold I have a set of snow wheels and tires that I got for $325 that I throw on. No studs so they're good for whenever and they did pretty good in the ice that we had last year.

Hoosier wets :lol:

But seriously, a good set of winter tires is what you're looking for, I'd advise to skip right over all seasons (the inside joke is that they are really called "no season" tires) and have two sets of wheels and tires.

I second the idea of having two sets of tires. The MPSS have been really good in the rain, but obviously they are a summer tire. I will be buying a set of Blizzaks for winter driving.

Definitely looking for 2 sets of tires.

There are no tires out there that are going to handle both rain and black ice well.

Best rain tires I've used are Continential DW. They are slick in temps under 40degs however.

I recently changed to Continental DWS and they are awesome in the wet...just blew away the Primacy. They are designed for snow use, too. Good all seasons, really.

Running on Continental DW as well. I was w/ the group that went to the Oct 9th meet yesterday and we mostly drove in the rain. The tires were great! :3

Continental DWS 06

Conti DWS
 

I'll echo how good the Conti DWS shoes are... great wet or dry... even when temps get below 45... and for S&G, I left them on when I did the Lead/Follow at The Ridge at the "big meet" and while not as good as the Mich Pilots I took off to put on the Contis... they held up pretty good for our 7/10's laps.

And, IMHO, they're a value given the price. For a great all-around all-season performance tire, they should be considered.

Michelin xi3. They are snow flake rated. They handle great in the rain, snow and ice. All tires have limits though. The other positive is they are rated for 40k miles. Just my opinion though.

I use RE-11A which work great in the rain up until the temperature gets below 40 degrees, then I have a second set with Blizzaks.

Conti DWs are great but DO NOT use them in near freezing temperatures. The compound will become ice itself.

I would highly recommend to have two sets of tires. One for summer driving and another for winter.

For winter I would recommend Nokian WRG3s. They are an all weather tire, including snow.

I'm running Conti DWS in the PNW. We dont get very much snow and when we do I just switch cars. If I was driving in a colder climate, I'd probably do Blizzaks or studs. Your not going to find anything for Black Ice.

just completed a 1000 miles road trip half in the wet and heavy rain. the Continental DWS was GREAT! definitely recommend.

Last winter I ran BFGoodrich GeSport Comp-2 A/S and they are absolutely phenomenal in the rain. I've been lazy about it, but I'm about to strap them back on and put the summers away. Better wet traction than stock on dry. If you can find a good deal on them they retail below $100 already, and they are top tier.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Continental DWS06 as well which are the only other rain-pumping A/S competition, but they're typically $30 more per corner and really only make sense if you expect to see some snow here and there (if you can't tell from the tread difference). The BFGs have edged them out in the rain.

Both of them perform well in low/freezing temperatures but ice is still ice.

Edit: FWIW: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...odClar=Limited

5x100 wrx 16's with studded tires show up on cragislist for a few hundred...

Don't know your climate very well.. I live in Syracuse, NY, where we have severely snowy winters and subzero (F) temps on occasion, and very hot and humid summers. No matter what your favorite season, we have a severe version of it. All-season tires are a non-starter unless you have a 4wd or AWD vehicle, and even then they ain't necessarily the best option.

In the winter, I've had great experiences w/ Blizzaks, Continental ExtremeWinterContact, and Michelin X-Ice tires. Go with whichever you can find a good deal on.

HOWEVER, if you're talking PRIMARILY rain and black ice, all bets are off. My winter tires all universally stunk in rain once the tread was worn even a little bit. The best tires in black ice conditions are studded.. virtually the ONLY tires that'll work on black ice. That, and/or skill and caution on the part of the driver. Rain? Good all-season or summer tires. Snow? See previous paragraph.

Just my experience.. hope it's a bit helpful.

Best to ya,

Barry

the thread title: Tires for rain

I have the Continentals but not the DWS, I have the Extreme Contact DW and it is outstanding in water and better in the dry vs the Primacy.

The ECDW has a little softer sidewall vs others in that category which improves ride slightly and reduces road noise (slightly). Since I have a 4x4 I didn't want to mess with multiple tires for the FRS so I got a set that work well in the summer and rainy season (since it rarely snows in the Puget Sound).