Very slippery when wet. Looking for advice

[jdsimard2012]

I've driven my AWD with the stock tires in Quebec winters when I picked it up in January and found it handled extremely well. I switched to road legal snow tires and had no issues driving in snowy, icy or rainy conditions. Never lost traction once. (FYI - In QC snow tires are mandatory from Dec to March).

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[Mach1E]

I don't think you and I drive the same.

Me either.

But just because you’ve figured out how to push in nails with a screwdriver doesn’t mean you shouldn’t recommend a hammer to someone else.

 

[RedStallion]

I saw that happening to Tesla and decided that AWD was a must for high torque EVs.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Except that the “broad post” was accurate.

He said it helps with acceleration.

Your counterpoint was about “accelerating out of a corner.”

I guess you missed the words “or through” in the post.

Not true for cornering. AWD can accelerate out of curves sooner or through curves when RWD definitively cannot. This is even more the case in AWD with traction control.

 

[DaMeatMan]

Hi! I have Select RWD. The car is very slipper when road is wet. You do not need to push it or anything, just turning and taking a ramp on a highway makes the car loose traction and start sliding. My wife does not want to drive it in rain anymore, it feels very dangerous. The tire pressure shows 37 at the moment.
Unfortunately I could not find Micheline Sport A/S tires that fit stock wheels and considering selling it or swapping for AWD and wider tires (I guess GT or different brand).
I am wondering if someone have a recommendation for a wet road tires that fit stock wheels. Should I consider installing wider wheels and ditching stock rims? The car feels very dangerous driving in the rain.

I ended up swapping out the stock tires on my MME Premium 4X for Michelin CrossClimate2 tires that were slightly wider using the stock rims. It made a whole world of difference, and they handle incredibly well in all weather conditions including wet weather.

Heavy acceleration even on a dry road, particularly when turning at an intersection with a jack rabbit start would cause my car to fishtail with stock tires. Now I feel like I'm riding on rails with the new tires and the car feels very firmly planted.

Size:
235/55 R19 105H

Link below:
https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ewall=Blackwall&partnum=355VR9CC2XL&tab=Sizes

 

[Mach1E]

I guess you missed the words “or through” in the post.

And you still seem to be missing the word “accelerate.”

AWD doesn’t help cornering with nor braking. It actually hurts due to the added weight.

It helps with traction for acceleration.

And yes, you may accelerate through a corner and in some situations it helps, in others it hurts (understeer), but either way it’s about “acceleration.”

I also missed earlier where you said “where rwd definitely cannot.” That’s also not always true as the other poster pointed out.

 

[jjwolf]

sounds a bit like the reputation any RWD car has with power application and non-dry pavement. i've owned RWD BMWs for a long time and they have a particular reputation for wanting to lose traction in the rain. i also owned a FWD car (Jetta) for a while that had dangerously slippery stock tires (in the wet), and that was FWD.

ultimately, all these issues can be fixed with improved driver technique and rubber. i recommend taking a car control class where they take up some of the weight on a dolly to simulate reduced traction. i also recommend buying better tires.

 

[RickMachE]

Me either.

But just because you’ve figured out how to push in nails with a screwdriver doesn’t mean you shouldn’t recommend a hammer to someone else.

Well clearly pushing nails into any tire doesn't help the situation.

My point is that the vast majority of drivers aren't upgrading tires on day one to get better handling. Most people don't drive like the streets are a racetrack. They're turning a corner, not cornering. I drive with a heavy foot, but my passengers aren't holding the handle when I take a turn.

When we were at my son's, I went into a traffic circle, devoid of cars, and leaned on it, circling several times with the tires holding just fine, a bit of squealing. I didn't feel any lack of control. I'm sure a performance expert would say I should have been able to go even faster. That's nice.

My car has the Michelin Primacy A/S tires on it at 39PSI.

 

[deadduck]

You know, a lot of supplements only work because people think they work.

I wonder if the same thing happens with AWD and tires?

 

[noname]

I wanted to see how much would it cost me to switch my wife to tesla Y, and they offered me $44,500 for my car with 5k miles over email.

 

[Mach1E]

Well clearly pushing nails into any tire doesn't help the situation.

My point is that the vast majority of drivers aren't upgrading tires on day one to get better handling. Most people don't drive like the streets are a racetrack. They're turning a corner, not cornering. I drive with a heavy foot, but my passengers aren't holding the handle when I take a turn.

When we were at my son's, I went into a traffic circle, devoid of cars, and leaned on it, circling several times with the tires holding just fine, a bit of squealing. I didn't feel any lack of control. I'm sure a performance expert would say I should have been able to go even faster. That's nice.

My car has the Michelin Primacy A/S tires on it at 39PSI.

I’ve never had to upgrade tires from day one either.

But the OP isn’t me or most people.

He came with a problem and asked for solutions. We gave him some.

You coming in with “well I’ve never had to change tires,” doesn’t really help him or anyone.

Wet roads + rwd + crappy tires + instant torque are a bad combo. Don’t need to drive crazy to figure that one out.

Sounds like my father in laws old 2015 ecoboost F150. If the roads were slick at all and you took a right or left turn from a stop you had to be real careful not to spin.

 

[tuminatr]

Yes, they can be the best depending on which category of tire you’re shopping for. Right now in UHP A/S it’s the Goodyear as far as wet capability goes. For some reason the Vredesteins don’t grade out as high in the UHP A/S category. If you’re ok with a softer Grand Touring A/S that will sacrifice cornering and braking grip as well as steering feel, the Quatracs are a great choice, especially where light snow happens frequently.

https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=266

https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=259

Maybe I have driven both and the Goodyear has more of a summer orientated tread compound in other words it gets a little scary in the ice and snow. The OP says he has a select RWD and lives in Seattle the select RWD has a 225/60/18 Goodyear does not make the Exhilerate in that size.

The best option for wet would be a summer tire not an all season and then switch them out for winter tires when the snow flys. Many people do not want the hassle or expense of a seasonal switch that’s what makes an all-weather tire popular. The Cross Climate or Quatrac pro would be a very good option for Seattle’s weather.

Then that being the case the Quatrac is far superior to the Michelin Cross Climate in wet performance. And would give far better performance in the cold than any all season.

If you are a Michelin fan the Cross Climate would be an improvement over the factory tire.

I will add that I did install a set a Vredestein Hypertracs in a 245/50/19 and they did positively effect the rain performance and handling, at a small cost to range. (maybe 2% or so) Where I live some of the roads are syped and the factory Michelin tire does not have a solid center rib it has a tendency to follow the sypes / ruts on the road. It feels like the traction control goes bonkers but with new tires its gone .

 

[ab13]

I haven't disabled anything, I can see the traction light when I tested straight acceleration. It works pretty good in straight line, my problem that vehicle starts sliding away when you turn the wheel

As someone mentioned, turn off one pedal driving so you don't activate brakes unintentional on a curve.

 

[harrysiii]

As someone mentioned, turn off one pedal driving so you don't activate brakes unintentional on a curve.

One Pedal doesn't use brakes, but you're right in that it still could adversely impact driving characteristics in slippery conditions.

 

[jjwolf]

One Pedal doesn't use brakes, but you're right in that it still could adversely impact driving characteristics in slippery conditions.

Brakes are applied only at the very end of a 1PD stop to hold the car. The "Brake Hold" icon will only come on if you push the brake pedal after this, but I don't believe it does anything else as the brakes are already in Brake Hold mode.

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