Uniroyal Rainexpert 3 Tyres

[Midas]

Like many in the Club, I mourned the passing of the Yokohama A021s as my 'go to' tyre.

I've been running Uniroyal Rainexpert 3 tyres now for two seasons, so I thought I would just record my impressions to help others in my position.

The car is a 150 BHP K series, used for touring. I run it on 13 inch wheels (185/70 profile). I also run 75mm under the Sump. I mention these details as I appreciate my setup is not the norm: this combo means a high sidewall, and most people run lower sump clearance than I do.

Overall, they are probably 10% weaker than the A021 in the dry, but 110% better in wet conditions. Subjectively, I cannot lean on them the way I could the A021, and the corner entry speeds are again about 10% lower than I would have achieved with A021s on the car.

However for most of my mileage this is never a problem, and even on a spirited blat through Wales yesterday in overcast conditions the tyres gave me all the grip I needed.On a positive note, they are less temperature sensitive than the A021s.

I'm still undecided about tyre pressures. I started with 18 PSI, but there was too much movement in the tyre wall, and the ride was too 'springy'. Cars following me remarked how much side movement there was, and I could feel the back move a few mm on cornering. You soon got used to it, but it made the car feel less planted although all movement was predictable. I'm sure this would be less of a problem with a lower profile.

I'm now up to 21 PSI and the ride/grip seems to be about right. Still some side movement on hot days, but the car feels tighter. Finally, the wear seems minimal which is a definitive improvement as i would burn through the A021s in around 9000 miles (at the absolute most) of touring mileage.

 

[DJ.]

Interesting to hear your thoughts after a good test. I am on 14" wheels so have the 60 profile Rain experts, I didn't feel much movement on the road, but a photo taken on track showing the tyre rolling on the rim, made me up the tyre pressures from 18 to 20psi. I swapped from a021 s earlier because they were costing me a lot having to replace every 18 months or so!

When I wear these out I will buy Uniroyals again

Duncan

[JonT]

I've got some, they're /ok/ for touring, but I don't really like them. As you say, they're unbelievably good in the wet, but in the dry they are very squeally, and the limits are /much/ lower than other tyres (the rain experts were new to me as I bought some 13s, previously running 14s with Conti Premium contact - sadly no longer available in 14). I certainly wouldn't want to take them on track. I might try higher pressures and see if that helps. 

Agree they last fairly well - I lost about 3mm on the rears on a 4000 mile road trip through the Alps and Dolomites, although I'd trade a bit more wear for better grip.

I'm planning to try Nankang NSR2s next (in 185/60/13 and accept the change in diameter/loss in ride height) and use the 13s more for track and keep the 14s (now running Dunlop Bluresponse) for road.

[Golf Juliet Tango]

I agree about wear/grip. The trade should always be in favour of grip.

[DougBaker]

Less grip means you go slower on road and slide more on track, seems reasonable to me. The wet grip performance is what matters for a tyre that I will be using on road. I don't mind that the dry performance is not as good as it could be. The lower grip also suits my lower powered car, it would be no fun driving a car which felt like it was on rails.

[JonT]

There's a trade off between sliding on track and just tearing chunks out of the tread though. I've so far stuck to "road" tyres, since I agree about not wanting too much grip on a lower power car (mine's also a 1.6 K-series) but too little it just becomes tedious. And similarly with respect to wet, I'm going to be driving more cautiously anyway. The rainsports were surprisingly good in freezing conditions in the Alps, and I wouldn't want the NSRs in those places, but the Contis were fine, and they also stood up to track use in warm conditions pretty well. I don't think the rainsports would, but I'm not planning to test them either.

[Midas]

I see that there is also a Uniroyal RainSport tyre which is marketed for the sportier driver, but these were not available in my required tyre size. It would be interesting to compare their performance with my current tyre.

I should also add I did do some touring with a friend who runs Avon ZZR tyres and it was clear that he had more grip than me in the dry. However, he runs his car lower than me. He has to be very cautious of cats eyes, whereas I sail over them.

[JonT]

Unfortunately there aren't any performance road tyres in 13" unless you want track day tyres (and I put the NSR2 in that group). There's not a lot in 14s either - it's just the trend of modern cars moving to bigger and bigger wheels so I guess manufacturers don't see any demand :(

[john milner]

There is definitely a move towards bigger wheels. When I bought my Seven in 2005 16 inch tyres were a rarity and are now easy to get hold of. Another thing that is worth considering is that there seems to be an industry move towards XL tyres which might not be the best of ideas for a lightweight car.

https://www.lotus7.club/forum/techtalk/xl-tyres

 

[Tazio]

Quote 'No performance tyres for 13 inch wheels' it seems someone has quickly forgotten Avons ZZS, ZZR range...

[JonT]

I said unless you want track day tyres, and I'd put those firmly in the track day category. Normal high performance I'd count things like Pilot Sports, Goodyear F1s etc.

 

[Curly]

Anyone tried Michelin Pilot Sport 3 for road use?

I  am emigrating to Aus later in the year and looking to take a spare set otf tyres and as CR500's are no more looking for alternatives for 15" rims  and ZZR/ZZS are difficult to find at the moment.

[aerobod - near CYYC]

For road use I have the Bridgestone RE71-R, which is highly regarded as a track capable tyre, too. I use the same 15" size as the Avon ZZS or ZZR - 195/50-15. They generally don't seem to be available in the UK, but are available in Australia, for example here: https://www.tyresales.com.au/buy/tyre/bridgestone/potenza_re71r/195-50r15/172002?q=4

[Tazio]

Peoples definitions of track day tyres are so different from mine then, the ZZS is a great all round road tyre, and has been standard fitment for 7s for years. The alternatives made by Michelin, and Goodyear mentioned are produced with stiff sidewalls suitable for vehicles 2 or 3 times the kerb weight of a 7, so you end up with a crashy ride, loss of suppleness and feel, and tyres that never wear out, and who wants that on a 7?

 

[DJ.]

I have done car limits days with a few high speed spins, and some deliberate power oversteer plus at least one track day a year (apart from this year ) and Rain Experts have held up quite well. I never do more than a 20 minute session on track days to let the brakes, tyres, engine, and me cool down.

To say they will be hopeless on a dry track day is not true, it depends how you drive. After all as everyone keeps saying, normal tyres are designed for cars 2-3 times the weight so they will never wear out, but then they say they will turn to jelly and overheat on a dry track day........surely you can't have it both ways

Duncan

[DJ.]

I have done car limits days with a few high speed spins, and some deliberate power oversteer plus at least one track day a year (apart from this year ) and Rain Experts have held up quite well. I never do more than a 20 minute session on track days to let the brakes, tyres, engine, and me cool down.

To say they will be hopeless on a dry track day is not true, it depends how you drive. After all as everyone keeps saying, normal tyres are designed for cars 2-3 times the weight so they will never wear out, but then they say they will turn to jelly and overheat on a dry track day........surely you can't have it both ways

Duncan