Best tyres for grip on wet roads.Running ultra gators at the moment but have lost the back end a few times recently [not when breaking] so want a few ideas.thanks

4 Seasons? Stick with Conti's, I don't mind the ultra gators, for commuting and stuff but yeah, 4 seasons have always been good for me.

Michelin Pro3 Race Grip. The perfect fast rolling, wet tarmac road bike tyre.

I find michelin krilion carbon a good mix of grip, puncture resistance, speed and price. They are currently £20 each on CRC.

vredestein fortezza tricomp quattro.

they aren't a race tyre like some of the above but i train and commute on them all year round and they are fantastic for grip and puncture resistance.

Vredestein or Conti force/attack for me.

Vittoria open pave end of. Simply the best winter tyre I have ever used, I have even raced on them.

4 Seasons +1

They give a hell of a lot of grip on wet roads and are pretty puncture resistant. I even used them for the White Rose Classic this year to cope with some of the varied conditions. not the fastest tyre in the world but they do what they do well.

id second the vredsteins….just put more air in em than usual to enhance the puncture belt…very grippy even on wet slimy scottish roads…..

i stock em if you want some!

My Conti GP 4000 Chilli S have't put a foot wrong yet, unlike the Schwalbe Stevlio's and Ultremo's I've previously had.

+1 for the Krilions.

Also try a bigger size if using 23mm to 25mm and gently add power instead of full out.

Basically any decent race tyre will give you grip, but will also wear faster.

Conti GP 4000s
Hutchinson Fusions
Vredestein fortezza Tricomps
Vittorias
etc

I'd echo those who use an expensive race tyre when the roads get slippy, more grip, and more feedback too. I like Michelin pro race 3 and the Vredestein fortezza tricomps ( tho' whats happened to Vreds pricing recently- its gone through the roof?) not to keen on the quattro version and the conti GP4000 standard version is a bit slippy IMO.
If you want to be a bit tight use the full race tyre on the front where wear/ punctures are less likely, and use a harder wearing training tyre on the back where a bit of slidiness won't matter too much (Looks okay if you get all black tyres)

i love the quattro because it has a harder durometer rubber in the centre and softer at the edges.

at £30, i think they're cheaper than most michelins and conti's too.

Most full on roadie I know, including myself just use slicks (pro 3 race) all year round. Can't stand those slow rolling 'grippy' tires.

Whats most evil are tyremakers who produce a training tyre thats 99% as good as their race tyre in the dry (lulling you into a false sense of security)but becomes lethal when cornering in the wet. I'm not naming any names here…. 😈

Might spend a bit and try pro 3 race grip.what sort of pressures do you reccomend?

If your riding on crap roads then you're better to run on the low side pressure wise, 90-95 in front 90- 100 or so in the back – depending on your weight though, you dont want to spend your time fixing pinch flats.
One thing to watch about the prorace 3 is its quite tight on certain rims- fine on Mavics but a bloody nightmare on Campag/ Fulcrum wheels. Its something to think about if you're going to be stuck at the side of a cold ,dark road with a puncture.
Brilliant tyre otherwise.

All the good road tyres are just that good.
Personal favourites are Vittoria Pave and Diamant Pro for race days. However, I had to buy some Tri Comps in a hurry this year and they are very hard wearing, fast and grippy for the dosh.
I did race on Pro races and they were great, but I must admit I did find them slippery in the wet.
So to recap all the above are superb, but I've ended up a Vittoria repeat buyer.

+1

Pavé

They stick like sh*t to a blanket. And the have the cachet of being the tyre of choice for the Spring Classics. Let everyone know you're really Belgian by using these and riding hard all year round. 😀

As I've already been labeled a shallow idiot on here, I might as well admit it. Pave's look frickin sweet as well.

Oldgit, what generation were the proraces? The 1s and 2s I found to be slippy in the wet, but the 3s are a big improvement.
I used to be a big Vittoria fan but had a couple of bad failures ( sudden tread delamination , huge rips through the full layer) on brand new tyres and that put me off a bit.

Vittoria here, just the job up in the Highlands.

oldgit – where are you getting your Pavés from? I have a pair which have only a thousand or so miles on which I intend to use this winter, but need to stock up with some more in time for the full edition of Flanders next year.

Ah there you go then, yes they were 2's. They're still going strong on my turbo wheels though.

Bikebitsuk. cheap there, but my mate gets them trade through R J Chicken I think. But Bike bits are pretty cheap.
Ironically I'll use mine for training, and the cheaper Diamants for racing, as my races are pretty short.

+1 for the Conti GP4000 w/ Chili compound. I don't know how they grip so well, as there's very little visible tread in the centre, but they've been great. A bit pricey, but so far worth every penny.

vittoria open pave it is then.

I haven't used many different types but have recently got some GP 4000 chili compound tyres – the grip in wet or dry is noticeably better than anything else I have used.

I saw a magazine test where they compared all the main competitors tyres cornering in the wet, and pushed them until they lost grip. The GP4000 chili were the best by a good margin.

For commuting I use GP4 Season, for almost all my other riding I use Vredestein Fortezza triComp Quattro, for hairy conditions (+ RvV) I use Pave Evo CG (except that my Merlin won't quite fit 24mm tyres at the chainstays so I use 23mm Fortezza Tricomp on the back). If RvV is looking damp next Easter I'll use my CX bike with 24mm Pave.
Oh, TBH I find the Pave cut up too easily so keep them for when I need to use them.

I don't know how they grip so well, as there's very little visible tread in the centre

siping makes no difference to a road tyre as the tarmac itself is rougher than the tyre and it's the ability of the tyre to deform to the contours of the tarmac that helps it grip (why high tpi tyres grip more), you would need to reach speeds of 70mph+ to get any kind of aquaplaning. tread on winter road tyres is there to convince your brain that they have more grip when it's the rubber compound and high tpi in the carcass that give you grip

How long have you been running the Ultra gators for? I've found them a bit skittery in the wet when new but once the shine is off they improve dramatically.

If RvV is looking damp next Easter I'll use my CX bike with 24mm Pave.

Well, it was perfectly dry this year, wasn't it, so bound to be grim next year (and I'm on for the full edition as well).

Did it 3 years ago – nice and dry (apart from Chris having the trots). Just doing the 140 again as it'll be nice to be able to enjoy the frites and mayonnaise at the end.

Call me a cynic, but I use any old wire-bead cheap crap (eg Vitorria Rubinos I've had lying around for years… those cheapo Stelvio things from Planet -X… all c.£10 ea?) and just let a few PSI out.

Most of my Winter riding/training is on wet, muddy, grit-strewn backroads, and most of THAT is in the dark… Cheapo wire-bead Halfords specials are as tough as old boots and, really, any extra rolling resistance generated or any grip lost, is negligible.

We are, after all, talking about a total of less than one-inch-square in contact with wet/muddy tarmac. I doubt whether very little visible tread in the centre will make any difference on poor and variable surfaces.

Just my 2p.

25mm gp 4 seasons in use for commuting on crap roads/cycle path here, very impressed with them. Any punctures I do get are slow ones.

Wasn't very impressed with krylions – not very long lasting and not great in terms of puncture proofing.

How long have you been running the Ultra gators for? I've found them a bit skittery in the wet when new but once the shine is off they improve dramatically.

Been on for the whole summer with no prob's just recently not inspiring confidence i'm going to let a few psi out see if that works before investing £60+ on new tyres.