[fhg959]

Well, I'm not sure if this is the right place but here we go. Of road rally is over, rains are coming and I should start thinking on new tires. So, can any one provide me tire friction coeficients of the top tires (street legal)? Thanks.

 

[MSC]

That is going to be very hard to find. I think friction coeficients on a tire would change with tire pressure and rim width. Maybe even tire temp.

 

[Insane]

Just look at tire rack. They test and rate the tires.

 

[metallicnotazx5]

Potenza RE-960 Pole Position

 

[Geezer]

That is going to be very hard to find. I think friction coeficients on a tire would change with tire pressure and rim width. Maybe even tire temp.

As well as car weight, alignment settings and suspension. The tire coefficient of friction will be different in each case.

 

[carguychris]

Tire dynamics are far too complex to reduce to one simple number. The amount of grip a tire provides is dependent on too many different factors.

Also, IMHO sheer grip is less important than how the tire feels as that grip begins to go away. A tire that instantly loses grip with no warning- or turns vague and mushy- can prevent you from effectively using all the grip that's available. []

As for the decision-making process, my favorite resource is Grassroots Motorsports magazine's periodic tire tests. They track-test different tires on the same car(s), publish the times, and publish realistic feedback from test drivers who don't simply parrot the tiremakers' press releases. [rolleyes] Of course, it helps that I have access to every back issue of GRM since 1993. [cool] The last tire test they did was in the August 2008 issue, but I don't have my collection handy, so I don't know when they did the last one before that.

What kind of tires are you looking for, and how will they be used? [confused] These are for actual street use, right? I assume based on the "rains" comment that you aren't looking for a set of super-sticky competition tires for a racing class that requires a "street-legal" DOT-rated tire.

 

[StealthGray]

There's a couple of other variables too... a super sticky street tire that costs a bundle and wears out in 10k miles isn't for me, but someone else might love it.
Then there's wet and dry handling - someone in Oregon or Florida is going to be more picky about wet handling than someone in Arizona, etc...
Noise is another thing that TireRack rates, and I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing...
So no, you're not going to get one simple number that says "this is the best tire"...