Wet/Rain tire recommendations for newbie/novice

I'm a novice racer that hopes to do at least 1 weekend a season, that's looking for tire recommendations for wet/rain.

I've ridden on the track with street tires (Q3's), and was "OK". So, I was thinking of using these on my second set of wheels when the weather isn't so great.

If the race day starts off raining/drizzling/wet, I'm looking to just throw my "wet tires" on and probably keep it on throughout the day.

I don't want to worry about looking for puddles, determining if a dry line is forming etc. if I went with rain tires.

Has anyone seen people run street tires on race day?

 

Understood. I'm sure it's specific track-to-track, but are there any conditions that I would just sit out with DOT's (i.e. pouring rain vs wet track after rain)?

 

If it's wet enough that your tires are throwing up a rooster tail then real rain race tires are the only thing that is going to make a difference. If your actually trying to lay down good lap times those sipens you will find on street tires are worth nothing, may as well be on slicks.

Now about racing on some Q3s or similar trackday tire that will depend on how fast you are really. Some guys do well with those tires and I've been shocked at the lap times I've seen set on the buuuuut IMO why try and race on a trackday tire?

 

Ive used michelin pilot power 2CT's that served me quite well in the rain

 

Especially if you are only doing 1 weekend a season???? The rains would dry rot before you get to really appreciate them

 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. I'm not fast, not chasing points, just love some competition once in a while.

My real goal is to finish the race rubber side down, in the rain (or dry)

 

Might check these out, I like to support the local tire vendor at my "home track"

Thanks for the replies everyone

 

For track days, an old set of rains, stored properly, can be great. My 8 year old rains were way better at a wet track day than any of the DOT rubber out there. It rained all day and over a third of the people there crashed. All crashes we're on DOT or street / track tires.

 

Racing in the rain has been some of my most memorable times on track. I had a set of rains that were 5ish years old and (although I didn't know it at the time) were hard compared to a new set. Sure I may have highsided and cost me a $500 Arai but it was good fun!

 

I was surprised how durable rains were around RoadAmerica when the track dried. Slicks were faster for the last 2 laps, so I thought my rains would be melted off. They felt really greasy, but they looked fine in the end. If it had started raining again, they prob would have cooled again and felt normal. I bet you could easily do 2 club races on em on a barely damp track.

Aside from that, I do rem a surprise downpour at Miller into T1 at the start years ago. Half the grid stayed out and we had fun finishing a very slow race. DOT race tires were fine then. I can't imagine street tires would have been better. It's not like u get a soft compound choice w those.