tires & hydroplaning

[osprey ram]

I would appreciate any input on tire choice, an hydroplaning ! I*m under the impression that narrower tires work better in rain. Currently have 285/70-17 on stock alloy wheels. BFG KO 2s. Had these tires in the past, bad in rain as they wore down. Same problem with these. This height tire works well me. Should I just look for more rain friendly AT tire ?

 

[OC455]

Is that the OEM size? 265 70 R 17's should be the factory size.

 

[Docwagon1776]

*IF* all else is equal, narrow tires resist hydroplaning more as they have to move a smaller volume of water to make contact. The biggest differences are going to be based on tread pattern, though, and how well that pattern evacuates water. Well, the biggest difference is speed, but tire specific it's going to be tread pattern and style.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

Is your driving mostly in town and highways?
If so, perhaps look for a tire that has better design for this environment.

I had BFG KO2's for my summer set up previously, and albeit they're nice looking tires, they were not the best in rain, especially heavy downpours and puddling, and even more so at highway speeds in these conditions.

As most of my driving is highway and in town, I switched to Michelin Defender LTX tires and it is a 100% night and day improvement in many aspects.

1) I gained back some fuel mileage as the Michelin's are lighter than the KO2's and balance out much better overall and with much less weight required.

2) More importantly, the control and grip in wet road and heavy rain driving, especially at highway speeds, is incredible. These tires were designed to better resist hydroplaning and provide a much more stable road feel for this application.

As for tire width/sizing. Yes, a narrower tire will cut better through rain and snow/slush.
However, I currently run LT295/65R20 (equivalent to 35's) Michelin's for my summer set up on my stock 20x9 rims and they are flawless in terms of their wet road handling characteristics.

I have zero issues with hydroplaning at reasonable and controlled highway speeds in these road conditions.
However, if I was to start flying at excessive highway speeds in wet or heavy rain road conditions, then tires aren't really the only deciding factor. The driver is

 

[turkeybird56]

Is your driving mostly in town and highways?
If so, perhaps look for a tire that has better design for this environment.

I had BFG KO2's for my summer set up previously, and albeit they're nice looking tires, they were not the best in rain, especially heavy downpours and puddling, and even more so at highway speeds in these conditions.

As most of my driving is highway and in town, I switched to Michelin Defender LTX tires and it is a 100% night and day improvement in many aspects.

1) I gained back some fuel mileage as the Michelin's are lighter than the KO2's and balance out much better overall and with much less weight required.

2) More importantly, the control and grip in wet road and heavy rain driving, especially at highway speeds, is incredible. These tires were designed to better resist hydroplaning and provide a much more stable road feel for this application.

As for tire width/sizing. Yes, a narrower tire will cut better through rain and snow/slush.
However, I currently run LT295/65R20 (equivalent to 35's) Michelin's for my summer set up on my stock 20x9 rims and they are flawless in terms of their wet road handling characteristics.

I have zero issues with hydroplaning at reasonable and controlled highway speeds in these road conditions.
However, if I was start flying at excessive highway speeds in wet or heavy rain road conditions, then tires aren't really the only deciding factor. The driver is

Kinda called drive to conditions. Not care wat rubber on road drive too fast in conditions maybe not smartest thing. Also US highways are poorly designed not sloped or maintained like European roads for high speed.

 

[RamDiver]

Is your driving mostly in town and highways?
If so, perhaps look for a tire that has better design for this environment.

I had BFG KO2's for my summer set up previously, and albeit they're nice looking tires, they were not the best in rain, especially heavy downpours and puddling, and even more so at highway speeds in these conditions.

As most of my driving is highway and in town, I switched to Michelin Defender LTX tires and it is a 100% night and day improvement in many aspects.

1) I gained back some fuel mileage as the Michelin's are lighter than the KO2's and balance out much better overall and with much less weight required.

2) More importantly, the control and grip in wet road and heavy rain driving, especially at highway speeds, is incredible. These tires were designed to better resist hydroplaning and provide a much more stable road feel for this application.

As for tire width/sizing. Yes, a narrower tire will cut better through rain and snow/slush.
However, I currently run LT295/65R20 (equivalent to 35's) Michelin's for my summer set up on my stock 20x9 rims and they are flawless in terms of their wet road handling characteristics.

I have zero issues with hydroplaning at reasonable and controlled highway speeds in these road conditions.
However, if I was start flying at excessive highway speeds in wet or heavy rain road conditions, then tires aren't really the only deciding factor. The driver is

^^^^^
You took the words right out of my keyboard.

To the OPer, maybe, there's a more suitable tire for your preferred driving environment.

I have 245/75/17 BFG KO2s for my winter wheels.
They work fantastic in deep snow but not great on ice or during severe rain without slowing considerably.

And 265/55/20 Michelin Defenders for summer.

The Defenders provide a quieter ride, better fuel economy, and function quite well in severe rain unless you're driving too fast for the conditions.

.

 

[andymax]

I'd strongly recommend scouring the Tirerack.com website user reviews. Wet performance is its own category and over the years I've found it to be pretty reliable if enough miles and users are recorded for a particular tire.

 

[Dean2]

Is your driving mostly in town and highways?
If so, perhaps look for a tire that has better design for this environment.

I had BFG KO2's for my summer set up previously, and albeit they're nice looking tires, they were not the best in rain, especially heavy downpours and puddling, and even more so at highway speeds in these conditions.

As most of my driving is highway and in town, I switched to Michelin Defender LTX tires and it is a 100% night and day improvement in many aspects.

1) I gained back some fuel mileage as the Michelin's are lighter than the KO2's and balance out much better overall and with much less weight required.

2) More importantly, the control and grip in wet road and heavy rain driving, especially at highway speeds, is incredible. These tires were designed to better resist hydroplaning and provide a much more stable road feel for this application.

As for tire width/sizing. Yes, a narrower tire will cut better through rain and snow/slush.
However, I currently run LT295/65R20 (equivalent to 35's) Michelin's for my summer set up on my stock 20x9 rims and they are flawless in terms of their wet road handling characteristics.

I have zero issues with hydrop laning at reasonable and controlled highway speeds in these road conditions.
However, if I was start flying at excessive highway speeds in wet or heavy rain road conditions, then tires aren't really the only deciding factor. The driver is

^^^^^^^

Matches my experience. VERY hard to beat Michelin for an on highway tire.

 

[caulk04]

BFG AT doesn't have any circumferential grooves to evacuate water. They're designed to pack the tread with whatever you're driving on to increase traction, doesn't work on water.

Just by design that tire isn't going to be a performer in hydroplaning.

 

[ram1500rsm]

KO2's have been the tire that i've run the most ever, 7 times now total, 3 times in the RAM and i've never had any issues with hydroplaning ever. I'm running 315/70/17's KO2's currently but have ran 37x12.5x17 KO2's before. Are they the best tire there is out there to counter hydroplaning? I doubt it just like i doubt there is a best tire for that type of conditions. You can try Continental AT's, or Cooper AT3's but again not sure they'll be any better at preventing hydroplaning, i'd suggest you to slow down when it rains, more so if you know the road you drive gets packed with water so much that creates big puddles where tires tend to hydroplane. i've hydroplaned before with other tires in other vehicles and i know it can be borderline to completely scary, not something that have happened to me with KO2's. KO3's are now available in 285/70/17 and reviews of KO3's overall say they're better in the rain compared to KO2's plus they'll fresh as well. Old tires may not be that good in water even if they still have meat, so it's something else to keep in mind. I'm just waiting for them to be available in 315/70/17 cause soon i'll need tires for the truck.

Good luck.

 

[Hemi395]

I currently have KO2s on my truck and have not had any issues with hydroplaning. I've towed my camper through torrential downpours as well as without the camper, never had an issue with hydroplaning. Also the KO2s are fantastic in the snow which was another selling point for me.

I had Michelin Defenders on my stock 20s. After I got my Rebel 17s I had the KO2s put on. So far except for some minor road noise, the KO2s have been an amazing tire in all weather conditions. The Defenders were a great tire and I would run them on anything I drove consistently on the highway. But they were not so hot when trying to back the camper into a spot where there was dirt/mud/gravel/etc.

 

[billyw]

It's been a while, but my BFG experience was that they lasted a LONG time but became terrible for on road driving, loud and slippery. I'm currently driving Cooper AT3s and love them. They're long lasting, quiet, smooth, and have excellent on road wet/dry traction. My current set is 3 or 4 years old with another year or two left in them. Probably my first LT tires to stay in balance for the length of their life. They recently saved my bacon in a panic stop situation during rush hour. Vehicles all around me wrecked or swerved off the highway. Mine, thanks to ABS and these tires stopped in a light rain in a very short distance like it was dry, totally controlled and composed. That moment sold me on the next set.

 

[Kid's HEMI! !!]

i’ve been running Nitto tires for probably 8 or 9 years now 35s and now 37s I have never experienced any kind of hydroplaning and I have plowed through some flooded areas and puddles, but I never was really concerned about hydroplaning considering the weight of these trucks