Driving Through Rain

The sunny sunday drive has turned grey and wet, as if someone standing in the sky decided not to let the little people below have any fun today. Your expectations for a good time dashed, you head home, trying to survive the slick roadway hazards, and dreaming about the hot food and soft sofa that await you and your favorite TV show. Thankfully you remembered to stock up on coffee ice cream and microwavable chicken pot pie. Rain tires have a specially designed structure making them better adapted for wet road conditions than any other types of tire. Rain tires are cut or moulded with patterned grooves or tread in them. This allows the tire to quickly displace the water between the ground and the rubber on the tire. If this water is not displaced, the car will experience an effect known as hydroplaning as the rubber will not be in contact with the ground. These grooves do not help the car grip contrary to popular belief, however if these grooves are too shallow, the grip will be impaired in wet conditions as the rubber will not be able to make good contact with the ground. The patterns are designed to displace water as quickly as possible to the edges of the tire or into specially cut channels in the centre of the tire. Not all groove patterns are the same. Optimal patterns depend on the car and the conditions. The grooves are also designed to generate heat when lateral forces are applied to the tire. Some racing series such as Formula One allow an intermediate (inter) tire. This tire is designed to be used in conditions too wet for slick tires and too dry for wet tires.