Uniroyal Launches RainSport 2

Uniroyal claims a successful tradition of sport oriented rain tyre, and is confident its new RainSport 2 will follow in this vein. The new tyre builds on the established reputations of the RTT 1, RTT 2 and Rainsport 1 – products combining safety on wet roads with sporty driving performance. These features were suitably demonstrated when the tyres were used in the legendary 24 hour race on the northern loop of the Nürburgring, as well as when they were fitted as standard tyres in the Uniroyal Funcup, the racing series held right across Europe.

New structures in the base and sides of the grooves, together with their V-shaped profiles, enable water to be channelled even more quickly out of the contact patch, whilst the silica compound makes even higher deceleration values possible. The design of the tread ribs has also meant shorter braking distances on dry asphalt. A wear indicator on the tyre’s shoulder reveals faulty track alignment, thereby preventing reduced mileage.

When designing Uniroyal’s new sporty rain tyre, development engineer Oliver Woidtke implemented new structures in the sides and base of the tread grooves. These enhance water dispersion by channelling it out to the side of the tyre even before the tread elements touch the ground. “A 3D structure in the sides and base of the grooves on this sporty, directionally-orientated V-shaped tread pattern is the right solution,” he explained. “This accelerates water dispersion so much that aquaplaning safety is even greater on this tyre than on its very safe predecessor.” The curved rib on the V-shaped tread pattern offers further protection from aquaplaning by ensuring that ground pressure builds up from the centre of the tread out to the sides. Explaining the effect of this detail, he said: “Water can then be channelled even more quickly out of the contact patch and into the tread grooves.”

The tyre developers also achieved progress in terms of the tread compound, which makes driving performance on wet roads even safer. The use of Red-Hot Silica Compound has improved grip, whatever the driving situation, reports Uniroyal. Due to the silica filler particles in this compound, the tread is also able to adapt well to the roughness of the road surface. This increases the contact patch between tyre and road, thereby improving grip on both wet and dry roads.

With a range consisting of 51 sizes for rim diameters between 14 and 19-inches, Uniroyal covers 93 per cent of demand in the high-performance sector right from the very start. The manufacturer will supply widths between 195 and 275 mm, in cross-sections from 55 to 30, thereby ensuring that the requirements of more sporty drivers are also met. Tyre options will carry the Speed Indices V (approved for speeds up to 240 km/h – 150 mph), W (up to 270 km/h – 168 mph) and Y (up to 300 km/h – 187 mph).