RainSport 2 from Uniroyal – Because Rain Happens

Statistics show that Europeans can expect around 140 days of rain each year, say the people at Uniroyal. And if this isn’t enough to dampen the spirits of any driving enthusiast, the company adds that over 30 per cent of all accidents occur when it is raining. But the good news is that a wet road needn’t wash away a performance vehicle’s handling characteristics – the new RainSport 2, from Uniroyal, is one of a number of performance tyres specifically designed to accommodate Europe’s less than arid weather conditions.

Released in February 2008, Uniroyal’s latest-generation sports rain tyre outperforms or matches its predecessor in all key performance criteria. Technical comparisons conducted by the manufacturer shows resistance to aquaplaning in bends to have improved by five per cent, and by three per cent on straight roads. The RainSport 2 produced a four per cent better result for wet road braking tests than the RainSport 1, handling was two per cent better and mileage an impressive eight per cent superior for the new tyre.

When designing the RainSport 2, development engineer Oliver Woidtke implemented new structures in the sides and base of the tread grooves. These serve the purpose of enhancing water dispersion by channelling it out to the side of the tyre even before the tread elements come into contact with the road. “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, Woidtke said: “Water can then be channelled even more quickly out of the contact patch and into the tread grooves.” The uniform ground pressure distribution under each individual tread block is a further benefit of the curved tread pattern, the development engineer added. As a consequence, braking distances on dry roads can now be further shortened. “Here we managed to improve the result by three per cent compared with the previous model,” Woidtke remarked.

The tread compound has been modified for the new tyre; the RainSport 2 features a red-hot silica compound, reports Uniroyal, intended to improve grip in all driving situations. The tyre’s developers point to the silica filler particles contained within the compound as key to the tread’s ability to adapt to the roughness of a road surface, thereby increasing the contact patch between tyre and road and allowing for shorter braking distances on wet roads.

Another feature of note on the new wet weather performance tyre is its Visual Alignment Indicator. This can be found on each tyre shoulder and consists of three sipes. The presence of differing degrees of wear to these sipes indicates faulty track or camber alignment, and by picking up on this early and correcting it, the problem of reduced mileage performance caused by faulty track alignment can be avoided.

The RainSport 2 range includes 51 sizes for rim diameters between 14 and 19-inch, a line-up Uniroyal reports will cover 93 per cent of demand in the European high-performance sector right from the very start. The rain tyre manufacturer will be supplying widths between 195 and 275 mm, in cross-sections from 55 to 30, thereby ensuring that the requirements of more sports-oriented drivers are also met. Tyre options will carry the Speed Indices V, W, Y and ZR.