Best Tires For Rain

Table of Contents

‍6 Best Tires For Rain

There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when buying tires to ensure that they can withstand rain and other adverse weather conditions.

The best tire for rainy conditions should have a high tread depth because it provides better traction on wet surfaces. Tires with low rolling resistance are also the best tires for wet weather and on rainy days.

It is also important for tires to have more reliable groove patterns and sipe designs for rain. This helps to expel water from the contact patch areas where a tire requires the most balance and traction to drive with accuracy.

This guide includes the six best tires for rain based on all of these important features needed.

1. Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus

The Ecopia EP422 Plus tire is designed for drivers who want a set of tires that will grip and provide good performance in the rain. This is a high-performance and high-quality tire option for drivers who want to keep their cars safe even in the worst conditions.

The EP422 Plus is a premium all-season tire that delivers a true confident ride in a highly responsive package. It uses a NanoPro-Tech compound that provides responsive handling and improved grip on wet roads.

This technology is also designed to provide the best possible wet and dry grip. It also delivers excellent wear resistance and durability, so you can enjoy high mileage for a long time. You can expect a long-lasting tread life from this tire.

For the rain, this tire utilizes a symmetric pattern with notched shoulder blocks that make it easier to corner without sliding. The independent tread blocks can also interlock when braking because of the four circumferential grooves that evacuate water and eliminate hydroplaning risks.

This is a popular tire that can be found at both Tire Rack and Discount Tire for affordable prices. Both retailers offer free and fast shipping too.

2. Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus

The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus is a versatile tire that offers good grip, good noise levels, and excellent cornering abilities. It has an innovative new shape that will keep you as safe as you need to be on the road as well as give you complete control of your car.

The Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus comes with Helio+ Technology which has revolutionized the industry by providing us with a performance-oriented tread pattern that gives better grip, low noise levels, and better cornering abilities at higher speeds. The compound uses extreme silica to enhance the grip on the road in wet conditions.

This is a low-profile, all-season tire with a long tread life and plenty of safety features. It also provides excellent handling, stability, and grip on wet surfaces such as rain or snow.

The tire has a tread design that is optimized for wet, dry, packed gravel or dirt conditions. It features a variable contact patch that can change its size while riding.

There are plenty of features for rain too. These features include a set of wide circumferential grooves with outboard shoulder blocks that cause water to flow outward from the tire. This helps enhance cornering and direct road contact for added traction.

This is one of the most popular Michelin tires. It can be found at both Tire Rack and Discount Tire in many different sizes.

3. Continental CrossContact LX25

The Continental CrossContact LX25 tire has a dry handling compound for improved grip in wet conditions. It also has an enhanced tread pattern for enhanced performance on dry roads.

The CrossContact LX25 also features a patented aggressive tread design that provides better slip resistance, cornering stability, and long-lasting wear. It uses a symmetric tread pattern that helps create more accurate and comfortable driving too.

This tire is a four-rib, high-performance tire designed and developed for driving in wet and snow conditions. The Comfort Ride Technology manages the tire’s contact pressure to ensure that the tread provides an even ride on wet surfaces.

Continental's EcoPlus+ Technology tread compound is made to protect the vehicle in rainy conditions. The newly designed tire features an anti-scuff, long-wearing shoulder design that allows for better grip in wet weather, while also reducing noise and increasing fuel efficiency.

This high-performing tire features a lateral and diagonal sipe pattern, providing exceptional grip in wet conditions. The new tire is specially designed for handling well in difficult conditions like rain and snow.

This tire is widely available for crossovers and SUVs at Tire Rack with low pricing starting at only $165.01 per tire. There are plenty of sizes to choose from to fit a range of vehicles too.

4. Continental TrueContact Tour

The Continental TrueContact Tour features a tread compound design, specially engineered for wet conditions. The tread compound helps to extend the life of the tire in both dry and wet conditions while providing a powerful grip.

These high-tech rubber tires are designed to help drivers stay confident on the road when the weather turns into a downpour. The tread is made from a temperature-activated polymer that can sense difficult conditions to help it adjust and maintain proper driving efficiency.

This Continental tire also uses the Comfort Ride Technology that uses a more isolated tread pattern to target bumps and vibrations. It suppresses these noises before they can reach the cabin so the driver can maintain a quiet riding experience.

For wet conditions, there are lateral and circumferential grooves that create a channel for water to expel from the critical contact patches on the tire. The intermediate tread blocks contain sipes that release bite particles on wet surfaces for added grip too.

The new tire is durable and provides consistent traction that will not be impacted by poor weather conditions. It also absorbs shock and dissipates heat to maximize performance.

To find this tire, you can check out Tire Rack where they offer the widest selection of tire sizes at affordable pricing. You even get free shipping on every order.

5. Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

Bridgestone’s Potenza RE980AS tire features the latest in rain performance technologies, including grooves and full-depth sipes that help maintain traction on wet roads.

It offers low rolling resistance, excellent performance in wet conditions, and high mileage capacity. The tread pattern is optimized for road noise to create added comfort when driving.

The RE980AS features a highly durable tread compound for improved durability and traction even when driving through water or slushy snowfall. Unlike other tires, the RE980AS does not have any rubber sub-components which makes it more resistant to damage from external objects.

The tread pattern also includes extra grooves for an interlocking capability that allows both water to flow outward easily and braking to be more accurate. This eliminates the risk of hydroplaning when heavy rain is falling.

This tire also has 20% more see-through void than any previous model to add extra support against hydroplaning risks. It is one of the most effective tires in the rain.

Tire Rack sells this tire with low pricing starting at $143.29 per tire. It is available in plenty of sizes to fit your preferred vehicle.

6. Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady

The Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady tire features a two-layer, closed-cell foam system that keeps the air inside and water out. This design creates a dynamic balance of stability, traction, and performance in all types of weather.

The features enable drivers to maintain control of their vehicle even when it is raining heavily, as well as avoid hydroplaning during aggressive braking. It also lets cars with the new tire take off from a standing start in as little as five feet without hydroplaning or sliding.

This tire also features a rubber compound that is three times more durable than the industry standard, an innovative tread design for enhanced traction, and wet-road handling. It uses 3D Tredlock technology blades, Evolving Traction Grooves, and sweeping tread grooves to handle snow and rain easier.

Goodyear is known to provide some of the best tire technologies available for handling wet roads. They even include zig-zag biting edge sipes on this tire to help with winter driving too.

To take advantage of all these features this tire has to offer, you can check out Tire Rack where they have plenty of different sizes that fit all types of vehicles. Every order includes free shipping too.

What Are The Different Types Of Tires For Rain?

The different types of tires for rain are designed for wet driving conditions to resist the effects of hydroplaning. These tires can be found on many different types of vehicles, especially those prone to hydroplaning.

The three most popular tire types to use for rain are all-season tires, summer tires, and winter tires. Each tire type has a unique ability to drive through wet conditions.

All-Season Tires

All-season tires are designed to perform well in both dry and wet conditions. This type of tire is typically made from rubber or synthetic rubber compounds for durability and traction on various surfaces.

All-season tires offer the most grip possible in just about any condition with the most balanced driving you can find. However, they typically have less reliable winter performance than traditional winter tires.

Summer Tires

Summer tires are designed to handle the heat caused by extended travel on hot asphalt or concrete roads during warmer months without becoming too soft or overly sticky. This can happen from excessive moisture from rain or snowfall.

These tires will also use groove and independent tread block designs that can drive well through water and rain on the road. By doing so, you can get excellent performance during the summer especially when it’s raining but not during the winter.

Why Are Some Tires Better In Rain?

Rain is such a common weather condition that it occurs often and it's important to have a car with tires that can handle wet conditions.

Rain tires provide grip and control on dry surfaces while adding even more performance on slippery roads with circumferential grooves, sipes, and larger shoulders that all enhance handling and traction.

The tread pattern on a tire plays a major role in determining how well it can drive in the rain too. All-season tires typically use shallower treads with more straightforward grooves compared to a summer tire. This allows better road stability and durability but also creates more tire rotations.

Meanwhile, a summer tire uses a pattern that requires fewer rotations with a solid continuous rib. This allows a tire to drive through rain and wet roads with less risk of hydroplaning. However, a summer tire will not drive through winter conditions limiting how long they can be used.

Depending on what you value most, each tire provides unique benefits. However, the tread pattern style is the number one factor that impacts performance in rain.

Do Winter Tires Work For Rain?

Winter tires come equipped with excellent siping technologies and reliable lateral grooves that all play a major role in driving on wet roads. However, winter tires are still not the best option for rain.

This is because the rubber compound that makes up a winter tire is composed of much softer rubber that can stay flexible during cold temperatures. That means when the weather is warmer and rain is falling, the tire will struggle to maintain adequate performance.

However, in cooler temperatures, they work perfectly fine in the rain. They are not the highest performing tire choice but they will provide plenty of hydroplaning resistance support to keep you driving confidently on slippery roads.

About The Author

Charles Redding

I've spent many years selling cars, working with auto detailers, mechanics, dealership service teams, quoting and researching car insurance, modding my own cars, and much more.