2wd rain traction

I haven't been able to find a thread that talks about street tire selection. In my case, being in the Seattle area, rain and wet road traction is the most important thing. I have no idea what tires would suit me best.

My pickup is a 5 lug 2wd single cab that is stock right now. It has 9 year old P215/70R15 tires on stock 15 by 6.5 inch ET+40 wheels with 5/32 inch of tread left (not nearly bald.) Current wet road traction sucks, the 2.4 liter engine will crack a rear tire loose in 3rd gear (5-speed) while going strait. I am looking to keep my tires about stock height. I have been considering going to aftermarket 16 inch wheels. The ones I am looking at are 16 by 7.5 inch ET+38, so very close to stock tire location for fit considerations.

The tires I am looking at would be P215/70R15 for the stock wheels, or (preferred) either P215/65/R16 or P235/60R16 on aftermarket aluminum wheels. Who makes a good rain traction tire?

 

After reading, and trying to avoid paid hype sites, it seems that the Kumho Crugen HT51 is a good rain traction all season tire with a snow rating even. It is targeted at SUVs and has generally good reviews. I'm going to stick it on my stock 2004 2wd 5-lug on a new set of 16 inch wheels. The wheels I'm looking at are ET+38 while the stock steel wheels are ET+40, so that will push the shoulder of the tire out a little.

Do you think the 235/60R16 will clear the edge of the fender? It seems quite a few run 235/75R15 on stock wheels without rubbing. This tire is a lot shorter, stock 27.1 inch height, but the shoulder of the tread will sit another 8mm outward because the tread is wider, and the slight wheel ET difference. I could back down to the 215/65R16 size if needed.

 

Recommend you visit Tire Rack.com

You should be able to find all of the information you require.

 

Not all rain is created equal. Some tires are better about clearing ponded water from a heavy downpour, while others do better with the road oils that collect from a light drizzle, and still others do better with sleet/slush. Get on the tire sites and try to filter the reviews to your location. Maybe even call 2 or 3 shops, and ask their recommendation based on your typical use/habits. You'll get better advice from your local experts than you ever could from my perspective of running a rain tire in a Texas climate.

 

I decided to go with kumho crugen ht51 tires in a +1 size. The stock tire size for my Taco was P205/75R15. The new tires are P235/60R16. I replaced 9 year old "Arizonian" tires in the P215/70R15 size with 5/32 tread remaining. These tires where never as good as the stock tires on wet roads, but they really taught me to cross-steer over the last few years.

The improvement in wet traction is amazing. Today I got the chance hit a ramp where I often drifted with the old tires. Today, with the new tires the inside rear tire spun a little. The outside rear tire never lost traction. Just a little lightening of the throttle and I was on my way -- NO steering correction. I almost didn't know how to do that!

 

Clean truck! Isn't it more fun having to counter steer though...?

 

Tire update:
Getting a little sideways is fun! With the current Seattle area snow I'm very glad to have new snow rated all season tires. In dry, rain, and even snow I have to say these Kumho Crugen HT51 tires are a good choice on a 5 lug Tacoma.

 

Sheesh I took off 1/4 throttle in my truck and it spun

 

I blazed me tires off taking off they were smoking lol