Please don't misconstrue what *I'm* saying to mean that all summer tires are as good at resisting hydroplaning as all all-season tires. For sure there are some summer tires that are prone to hydroplaning. But there are also all-season tires that are prone to hydroplaning as well!

All-season does NOT imply greater resistance to hydroplaning vs. summer tires. I wouldn't make a general statement one way or the other, some all-seasons are going to have great hydroplaning resistance and some won't, and the same is true for summer tires.

[QUOTE]If I were to buy a separate set of tires for track only I wouldn't worry about standing water because a maintained track won't have puddles, or at least you know where the puddles are and can avoid them.

 

Correct. I never meant to infer that ALL summer tires are prone to hydroplaning, just the particular tire that I had (Toyo but I forget which one).

I'm not trying to argue that all "summer" tires are inferior in wet conditions. But I will argue that "all-season" does imply greater hydroplaning resistence. Notice the italics? Implying doesn't necessarily mean it's true so I agree with you in not making a general statement in either direction.

Since my main concern is hydroplaning, my question is: does the "all-season" tire with the best hydroplaning resistence offer better hydroplaning resistence compared to the best "summer" tire?

and yes, I know rain is not a season. That's why I use quotes whenever I say "all-season" and "summer" tires. But where I live rain really is a winter thing only, summer showers aren't hard enough to be a concern to drivers.

 

To the OP, please make sure that when you check to see that your rear tires are in good condition and have enought tread to be suitable for wet weather driving that you look at them from the rear of the car so that you can see the whole tire. You may have plenty of tread on the outsides of the tires, but hardly any on the insides.

Also, the S is fine in the raina as long as you use your head and drive conservatively.

 

If "all-season" does imply greater hydroplaning resistance to you, it shouldn't.

That would be impossible to answer without actually testing some tires. Tire Rack does tire tests, including tests in wet conditions, but not specifically for hydroplaning resistance. Going by Tire Rack customer survey results (subjective impressions), the highest ranked Max Performance summer tire for hydroplaning resistance (Goodyear GS-D3) gets an 8.9. This ranking *was* higher than any UHP all-season until recently, the new Continental ExtremeContact DWS is ranked by customers at 9.2.

Which will have better hydroplaning resistance between the best summer tires and the best all-season tires will to some degree depend on which has the best/latest design on the market.

If rain is not a season, and if in most places it does rain in the Summer, then why *should* "all-season" imply greater hydroplaning resistence?