Alright, I've seen a number postings about this. Most of what's been said in those posts is bunk. Some of it it is correct.

The point is we do not know what kind of compound the devs are trying to simulate. i doubt they even know. they have probably plugged in some numbers that appear to be proper, and they work for the game. In reality, the tire tire such as the hybrids probably only exists in the world of high dollar racing. Something like F1 and pro rallying. that being said, it is completely plausible to create a tire that shreds itself in a few laps but provides a huge amount of grip.



Real Life Evidence:

The only tire I know of that comes close to this is the Hoosier Dirt Stockers. These tires were originaly created to be used on dirt oval tracks. Their compound is very soft. Some bright guy decided to try them out on his BMW in a club race in 1999. It was raining very heavily. He lapped the entire feild and the tires managed to stay intact for the whole race. ever since then, these tires have been the prefered wet track tire in America. But, when these tires are used on damp tracks, they do not last more than 2 or 3 laps. They do provide more grip, even with their tread, on semi dry tracks, they just wont last. No one has ever tried to race them on a completely dry track. That being said, the time difference on semi dry tracks compared to those with both rain intermediates and slicks with treads hand cut into them is such that on a dry track the Dirt Stockers will still have more grip than even a full race slick that's been shaved. I have serious doubts abotu whether they could be used on the rear end of a FWD car and stay together for five laps. I don't think that's possible.

Again, going off of the above evidence, it is certainly possible for a tire manufacture to create a tire with a compound that's soft enough to provide that kind of grip and still last in a low load situation like being on the rear end of a FWD car.

Quote from joshdifabio :

Hmm if wets are quicker over short distances how come people never use them irl for qualifying? Or do they..?

By short distances I mean 30 seconds, they'd simply overheat by the time you'd completed an outlap as well. Wet tires can only be used on a very wet track.

The reason wets can be so much quicker in hillclimbing than standard slicks is because they are normally free, whereas slicks are controlled in most race series, as there are basically no regulations governing hillclimb cars it's far cheaper to risk a set of wets for the odd hillclimb than it is to buy a set of super soft hillclimb tires that you can't use for racing.

wet's are used in hillclimbing over slicks, due to one fact, you get no real time to warm you're tyres up. maybe a quick burnout (and i mean quick, no drag style burns) and you're off, 'cause of the treads on wet tyres, they heat up very quickly in the dry an the soft compound will start to work almost immediately.

Hybrid tyres are for me, just a plain ol' cut-slick (as used in rallycross for decades) of a faily soft compound and arn't something to be afraid of. hybrid rears can last for 20-25 laps dependind on brake bias. that seems about right to me.

colway make some similar tyres on remoulds, and from personal experience i can say WOW, they don't half stick, BUT they only lasted 600 miles of abuse on the front and about 2000miles on the rear (pug205) try 'em for yourself (there still just about legal in the uk.)

Quote from Theafro :

wet's are used in hillclimbing over slicks, due to one fact, you get no real time to warm you're tyres up. maybe a quick burnout (and i mean quick, no drag style burns) and you're off, 'cause of the treads on wet tyres, they heat up very quickly in the dry an the soft compound will start to work almost immediately.

They won't ever be as fast as hillclimb tires, which are a similar ridiculously soft compound on a full slick, but hillclimb tires aren't cheap for the odd run and are no use in the wet.

Quote from bLaCk VaMpIrE :

i dont know if you had physics already at school, because you would have learnt, that the size of the touching area is more or less not important to the grip. rather the weight on one tyre and how good the material fixes to the ground.
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This is the danger of taking what your physics prof says about a CONCEPT and applying it to the real world.

In real life, it doesn't work the way you just assumed it does. More area will always be better because the forces involved aren't as simple as ideal friction.

yeah, more variables than you'd ever think possible

the tyre model is (many will disagree) pretty damn solid, and each of the tyres have they're own merits, you just gotta pick the right one for the job.