(Too lazy to get outside to look at the actual tires) According to tirerack.com, my 2003 Mazda Protege LX comes with BridgeStone Potenza RE92 tires (not 100% sure about exact make).

I have never driven on any other tires in wet conditions, so it may be just me, but I feel that they have bad wet traction. Especially, during braking.

This morning, I had to break hard in front of someone who just cut me off, and as I began braking, progressively harder, I locked the wheels (no ABS). Instead of releasing the brake pedal to the threshold where the wheels would unlock, I was in a bit of a disbelief that this is the best braking performance I could get out of these tires, in wet/rainy conditions. (that they would lock so early, I guess) I expected the braking "force" to be a whole bunch more before the wheels locked.

On dry roads, I can brake really hard without locking the wheels. Is it normal to have such a vast difference between dry and wet traction, or do the stock Bridgestone Potenzas just suck?

I'm afraid to drive in snow on these tires now.

 

There is a huge difference between wet/dry.. specially with no ABS. Make sure to drive extra careful in the rain!

 

Ok, I didn't think the difference would be that huge. But what is the general consensus on how well the stock Bridgestone Potenzas grip in the rain?

 

They're almost as bad as bald tires. They are the WORST tires I've ever seen in the rain, so if you plan on keeping them, just drive very carefully in the rain, don't take corners fast, and expect lots of wheelspin when starting off. At slow speeds in the rain, they are passable, but barely.

 

did it just start raining roads are allways the worse when it just starts..