tyres again sorry,tread wear 100 or 200 for fast road

[pkw2704]

ok so the tyre saga continues,do i go 100 tread wear or 200 tw? i presume 100 is stickier and warms quicker than the 200,but in a car the weight of a Caterham would 100tw be ok for grip and longevity 

[aerobod - near CYYC]

Most of the 100TW or lower rating tyres are great for dry track, but can be iffy for general use on the road and in rain. The AR-1 and ZZR fall into this category. The R888R may be the exception with a 100TW rating, but OK in the rain.

In general the 100TW tyres have a wider grip range than the 200TW tyres, too, with worse cold grip and better hot grip, so are worse for traction if you don't work them aggressively.

[ScottR400D]

That seems to make sense James but having run nothing but ZZRs for a few years now, they really aren't that bad!

We even did a wet track day last year with them which did get a bit tricky with standing water later in the day but in the damp and light rain they were better than we thought they'd be. 
 
I went for ZZRs because I do try to avoid using the car in the wet but have found the odd time I've been caught out they're OK unless it's biblical rainfall as long as you take care. 

That said, tyres with more grooves are bound to be better in the wet. 

[pkw2704]

So it sounds like 200tw are better for fast road/occasional track (if i end up doing a track day)

[admaraujo]

Mind you, those treadwear ratings are inhouse manufacturers' ratings, not independent body measures.

A 200 of a certain brand may well mean 100 for another...

The same goes for the EU tyre sticker ratings