by "Z (ND + Cancer Fighter)" (roadsterzach)
Published 10/23/2017 at 13:40
by "Z (ND + Cancer Fighter)" (roadsterzach)
Published 10/23/2017 at 13:40
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Oppo! I am clueless when it comes to tires, and figuring out how to compare them and such. It’s time for new tires (and wheels) for the MX-5 and am I’m looking for input. Does anyone have any experience with the Bridgestone RE71Rs or have an alternative? (General knowledge about how to shop / compare for tires would be much appreciated as well!)
All my AutoX and Kappa friends are swearing by the RE71Rs as the best thing since sliced bread.
However, all my MX-5 ND peeps are saying the best bang for the buck is the Firestone Indy 500.
I am looking for a daily / AutoX / canyon driving hybrid, hoping to find something overly grippy that will last for about 6,000-9,000mi, with a mixture of daily driving, 3-5 AutoX sessions, and lots of corner carving up in the canyons. Due to a hectic on-call work schedule, and a lack of space/time at our new place, I don’t have time to be swapping tires for events, so I am looking to settle for something I can just leave on the car.
New rims will be 16x7.5 (+35) and I’m looking for tires in the 205/50/16 range. Thanks in advance for any help or pointers! (Picture for attention)
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
10/23/2017 at 13:45, STARS: 2
Re-71Rs or BFG rivals.
"Future next gen S2000 owner" (future-next-gen-s2000-owner)
10/23/2017 at 13:48, STARS: 0
RS 4(?) from Hankook are a good bet if they come in that size.
The tire you mentioned is good. Rivals aren’t bad at all. Just look at what the fast street tire people run at an autocross event and pick one. They will all probably be a setup from whatever was on the car before.
"LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
10/23/2017 at 13:50, STARS: 1
RE-71Rs are great for autocross, but because of the low treadwear rating (200) they will wear out more quickly than commonly used road tires. Sounds like you are okay with that, in which case they should be a good match. In addition, they are not horrible in the rain, although I haven’t done much rain driving on mine (I do have a dedicated set to autocross).
Similar tires to consider are BFGoodrich g-Force Rival S 1.5 which are similarly priced and I am told are slightly more forgiving at limit.
"PotbellyJoe and 42 others" (potbellyjoe)
10/23/2017 at 13:56, STARS: 0
Rivals are a good call.
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
10/23/2017 at 14:04, STARS: 0
You probably want more than the BFG G-Force Comp 2's but they have been fantastic on my daily driver. I think they would get shredded at an auto cross but pretty much everything gets shredded at an auto cross.
The nice thing about he G-force tires is they actually work when it rains, and they work very well.
"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
10/23/2017 at 14:10, STARS: 1
RE-71Rs are horrible on the road though. Loud and uncomfortable. Now that mine are pretty worn they are almost painfully loud. Rain is OK, but you need to be vigilant that they aren’t great for it.
"gettingoldercarguy" (gettingoldercarguy)
10/23/2017 at 14:13, STARS: 0
Will the car see much rain?
"gettingoldercarguy" (gettingoldercarguy)
10/23/2017 at 14:22, STARS: 1
I would say the dedicated autocross tires will be a bit much for a daily. Check out https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ExtremeContact+Sport They handle track days great, fantastic wet handling and wear like champs.
"LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
10/23/2017 at 14:31, STARS: 0
I agree on the noise front. The used set of RE-71Rs that came with my wheels was extremely loud, but I wasn’t sure if that was because they were so worn or because I had a different alignment than the previous owner. So far my new set (with less than 500 miles and about 15 runs on them) are perfectly fine for noise. Noisier than my all-seasons, but not by much.
I don’t mind the ride, though, when I’m driving around with them, but that is based on fairly few miles on road. Maybe you have a lower profile sidewall than my 40 spec?
"DasWauto" (DasWauto)
10/23/2017 at 14:36, STARS: 1
Depends on whether you want to be competitive at autoX or not.
If so, RE71R (or BFG Rival S1.5) or bust. I’ve got a set of the Bridgestones and they’re fantastic.
If not, maybe pick something that will have a bit more life in it. The RE71Rs and aforementioned BFGs will be right around their limit with your intended use and mileage goals. Hankook RS4s might be a good bet.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
10/23/2017 at 14:41, STARS: 2
Dunlop direzza ZII star specs. Last longer than RE71r’s, 100000x better wet grip, less noise and if RE71r’s are a 10 on the 1-10 dry grip scale, the star specs are a 9.5. Also, I found the RE71r’s to need much more time to heat up to reach optimum grip.
Bonus, the star specs are garbage in snow like all summer tires, but somehow manage to perform phenomenally in cold weather. I went through 10°F winters with them and had a rediculous amount of grip
Source, went from RE71r’s to star specs and haven’t looked back
"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
10/23/2017 at 14:53, STARS: 1
I’m on 35s. Also 275 wide, so it likes to twitch and follow imperfections in the road really badly. I just switched to them after a month on my all seasons, it’s pretty bad.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
10/23/2017 at 14:58, STARS: 0
Don’t you love the noise over tar snakes?
"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
10/23/2017 at 15:45, STARS: 0
That is the strangest noise. When I put my first set on it scared the bejeezus out of me - there’s some roads around here where the whole surface causes the tires to make that noise or at least a similar one, and I thought something had broken when I encountered it. I think tire rack described it as “the sound of peeling tape” and that seems pretty accurate. *Thwick thwick thwick* over heavily tarred roads.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
10/23/2017 at 15:54, STARS: 0
Yep. high speed velcro
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
10/23/2017 at 16:12, STARS: 1
These two tires are in completely different categories.
The RE71R is a track-focused, 200-treadwear tire. It competes against other track-focued, 200-treadwear tires.
The Indy 500 is the less-pricey Bridgestone performance summer tire. (It’s sold as the Bridgestone RE003 outside the USA and slots in the lineup below the S-04.) It competes against stuff like the BFG Comp-2, Hankook V12, and Kumho PS91.
The category in between these two tires is the “max performance” premium summer performance (but not track-specific) like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, Continental ExtremeContact Sport, Bridgestone S-04 & Pirelli PZero.
So, how much do you want to spend, and what category are you looking for?
"Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney" (braddelaparker)
10/23/2017 at 16:30, STARS: 0
Another vote for Star Specs here
"daender" (daender)
10/23/2017 at 18:24, STARS: 1
If you’re not wanting to be serious in autocross, then go with the Indy 500s, Sport Comp 2, or similar tire that isn’t 200 TW. RE-71R is still top dog in autocross if you look at the results from SCCA’s SOLO Nationals, namely the street (really, stock as formerly called) classes.
RE-71Rs took top honors in most of the stock classes (SS thru HS) although the BFG Rival S is just as good now that they tweaked the design. Just be aware that 200 TW tires will ride rough and they will be loud. I used to run 1-year old (barely used by the previous owner who moved into RE-71Rs) Dunlop Z2 Star Specs as my daily and autocross tire, and it held up for about a year before it died off. Drove it through southern downpours without flinching until the tread got too low for me to cut through standing water like I used to.
I’m currently running BFG Sport Comp 2s and I’ve had no complaints other than the fact the fuel economy is about the same as when I was on Z2*s and they’re still a bit loud on the road due to their tread design. BFG SC2s are amazing in the rain, even better than my Z2s.
"The Snowman" (the-snowman)
10/23/2017 at 22:12, STARS: 0
I bought a set of Indy 500s a short while ago for the wife’s mini Cooper s and love them. Pretty cheap and they handle amazing, I’m sure there are stickier tires out there that would be good for auto x but these are great on a daily fun car.