I live in the pacific northwest, and the S2K is my daily driver. I've had couple of bad experiences on the stock RE050s, and they have about 9000 miles on them, so I'm looking for something that will provide a little bit more grip when it rains and won't cause the car to spontaneously hydroplane and spin off of I-5 at 65 again. (At least that's what my brother said happened... Last time I let him borrow the car. Oh well, it's a lease.)

I'm very interested in the RE-01Rs. It sounds like they are as good as it gets for dry weather, and I've heard positive things about their wet traction, but are they on par with the Eagle F1s? And based on the tire rack review, it looks like the RE050A Pole Positions have pretty good wet grip too. It would be nice if the RE-01R was included in the tire rack survey, but I guess it's just too new.

I'm not particularly concerned with tread life or price as I drive less than 10,000 miles a year. I am a little concerned that the re01r is only available in 225/245 though. Would the wider front tires negatively impact handling?

These will probably go on stock AP2 wheels, though I may buy another set of 17" wheels in 7.5"/9" width.

I'm also planning on buying some winter tires, so these will only be used from March/April through October/November.

 

225/245 is fine, you wont notice much difference between 215 and 225.

RE-01Rs > Eagle F1s in term of dry/warm grip
F1s > RE wet traction
F1s > RE cold
F1s > RE tread life

 

I have the F1s and love them. However, I would only get them if your have 18"+. Smaller ones have soft sidewalls from what I hear.

They are incredible in the wet, and great in the dry.

 

Thanks guys. So, anyone have any experience with the RE-01r in the wet? If I went with those, would I be hydroplaning all over the place? Or are they good, just not quite on par with the F1s?

 

The F1s are the best rain tires Ive ever used, and Ive used a lot of tires.

 

If you do go with the F1s at 17", have a look at their tread width on Tire Rack. To get close to the RE050 MZ width and ratio of front to rear you really need to go with 215/45 up front and 255/40 on the rear.

 

The RE-01R doesn't have enough tread void to allow for a large enough volume of water to dissipate. You *will* hydroplane.

I had the Goodyears. Very predictable tires, excellent in the wet. I think being that you're on the PacNW, this would be your optimum tire.

 

Alright, F1s it is then. Now, to decide on whether or not to get new wheels... Would I notice significantly more bumps on 18" wheels with the F1 than I can feel on the 17" RE050?

 

NFR, in your opinion, if you were more interested in only dry traction, how does the F1/RE050 comparison work out?
I know that the wet happens, but I'd suffer through lesser traction in the rain to get more in the dry.
Thanks for an interestin' thread folks.
Be well.
Java

 

The F1s are fantastic in the dry. I have 255 F1s on the back, and the s2000 doesnt have enough power to even chirp them. Both those tires are fantastic in the dry, and the goodyears are head and shoulders above the rest in the wet. With 18" wheels,with propers sizes, you will notice LESS bumps with 17s. Since you have more contact patch, the weight of the car is dispersed throughout more of the tire, thus smoothing out the ride. After my wheel install, my car became much better to drive. However, again, I would only get the F1s if you are gettings 18s and above. They are known for slightly soft sidewalls in smaller rim sizes.