Has anyone used both?
Also has anyone run RE050 on the front and RE-11 on the rear?
How would the longevity compare?

I have RE050's now. At about 16,000 miles the rears will probably be done this year but the fronts have plenty of tread left. If the difference is negligible I'd probably stick with the RE050's to keep a matching set of OE tires. Based on the survey results on Tire Rack it looks like the 11's are better however they only have a very small fraction of the number of miles reported.

Thanks in advance.

 

The two tires are not even in the same league. The RE-11 is an order of magnitude sticker. But, since they'll be on the rear, it'll just make the car understeer, which is the safer of the two options (under/over).

 

Hmm nothing I've read so far suggests a difference THAT big.

 

That's my personal experience having gone from the stock tires to the RE-11s. I did an auto-x and track day on the RE050s, only street so far on the RE-11. The difference in grip is significant. Granted, old stock tires vs fresh RE-11s, but still a world of difference. On the RE050s, the rear would kick out at WOT and VTEC engagement, not so with the RE-11s.

 

RE-11's are significantly better in performance to RE050's. You won't get 16000 miles out of them though. Well, maybe if you're babying the car all the time yo will, but if you drive like that the RE-11 is the wrong tire.

 

If you aren't doing autoX or track events then you won't need RE-11s. No reason to get a soft, fast wearing tire if you aren't taking advantage of the extra grip.

 

This is starting to help put it in perspective. Up to this point most of the 16k miles on my car is highway driving which is why the OE tires have lasted as long as they have. I haven't tracked it or done auto-x yet, (although I am thinking of trying it at some point in the future) and the RE050's have been a very solid performer for me in both dry and wet. Although with a negligible price difference Bridgestone makes it a harder choice. Another interesting thing is the UTQG numbers suggest that the 11's should wear longer than the 50's (180 v. 140). Considering that the 11's are much newer and more advanced than the 50's, is it possible Bridgestone came up with a tire that is both stickier and longer lasting?

 

I put RE-01s on after the oem RE050s and there was a night and day difference. The RE-11s should be a bit better than the RE-01s. Wear seems to be very similar between the RE050s and the RE-01s for me.

 

The RE-11 is a much better dry weather handling tire. With the RE050A on the front the car will understeer when it is pushed to the limits or in an emergency situation. In the wet the car will over steer and the back end will brak loose before the front. I would say you would be better off matching the tires.
If I can help let me know.

 

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. So basically...
Rain... RE050>RE-11
Dry... RE050<RE-11
If I end up just getting rears I will definitely stick with the 50's. If I were to get a set of 4, am I interpreting properly when it looks like the 11's will last longer based on the UTQG numbers?