New Bridgestones! RE-71R
04-06-2015, 10:24 AM
#121
Just a quick heads up for folks. Most of this has been covered in general on this thread, but here are some specifics, especially for those of us on stock AP1 wheels.
1. At 7.6", the 225/50-16 RE 71-R is almost 1 inch narrower that the same size stock S-02.
2. At 7.0", the 205/55-16 RE 71-R is only 1/10th of an inch narrower than the same size stock S-02.
2. There is no wider 16 inch RE71-R listed on the TR web site.
3. The resulting front to rear difference with RE71-Rs is only 6/10ths of an inch versus the original 1.4 inch difference with S-02s.
In general, I also got some information that serves as a warning to everyone. The Customer Service person at Tire Rack immediately asked me if I am tracking or auto crossing the car when I asked about the RE71-R. He said the tire is really designed for racing and that I would experience a very short street life if I used it for every day driving. I asked if it would last at least as long as the original S0-2s or the RE01-Rs which I am using now and he said he didn't know.
WARNING. Several sources have told me that tire manufacturers are rating their tires with a 200 wear factor in order to "meet" the requirements of sanctioning bodies like the SCCA. This is why some tires have been "rerated" from 180 to 200. It wasn't because the manufacturers reformulated the compound. Obviously, some of these tires will wear much faster than other tires of the same rating. The comments above about rocks sticking to the RE 71-Rs tell me you should be cautious if street use is your main purpose for buying them. I may still give them a try and if they wear out in 5,000 miles, so be it.
1. At 7.6", the 225/50-16 RE 71-R is almost 1 inch narrower that the same size stock S-02.
2. At 7.0", the 205/55-16 RE 71-R is only 1/10th of an inch narrower than the same size stock S-02.
2. There is no wider 16 inch RE71-R listed on the TR web site.
3. The resulting front to rear difference with RE71-Rs is only 6/10ths of an inch versus the original 1.4 inch difference with S-02s.
In general, I also got some information that serves as a warning to everyone. The Customer Service person at Tire Rack immediately asked me if I am tracking or auto crossing the car when I asked about the RE71-R. He said the tire is really designed for racing and that I would experience a very short street life if I used it for every day driving. I asked if it would last at least as long as the original S0-2s or the RE01-Rs which I am using now and he said he didn't know.
WARNING. Several sources have told me that tire manufacturers are rating their tires with a 200 wear factor in order to "meet" the requirements of sanctioning bodies like the SCCA. This is why some tires have been "rerated" from 180 to 200. It wasn't because the manufacturers reformulated the compound. Obviously, some of these tires will wear much faster than other tires of the same rating. The comments above about rocks sticking to the RE 71-Rs tell me you should be cautious if street use is your main purpose for buying them. I may still give them a try and if they wear out in 5,000 miles, so be it.
04-06-2015, 12:36 PM
#122
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Just a quick heads up for folks. Most of this has been covered in general on this thread, but here are some specifics, especially for those of us on stock AP1 wheels.
1. At 7.6", the 225/50-16 RE 71-R is almost 1 inch narrower that the same size stock S-02.
2. At 7.0", the 205/55-16 RE 71-R is only 1/10th of an inch narrower than the same size stock S-02.
2. There is no wider 16 inch RE71-R listed on the TR web site.
3. The resulting front to rear difference with RE71-Rs is only 6/10ths of an inch versus the original 1.4 inch difference with S-02s.
In general, I also got some information that serves as a warning to everyone. The Customer Service person at Tire Rack immediately asked me if I am tracking or auto crossing the car when I asked about the RE71-R. He said the tire is really designed for racing and that I would experience a very short street life if I used it for every day driving. I asked if it would last at least as long as the original S0-2s or the RE01-Rs which I am using now and he said he didn't know.
WARNING. Several sources have told me that tire manufacturers are rating their tires with a 200 wear factor in order to "meet" the requirements of sanctioning bodies like the SCCA. This is why some tires have been "rerated" from 180 to 200. It wasn't because the manufacturers reformulated the compound. Obviously, some of these tires will wear much faster than other tires of the same rating. The comments above about rocks sticking to the RE 71-Rs tell me you should be cautious if street use is your main purpose for buying them. I may still give them a try and if they wear out in 5,000 miles, so be it.
1. At 7.6", the 225/50-16 RE 71-R is almost 1 inch narrower that the same size stock S-02.
2. At 7.0", the 205/55-16 RE 71-R is only 1/10th of an inch narrower than the same size stock S-02.
2. There is no wider 16 inch RE71-R listed on the TR web site.
3. The resulting front to rear difference with RE71-Rs is only 6/10ths of an inch versus the original 1.4 inch difference with S-02s.
In general, I also got some information that serves as a warning to everyone. The Customer Service person at Tire Rack immediately asked me if I am tracking or auto crossing the car when I asked about the RE71-R. He said the tire is really designed for racing and that I would experience a very short street life if I used it for every day driving. I asked if it would last at least as long as the original S0-2s or the RE01-Rs which I am using now and he said he didn't know.
WARNING. Several sources have told me that tire manufacturers are rating their tires with a 200 wear factor in order to "meet" the requirements of sanctioning bodies like the SCCA. This is why some tires have been "rerated" from 180 to 200. It wasn't because the manufacturers reformulated the compound. Obviously, some of these tires will wear much faster than other tires of the same rating. The comments above about rocks sticking to the RE 71-Rs tell me you should be cautious if street use is your main purpose for buying them. I may still give them a try and if they wear out in 5,000 miles, so be it.
I'm really baffled by how much narrower the tread width is on the RE-71R. For a 215/45/17 size tire, the RE-11A tread width is 8.1 inches wide, the RE-71R, only 7.2. How can you give up that much rubber on the road and still be a grippier tire? The RE-71R compound would have to be way, way stickier to overcome this. I don't remember there being this much difference as Bridgestone transitioned from S-03 to RE-01 to RE-11.
04-06-2015, 01:22 PM
#123
^Good point, but I would bet the RE-71R are going to be quite a bit stickier than the RE-11A. If they seem too narrow for your liking, why not go with a 225/255 setup instead of 215/245? You can easily fit the 225/255 setup on OEM AP2 wheels. Referring to the pictures above, even the 245/40/17 setup looks good on a 9" wheel.
Stickier compound, more aggressive tread pattern, there is no doubt they will be grippy tires.
Stickier compound, more aggressive tread pattern, there is no doubt they will be grippy tires.
04-07-2015, 05:51 AM
#125
^Good point, but I would bet the RE-71R are going to be quite a bit stickier than the RE-11A. If they seem too narrow for your liking, why not go with a 225/255 setup instead of 215/245? You can easily fit the 225/255 setup on OEM AP2 wheels. Referring to the pictures above, even the 245/40/17 setup looks good on a 9" wheel.
Stickier compound, more aggressive tread pattern, there is no doubt they will be grippy tires.
Stickier compound, more aggressive tread pattern, there is no doubt they will be grippy tires.
04-07-2015, 11:20 AM
#127
Originally Posted by EricJT7' timestamp='1428355364' post='23568715
^Good point, but I would bet the RE-71R are going to be quite a bit stickier than the RE-11A. If they seem too narrow for your liking, why not go with a 225/255 setup instead of 215/245? You can easily fit the 225/255 setup on OEM AP2 wheels. Referring to the pictures above, even the 245/40/17 setup looks good on a 9" wheel.
Stickier compound, more aggressive tread pattern, there is no doubt they will be grippy tires.
Stickier compound, more aggressive tread pattern, there is no doubt they will be grippy tires.
If sticking with AP1 size I understand the concern that the tires run on the narrow side.
Have you should consider the Hankook RS3 V2 and Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Specs as well?
I ran the RS3 V1's in 225/50/16 all around on my AP1 with AP1 sized aftermarket wheels, and thought they were pretty grippy (when warmed up) and ran pretty wide for a 225 tire. The ZII Star Specs also come in AP1 16" sizing and they placed at the very top in tirerack's most recent testing.
In fact, I compared the 225/50/16 Hankook RS3 next to the rear UHP All Season Tires I had for my AP1, and they are closer in width to the 245/40/17 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S +, than the 215/45/17's!! So the tire make/manufacturer can indeed make a difference!
If you plan on doing spirited driving in cooler temperatures (say around 40-50 degrees F), I'd recommend the Star Specs because they warm up much faster and grip better than the RS3 (even V2) in cool temperatures. If you often drive in the heat, I'd recommend the RS3 V2 because it will hold up to the heat better.
04-07-2015, 07:29 PM
#128
Thanks for this info Eric. i have not looked for a set of AP2s lately. I'll have to take a look at the FS forum because I really like the look of those wheels. I did consider the Star Specs and will go back and take a closer look at those and the Hankooks.
04-10-2015, 04:32 PM
#129
I just had 225/255 combination put on my new used 2007 yesterday. Got some miles on them today. The ride is much nicer than the previous tires which were the original oem (car has 25k miles). They are very sticky and will be really fun in the summer. They look fantastic on the car. The only negative right now is that they pick up every pebble on the road and that is a little annoying. I am a little concerned of rock chips up the back quarter panel. We recently has a lot of snow and ice melt and there is way more pebbles and stones on the road than usual. Once I get the car out on the main road the pebbles are no longer a problem and I am really enjoying the ride so far.
Took the car out again today and I am completely sold on these tires. Getting to know this car at the same time as the new tires. I had driven Zs for years and this is a much different and imho a much more fun car to drive hard. When I purchased this car last week I was thinking maybe i would hold on to it for the Summer and then sell it. Nope. Keeping this car. I think the tires are awesome.
I had these mounted on Tuesday, don't even get me started on that. Mounted and took Mrs. jones out for a cruise. With the tire label sticker glue still seeping off the tires they reacted very harsh on the road. Rocks were heard hitting everywhere. After a few miles that had diminished drastically. On the highway these didn't seem any louder than the re-11's or 11a's. They definitely feel stickier than them also. I'm really happy with the overall tire and am so pleased with the look. They look as good as the re070. Unfortunately I will have some experience in driving in the rain next week when I head to Fontana. I'll keep y'all posted. So far, ������������
Is the consensus that the ride/noise level is comparable to the RE-11A and Stock RE050? Any rain info yet? I'm guessing it is too early to have any street wear indications.
