RE-11's & others on closeout at Tirerack
06-01-2013, 10:29 PM
#61
I don't need star spec level tires, I had them before and I loved them but a bit overkill and expensive for DD...
I'm lookin for the step below the auto-x category - good DD relatively good treadwear...bs 760s? I had fk452 and sdrives and they weren't too bad but looking for a little more grip... No all seasons 225-35/40/18 or 205/55/16
Any other suggestions? The tirerack threads on nasioc don't give too much personal useage info..I've got ST coilovers/group n, alk
I'm lookin for the step below the auto-x category - good DD relatively good treadwear...bs 760s? I had fk452 and sdrives and they weren't too bad but looking for a little more grip... No all seasons 225-35/40/18 or 205/55/16
Any other suggestions? The tirerack threads on nasioc don't give too much personal useage info..I've got ST coilovers/group n, alk
Last edited by slugrx; 06-01-2013 at 10:31 PM.
06-01-2013, 10:35 PM
#62
aka FlukeWRX
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: East Bay
Posts: 3,657
Car Info: '03 WRX WRB Sedan
I don't need star spec level tires, I had them before and I loved them but a bit overkill and expensive for DD...
I'm lookin for the step below the auto-x category - good DD relatively good treadwear...bs 760s? I had fk452 and sdrives and they weren't too bad but looking for a little more grip... No all seasons 225-35/40/18 or 205/55/16
Any other suggestions? The tirerack threads on nasioc don't give too much personal useage info..I've got ST coilovers/group n, alk
I'm lookin for the step below the auto-x category - good DD relatively good treadwear...bs 760s? I had fk452 and sdrives and they weren't too bad but looking for a little more grip... No all seasons 225-35/40/18 or 205/55/16
Any other suggestions? The tirerack threads on nasioc don't give too much personal useage info..I've got ST coilovers/group n, alk
Driving style?
Price Range?
Track driving (What type if any at all)?
Comfort Level?
Noise Level?
Wet Performance Level?
06-01-2013, 10:41 PM
#63
Quick response haha thanks, uh its a DD 04 wrx, mostly only drive fast on off/on ramps haha don't think I'm going to track, if anything id drive my dads z4m coupe with his bmw auto-x club - I want a predictable tire, good treadwear...noise and comfort aren't an issue as I've got a straight pipe and coilovers...stiffer sidewall better than a soft tire, no all seasons
These tires probably won't see too much wet so that's not a big deal
Better than fk452/s-drive level if possible
Price isn't too big a deal, but don't want to spend over $200 per id say
These tires probably won't see too much wet so that's not a big deal
Better than fk452/s-drive level if possible
Price isn't too big a deal, but don't want to spend over $200 per id say
Last edited by slugrx; 06-01-2013 at 10:46 PM.
06-01-2013, 11:08 PM
#67
Registered User
iTrader: (5)
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Campbell, CA
Posts: 7,634
Car Info: Some sort of Subaru
06-01-2013, 11:41 PM
#68
aka FlukeWRX
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: East Bay
Posts: 3,657
Car Info: '03 WRX WRB Sedan
Well for the 225/40/18's:
Sumitomo HTRZIII - $118/tire - I believe these have a softer sidewall, but should offer fairly good life. Supposed to be fairly good in both the dry and the wet. These were a good budget tire in the tests a while back, but there are other newer tires that offer more performance now depending on how much you want to spend. For a low budget tire though this is still a good selection.
Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500 - $115.00/tire - I know that Heedz drove on these particular tires so he should be able to help offer insight in to their handling characteristics.
Continental ExtremeContact DW - $131.00/tire - IIRC Heedz preferred these ones over the Wide Oval's.
Hankook Ventus V12 - $139.00/tire - Several people on the boards seem to be running these ones. The difference between the RS3's vs the V12's seem to be that the RS3's offer better dry grip while the V12's are better in the wet. Between the two for street driving I would lean more towards V12's for the increased wet performance, but you will be sacrificing ultimate dry grip performance to do it.
Bridgestone RE760 - $141.00/tire - Long lasting, good performance tire. These are the heaviest tire of the bunch weighing in at 26lbs a tire. You should feel fairly planted to the ground with these tires.
Bridgestone S-04 Pole Positions - $150.00/tire - Overall higher performance characteristics vs the RE760's as these are a Max Performance Tire vs the UHP RE760's. If ultimately you care more about performance than the lifespan of the tire then the S-04's are probably the choice for you. If you prefer a longer lasting tire and willing to give up a bit of overall performance to get it than lean more towards the RE760's.
I've been driving on the Federal 595 RSR's for my current set of tires and absolutely LOVE these tires for a Daily Driver. TONS of Grip, extremely quiet (between my tires and my exhaust I mostly hear the engine & turbo noises instead of the road noises that I would hear when I was driving on the previous Dunlop Star Specs). These particular tires ONLY have a 140 UTQG though as they are an Extreme Performance Tire (at least that is what the 225/45/17's did and those only started with 7/32's of tread depth). With that said, I have gotten about 26K miles out of my set. They are pretty much at the wear bars, but I was shocked by how much life I got out of this set (granted most of driving is freeway, but even with that I expected the tires to be done about 10K miles ago so everything additional has been gravy). Best of all for these has been the price.
225/40/18 - $112.74/tire 595 RS-R RACING - OnlineTires.com
235/40/18 - $122.45/tire
595 RS-R RACING - OnlineTires.com
These seem to ride about as supple as the factory setup, but have grip for days (which several people that have gone for rides in my car can attest to). I would gladly get them again and would definitely get them over most of the lower budget tires. I actually did prefer these tires OVER the Star Specs and I really liked the Star Specs (with the exception of the noise level as they would HOWL at certain speeds). I only ever had 1 quick issue in the rain and that was only because it was standing water and the road transferred between two different surface types right where the standing water was at so it got slightly loose for a second, but then once it regained the traction it was perfectly fine at regular freeway speeds. I experienced no other issues at all with these tires.
Between the ones listed above I would go.
Wide Ovals > HTRZIII's (On a budget)
RE760 > DW's > V12's (Mid-Level budget with more emphasis on life span)
Ultimate Performance
S04's or the 595 RSR will be based on preference and what kind of price you want to pay.
I didn't include the tires like the Michelin Super Sports, Advan AD08's, Bridgestone RE11's or Dunlop ZII's as all of those are either at or exceed the $200/tire range at this point (unless you can find a deal somewhere).
Sumitomo HTRZIII - $118/tire - I believe these have a softer sidewall, but should offer fairly good life. Supposed to be fairly good in both the dry and the wet. These were a good budget tire in the tests a while back, but there are other newer tires that offer more performance now depending on how much you want to spend. For a low budget tire though this is still a good selection.
Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500 - $115.00/tire - I know that Heedz drove on these particular tires so he should be able to help offer insight in to their handling characteristics.
Continental ExtremeContact DW - $131.00/tire - IIRC Heedz preferred these ones over the Wide Oval's.
Hankook Ventus V12 - $139.00/tire - Several people on the boards seem to be running these ones. The difference between the RS3's vs the V12's seem to be that the RS3's offer better dry grip while the V12's are better in the wet. Between the two for street driving I would lean more towards V12's for the increased wet performance, but you will be sacrificing ultimate dry grip performance to do it.
Bridgestone RE760 - $141.00/tire - Long lasting, good performance tire. These are the heaviest tire of the bunch weighing in at 26lbs a tire. You should feel fairly planted to the ground with these tires.
Bridgestone S-04 Pole Positions - $150.00/tire - Overall higher performance characteristics vs the RE760's as these are a Max Performance Tire vs the UHP RE760's. If ultimately you care more about performance than the lifespan of the tire then the S-04's are probably the choice for you. If you prefer a longer lasting tire and willing to give up a bit of overall performance to get it than lean more towards the RE760's.
I've been driving on the Federal 595 RSR's for my current set of tires and absolutely LOVE these tires for a Daily Driver. TONS of Grip, extremely quiet (between my tires and my exhaust I mostly hear the engine & turbo noises instead of the road noises that I would hear when I was driving on the previous Dunlop Star Specs). These particular tires ONLY have a 140 UTQG though as they are an Extreme Performance Tire (at least that is what the 225/45/17's did and those only started with 7/32's of tread depth). With that said, I have gotten about 26K miles out of my set. They are pretty much at the wear bars, but I was shocked by how much life I got out of this set (granted most of driving is freeway, but even with that I expected the tires to be done about 10K miles ago so everything additional has been gravy). Best of all for these has been the price.
225/40/18 - $112.74/tire 595 RS-R RACING - OnlineTires.com
235/40/18 - $122.45/tire
595 RS-R RACING - OnlineTires.com
These seem to ride about as supple as the factory setup, but have grip for days (which several people that have gone for rides in my car can attest to). I would gladly get them again and would definitely get them over most of the lower budget tires. I actually did prefer these tires OVER the Star Specs and I really liked the Star Specs (with the exception of the noise level as they would HOWL at certain speeds). I only ever had 1 quick issue in the rain and that was only because it was standing water and the road transferred between two different surface types right where the standing water was at so it got slightly loose for a second, but then once it regained the traction it was perfectly fine at regular freeway speeds. I experienced no other issues at all with these tires.
Between the ones listed above I would go.
Wide Ovals > HTRZIII's (On a budget)
RE760 > DW's > V12's (Mid-Level budget with more emphasis on life span)
Ultimate Performance
S04's or the 595 RSR will be based on preference and what kind of price you want to pay.
I didn't include the tires like the Michelin Super Sports, Advan AD08's, Bridgestone RE11's or Dunlop ZII's as all of those are either at or exceed the $200/tire range at this point (unless you can find a deal somewhere).
Last edited by JelloChex; 06-01-2013 at 11:52 PM.
06-02-2013, 03:59 AM
#69
I liked the Continental DW as a daily/spirited tire, I've also had the firehawk ovals they were good for the price but I think the DW out performed them for sure.
The Firestones use the same casing as the RE760.
The DW has soft sidewalls so on initial turn entry and bumps within the turn you can feel the sidewall flex a bit, got used to it and stopped caring about it. This is with a 45 series and a 40 series sidewall. The DW also performed GREAT in rainy weather. Really low road noise and the treadwear is awesome.
The Firestones use the same casing as the RE760.
The DW has soft sidewalls so on initial turn entry and bumps within the turn you can feel the sidewall flex a bit, got used to it and stopped caring about it. This is with a 45 series and a 40 series sidewall. The DW also performed GREAT in rainy weather. Really low road noise and the treadwear is awesome.
06-03-2013, 08:40 AM
#72
If in doubt, FLAT OUT
iTrader: (33)
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nor Cal SJ
Posts: 7,034
Car Info: 2010 Hatch, 2011 Sedan
How is the sidewall on the 595s? I was about to order the S-04s. I have run 3 sets of RE760s on my WRX (and have run 730s and 750s on previous cars), and I tend to prefer Bridgestone's stiffer sidewalls. After doing my suspension though, I can tell it wants a stickier tire and the price of the S-04s is less than the 760s in 225/45/17.
The 760s are my most common recommendation because they have an excellent balance between wet/dry and wear as well as the fact that they are fairly quiet.
The 760s are my most common recommendation because they have an excellent balance between wet/dry and wear as well as the fact that they are fairly quiet.
06-03-2013, 08:53 AM
#73
Registered User
iTrader: (5)
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Campbell, CA
Posts: 7,634
Car Info: Some sort of Subaru
How is the sidewall on the 595s? I was about to order the S-04s. I have run 3 sets of RE760s on my WRX (and have run 730s and 750s on previous cars), and I tend to prefer Bridgestone's stiffer sidewalls. After doing my suspension though, I can tell it wants a stickier tire and the price of the S-04s is less than the 760s in 225/45/17.
The 760s are my most common recommendation because they have an excellent balance between wet/dry and wear as well as the fact that they are fairly quiet.
The 760s are my most common recommendation because they have an excellent balance between wet/dry and wear as well as the fact that they are fairly quiet.
06-03-2013, 09:52 AM
#75
aka FlukeWRX
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: East Bay
Posts: 3,657
Car Info: '03 WRX WRB Sedan
Yup, the 595 RSR's don't have the crazy stiff, hard sidewall. They really don't need them either though.
They feel light and nimble, but you do feel connected to the road while being able to go over tracks and road imperfections without breaking your teeth.
They feel light and nimble, but you do feel connected to the road while being able to go over tracks and road imperfections without breaking your teeth.
