Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveZ28
I’d like to get a tire that I can leave on during the warm months (Spring – Fall) here in Reno for the street that would also be a very good Ax tire. We are almost w/o rain in the summer and my 1LE is a “good weather only” daily driver.
My Goodyear’s are lousy at Ax….too cold. You say the RS-3 disappoints a bit when cold, too.
You think this new 285 sized BStone RE71 would be a good choice for occasional Ax and summer time street tire for me? Thanks!
|
Yes! Really exciting that the RE-71R is coming out in 285/35/20. It's going to be the perfect tire for our stock 1LE wheels. They should be more widely available in a couple months.
Going for RE-71R means you are willing to give up longevity for outright performance. They are addictively sticky (had them on my Abarth). I estimated getting 150-180 runs on the Abarth assuming down to the cords. I'd guess 10K-14K miles if you did street-only miles down to the wear bar. So use those ratios to figure out how long they might last you. Maybe apply a 20% discount to account for the extra wear from swapping back and forth.
The RE-71R is better than the RS3 and Goodyears in every way but longevity. Dry traction, wet traction, cold, hot.
One slight negative about the RE-71R for DD is that they are a bit noisy on the freeway.
More opinions below:
RS3 Review: Now that I've run the RS3 for 60+ runs and 1K miles. They are at 7/32" in the center and outside. 6/32" on the inside. I'd recommend them for track use maybe spirited DD (noisy tires). Not AX. Tread lasts a lot longer than I expected but they are known to drop off in grip over time. In 2014, the RS3 was the tire to have for nationals. They are amazingly grippy for the first 10 or so heat-cycles and then they start dropping off to a different level. They come with 8.8/32" tread new. So maybe the first .8/32" is a different compound. They need heat to reach full potential. I recommend them for track use because they like heat. Negative about them for track use is that the sidewalls aren't very stiff. They don't feel great. I liked the Goodyear's feel a lot more.
RE-71R + Track: I wouldn't recommend the RE-71R for casual track usage because you'll go through tires very fast. Probably worth it though if you are trying to win competitions. Bring water to spray them for track use, I've read they will permanently lose grip if you seriously overheat them.
RE-71R + Trailer: I'm cheap when it comes to sticky tires and plan on using a tire trailer for the 19" GA3R wheels + 305/30/19 RE-71R tires. Trailering should help the wheels stay nice and tires should last a longer for AX. The 71R tires like to develop this ridge in center bar during AX/track use. Below is what they looked like on my Abarth after 13 back-to-back runs on concrete (Marina). You'll see that the left side is a bit more worn than the right side. This is the front driver-side tire.
I imagine swapping between DD and AX means the ridge will continue to develop then smooth out then develop. Will wear the center a bit faster. With the amount of events planned next year (40+), I'm hoping to squeeze a season out of one set. The 71R tires are also good until corded. So if you want to use every last drop, you have to trailer them below 3/32" tread.
I've read that the 71R tires are best when you wear that center ridge in both directions. So swapping the tire on the wheel is beneficial to performance and longevity.
Recommendation Summary:
AX-Only: RE-71R
Casual Track-Only: RS-3
Backroads Driving: Goodyear Eagle or Michelin Super Sports
Spirited DD Street-Only: BFG Comp 2 A/S
Competitive Track-Only: Don't track enough to have a recommendation here. RE-71R? NT01? Cup 2? R888?
My favorite mixed use (DD + AX) tire so far is the RE-11 but it is being discontinued. Got 12K miles + 60 AX-runs with those on my Abarth.