I was really consider them in 205/45-17 until I saw what they weigh. I just can't allow myself to increase unsprung weight by 3+lbm a corner over the stock 215/45-17 Michelin's - have consistantly kept all the tire sets within 1lbm of stock, but on lighter wheels with lower MOI...very noticeable improvement in ride quality over stock. Continental DW's in the same size weight 4+lbm less...which is why I'm probably going that direction.
Brian
MegaDork
3/12/16 3:55 p.m.
They have 205/55/16 now. Decent price, if I decide to run a proper autoX tire once my RS3A's are done by some point in July.
Alright, drove on them.
They feel very similar to the Bridgestone RE760's they replaced. With the same treadwear, I wouldn't be surprised if they have the same construction and compound. Tire Rack says they are 1 lb lighter in my size. Origin is Indonesia.
They throw pebbles, which is a good sign.
beans
Dork
3/24/16 9:27 a.m.
Nice! I put off the tires until mid-May since I won't have my wheels done until at LEAST then. Ever driven on the BFg GFS C-2's? I've had those previously and was pretty impressed.
beans wrote:
Nice! I put off the tires until mid-May since I won't have my wheels done until at LEAST then. Ever driven on the BFg GFS C-2's? I've had those previously and was pretty impressed.
I'm curious to find out if they can match the hydroplaning resistance and wet traction of the Comp-2, my current fave summer DD tires. It's for sure going to be tough to beat them in steering response and absolute dry cornering traction.
205/45/16...... a 1mm larger diameter then a 195/60/14. Now do I buy 4 16" wheels....????
Yeah and the comp2s come in 15" sizes...
News to me that I drive a mall dozer...
It was rainy today (wipers on high, but not max) and I found they hydroplane on puddles at 60+ mph. Probably typical of a tread pattern like this. If you want to charge through water, you might look for something with bigger traverse grooves.
In reply to colinshark:
Which would be the Sport Comp-2 Does puddles at 75mph.
sergio
Reader
3/25/16 8:35 a.m.
Traction control takes care of puddles at speed.
beans
Dork
4/20/16 5:12 p.m.
Colinshark, any updates? I put purchasing mine off another month, mostly because I'm being slow assembling my wheels.
My street driving can't measure the 1-5% that separates tires in a class, but they are very difficult to break loose. I've hooned a bit out of corners, and the rear always sticks. Good road manners all around. I'd buy them again in light of their low price.
beans
Dork
5/4/16 11:15 p.m.
$60 mail in rebate at Tirerack right now!
c0rbin9
New Reader
5/5/16 8:50 p.m.
Wow, these look great as street tires that would also excel as CHEAP autocross tires, if you consider a UHP-category summer tire an autocross tire (which I do, at least for casual autocrossing). What makes me think they are good as a cheap autocross tire is that from everything I gather, their dry grip is better than anything else in the UHP category, possibly by a lot. My reasoning for their dry grip being superb is that as these are a successor to the Potenza RE760, which had the best dry grip in the last Tire Rack test, these must be superior to anything out right now. Now all this is pointless for me as they don't seem to come in 15" sizes. Side question: anyone know where the now discontinued predecessor to these, the Firehawk Oval Wide Track Indy 500 are in stock in 15"?
TLDR: If I'm reading this right, these are the best gripping tires in the UHP summer tire category. The fact that they are so cheap after the rebate makes them seem like a no brainer.
Ordered a set (215/45r17) today and will be putting them on this weekend. Will add to the reports of how well or not well they do in most driving situations.
My buddy threw them on his 08 GTI. Loves them. They hook pretty well on the street, and handle rain pretty well.
I wish they'd do sizes for the stock C5Z, considering the RE760 was the last decent matching set in stock sizes.
Are they as quiet on the street as the RE760? In my experience the RE760's have been the quietest UHP tire I've ever run.
Nothing else (including pricey Michelin) has matched it's performance/noise ratio. I hope the replacement is as easy to live with.
Opti
HalfDork
6/16/16 12:50 p.m.
Mazda787b wrote:
My buddy threw them on his 08 GTI. Loves them. They hook pretty well on the street, and handle rain pretty well.
I wish they'd do sizes for the stock C5Z, considering the RE760 was the last decent matching set in stock sizes.
Im waiting for z06 sizes also. i love my 760s and hope the updated tire is out by the time i need tires.
not much available
WildScotsRacing wrote:
In reply to colinshark:
Which would be the Sport Comp-2 Does puddles at 75mph.
I had a set of the original Comps on my RX-7 and loved them. Great grip, great feel, and they seemed to wear like iron too.
The Comp2s are in a size that fits my Volvo, under $400 shipped, having a hard time saying no to that.
A hairy ABS-pounding whoadown in a rainstorm today, followed by observing that the traction control doesn't engage if the fronts are spinning equally fast while in 4th gear at 65mph made me realize, hmm, maybe these four year old Kelly tires aren't such a good idea to use on roads with other people on them...
Want to thank WildScotsRacing for reminding me about the BFGs. A new set of them is currently on my Volvo. (It is ENTIRELY A COINCIDENCE that the tires are on the car 2 days before the GLDiv RallyCross Championship)
They're everything I remember from the set I had on the RX-7 and more. Probably because the set on the RX-7 were full-depth but aged while these are "stickers". The only downside is that I need to rebalance them, I've got a horrible shake at 80mph indicated. I did some full throttle runs after that and found that even 11psi in 1st gear is not enough to engage traction control. With my other tires that was a given in the dry, and I was getting a flashing T/C idiot light in third gear at 60mph on occasion, and if it was at all wet, well...
Can't wait for the next rainstorm to see how well they do for me!
I just picked up a set myself. They're pretty soft to the 'ol fingernail durometer. We'll see how they do with a season of spirited driving, autocross, trackdays, road trips, etc.
beans
Dork
7/5/16 3:07 p.m.
Hopefully I'll need a new set of tires on the ol FiST by next spring. The OEM RE050A's are pretty decent, but I'd like some better ride quality.
DeadSkunk wrote:
Sized 18-20 inches?? What about sizes for real cars that have to drive on Michigan roads?
18s are the most popular diameter for performance tires, for the record.
Took these to an autocross yesterday. They're definitely not as quick as an RE71R, but I feel like they held their own pretty well. I'd probably have a more nuanced opinion if I wasn't also autocrossing this car for the first time.