I too was running RE070s until they'd discontinued them. Now that I've been on RE71Rs for a few months, I'm regretting not getting these sooner. They're better in every way, both dry & wet.

The 71R is a lot faster than the RE070...but there's no way to realize that benefit on the street. Street cars are about feel. And I completely understand the OP's sentiment.

71R's feel sloppy for the 1st half of the tread life. That's factual.

Thats also not surprising, though. Look at the tiny little tread blocks (compared to the RE070).

Sidewall construction is about the same. The 71R also has sidewalls that are almost "runflat" stiff. One of mine got down to 13PSI and had no sign of sidewall deflection. Its not the sidewall you're feeling.

Think about what everyone says about the 71R. They wear fast, overheat, and grip like crazy in the wet. All of that sounds like a tire with tread squirm.

Wait till about half way thru the tread and the 71R sharpens up AND it stops wearing out appalling quickly AND takes way more heat.

Any tire will respond and grip better in the dry with less tread. Its why shaving tires for dry tracks works so well.

You're also comparing a worn RE070 to a new 71R.

The 71R will never feel like an equally worn RE070. Look for a double ply sidewall tire with shallow tread and huge tread blocks if you want RE070 feel.

AD08R is a good replacement for the RE70.