Tire recommendation for street/track use
07-13-2018, 07:55 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Tire recommendation for street/track use
I'm not partial to any specific tire brand so whatever is recommended it good with me. I maybe put 3000 miles on the S2000 each year, with about 3 track days per summer. I'm looking for something good and sticky, but still ok to use on the street. Preferably something more geared toward performance. My car currently has Eneki PF01 17x8 +50 225/45 and 17x9 +48 255/40 BFG G-Force Rival (they're pretty old). I'll stick with the staggered setup so I don't have to buy new wheels.
What tires are people running with good traction? Looks like a lot run the Bridgestone RE-71 or Hankook RS4. Also, on the front, wondering if I should go to a 235 wide tire or leave it at 225. Thanks!
What tires are people running with good traction? Looks like a lot run the Bridgestone RE-71 or Hankook RS4. Also, on the front, wondering if I should go to a 235 wide tire or leave it at 225. Thanks!
07-13-2018, 09:25 AM
#2
From what I've seen, RS4 is a better mix for street/track, mainly due to longevity, unless you are competing in timed competitions. I've run RE71R's and love them. However, they wear out very quickly. I do not have experience with RS4's but anecdotally, they are slightly slower but should wear significantly better. I just had 245 stuffed on the front AP2V2 wheels and 255 RE71's on the rear. I have my first event out on that setup tomorrow but ran an AP1 on 225 square RE's for a while. A square setup feels pretty good overall and I'd recommend getting near to it. Apparently on OE size wheels, 245's are the largest you can go up front before rubbing. I'd imagine your wheels should be pretty similar. Out of your options, I'd go with 235/255 RS4's but that's just a haphazard guess based on some experience and some reading.
07-13-2018, 09:41 AM
#3
I just installed a set of RS4 last week, previously owned RS3v2 and PSS. I haven't pushed it too hard, but I am pretty happy with their street manners. PSS are supposed to be more refined, but I don't think either of the Hankooks are too far off. I haven't driven the RE71R, but my understanding is that they offer more performance with reduced longevity.
07-13-2018, 01:33 PM
#4
So far I've done 4 autocross events and 1 autocross school day (roughly equivalent to 4 events) as well as 6000 miles mixed light DD and back road fun on my RE71Rs. If I rotated my tires more often I could have gotten more miles but I was lazy and didn't rotate them at all until before the last event and the new fronts (old rears) are pretty much done. I started understeering much more and the front tires are almost down to the second wear bar. They're probably good for some more street miles but rain performance is significantly down. My car is 255 square. Since you're staggered you'd probably get similar mileage to me. Supposedly RE71Rs ride hard and are noisy on the street but the previous tires I had were trash all seasons and honestly I think the RE71Rs ride better. I also echo the sentiment to get closer to square setup.
If you want a slightly milder 200TW summer tire I can recommend the Falken RT615K+. Good grip, fairly communicative, and the price is reasonable. Unfortunately I have no experience w/ RS4s but they seem to sacrifice grip for more heat capacity and tread life. My friends have had good experience with BFG Rival S 1.5 and bad experience with Federal 959 RSR. My friend actually likes the Rivals better than the RE71Rs however they are a decent bit more expensive.
If you want a slightly milder 200TW summer tire I can recommend the Falken RT615K+. Good grip, fairly communicative, and the price is reasonable. Unfortunately I have no experience w/ RS4s but they seem to sacrifice grip for more heat capacity and tread life. My friends have had good experience with BFG Rival S 1.5 and bad experience with Federal 959 RSR. My friend actually likes the Rivals better than the RE71Rs however they are a decent bit more expensive.
Last edited by Shift9303; 07-13-2018 at 01:40 PM.
07-13-2018, 04:54 PM
#5
Are you competitive or not? If not I like the RS4s a lot. They're cheap-ish, wear like iron, grip well, and like a little bit of slip angle. They're definitely not as grippy as the 71R or the Rival, maybe about 5% difference? They're fine on the street, the sidewall is not as stiff as the Z2SS or the RE71R, so they ride better and aren't as noisy. If you are someone who absolutely NEEDS razor sharp response then the RS4 is not as good. The RE71Rs are fast, but wear out in a second.
07-14-2018, 09:57 PM
#6
Rs4 or nexan nfera are really good track tires and great street tires. Both last a long time but The rs4 lasts a bit longer than nfera. Do not go with the re71r they don’t last at all. They will last u a few weeks if ur lucky with track and street driving. I had brand new sets for a time attack event and they were roasted by the end of the day. Great race tire but not a good street tire.
07-15-2018, 05:03 PM
#7
Thread Starter
Are you competitive or not? If not I like the RS4s a lot. They're cheap-ish, wear like iron, grip well, and like a little bit of slip angle. They're definitely not as grippy as the 71R or the Rival, maybe about 5% difference? They're fine on the street, the sidewall is not as stiff as the Z2SS or the RE71R, so they ride better and aren't as noisy. If you are someone who absolutely NEEDS razor sharp response then the RS4 is not as good. The RE71Rs are fast, but wear out in a second.
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07-15-2018, 08:05 PM
#9
They r good^. They don’t last long and they don’t like a lot of heat cycles. Speed academy did a review on the. But for the money u spend and the TW rating u can get better tires.
07-16-2018, 07:34 PM
#10
Former Sponsor
RT615k+ and RS4 are great if you're not competitive. They hold up better to heat, wear better, and like slip angle/are more forgiving. RT615k+ is extremely inexpensive as well.