Ive been looking for some new tires for the past week for my AP1. I have probably been searching the forums a total of about 3-4 hours trying to find some definitive answer.

After seeing how wearing thin S02's handle in the rain, ive been very concerned with wet traction. I live in Southern California so extreme temperatures and snow is not really an issue. So, i've been pretty much looking at the max performance summer tires. I hear the RE050A Pole Positions are great for my situation but this whole controversy of the rear tire size has got me stumped.

With that, can someone suggest a different tire if they do not believe the RE050A Pole Positions would be a good choice. Im looking to pay around the price of the RE050A PPs, which is about $120 a tire. And if i do order these, what should be the size?

If you are going to recommend another tire, please include the size you suggest also.



Cliffnotes: Potenza RE050A Pole Positions with 245/45/16 or 225//50/16 in the rear? Or should i get a different tire altogether, and which size?

 

In my experience, 20mm section width and/or tread width isn't *that* big a deal, particularly for street driving, and even more particularly in wet conditions. I wouldn't hesitate to get the RE050A Pole Positions in stock sizes (the only 16" sizes available). If cost hadn't been an object, I would have gotten these tires instead of...

If you feel you *must* have 245's in back, and/or want to save a few bucks, Hankook Z212 RS2's. I've got these on my S in 205/50-16 F, 245/45-16 R. Great tires IMO. Very good wet and dry grip. Not disappointed at all that I "cheaped out".

 

The RE050A Pole Position would be an excellent handling tire theat would be very good in the wet. They are also going to last longer.
The size to run on the AP1 would be 205/55R16 front and 225/50R16 rear.
If I can help let me know.

 

I absolutely love mine.

I sold my last set of wheels with REO50A PPs on them and immediately bought another set. I was a die hard Michelin Pilot Sport fan until I bought these tires. Performance is nearly as good dry, better in the wet, and they are quieter.

 

how does it compare to regular RE050 from AP2?

 

Well its better of course... because it has 2 more letters

I have no idea how they are different.

 

**trust in jim ^^* he helped a lot in my quest for info before i bought from him.

but yea, only a week of shopping? psshhh .... once it hits the month mark you start to go crazy. hahahaa

but i made that switch from s02's to re050app with a 225. i like it a lot and the wet traction is definitely better than s02s. i think im in a similar climate here in texas where i dont worry as much about cold and snow.

the traction on the re050 is almost as good as the s02 in dry, although im noticing that the characteristics up to the limit (before breaking loose) are slightly different. im reserving my comment on this bc im running s02s/re050 in front/back so it might be screwing with the dynamics of the car. summary- re050 is extremely similar in dry traction to the s02.

one thing im curious is how long the treadwear will last me. i do drive more than a normal sane person (recorded 14k miles since march).

and for reference, the other tires i were looking at were re750 for longer treadwear, and the kumho ecsta mx as a cheaper alternative.

and looking back at your question, i thought that the re050 only comes in a 225 size that would fit our car?

 

Maybe I'm just on crack. But I am running the RE050A on the AP2 rims and it seems like they have a softer sidewall.

 

Thanks for the help guys. I really appreciate it. I am hoping to purchase some AP2 rims next time so hopefully that would help overall.



I think your right how they only come in 225. I was looking for tire suggestions if people were going to say not to get the 225.