federal 595ss
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federal 595ss
i'll start it off like this:
i drive spiritedly, but i've yet to see an actual track.
a local, dead-ended street has a huge wonderful turn in it that allows for some "limit" testing, with forgiving grass on either side. no curbs, or immediate danger to anyone.
since i've owned the car, my tire setups have been:
oem potenzas.
oem potenza front, sumitomo htr+ (not the z)
federal 595ss all around, with 225/255 setup.
potenzas handled exactly like everyone expected.
when under 50% tread, i got stuck in a storm with 1" of snow and nearly killed myself several times.
the htr+ were a mistake, that my dumb ass didn't catch. they were great in the wet, but overall a terrible tire for the s2000. sidewalls felt like absolute MUSH in the rears.
the federals were needed mid-semester for me, so cost was a huge issue.
i got them for $375 shipped to my door, and mounted a pep-boys for $100.
the plus sizes look awesome
as for handling- my perspective may be skewed from driving on the sumitomo's- but i feel like the federals handle as well as the potenzas for daily driving.
as hard as i can reasonably push it on the street, these will take it.
they are EXTREMELY predictable, you can really feel when its getting ready to give
which is MUCH unlike the potenza IMO.
the sidewalls are super stiff, which i love.
i drove them in the rain, but i drive my car like a grandma in the rain. they handle just fine. no surprises. (unlike the azeneis i had on my del sol)
i drove them in 1" of snow. no problems.
highway volumes are lower than the potenzas.
blah. a bit of an unstructured rant, but hey- its just my opinions on a tire.
$375 shipped? can't go wrong.
i drive spiritedly, but i've yet to see an actual track.
a local, dead-ended street has a huge wonderful turn in it that allows for some "limit" testing, with forgiving grass on either side. no curbs, or immediate danger to anyone.
since i've owned the car, my tire setups have been:
oem potenzas.
oem potenza front, sumitomo htr+ (not the z)
federal 595ss all around, with 225/255 setup.
potenzas handled exactly like everyone expected.
when under 50% tread, i got stuck in a storm with 1" of snow and nearly killed myself several times.
the htr+ were a mistake, that my dumb ass didn't catch. they were great in the wet, but overall a terrible tire for the s2000. sidewalls felt like absolute MUSH in the rears.
the federals were needed mid-semester for me, so cost was a huge issue.
i got them for $375 shipped to my door, and mounted a pep-boys for $100.
the plus sizes look awesome
as for handling- my perspective may be skewed from driving on the sumitomo's- but i feel like the federals handle as well as the potenzas for daily driving.
as hard as i can reasonably push it on the street, these will take it.
they are EXTREMELY predictable, you can really feel when its getting ready to give
which is MUCH unlike the potenza IMO.
the sidewalls are super stiff, which i love.
i drove them in the rain, but i drive my car like a grandma in the rain. they handle just fine. no surprises. (unlike the azeneis i had on my del sol)
i drove them in 1" of snow. no problems.
highway volumes are lower than the potenzas.
blah. a bit of an unstructured rant, but hey- its just my opinions on a tire.
$375 shipped? can't go wrong.
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,279
Likes: 9
Hi guys,
i've transited from OEM's to RT615s to 595ss and would like to share my review too.
Sidewalls:
595''s were soft. OEM was stiffer and 615 was stiffest. Needs high pressures to maintain stable braking
Dry road/track:
Grip is decent and probably does maybe 70-80% of wat 615 does. It is much less sticky and is definitely less grippy compared to OEM levels of adhesion. Driving seems predictable when u are 7/10ths grip but when u exceed that region, it snaps quickly. At the tracks, I found it lacked in feedback even with higher pressures but that might be cos the tread is much deeper.
Wet road:
Decent but nothing amazing.
Lifespan:
Giving it hell through blistering hot track days of >50 deg C on very very rough tarmac showed even wear, no chunking or bits coming off and i might be able to squeeze another 3/4 track days and maybe 10,000 kms of driving.
Cost:
Really cheap. Costs 60% of what 615 costs here. Funnily enough, OEM tyres are twice what the 595 cost.
Currently i'm just doing laps to get more experience with my reference tracks so 595 is ideal for me in terms of cost. I would consider as a practice tyre just to burn.
i've transited from OEM's to RT615s to 595ss and would like to share my review too.
Sidewalls:
595''s were soft. OEM was stiffer and 615 was stiffest. Needs high pressures to maintain stable braking
Dry road/track:
Grip is decent and probably does maybe 70-80% of wat 615 does. It is much less sticky and is definitely less grippy compared to OEM levels of adhesion. Driving seems predictable when u are 7/10ths grip but when u exceed that region, it snaps quickly. At the tracks, I found it lacked in feedback even with higher pressures but that might be cos the tread is much deeper.
Wet road:
Decent but nothing amazing.
Lifespan:
Giving it hell through blistering hot track days of >50 deg C on very very rough tarmac showed even wear, no chunking or bits coming off and i might be able to squeeze another 3/4 track days and maybe 10,000 kms of driving.
Cost:
Really cheap. Costs 60% of what 615 costs here. Funnily enough, OEM tyres are twice what the 595 cost.
Currently i'm just doing laps to get more experience with my reference tracks so 595 is ideal for me in terms of cost. I would consider as a practice tyre just to burn.
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Da Hapa
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May 21, 2003 05:51 PM