Is it just me or does the new Bridgestone RE-71R look an awful lot like the Dunlap ZII? I need to re-tire this year and I also find it interesting that the Dunlop ZII, BFG Rival and Bridgestone RE-71R also cost about $145 each for a 215/45/17! May need to wait as long as possible this spring to see which revised tire works best this year.

 

So RE-71S replaces the RE-11A?

 

lol yea it does a lot - i'm waiting to hear how the wear is on these tires, otherwise really happy with my rs3v2's.. not to mention the kumho v720 is coming soon

 

The correct tire model for this thread is RE-71R not S.

What are you using this tire for? Normal street driving or High Perf Driving events, autocross, track, other?

Extreme Summer tires will wear fast and aren't as comfortable riding or low noise as other tires can be. Even in 215/45-17. With treadwear 200 or less they will get about 12000 miles or roughly one year use if rotated. Some are good dry or wet but some aren't as good in the wet.

Remember that once the tire becomes worn the treads disappear and the tire blocks widen so that the tire starts to look more like a race slick than a road tire, this allows for greater risk for hydroplaning.

Tirerack shows-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...wdp=N&showcm=N


Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Spec $145, $128 closeout on plain ZII
Note one in three angled grooves leads to center rib to channel water, the two other angled grooves exit at the outer tread shoulder to channel water to the road. I would expect that when new, this tire handles water better.


Bridgestone RE-71R $145
In this case while there are two center ribs, none of the pair of angled grooves is connected to the center and only one groove exits to the outer shoulder edge. I would expect this tire to be handle better in dry than in wet and if the rubber compound is soft, it may be competitively fast. This tire is also XL load rated and has a stiffer sidewall construction that will flex less under hard cornering. Weight is the same at 22 lbs.

While similar there are differences in both the unidirectional tread pattern and rubber compounds that are used for each tire. The current Dunlop is the Direzza ZII Star Spec which replaces the plain ZII.

Other Extreme Summer tires in 215/45-17
BFG Rival $122 each closeout, Rival S does not come in 215/45-17 yet.
Bridgestone RE-11A $149 closeout, standard load rated, 24 lbs
Hankook R-S3 version 2 $131 each, standard load rated, 22 lbs
Kumho XS $137 each, standard load rated, 21 lbs
Toyo Proxes R1R $149 each, standard load rated, 22 lbs, 140 treadwear
Yokohama AD08 R $164 each, standard load rated, 23 lbs,180 treadwear

 

Autocross use only.... the previous years Rival's are about done... I need new tyres!!

 

If I were using the tires for autocross only and had 17x7" wheels and needed tires I would be looking at-

Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Spec
215/40-17 $153 each, 22 lbs, tire diameter 23.8"

You get a competitively priced tire that offers a 40 series stiffer sidewall for better handling and a smaller than OEM tire diameter that gives you lowered gearing.

215/45-17 is the last tire size I would consider for autocross or track use, it's a street tire size primarily with good tire selection choices. It has a taller sidewall and larger than OEM tire diameter. Suitable if you ran the whole autocross course in first gear or needed a higher speed in 6th gear for a long course track.

 

FYI.... I ran the last two seasons with 215/45/17 Rival tires in D Street/Stock and did just fine. IMO everything is a compromise... the 40 size will pinch a bit as the tire rim width is 7.5". I had no trouble with gearing running autocross courses with my Turbo S as I am only in first for a brief moment and near the rev-limiter often on the larger SCCA courses.

 

I'd be interested in hearing head to head comparisons when these have been out a little longer.
I like that they are offered in 205/50/16, where there are so few choices for max or extreme
performance summer tires (pretty much just the Direzza ZII, ZIISS, BS RE-71R, and the Toyo R1R.

 

Yup... that is what I am waiting for - I will run my old tires for the first few events until I see what shakes out as the most competitive option. I don't have money to spend on "Two" sets of tires!

 

Realize that there are many many factors that will favor one tire over another for a given competitor.

Just a few of the variables-
Rubber compound softness and tolerance to temperatures (range of best grip)
Tread design and how worn down the tire is
Course surface - concrete vs asphalt or other and how worn it is
Temperature on course at the time you drive
Fitment of tire size relative to wheel width
Your suspension and it's settings if adjustable
Your driving style and preferred slip angle when cornering hard
How much negative camber you have

Anyway there is always more but you have to take these into consideration.

At the end of March I'm planning to listen in to this-
http://www.speedsecrets.com/webinar/

"In the Get Smart About Your Tires & Drive Faster webinar, Paul Haney and Ross Bentley bring you technical explanations you can understand about how tires work, plus practical tips so you can drive faster."

 

One of very few Extreme Summer Tires offered in 215/40 18. I just bought a set and will wait a few weeks before mounting them for the Dragon. At 200 A A, I only see these lasting 7 to 9K of spirited driving but that's okay with me. I'll report back after the Dragon on my thoughts about them.

 

Folks,
Beware of drawing any conclusions from the published tire wear UTQG ratings.
They are completely non-comparable among tire brands, self-assigned by tire companies, and are somewhere between meaningless and misleading.

Remember the other year when Hankook re-molded RS3 tires with 200AA UTQG rating after the previous 140AA rating was going to run afoul of new SCCA Solo classification? Same rubber compound, same tire, new rating upped by 45% overnight

Speaking of which, those 140AA RS-3 tires lasted me almost 1.5 full autoX seasons of around 100 runs/season. Plus daily commute duty adding up to 18K miles over 2 years. Not bad at all !
For comparison, the original 200AA RE-11's lasted me only 14K miles and just 1 full autoX season.

Now what does this all tells us about predicted longevity of 200AA RE-71R's ?
Absolutely nothing!

If you are concerned about tire's longevity, stay away from max performance tires, and certainly don't scrub them by entering autoX's and DE's. But than you will be missing 1/2 the fun of owning a sports car!!

My philosophy is simple - buy the absolutely best performance tire you can afford for your car, and you will never live to regret it!

RE-71R's, here I come for my new summer shoes.
On wait, should that be RA1's instead ?

a

 

just to clarify, manufacturers can underrate treadwear with no penalty - it's overrating that is the problem for the average consumer. and since you state how long your rs3's lasted, i'd say even their updated 200tw rating is an underestimate. they go by what the standard sport tire is set.

word is re71rs are fast and wear out fast. i'll be very interested to try the kumho v720s when they're available.. once my rs3v2s are done

 

I will probably try a set of the RE-71R since they are already available in my size and on sale at TR - I will only drive them from my house to an AX event so street wear is not an issue. I do not think I can wait long enough to see how the Rival S and new Kumho's will be... my current Rival's were really starting to fall off last year... a winter sitting in the garage surely did not help!

 

Dan in your DS mini with limited front camber and probably something like 700lbs on each front corner I'd go with the Z2SS over the Bridgestone. The Dunlop will have a stiffer sidewall and work better with limited front camber. You're just going to have to spray to keep them from overheating too badly during the summer events. With one person driving it might not be too bad.

 

So the Bridgestone RE-71R has a softer sidewall than the Z2SS.
Can you tell us any other differences between the two.
Info is pretty limited at this early date to most of us.

 

Hard to say for sure. If you know who to ask plenty of people have already done back to back testing. Bridgestone does really well with longitudinal grip so higher HP cars are probably going to lean that way. The stiffer sidewalls on the z2 are better on the camber challenged cars. Driving style is a bit different between the two. The Dunlop is still a bit of a peaky tire so can be just as fast as the bridgestone if not faster but harder to be consistent.

Bottom line is if you're not running at the super pointy end you'll be fast and happy on either tire. I'm sure the new rival will be good too. The current crop of top street tires really are pretty awesome.

Edit: keep in mind bridgestone has so far shown strong support for national level autocross bringing support trailers out to Dixie and San Diego. Lots of the top guys will trend towards tires that pay contingency.

Sent from my phone using NAMotoring

 

So would you go with the Z2 215/40 on 17/7" (a little pinch) or the 215/45?

 

I'd go with the 215/40/17. Both the 215/40 and 215/45 tires are going to be "pinched" on a 7" rim. Tire Rack has the tread width for both tires listed as 8". You'll be able to "see" the pinch a little more with the shorter sidewall but the shorter sidewall will give you crisper turn in and hopefully less rolling over with the limited camber the mini has. The shorter tire also gives you a gearing advantage.

Of course I've not done actual back to back testing of the bridgestone and z2ss so this is all conjecture based on what I've read and talked to people about.

 

From a recent Miata forum:


RE71R seems to like the cold from what I've seen being posted around the internet. Some people have gone so far as to say they're planning to use them as their primary tire but are keeping RS3s around if it ever gets hot enough that they are overheating the RS17Rs even when spraying.
__________________

 

From a local Test n Tune event last weekend. Ambient temps were 40 degrees and stayed that way all day. Not my data...

Also times on a DS WRX...

EDIT: In conclusion... there is no conclusion. They're all going to be fast. Pick one. I don't think too many of us here are fighting for podium finishes at nationals.