It's time to replace my summer tires and I would like some feedback on a couple choices.

Bridgestone RE760 Sport vs Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110

My current set are the Bridgestones and I have no complaints, but I wonder how the Hankook are for comparison. I see a fair number of posts on the Hankooks and Contis, but none on the Bridgestones. Am I the only one running these?

 

I installed the RE760 (215/45R17) last summer on my Clubby, as a replacement for my OEM runflats. Much smoother than previous tires. Dry grip is very good. Wet, not so much. I though I would be able to do 3 summers with these. I'll be lucky if I can get all the way to the end of the 2nd one. For the price I paid, they were ok (Costco, with rebate). But not sure I would buy these again

 

I liked both sets of tires, ran them both on track too. Not quite up to par of Direzza Star Specs, but for 8/10ths street use I would prefer Hankooks. Also a bit cheaper. However, why not go with the Direzzas? They are really very good, wear like iron, a bit noisy when they wear, but they do grip and are very forgiving. V12 evos a bit better in the wet, but Direzzas are my choice short of a dedicated track tire. Plus Direzzas are very compliant even when quite cold.

 

I have actually put about 27K on the RE760s over four seasons and like I said have no real complaints in performance wet or dry. They are now just hitting the wear bar marker so I think they did pretty well there.
The Direzza Star Specs aren't available in 205/45/R17.
I don't do any track, just a hard daily driver.
Prices are pretty close ; the RE760 are gonna run $448, the Hankooks $416, and then the other tire that seems to be pretty popular on here are the Kumho Ecsta LE at only $372.
What kind of wear are users getting though?

 

Check the wear difference between the two tires. I didn't get much out of the Hankook's. But they were a good tire.

 

I'd expect the average wear on the LE and K110 to see 20k at best. Re760's do get longer wear. I actually prefer the LE Sport of the group in water. That tire is an underrated performer for the money!

 

No direct comparison with the other tires you mention, but I just did a bunch of research and decided to replace the RE-01R's on my 2004 MCS with the RE760s. They don't sound like they're the last word in performance tires, but they look like a very good compromise with respect to cost, life, noise, grip, and handling. And I didn't want another $200/corner tire that lasted 15K miles. Costco has a $70 discount right now and Discount Tire matched it so I'm getting a set of four mounted for about $500 all-up except for sales tax.

- Mark

 

Wow, you got twice as much mileage out of you RE-01R's than I did

 

First drive on the RE760s. I'm super impressed with how smooth and quiet the car is - it is like night/day vs. the old worn-out RE01R's. These 760s may not be the last word on grip, but I sure like them as a cruising tire. And for $106/corner they seem like a bargain.

- Mark

 

just talked to my tire guy yesterday. Asked him about the 760, how they don't last. He agreed. Some customers came back to him with 12000 km since install and they were done. For not much more money, he says the 960/970 will last a lot more, have about the same grip in the dry, and a lot more grip in the wet.

 

The 960s are good all-season tires and do have a slightly higher treadwear rating, but.... 1) I'm not buying that any all-season tire can match a summer tire in dry grip (or even wet grip for that matter - typically summer tires handily outperform all-seasons in the wet) or overall smoothness on dry roads; 2) They don't come in the stock 205/45-17 MCS size. The nearest size is 215/50-17, and 3) I guess "not much more money" is relative; by my accounting they'd cost $67/corner more, an increase of 62%.

I don't think any all-season comes close to a summer tire in overall grip except in ice/snow - and there they are worth their weight in gold. All in all, a different tire for a different type of driving.

- Mark

 

Where is a cheap place to get RE760? I can only find it on Tirerack.

 

Discount tire can get them. I think their policy is that they'll price match anyone's offer; I had them match Costco's current Bridgestone $70-off-for-four deal. It ended up at $106/corner + $20/corner (m&b, valves, disposal) + tax for the 205-45/17s.

- Mark

 

+1 for Costco. I shopped around last year, that's where I found the cheapest for my RE760 (and that was before the rebate)

 

I have the RE760 sport...LOVE them, I just put my second set on!! Had the Ventus V12, first, they get SUPER noisy as they age. The bridgestones have unbelievable grip and are really responsive.

The hankook is a great tire for the money, I just didn't like the noise as they aged.

 

I just purchase RE760 and with 1000 km on them. They are a lot better than my Kumho Ecsta SPT in every way.

The Kumho got louder the more kilometre you put on it. I absolutely hated my Kumho.

The RE760 is quiet and rides a lot better than Kumho. The best thing about these tires is the wet traction. I live in a city that rains 24/7 and these are holding up pretty well.

 

I have the 760s on my other (non MINI) car and they are 30-series 20" tires and I can't believe how smooth and quiet they are for a 30-series tire. I have no problem with traction either and the car puts out a lot more power than a MINI. I've only got about 5k miles on them so far so I can't speak of how long they'll last but they still look like new and a 340 wear rating on a performance tire is really good. The other tire I would like to try is the Continental ExtremeDW but it doesn't come in my sizes.

I'm putting the 760s on 19" wheels on my wife's Countryman also... just waiting for the car to finish being built and arrive.

 

Take a look at the Nitto NEO Gen... i ran them on my Civic (HARD street and canyon use, daily driving and light track) in Arizona. Great in the rain, great in the dry and worth a look. I think they are available in your size as well.

I was running a 205/50-15

*** also wore very well!!! i owned for 8k miles and with all of my abuse on an aggressive alignment with an above average powerplant... i ONLY used 2/32nds

 

The new 960 RFT link in my sig well worth a look...... Now you can say smooth riding - good handling - and run flat all in the same sentence.

 

Yes, if you want all-seasons and run-flats, looks like a great tire. Tire Rack gives a glowing review. They also come in the stock MCS size. Not cheap, of course.

Back to the 760s, my wife is not a driving enthusiast and would be as happy driving a Jetta as our Mini, but even she commented that the 760s seemed to "transform" the car. They are just so supple and non-harsh. I've had a chance to push them a bit, both in the wet and dry, and I up to 8/10th's or so, they seem just as grippy as the RE-01R's I had before. The only drawback I can detect is that they're so supple, they do not give you quite the feedback of what is going on down at the tire contact patch, but I'll take that tradeoff for the dramatic reduction in noise and harshness any day of the week.

- Mark