S2000 needs rubber, but I'm limiting myself to street tires because (a) I'm still a newb and have lots of things to learn, (b) I'm too lazy to swap wheels at the paddock, and (c) I'm too poor to afford another set of wheels right now while budgeting for entry fees and such. My schedule next year probably looks like 6000 street miles, 6-8 autocrosses, and 3-4 track days. Grip is a priority, but also progressive breakaway and overall stability is also high on my list. The 2nd gen S2000s are a bit softer on rotation than the 1st gens, but it still rotates wildly faster than my 240SX, and I've often been unable to catch an impending spin. Wet grip/hydroplane resistance is also a high priority, since 5000 of the 6000 street miles will be highway miles.

So here's the rundown. RT-615's are ~$550, RE-01R's are around $650, RE050A's are around $650, and Neovas would ring in around $850 (225/45/17 fronts, 255/40/17 rears when available, which actually means 245/40/17 for RE-01R's).

How "progressive" are the Falkens? The RT-215's I owned 2 years ago weren't incredibly progressive, but the uber-stiff sidewall and lack of tread squirm made the tire extremely communicative, and I was able to tell exactly what it was doing at all times. Has that been lost in the softer RT-615's? I had the RE050's on track last week, and they weren't terribly communicative, nor were they too progressive.

Anyone driven the RE-01R's? Or the Neovas? I realize this is a Honda board, and these tires aren't available in the standard 14-15" Honda sizes, but there's gotta be someone out there that's used these. Is the RE-01R's worth $100 over the Falkens? Are the Neovas worth $300 over the Falkens?

Interesting side note...I found it interesting how at Solo Nationals, STS/STX was mostly Falken users with a couple Neova users sprinkled in, and maybe one RE-01R user...while STU was overwhelmingly Neova users. Any theories on this?

 

Have you read the comparison test articles that have appeared in the past year or so? That might be a good place to start, along with whatever feedback you get here.

Car and Driver

Grassroots Motorsport

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rice r0cket &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Interesting side note...I found it interesting how at Solo Nationals, STS/STX was mostly Falken users with a couple Neova users sprinkled in, and maybe one RE-01R user...while STU was overwhelmingly Neova users. Any theories on this?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No theories. It's all about what tire works best on the car and what tire fits best on a certain car. Also, it's about who was paying $$ if you were on their tires (Advan paying the best).

For instance, most of the Civics all used the RT615 because a 205 is about all that will fit and maintain decent gear ratios. Obviously a 225/45/17 Neova (smallest US size) won't work on a Civic.

As for the rest, if you are a casual autox'er/HPDE guy, the Falkens are a hard tire to beat, both for grip and price. Spending the extra $$ on the Advans really won't get you a $300 superior tire IMO, especially for what you are doing with it.

 

I'm using the Neova 195/55 15. Great street tire. Never try the other you list. But it have alot of grip on both AutoX and track events.

I paid $139 for each. It lasted me 6-7 month only.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Have you read the comparison test articles that have appeared in the past year or so? That might be a good place to start, along with whatever feedback you get here.

Car and Driver

Grassroots Motorsport
</TD></TR></TABLE>

FYI

The Bridgestone RE050A's in the C&D tire test above don't look to be the new RE050A Pole Positions that the OP queried about but rather the older versions which weren't a great tire from other reviews I've seen before and as listed in the C&D test.

From what I gather in the EVO community though, the new RE050APP's are much better than the older non PP's and actually a great alternative OEM replacement for our stock Advan A046's whch are a damned sticky tire.


Modified by 1GreyTeg at 8:36 PM 11/17/2006

 

Isn't STU max width 275? The Neovas aren't even offered in that size, while the Falkens are.

Todd00: yeah, I think that's the right perspective for me to have. I'm a casual autocrosser at best, and could probably use the extra $300 for a sway bar of sorts.

1GreyTeg: What car has stock A048's (other than the Elise w/ the track package)?

I guess my last question would be, how are the RT-615's in the wet? I had the 215's in a drenching rainstorm, and with around 4/32's, I couldn't drive over 40 mph without hydroplaning.


Modified by rice r0cket at 8:40 PM 11/17/2006

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rice r0cket &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

1GreyTeg: What car has stock A048's (other than the Elise w/ the track package)? </TD></TR></TABLE>

duhhhhh , sorry I was talking about the A046, the OEM tire for the Lancer Evolution.

 

I am not sure that your priorities are compatible. High grip and progressive breakaway tend to be antithetical rather than complimentary. High grip tires tend to breakaway more suddenly - some worse than others. A low grip tire tends to give much more warning than a high grip one.

Since these are going to be daily driver tires, you will want something that is liveable on the street; relatively smooth ride and low noise, while not priorities for you should none-the-less be a factor in your decision making process. Personally I'd go with the RE050. Its a much better street rain tire than the others and while not as grippy will be a better compromise.

Regards,
Alan

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rice r0cket &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1GreyTeg: What car has stock A048's (other than the Elise w/ the track package)?</TD></TR></TABLE>

As Anton noted, the A046 is the stock tire for the Evo. AFAIK the Lotus is the only car that comes with the A048.

The A048 is Yokohama's newest R compound track tire, and I've started seeing a fair number of folks using it at the track. However, R compounds aren't all that great for street use, for various reasons (fast treadwear, poor wet traction, need for warmup, little warning before losing traction). If you want to consider R comps for the track, a lot of good ones are available these days. But it sounds like you're going to primarily use these tires on the street, so you would be better off with street tires.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rice r0cket &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I guess my last question would be, how are the RT-615's in the wet?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Better than the RT-215. But you need to realize that most of these tires - including the RT-615, RE-01R, and AD07, as well as the BFG KD and Kumho MX which you didn't mention - are designed to maximize dry traction with little to no concern for traction on wet pavement, where they are only so-so. For those who care only about dry traction, these are great choices.

If you are looking for a tire that offers outstanding traction on wet pavement as well as dry pavement, the RE050APP would be a good choice (and so would the Goodyear F1 GS-D3).

 

from my experience, on merely wet pavement the 615s aren't bad, per se, but in heavy rain or standing water they're not so good. that said, they're noticeably better in the dry than the 215s (which i've not driven in the wet, and which get 'greasy' on the track much sooner than do the 615s), and provide excellent value for a street/track tire. breakaway on the 615s isn't as progressive as on, say, a falken ziex 512/502 all-season tire, but it's not as sudden as on Toyo Proxes R comps (which seem to be the next level-up from the 615s in terms of grip).