A little background first: I was planning on getting the S02's in 195/55/15. Unfortunately, the ZR rating for these tires is NOT backward compatible in Germany. This means that because the ITR came with RE 010 195/55/15 85W, I can only use W or Y rated tires.

I called Bridgestone and asked if I can get approval from them to use the S02 on my car with the original rims (which I want to use due to a lack of light rims here). They told me that the only tire they offer for the ITR is the original RE 010 and will not approve the S02.

Now, both tires will cost me the same amount of money. I was just wondering how good the RE 010's are. Do they compare at all to Goodyear Eagle F1 or the S03 on wet and dry roads? Any comments are welcome. I just want to know if I should shell out the money now for new tires, or start saving to get some light rims.

Thanks!

 

Well, imo, the RE010 is an awesome street tire for the R. Well matched to the chassis/suspension. Not the best tire in the wet, though.

Im willing to bet that they are better than the Goodyears in the dry, maybe not the wet. Many people like the S03s, but they only come in 195/50/15 or 205/50/15. Theres been some debate recently about whether the 195/50/15 has a high enough load rating. Some say yes, others no. (The 195/50/15s are a good bit cheaper than the 205s, btw, hence why people arent getting the 205s).

Id go with the RE010s again if I were you.

Oh, and as for speed ratings, it doesnt really matter. The RE010s are good up to 149 mph, which is ~ the top speed of the car. The "V, W, Y, Z" only indicates how fast the tire can go, not how much grip it offers.

 

In Europe it's not allowed to pick a tire with a lower speed rating than stock. Stock RE010s have W(270km/h) speed rating in Europe!!! S-02s have the old ZR (>240 km/h) rating which is not used anymore.

If I were you, I would get the 195/50/15W S-03s. Just a little bit smaller. Good for acceleration but not for topspeed.


[Modified by DutchITR1689, 12:51 PM 6/10/2002]

 

If I were to buy new rims, I would get 15" and slap S03's on them, but I am not willing to buy them yet. They are only 0.4kg lighter than the original rims and cost
about $350. If they would weigh at least 1Kg less, then I might have bought them right away.

Exactly. I can't get a 195/50 or 205/50 on the original rim.

I know. What I meant was that the ZR speed rating is the only rating offered for that size.


@ Dutch:
Oh, I thought the ZR were 270km/h and the W were up to 240km/h. The fact that you can't buy a tire with a lower speed rating is logical. I just had the speeds mixed up I guess.

I would get the S03's but Bridgestone won't approve that tire size for the original rim. I mean, I could buy them and put them on. Everything would be fine unless I had an accident and the insurance company realizes that I am using "non-approved" tires. That is what I am trying to avoid.

Thanks for your help.


Anyone else have any first hand experience with the RE 010?



[Modified by Faust, 12:23 PM 6/10/2002]

 

RE 010 comes on the US Type-R's Stock and is an Excellent tire. I would say almost as good as any street tire out. YOu will be pleased with them.

That being said I always wondered why speed ratings mattered. I mean I know what they are for but the US has such low speed limits we wouldn't even use an H rating if we stuck to the speed limits.

Get the RE010's you will like em.

 

Faust: Why can't you get a 195/50 or a 205/50 on the original rim? To put it bluntly, I have had 225/45 hoosiers on my OEM ITR rims and haven't had any problems (i.e. high speed straights (130+ mph), high speed turns (120+ mph), no problems).

 

He is afraid that he will be in trouble with his insurance because it's not approved by the manufacturer. I didn't know the German gov. is such a pain in the behind....

 

Geez! And I thought the U.S. had some wierd rules/laws. Understand now, thanks for clarifying!

 

I love RE010's. Original equipment rules!

 

re010 = more stick than so2's, however people want so2's because they dont wear out as much.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. I just ordered the RE010's. I can't wait to try them out.

 

What do you have now then?

 

Right now (at least until I sell them on Wednesday) I have BBS RKII 8x17 with Goodyear Eagle F1 205/45/17. Heavy as hell. My car looks good, but I want performance again.

 

In that case you won't be disappointed with the stock RE010!!! They don't last very long, but you should try them at least once....
I know a few people going back to stock Euro 15" with RE010 from 17" with crap...

 

One thing to keep in mind... don't be discouraged if your first 1,000km usage of RE010's don't feel that great. You've gotta wear down the tread block a bit before they grip like ****. Actually, it feels the best when it's almost down to the wear-bar (like most tires).

 

I have an Autocross on the 23rd of this month...that should wear them down some.

 

DUDE he's getting a RE010!

 

I don't get it.

 

Not many people do that anymore, because it's too expensive and wears out too fast.

 

I am VERY open to other suggestions!

 

In your situation RE010 is still the best choice!!!!

 

Why don`t you go with a sepperate rim/tire combo for autoX?!

Yokohama A038R in 195/50 or 55/15 or 205/50/15.........or go all out with slicks. I have AutoX tires on my stock rim. With a set of tires you can run easily one season when you use this tire only for AutoX.

Perhaps you go sometime one the realy track like Nurnburgring and then you have a tire for it. With a normal strret tire you don't want to drive hard on a track, cause it is getting to hot and the tire is damaged after this season!


[Modified by austrian type-R, 11:56 AM 6/13/2002]

 

My RE010s are still fine after 2 track days. Only the side turned blue due to the heat!!!

 

Yeah and the blue color is not good, the tire is now harder and not so good anymore

 

Oh well, they are now almost slicks anyway. I'm going to get 195/50R15 S-03s soon....