Does anyone know where I could buy the OEM Type R tires from? The tire that came with every Type R when it was new was the Bridgestone Potenza RE010 (195/55R15 84V). I called Acura and they said this tire was discontinued but they said other shops/people might still have them. I looked everywhere but can't find them... I know I could buy another tire that might be as good as these or even better but I really want the tires that came with the car when it was new. Anyone know where I could find these?

 

juss keep check around, calling local shops maybe.. any particular reason why u would want the original make of tires that came on a 90s vehicle?

 

I could see wanting them if you have like a museum quality or restored car, but if its just a normal car that gets driven often, I wouldnt worry about finding the exact tire. Pick the tire they replaced it with. Even if you do find the original tire, chances are it will be dry rotted from sitting on the shelves for so long.

 

old, dry rot, waste of money except for museum quality car.

 

Honestly I think you'll have a hard time finding any if at all, brand new that is.

They have been discontinued in Q1 of '06 if my memory serves me right and in mid '06 Bridgestone warehouses were almost out of stock of RE010 in size 195/55/15.

If you're really really lucky, you might find one set that's been slep on somewhere, but good luck and if you do, inspect the rubber thouroughly before buying.

Granted you find some in pristine condition, in most part for relatively easy driving you'll be fine. You can still track the car but don't think you'll be able to use 'em for 15K miles of road use on top of that and having your tires holding in 1 piece...it would be a better idea to ''retire'' your RE010 sooner than later according to tire age as opposed to wear or as soon as you notice any creasing.

In my experience, they hold up pretty well even when relatively old, used, tracked and abused if they've been maintained under ideal conditions(temp, humidity and all) throughout their lifespan and have no cracks.

 

tire has been out of production for years

if you find a set they will be hard as rocks and dry rotted

most similar new tire would be the bridgestone re760 or s04

if you have a sub 10k mile car that does shows i could see trying to hunt down a set but i sure wouldn't drive on them

 

mmm I would say closest is RE01R, which replaced the RE010. RE01R have also been discontinued, but at least they were more recent and you have a better chance at finding them. I had a set on my evo. They were good tires, but nothing compared to what is out there today (RS3, Star Spec etc.)

 

For a sport street tire, I love the REO50's that came on my 07 S2k. They never gave me issues on the street and I drove that car hard. Drove it at the dragon as well and had a great time, plenty of traction.

 

I still track my RE010 from their last production run BUT they are healthy and ''as new'' 5K of easy highway miles on 'em only prior to changing vocation to track use until I recieve my new rubbers for the track.

Because of time constraints, they will retire from track use in the days coming just to keep it on the safe side,more for prevention than anything else,but as I said earlier they hold up pretty well as they are mint cond.

I'm going with Dunlop Direzza z II within the next week or so for replacement.

 

Do you want these tires to park the caR or tires to drive the caR? Tires these old are a safety issue so you shouldn't drive on them. Tire compounds have gotten much better in the last 16 years, so please don't think these tires will out perform today's options.

 

that's a big step up

stock tires on the r only managed .92g on the skidpad. you might be able to hit that on a 760, easily could on an s04 and could blow by it on an re11

 

I have a set of all 4 i took off my R after about 5000-7000 miles of use. They have been sitting around for the past 13 or so year...

 

This. ^
Get Potenza RE11's they are the next gen of the RE10's and they are FANTASTICK.

 

I don't see them for sale anywhere. Link?

 

while I agree that todays tires outperform tires from 15+ years ago since compounds, belts/structure, tire engineering and manufacturing have elvolved big time...here's some additional food for thought for the op if you absolutely want some RE010 for some reason:

''Our experience has been that when properly stored and cared for, most street tires have a useful life in service of between six to ten years. And while part of that time is spent as the tire travels from the manufacturing plant to the manufacturer's distribution center, to the retailer and to you, the remainder is the time it spends on your vehicle.''

source:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...urrentpage=138
(on tire aging)

if you find any that seem in good condition, don't forget to check their manufacturing date(or age), see following link:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...urrentpage=183

According to this, you could probably run them for a little while still but their theoritical exp. date is around 2-3 away, granted you find some from the last production run and in perfect condition.

If it's streetable and track performance you're after,get the Direzza ZII either in 205/50/15 or 195/55/15 according to your preferences as they do come in both sizes.

 

The RE010 was a great tire back in the day. However, even the best of the last stored ones are going to be what--more than 5+ years old now? No thanks.

And I don't believe Bridgestone makes a 195/55/15 in a summer-only tire anymore. You next best choice in that size is the Dunlop Direzza ZII. Toyo makes the R1R in that size, but I don't like the squishy sidewalls on that tire...especially on a 6" wheel.

 

OEM was 195/50/15 does the OP not have the OEM wheels?

 

195-55-15, not 195-50-15.

 

in Europe the replacement for the RE010 is called the "RE002 Adrenalin", I think the RE11 is a better tire than both though.

If you want the OEM tire size 195/55R15, I would pick the Dunlop Direzza ZII, which just hit the market and is a competitor to the RE11. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

The largest benefit those newer tires have compared to the old RE010 is braking imo, at least that's what I experienced when I switched to ADVAN AD08 (also a competitor to the RE11).

 

The RE010 complemented the ITR so perfectly. Turn-in was crisp, grip was good, etc. I also thought braking and acceleration to be good as well. It did 'chunk' a bit on the track, however. But back in the day, it was about the best you could get in a street tire.

Times have moved on, though.

 

This.