2019 Tire Thread
 

Alright guys, I did a lot of reading, but most threads are from 2017 and back.

Im looking for summer performance tires that will see mostly street life, with the once-a-month canyon / back road day and 1 or 2 drag days a year, and I’m looking to get into road racing at Buttonwillow sometime this year.

from the research I’ve done so far on here, it looks like the top 4 choices that kept coming up were:

RE-71R
Rival S 1.5
ZIII
615k+

Are these still the general “best” choices in 2019?

im looking for a tire that first and foremost grips in dry conditions as I’m in SoCal, but would not like to feel unsafe in the rain either.

the car they’re going on:

IX MR
364whp/317tq on gas and 440whp/417tq on E85
Stock height but looking at Ohlins by this summer
stock MR wheels
I drive maybe 7-8k miles a year. This is not my daily, but if I can find a tire that will last more than 6k miles that’d be better.
tire / road noise isn’t a big deal as long as it’s not extreme

my next question is, should I just go with stock wheel size? Or would it be beneficial to go to a 245/40/17 or 255/40/17?

if there’s any other info I can give you to make a better recommendation please let me know. Thanks!

Of that list, RE-71R and Rival S 1.5 are the top choices in the 200 treadwear category right now. The Yokohoma A052 might have better grip, but it might have a shorter lifespan and significantly worse rain performance.

My RE-71R are okay in light rain. I do exit the freeway and take surface streets if the rain becomes a downpour, though. Don't try to power through rainstorms with any high-performance summer tire, especially when they get worn down.

I have a set of Hankook R-S4 for my DD and just-for-fun HPDE tires. They definitely don't grip as well as my RE-71R, but the R-S4 last significantly longer than the soft RE-71R.


As for sizing: 255s are too wide for the stock 8" wheels. You can jump to 245/40R17 to gain some width and lower the car slightly.

If you dont need 315s (lol, I know... only a "sum-of-us" problem) then your list is basically in the right order. I would just go with RE71, The other alternative tire is PS4S. The tire is surprisingly good in the dry but amazing in the wet. If I wasnt worried about competing, I would 100% pick them right now.

Im running the Federal 595 EvO tire. Im impressed w/the side wall rigidity & the overall construction. Im on my 2nd set of 265/40/17's

Its a summer tire w/a Federal Tire TW rating of 240. It is certainly grooved for some wet weather

Be careful of the sizing because they run approx 1 size wider than noted (i.e. 265 shown is really more like a 275)

Not too worried about downpours here in the armpit of California. What’s the mileage life look like on these tires?

and yeah Dallas I’m not really in the 315 category lol.

Minus, how do you compare the Federal to the RE-71 or the ZIII?

RE-71R: Great grip. Probably the best performer of your choices. Short-lived tire, though.
Rival S 1.5: Some AutoX Guys like this tire. It seems to work really well with *possibly* a slightly-longer life than the re-71 but possibly less performance, from what I'm told. Anyone got info on this? Anyone I know that runs the Bstones then tries the BFG, they go back to the Bstone.
ZIII: I don't know anyone running this tire.
615k+: I don't know anyone running this tire.
Federals: really don't seem to like our cars due to heat (get greasy quick). Not too bad, up until then, for the price. Really good budget AX tire. +1 for them running wider than "normal".

FWIW:
I loved my RE-71s, though I burned through them pretty quick. They did okay on a wet course. No complaints. They were really good for AutoX and did well on the road course. I would not like to try to make them last with street driving (especially with an aggressive alignment).
**edit: the RE71 didn't like hot lapping. About two, solid laps, then get slippery due to getting hot.
My daily tires are Hankook R-S4s in stock size (VIII wheel). They put up with all I could throw at them at Laguna Seca. Not the best for AutoX, due to my cars power/torque curve and weight (450whp/3100lbs) and being 235mm wide. You can put a ton of miles on them. They are my hands-down favorite all-around tire.

Dont have any personal experience but comparing (the not so precise) TW ratings, The RE71/Z111 have a 200 rating vs the Fed 595 EVO at 240. The 595's will likely last much longer than those RE71/Z111

The RE's / Z111 will certainly have much more grip at the expense of wear. Federal has aggressive tires as well. Look the Fed 595RS-RR (200TW & aggressive HPDE tire tread). Fed tires will certainly be less expensive by a large margin

Heres a pic of 595EVOs 265/40 (they are wide/beefy even before the mount)
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.evo...745bcf3440.jpg

Thank you guys for the help. Kaj, I will look into the R-S4’s, they sound like they’ll fit my wants for a good street performance tire.

I see @letsgetthisdone recommend the RE-11’s a couple times as well, I wonder where those fall in the line up?

It is is irrelevant in 2019 hahaha

I ran RE-71, 615k+ and rs-4. For your purpose, I would run 615k+ due to price, they work well when cold and they have pretty decent wear. Rs-4 they need to be warmed up to be good and re-71's they wear a little quicker, but they have the highest of grip. If you're not in some competition environment, I would run 615k+ honestly unless you're some pro that can actually use tires to the limits but for street use, you shouldn't be doing that.

i hate my 615k+

Captain, from the general consensus I’ve gathered, is the 615k+ aren’t worth it.


Kyoo, what makes you hate them?


I may go with the R-S4s, or try the ZIII’s and report back on how they feel

just a lack of grip, steering feel/directness compared to the re71rs.

And they overheat quick. The 615k's suck, would not recommend for anything out side of spec SSC.

Yeah, this thread is the first time I've seen a positive comment made about the 615k. I haven't been a fan of Falken since the old 215, or whatever they were called. But that was, like, 2004 :lol: