Bridgestone RE070's

[clan2_uk]

Is anyone using these tyres yet ? If so how do you find the wear rate etc.

[scuba dou]

Had them on in the summer and found nothing untoward compared to others. JohnS is the resident expert.... he been running them for months.

[johns]

I found them fantastic during the summer months, but changed them for F1s in November when the temps dropped and the roads got almost permanently wet.

They have firm sidewalls, so give tremendous feedback to the driver - you know exactly what the tyres are doing. Levels of grip once they get warmed up are superb. On the roads you don't really need any more grip than they offer otherwise you are doing lunatic speeds around the corners.

I found the wear on them OK. Mine are probably half worn after about 5k miles on them, but that did include a few track sessions. I'd probably expect to get about 12k miles out of a set, compared to say 14k for F1s or Toyos.

There are a couple of downsides with them:

1) With the big tread blocks they are noisier than F1s, but not that much noisier than the OEM Bridgestones.

2) The ride is firmer with them due to the firm sidewalls

3) Again due to the firmer sidewalls, they do tramline a bit more on uneven surfaces, especailly under braking.

4) the ABS can kick in earlier on wet roads on broken/very uneven surfaces.

At the end of the day, it's all a matter of compromise, and I'm more than happy to run my F1s during the winter months (would be ideal if I had winter tyres for the snow/ice), and the RE-070s during the summer months. That way I get the very best performance for the conditions, and am not running a compromise tyre for 6 months of the year.

John

[clan2_uk]

Thats kind of what I thought was going to be said, I've been trying to persuade my wife that the brand new set of STI wheels and RE070's that I have seen for sale are a must buy, but I can see a problem if I tell her that you really need to change the tyres when the winter comes. I heard that they are okay in the wet but when there is standing water that is when you can have problems. Surely they must be reasonable in all conditions for Subaru to be supplying them on new STI's.

[scuba dou]

Horses for courses?and what you say about Subaru fitting them as standard rubber is very correct; they are not that bad or unsafe for 80-90% of the people for 80-90% of the time.

However if like many on here you like to use the car for safe fast road use, then the RE070 can be a handful when pushing on in the wet, as you say particularly with standing water around; compared to a Toyo or a GoodYear GSD3 for example.

JohnS is giving a very detailed account for what is the best tyre application for the various seasons if you want to enjoy your car to the max during each season. And JohnS does know how to use his car Several people use different tyres. RobD and I run RE070?s on 17?s during the summer and GoodYear GSD3?s and Nokian WR Wintersport tyres on 18? rims for the rest of the year to get the very best form our Sti?s. (In fact, RobD runs his winter tyres in 17? size as well)

On dry roads, the cornering speed of the RE070?s is quite staggering The GSD3 is a great comprise, excellent in the wet and damn good in the dry as well, but poor in snow as the tread pattern fills up and you merely sit and polish the snow beneath the tyre as Fiestas on 155 rubber drive on by Stick on proper winter rubber (ie; the Nokian WR) and the car will out accelerate and out brake the way most cars can perform on tarmac roads. Like the RE070?s in the dry, they are quite staggering with the levels of grip you can find. The Fins know how to make Winter tyres, that?s for sure and in 18?s they were only 104 quid a corner with the appropriate speed rating as well.

Why not get the RE070 tyres and alloys and then dress your own wheels with either GSD3 or winter rubber at the back end of the year If I were going to have 2 out of the 3 mentioned above, I would go RE070 and the Nokian WR as the winter tyres are very good in the wet as well. (In fact, they are marketed as an all year tyre with snow and ice being their speciality) They hold their own in the dry, but with softer sidewalls and loads more tread blocks than the GSD3 they squirm a round and squeal for mercy when ploughing on; lets the car hang out nicely though

[clan2_uk]

Thanks for everyones views on this, I think I might just take a gamble on the RE 070's and keep my original wheels and RE 040's/ O50's that I was going to sell on to soften the blow of the new wheels and use them for the winter months.

[~ ~ Cal ~~]

Bought a set of these ex-WR1 wheels and oh my god are those tyres sticky

The tramlining though is horrendous compared with the standard widths - going along

a road where a lot of HGV's hacve made ruts in the road is like a rollercoaster. As John pointed

out they are somewhat noiser and ping up a lot more debris due to their soft compound. They

make the car so much more surefooted ( though i've yet to experience them in the wet )

Quick question if I may ?

1) what pressures would you run normally with these babies ?

2) and at what Psi would you run @ KH ?

Can wait to use these at the SIDC day

Thanks for any info

Cal

[spooks]

Wouldnt mind a set of these myself but alas cant afford em........................I just like the rims there on never mind the tyres Cal if ya fancy a rim swap lemme know

Spooks

[~ ~ Cal ~~]

Lets just say that I shouldn't have bought em but they give me mucho The fiancee wasn't impressed

For those of you who don't know what they look like :-

[~ ~ Cal ~~]

Some more info on these tyres :-

*********************************

August 15, 2003) ? Bridgestone brand Potenza? RE070 tires have been chosen as original equipment on the new ultra-high performance 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX-Sti. The company will provide its Potenza RE070, an ultra-high performance max-traction summer tire in size 225/45R17 ?We are very pleased to have been named an original equipment supplier for this performance flagship of the Subaru line-up,? said Michael Martini, president, OE Consumer Tire, Bridgestone. ?Our Potenza RE070 is a perfect complement to the ultra-high performance specifications of this new vehicle.?

Martini added that the Potenza RE070 is a new product, developed specifically for sport performance original equipment applications.

?Our engineers worked with Subaru to design an asymmetrical tread pattern, which was specially tuned to this application,? he said.

The Potenza RE070 is W-speed rated and provides ultimate high grip, accurate response and maximum cornering capabilities. It carries a UTQG rating of 140 for treadwear, and an A each for traction and temperature.

The Bridgestone Potenza RE070 in size 225/45R17 for the Subaru Impreza WRX-STi has also been developed for use in the Japanese market.

The all-wheel drive Subaru Impreza WRX-STi is designed to appeal to the serious driving enthusiast and incorporates motorsports technology drawn directly from Subaru?s experience in World Rally Championship racing. It is engineered to deliver world-class sports car levels of acceleration, handling and braking, and will serve as the performance flagship of the Subaru line. STI stands for Subaru Tecnica International, the automaker?s high performance and motorsports subsidiary.

[fraser_drinkwater]

i wouldn't get them again! they are ok in the dry and a nightmare in the wet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[~ ~ Cal ~~]

Righto......my Re070's are gonna get trashed at KH next week so........

1) do I get some more RE070's and pay the hefty price ? Where the hell do you get them apart from the dealers ?

2) go down the Eagle F1 route ?

3) go down the Toyo T1-s or T1-r route ?

The RE070's are immense but I don't think I fancy paying £150 plus per corner for these bad boys

Any thoughts much appreciated

Cal

EDIT - just found RE070's for £104 on Mytyres.net !

[imprezapete]

Sorry but I think F1 eagles are great and they are good in the wet and the May run showed that. ScoobyAndy will agree.

I paid £380 for 4

[~ ~ Cal ~~]

Where from Pete ? Was that inclusive of VAT, fitting etc ?

Thanks

Cal

[imprezapete]

I got a special price on them from a friend at a Farmer Auto care, but I think they cost £125 normally inc fitting.

But I did find them online for less

Mytyres

£93.80 each

I think blackcircle has them for less and they do discount for SIDC from what I remember.

Heard some stuff about toyos and Yokies. But they are not as good in the wet.

But I still like my Eagle F1s

[Bing]

Some good info there - i have these on STI wheels aswell and have found them pretty damn good so far I have not however reached a winter with them so ill have to wait and see, but I do have my old wheels with Michellin P1 sports (i think!) which I may use through these months.

Cal , re the PSI, mine were about 38psi when I got them but ive dropped them to about 34. I'm still not too sure what best to run them on but they seem ok at that.

Steve

[ANDYJDMSTI]

nuts to all that!!!!!!

i'll stick with me twitchy jap rubber..........................much more involving!!!!

[scuba dou]

back to the top for sam01

[st3ph3n]

Top many Jools, I was hunting for some Tyre info myself for my original wheels will need attention.

Just put my spare set of wheels on with new (10 miles or so apparently) RE050s on. Noticed the handling has changed from the previous set. Think they need a bit of scrubbing in.