Tire recommendation
 

Starting to plan ahead for tires on my 09 370z sport/touring. First question - I've got 14K miles now. Given that they are sporty tires, I know I won't get 50K out of them, but what are most people getting? 35?

Also, the OEM tires are Bridgestone Protenza 50 something. I noticed that some comparable tires are lighter by a pound or two. Will that effect performance? is it worth it?

Thanks in advance everyone.

I have been researching tires as well. It seems that many people are getting Bridgestone RE-11s or Hankook Ventus V-12s. I think it just depends on what you want to spend and how much performance you want out of the tire.

Don't even put the RE11s in the same category as the V12s. The RE11 is a much better tire and it will die a lot quicker, I expect better wear but way less grip on the V12s. I have V12s on my daily driver as summer tires and RE11 for my autoxer. I can tell you the V12s are nowhere close to the RE11 in grip.

:iagree:

I would expect about 12k miles with the RE-11's. I think I got about 6k miles until I corded my fronts thanks to auto-x. No direct experience with the V12 but I'm guessing you could expect around 25K miles on those depending on your driving.

No one has gotten anywhere near 35k out of the stock Bridgestones. 20k is the upper threshold of the life on these things. Mine lasted 18k and I swapped them for Ventus V12s.

How does the grip of the V12 compare to the OEM RE050?

Grip is pretty good. I'd say they are a little harder to break loose than the RE050s. The sidewall is a little softer, though.

All in all they are a very good street tire, especially at the price they go for. I'm happy with them but I'd rather run something else on the track.

Once I have a second car and don't put so many miles on the Z I will probably go to something more aggressive like the RE11s... I just don't want to chew through 2-3 sets a year.

I think Im gonna go with Pirelli P Zero's when I get my wheels.

I'm going to be replacing mine with Bridgestone RE760's next spring. For a street tire, they have double the treadwear rating of the RE050A's and seem to have comparible grip.

I just removed my tires at 3000 miles. Let me just say they have about 12 events and 110 autox runs. I still have 4 to 5/32nd all around except a lot more wear on the outside on the RE11 in the front. I am debating if I should flip them just to get a few more miles out of it. I definitely recommend the RE11 if you race the car and can afford one set of those a year.

I compared them to the R888, they dont feel as good, but times are within a few tenths

I got about 20 events and the equivalent of well over 200 runs on the fronts before they corded. Mine actually corded on the inside and I didn't know they were corded until I pulled the wheels off for something else (whoops!). My rears are progressing the same way and I think I'm going to back down my rear alignment a bit to preserve tire life. I'm not sure if it is a good idea to flip the RE-11's as they have a stiff outer sidewall and a soft inner sidewall. But if it is that or throw them away then it might be worth a shot.

You guys have sold me. I'm going with the RE11s.

I LOVE my V12s, and they cost 40% less than the other tires out there. My stock Bridgestones didn't even last 12K miles.

Just don't try and drive them in temperatures below 40 degrees.

Are they really that bad in the cool air? I know a lot of guys who run them up here into the fall.

I drive them in the fall as well and there is a distinct gradual loss of grip as the temperature drops. Maximum tire grip for this tire is when the rubber is in the 100-140F range which is generally possible when the air temp is above 70 degrees. As the air temp drops, grip gradually fades away as the rubber stiffens and it gets difficult to put any heat into the tire. So air above 70 is ideal, between 50-70 is ok, 40-50 it takes a few miles to warm up the tires, below 40 use caution.

For normal driving, I don't think it does anything. I drove on bald RA1s in the winter for 2 years (when it is not snowing)

Sure, you can drive just fine as long as you don't expect maximum grip.

oh yeah, last time we did an autox below 38f, a prius took ftd.

I'm no all star record breaking driver, but my times at Road Atlanta are only 1-2 seconds slower than full R compounds on Yokohama Neova AD-08s. Awesome dual purpose tire. 1:46 vs 1:48, but that could also be my wing, as I wasn't able to exceed 138 on the long straight, and should have hit 145 at least.

Nope. you are not that far off. I ran a 2:23 on old R888 and 2:25 on new Direzza Z1 SS in my RX-8 at VIR. If they were the Hoosiers or R1s, then the gap should be bigger.

The new street tires are surprisingly quick, even though they don't feel like it. Sometimes I wonder if it is worth all the extra effort and money to run multiple sets of tires

That's about what I expected to hear I suppose. I hate tire shopping.

you cant go wrong with re11 if you track or autox car, probably a little pricey for daily drivers

me too, My difference was R1s and AD08s. I'm going to Road America in October and have decided to drive up on my street tires instead of towing the car with r compounds. 27mpg vs 10-11 on an 1800 mile trip will be a much larger difference than the 1-2 seconds per lap.

Now, if you are doing time attacks, that would be a different story, because every bit helps, but I'm not, I'm just out to have fun.

Here is the funny thing. The street tires might not be much slower than the R comps, but they feel absolutely TERRIBLE against them. I did a test last week where I ran the car with old slicks vs street tires. The times were nearly identical, yet the car felt dramatically different in terms of feel. It's weird.

I have RE11 now, I don't really have a full set of slicks. I am still trying to find a set of 275/35/18 BFG R1 for <$500 used since they last longer than the Hoosiers.

I will be heading to VIR next weekend, can't wait to see how it compares to my Corvette, 350z and RX-8.

I have only heard good things about them but some of my track buddies suggested I stay with the stock tires until I'm making them scream...

In the end though the price difference is pretty small so I may just end up on RE11s.

I have similar experiences with RE-11's vs NT-01's. The NT-01's felt like they were faster because they turned in harder but the lap times said there wasn't much in it. It felt like you had to really push it to the limit to make the most of the NT-01's where as the RE-11's even though less sticky were easier to drive on.

agree 100%, its amazing how far these tires have come along. i will get another set of re11 next year, i might hold off on the slicks as they might not be worth the cost.

if you can afford it, definitely get it. i removed my stock tires at 700 miles because i knew i would run the car at track and autox. i was lucky and got nearly 750 dollars back on the stock tires

But, with the AD-08s, they feel exactly like an R-comp and nothing like a street tire at all, especially not the bridgestones that came with the car.

the re050 are jokes. i have never driven the ad08, but i believe the re11 is faster based on what i have seen. the re11 feels like a street tire, except they grip a lot better than the hankook

How are the RE11's noise wise compared to the stock RE050's? People say the Hankooks are a fair bit quieter, which is a plus for the long road trips with the wife. But as I plan to do more autoX and track days next year, so with that in mind RE11's might be the better option for me. I can't afford 2 sets so I'm looking for the best compromise of autox/track day capabilities and comfort (only the noise part of it, stiff ride is OK).

I know there is no perfect tire, just looking for opinions.

What sizes would y'all recommend since they don't produce a 275/35R19. I'm thinking I saw threads with folks mounting 275/35R19 F and 305/30R19 R on the sport wheels, but I'm thinking performance first.

I was just wondering this my self. At first I was leaning towards the V12s to save a bit of money but after thinking about it, I only drive 3000-4000 miles a year so even a max performance tire like the RE-11 would last me two years. The more and more I think about it that extra few hundred over two years is well worth the large gains in performance when I'm already willing to spend $1000 on exhaust and other such modifications.

the ride on it is A LOT better than the oem 050, they are slightly less noisy too. they also tend to not drift as much. the car just feels more stable and grippier, the extra ride comfort and less roar is an added bonus

i think i might have mentioned this. i have 125 runs on 11 autox days on it. i still have about 4/32 on it with 3000 street miles

as for size, i run 2653519 in front and 2853519 in rear. car does tend to plow, so next year i will most likely try 285 35 19 all around. my speedo within 1mph of my actual speed in my current size

i tested these against my r888, only slightly lower. i will get track data next weekend.

other than price, i have no complaints at all. well, maybe when the hoosier guys kick my butt

sorry typing on cell phone

Thanks for the feedback Cossie!

Yes I run 275/30R19 front and 305/30R19 rear. I would consider bumping up to 285/30 front as an effort to reduce understeer.

I don't think they have 285/30. I think it is either 265/35, 275/30 or 285/35. I will most likely do 285/35/19 all around next time around. The 275/30 might be too small. Of course 285 is probably too big for the 9" stock rim.

Here is what it looks like

http://www.cartct.com/results/08-08-10/08081005.jpg

After a year and a half and 19,600 miles I replaced my stock tires today with RE11'S and all I can say is WOW. I've been running Michelin PS2's on my old 350 for years but thanks to you guys recommendations thought I would try the Bridgestone’s. And I saved some money too. I kicked the rear size out to a 285-35 to fill the rear wheel width out more and I'd recommend that too.

If you are a gamer, use the same size in front too

Does anyone else find the V12's to be an ugly tire? I'm sold on the performance but can't get over the fact that they look like an all season tire for a buick. For the people who have them installed, can you post up some more pics of them installed?