View Single Post
      01-12-2013, 11:58 PM   #18
blutattoo
First Lieutenant
22
Rep
380
Posts

Drives: 2012 135i
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Sacramento

iTrader: (1)

Garage List
2012 BMW 135i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by MMisencik157 View Post
All that test tells you is how the tires stack up their first auto x run hardly any heat in the tires. R-S3, Z1SS, RE-11, ect don't give you all of their grip until you get a good amount of heat in them whereas the S-04 and other max performance and UHP tires are giving their full grip at these lower temps. They need to run a test on a road course or for several consecutive auto x runs to truly compare the tires in a way most people who buy them are concerned with. The only reason the S-04s finished 2nd is because that test ranks tires overall which includes their road manners. I dont care how a tire ranks overall, I care about the raw dry performance numbers.

Also this kind of testing isn't very accurate in that every tire has a "sweet spot" and needs to have the car set up and pressures set specifically for that tire. These tests are done with the manufactures suggested cold pressures for the OEM tires and OEM alignment... not ideal. I know it will never be viable to test tires like this as it takes way too much time and effort but I just had to mention it.

The testing that Andrie Hartanto and his team have done with the Z1SS, RE-11, AD08, and R-S3 have led me to believe that the Z1SS is faster than the RE-11 (at least in the dry). Their testing has indicated that on a track (road course) the the R-S3 is hands down the fastest, then Z1SS, then RE-11, then AD08. In the wet the RE-11 is fastest and as a daily driver it is the best tire and lasts the longest. Results could vary as the compound may not be the same across the different tire sizes.
I suppose to each his own, but I have a buddy who is a racing instructor at Exotics Racing in Vegas and they use the RE-11's over everything else on all of their track cars except for the Ferrari 458 which doesn't have a compatible size for the RE-11's. He says they have tested every type of tire and hands down they prefer the RE-11's due to their combination of grip, predictability, speed, and endurance. They could use any tire and they choose these even though they are the most expensive tire out there. They have them equipped on Lambo's, GTR's, Vette's, Porsche's, Aston's, Ferrari's, you name it. Not only that they are not sponsored by Bridgestone so they purchase them just like anyone else. That speaks volume's to me.

I have a set of both RS-3's and RE-11's equipped on Apex wheels and both are almost identical in performance on the track with the RE-11's having a slight edge while cold and the RS-3's having an edge when they are hot. In the middle they are just about even. I loved the feel of the PSS's best, but on high speed sweepers and under braking they just weren't anywhere near as good. I have the z1's on my e36 and they just don't compare on a track to any of these, but for auto-x or spec racing I'd take them over just about anything because the tread wear rating allows you to run them in a stock class. Maybe the new ones will be their equal who knows, but the old ones are just a notch below.
Appreciate 0