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So I called the toyo customer service line earlier today. The woman I talked to had no information other then "comming soon" but I asked her to contact someone higher in the echelon at Toyo. I left my name/number and she promised to have someone get back to me.

 Hopefully will turn up some info. I got another 3 weeks max before I have to go with the RS2.
 

 

 

P90Puma:

So I called the toyo customer service line earlier today. The woman I talked to had no information other then "comming soon" but I asked her to contact someone higher in the echelon at Toyo. I left my name/number and she promised to have someone get back to me.

 Hopefully will turn up some info. I got another 3 weeks max before I have to go with the RS2.
 

 

 

Toyo didn't get back to me yet. But some guys over at rr-ax seem to have some info that I don't:

 

http://www.rr-ax.com/bbs/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=7623&start=26&posts=44

 

Hopefully isn't true. 

cmt52663:

P90Puma:

So, it's April 6th, 7th in 45min.

 

Anybody heard anything new on the 225/45/15 R1R? 

 

as of Friday the word through Town Fair Tire from the Toyo help line was - no availability date as yet....

so i'm going to find out how the Z1 Star Spec handles - i'm out of time

 

OK - the Z1 Star Spec came in - and it's a nice looking tire.  At about a half inch narrower than last year's Kook RS2 in a 225 the 195/55-15 makes sense only if the construction and compound can offset the width.  Last year the 195 RE-01R seemed better than the 225 RS2 on any given day, so it would appear possible.

Of course one tire will make the car a little tough to drive.  FedEx broke the set of four into two shipments.  One arrived today, and the other three tires will arrive one day after the season points opener, next Monday.

---

Charlie Thompson
'04 JCW Cooper [STX]
NER Cannon Fodder

P90Puma:

Toyo didn't get back to me yet. But some guys over at rr-ax seem to have some info that I don't:

http://www.rr-ax.com/bbs/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=7623&start=26&posts=44

Hopefully isn't true. 

It is true, and there is good and bad news.

Bad news:  225/45-15 won't be available until around July.

Good news:  205/45-16 and 205/50-15 will available within the next 2 weeks.

Overall, I am happy, as I want to try the 205/45-16 size :)  I am going to get a set of each of the new sizes and try them in staggered vs non-staggered setups.  There is plenty of time before Nats to test the 225 size.

-Brian
 

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89/189 STS/STX '89 Civic Si

I know this doesnt apply 100% to street touring, but I've been reading this entire thread in anticipation of the 225/45/50 R1R... If this post should be somewhere else please point me in the right direction. I didnt see a forum on this site dedicated to tires.

 
I have a 1999 Miata and a set of 15x8 +36 6UL's sitting here waiting to be used. I was planning on mounting the 225/45/50 R1R, but now that is supposed to be delayed until sometime in July I may just buy something else. I need a tire for street driving, autocross, and the occasional track day. I do not want to buy r compound tires. I see these as my options:
 

 1) Buy the 225/50/15 RS2

 2) Buy the 195/50/15 RE-01R

 3) Wait a couple weeks and buy the 205/50/15 R1R
 

 I've heard that the 195 RE-01R is faster than the 225 RS2, though the RS2 would fit better on my 8" wheels. Bridgestone only recommends mounting the 195 tire on up to 7" wheels... How would this affect the contact patch of the tire to mount it on an 8" wheel? Or would the 205 R1R be a good compromise? Or should I just buy some cheap tires to hold me over until the 225 R1R is released?

 

With so many pages, I forgot - which was the new Bridgestone tire that was coming out soon? There was a post on VW Vortex from an R32 owner over in Japan. He just bought a set of RE 070 tires that are the same tread pattern as the ones many of us Sube owners (when I WAS one) used to imediately throw away. It is still the OE tire on the STi over there, but also on the new Nissan GT-R. When I aksed why he would want that tire we used to toss, he said that Bridgestone has recently changed the compound, and now these are phenominal tires - else why could the GT-R blow away the Porsches,

 

Bridgestone changed the compound on these tires early last year, and
that's when it started to get postive reviews. Otherwise, the GT-R
couldn't have lapped faster than a 911 Turbo on the 'Ring

Alot of Japanese R32 owners have these on their car now, and it resulted
in faster lap times for everyone. I think it's safe to say they are better
tires than the 01R, at least the new ones

EDIT: Btw I had the Neovas before the 01Rs. They are on my daily
wheels now. I guess it's a matter of taste.

Ok, he sent me a message back, it is the RE-11. Here is a pic of the tire in Japan:

 And here are some comment from over there in Japan:

The Z1 Starspec is pretty highly regarded here. After reading some
reviews/impressions, it seems that it's biggest sales point is it's high grip
under low temperature. It's characterized as a very similar tire to the
Neova AD07 (good grip in dry/wet), but not as grippy as the RE-01R.

As for the new Bridgestone tire, it's the RE-11 which was just released
here in January. It's not a direct evolution of the RE-01R. The shoulder
height is asymmetrical, and has softer sidewalls. It is said to be a good
compromise of the RE-01R and Yoko AD07; good grip with good ride comfort. Here's what the tread pattern looks like.

I went back and forth with the RE-11, but ultimately chose the RE-070.
I do not autocross and only track on full circuits, so stiff sidwalls (hard
braking from 160mph+) are a must.

kevintc:

I know this doesnt apply 100% to street touring, but I've been reading this entire thread in anticipation of the 225/45/50 R1R... If this post should be somewhere else please point me in the right direction. I didnt see a forum on this site dedicated to tires.

I have a 1999 Miata and a set of 15x8 +36 6UL's sitting here waiting to be used. I was planning on mounting the 225/45/50 R1R, but now that is supposed to be delayed until sometime in July I may just buy something else. I need a tire for street driving, autocross, and the occasional track day. I do not want to buy r compound tires. I see these as my options:
 

 1) Buy the 225/50/15 RS2

 2) Buy the 195/50/15 RE-01R

 3) Wait a couple weeks and buy the 205/50/15 R1R
 

 I've heard that the 195 RE-01R is faster than the 225 RS2, though the RS2 would fit better on my 8" wheels. Bridgestone only recommends mounting the 195 tire on up to 7" wheels... How would this affect the contact patch of the tire to mount it on an 8" wheel? Or would the 205 R1R be a good compromise? Or should I just buy some cheap tires to hold me over until the 225 R1R is released?

 

 

i feel your pain!

i ran the 225/45-15 RS2 last year, on 15x7 Kosei wheels.  a nice tire, but i became convinced that the 195 RE-01R had more grip despite less width.  Gtech data indicated the RS2 would generate 1.05 to 1.09g lateral on a warm dry day (coil overs and -2.5 camber) but it just was not enough.  i ran the tires all summer and got 10k miles from a shaved set before there was insufficient tread for safe operation on a wet highway.

i timed out on the decision this year, just last Friday.  i too was holding my breath for the R1R in the 225 width.

so i bought the 195/55-15 StarSpec Z1 for two reasons:

a. the folks that run that tire here speak highly of it, and

b. they are $99/tire before the rebate

i figure that i'll watch the events and forums through August, and then decide what to do.  if the 225 R1R is as good as hoped for I shall have to buy a set late summer and baby them in preparation for Topeka.  by that time the jury should be in on all the legal rubber for STX.

if i had it to do over i'd seriously consider the 205 R1R -- but the concerns raised regarding wear and graining on the 195 might be less a factor on the 225 so absent anyone's 1st hand experience with the 205 i'd still be a touch cautious.

for what it's worth, the Z1 looks and feels very nice - but courtesy of FedEX i've only one tire instead of four, so driving impressions will have to wait until next week.  i'm afraid o have no experience on the 8" width question, so hopefully someone else can offer a suggestion.

timing is everything huh...  it's enough to give us "little bitty wheel" folks heartburn...

---

Charlie Thompson
'04 JCW Cooper [STX]
NER Cannon Fodder

kevintc:

I know this doesnt apply 100% to street touring, but I've been reading this entire thread in anticipation of the 225/45/50 R1R... If this post should be somewhere else please point me in the right direction. I didnt see a forum on this site dedicated to tires.

 
I have a 1999 Miata and a set of 15x8 +36 6UL's sitting here waiting to be used. I was planning on mounting the 225/45/50 R1R, but now that is supposed to be delayed until sometime in July I may just buy something else. I need a tire for street driving, autocross, and the occasional track day. I do not want to buy r compound tires. I see these as my options:
 

 1) Buy the 225/50/15 RS2

 2) Buy the 195/50/15 RE-01R

 3) Wait a couple weeks and buy the 205/50/15 R1R
 

 I've heard that the 195 RE-01R is faster than the 225 RS2, though the RS2 would fit better on my 8" wheels. Bridgestone only recommends mounting the 195 tire on up to 7" wheels... How would this affect the contact patch of the tire to mount it on an 8" wheel? Or would the 205 R1R be a good compromise? Or should I just buy some cheap tires to hold me over until the 225 R1R is released?

I wouldn't consider the R-S2.  I would either get RE-01Rs or R1Rs.  I will take some pics of the 2 new 205s and the 195s side by side unmounted and mounted when they arrive, and we can see how the widths vary.  I am hoping that the 205 R1Rs run wide :)  If the Dunlops came in a shorter size, I would give them a try.

The 2009 season should be a crazy year in terms of tires, with the new Bridgestones coming out, and possibly new Yokohama Neovas in smaller ST sizes.
 

---

89/189 STS/STX '89 Civic Si

Rocky:

With so many pages, I forgot - which was the new Bridgestone tire that was coming out soon? There was a post on VW Vortex from an R32 owner over in Japan. He just bought a set of RE 070 tires that are the same tread pattern as the ones many of us Sube owners (when I WAS one) used to imediately throw away.

Why would you throw these tires away from the STi?  My wife and I went through a few sets of these on her STi, and liked them, except in the rain.  They are also on the new S2000 CR as stock tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Bridgestone&model=Potenza+RE070

It would have been interesting if they choose to use the stock 245 rear tires, vs the larger 255/40-17 rears. 

-Brian
 

---

89/189 STS/STX '89 Civic Si

BrianGT:

I wouldn't consider the R-S2. 

 

For those of us on 9 inch 6UL's that is basically the only alternative to the 225/45 R1R. 

 Either that or run R's on the street.

225/50 is too tall with a 3.636 gearset. There doesn't seem to be anything good in that size either.

 
If I had ordered the 8's I'd go with a 205/50 RT-615.
 

BrianGT:

Rocky:

With so many pages, I forgot - which was the new Bridgestone tire that was coming out soon? There was a post on VW Vortex from an R32 owner over in Japan. He just bought a set of RE 070 tires that are the same tread pattern as the ones many of us Sube owners (when I WAS one) used to imediately throw away.

Why would you throw these tires away from the STi?  My wife and I went through a few sets of these on her STi, and liked them, except in the rain.  They are also on the new S2000 CR as stock tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Bridgestone&model=Potenza+RE070

It would have been interesting if they choose to use the stock 245 rear tires, vs the larger 255/40-17 rears. 

-Brian
 

If these tires allow the GT-R to stomp Porches on Nurburgring then why do they get bumped down to "Ultra High Performance Summer".  Is that supposed to be better or worse performing then the "Max Performance Summer".  They have the same treadwear as the RE01.  Did they change the compound of the U.S version of this tire as well? 

---

Ryan K

redwhale240:

BrianGT:

Rocky:

With so many pages, I forgot - which was the new Bridgestone tire that was coming out soon? There was a post on VW Vortex from an R32 owner over in Japan. He just bought a set of RE 070 tires that are the same tread pattern as the ones many of us Sube owners (when I WAS one) used to imediately throw away.

Why would you throw these tires away from the STi?  My wife and I went through a few sets of these on her STi, and liked them, except in the rain.  They are also on the new S2000 CR as stock tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Bridgestone&model=Potenza+RE070

It would have been interesting if they choose to use the stock 245 rear tires, vs the larger 255/40-17 rears. 

-Brian
 

If these tires allow the GT-R to stomp Porches on Nurburgring then why do they get bumped down to "Ultra High Performance Summer".  Is that supposed to be better or worse performing then the "Max Performance Summer".  They have the same treadwear as the RE01.  Did they change the compound of the U.S version of this tire as well? 

I quoted what his reply back was on those Bridgestones:

Bridgestone changed the compound on these tires early last year, and
that's when it started to get postive reviews. Otherwise, the GT-R
couldn't have lapped faster than a 911 Turbo on the 'Ring

So it appears over in JAPAN they have changed the compound, but it must not have trickled over here yet.

redwhale240:

BrianGT:

Rocky:

With so many pages, I forgot - which was the new Bridgestone tire that was coming out soon? There was a post on VW Vortex from an R32 owner over in Japan. He just bought a set of RE 070 tires that are the same tread pattern as the ones many of us Sube owners (when I WAS one) used to imediately throw away.

Why would you throw these tires away from the STi?  My wife and I went through a few sets of these on her STi, and liked them, except in the rain.  They are also on the new S2000 CR as stock tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Bridgestone&model=Potenza+RE070

It would have been interesting if they choose to use the stock 245 rear tires, vs the larger 255/40-17 rears. 

-Brian
 

If these tires allow the GT-R to stomp Porches on Nurburgring then why do they get bumped down to "Ultra High Performance Summer".  Is that supposed to be better or worse performing then the "Max Performance Summer".  They have the same treadwear as the RE01.  Did they change the compound of the U.S version of this tire as well? 

 The RE070 tires are by no means throw away tires.  I will use them as rain tires for sure, they are great in the rain!  They can't compare to the Yokohamas for grip though, that is for sure.  I think the GT-R would stomp itself if it was on RE-01Rs or Yokohamas over the RE070s. 

---

Colin Fiedler
07 STI
Milwaukee Region
Bridgestone and Racecomp Engineering
2008 STU National Champion

Whelp, I've put 77 runs on my R1Rs that were shaved to 4/32 and one of the tires is nearly bald.  I've noticed some loss of grip now too.  Time for some more I guess.  I like 'em still.

We are going to start the year on the 2007 Bridgestone RE-01R's.  This is the original set we bought when they came out, ~200 runs on them, and they still had enough grip to win Nationals, so they didn't fall off that much... still over 1/32" of tread left on them. 

---

Jason Frank
Bridgestone / datatoys.com / Redshift Motorsports STS Civic Si

TeamUndercoatRacing.com

Mugenlude:

We are going to start the year on the 2007 Bridgestone RE-01R's.  This is the original set we bought when they came out, ~200 runs on them, and they still had enough grip to win Nationals, so they didn't fall off that much... still over 1/32" of tread left on them. 

Oh yeah, we shaved them to 3/32" to start. 

---

Jason Frank
Bridgestone / datatoys.com / Redshift Motorsports STS Civic Si

TeamUndercoatRacing.com

Mugenlude:

Mugenlude:

We are going to start the year on the 2007 Bridgestone RE-01R's.  This is the original set we bought when they came out, ~200 runs on them, and they still had enough grip to win Nationals, so they didn't fall off that much... still over 1/32" of tread left on them. 

Oh yeah, we shaved them to 3/32" to start. 

That convinced me enough to get a set of RE01s.  On a college budget I could not afford to buy 3 sets of R1Rs for one season.  The stones will probably last most of the 2008 season at a 4/32 shave. 

---

Ryan K

Don't forget about the Dunlop Direzza Z1 * Spec.  Early results show them stacking up well/better than the RE-01R's and the wear is very good.  I ran this past weekends event on them at full tread depth and a number of other competitors did as well and some had them shaved. I had no chunking or wear issues at full depth, and was very pleased with the results.  The other competitors were also very happy with them.  Definiltey think it'll be a tire that is showing up a lot this year.

 

EDIT:  I'm not saying the Direzza is necessarily "THE" tire to go with... I think the RE-01R is still a top tire.  But just wanted to clarify/mention that it isn't as simple as RE-01R versus Toyo R1R for tire choice.  And that the Direzza is a longer wearing tire (likely similar in longevity to the RE-01R) and very affordable.

---

Steve Nackers

R Street index HS. #723R
'98 BMW 318i
www.nsnmotorsports.com