RE71R's or something else for summer daily driving/track days?

[2015Etrac]

I was planning to throw a set of RE71R tires on my spare set of SVE R350 wheels in 19x10. I have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires on my other set of wheels which are great for year round daily driving, but I'm looking for something to throw on during the warmer months and for 2-3 track days a season. Would the RE71R work well for summer daily driving in rain and dry conditions? I'd probably put about 3k miles a season driving during the warmer months. Thanks.

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[ice445]

They are an excellent, grippy tire. They don't tend to last too long. You can get two summers out of them if you're lucky. Depends on how many track days you do. The Falken RT615K+ is comparable as well.

 

[kz]

RE71Rs are being discontinued - you can still buy them but new ones are not being made. They're OK in rain as long as they have tread left but far far inferior to regular summer tire like PS4S. I've driven on fairly worn out RE71R in torrential rain and did not die.

Falken has RT660 now, typical option for track days that lasts little longer than TW200 tires are Hankook R-S4s but not very many sizes available.

 

[NightmareMoon]

RE71Rs are being discontinued - you can still buy them but new ones are not being made. They're OK in rain as long as they have tread left but far far inferior to regular summer tire like PS4S. I've driven on fairly worn out RE71R in torrential rain and did not die.

Falken has RT660 now, typical option for track days that lasts little longer than TW200 tires are Hankook R-S4s but not very many sizes available.

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RE71Rs are great tires, I'm on my 7th? set. They are discontinued and existing inventory will go away soon. They're good in wet IF they have tread. They don't have a lot of channels/places for water to go, so if the tread is worn down they're likely to hydroplane faster than other tires. IMHO its not a big issue, but if you get a lot of water in your area and drive fast on the highway its something to consider. Nothing puckers your butt up faster than hydroplaning at 80+mph. Contrast that with the MP4S which is still quite good grip when warmed up, but has a dedicated wet weather tread compound over 2/3 of the tire, and plenty of tread channels to evacuate standing water.

You might get 10k out of a set of RE71R if just street driving. With that usage, they'd probably be hard from age before you run out of tread.

Hankook RS4 is a great choice for longevity w/ grip. They won't quite be as sticky as the RE71R, but stickier than most street tires, including the MP4S. RS4 is also not good in the wet (probably a bit worse than the RE71R) due to compound choice. Personally I'd get the RE71R over the RS4 because with only 3k miles a year, longevity shouldn't be a big concern, and the RE71R offers the maximum performance in the dry. The largest size for the RS4 is 275/35 I think, while the RE71R and Falken come in 285 and 305 sizes.

The Falken RT660 is going to be many people's replacement for the RE71R when the existing inventory is all gone, the Falken is basically a close copy with very similar performance. I'm guessing we'll see a replacement from Bridgestone in the 2nd half of the year perhaps.

 

[EFI]

You don't really want to daily RE71Rs, IMO it's a complete waste. They would be nice for a track set, but on the street way overkill and they wear out very quickly.

If you want the most longevity on the street, while still being good on track your best bet is the Hankook RS4.

I personally will be trying some Federal RS595-PRO, they probably won't last as long on the street but they are half the price of others so good bang for the buck at least.

 

[2015Etrac]

Thank's for the replies. I was wondering why Tire Rack had the RE71R listed as closeout, unfortunatly they didn't drop the price. Both the Falken and the Hankook look good, I just wish they had them in a 285/35/19, it looks like I'd have to go 275/35 with either option.

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