Here's the current specs: (all OEM)

Front - 8.5J x 19” Bridgestone Potenza 235/40 ZR19
Rear - 9.5J x 19” Bridgestone Potenza 275/35 ZR19

(I would like to stay with the same Rims, not interesting in changing them)


I personally know squad about sizing of tires to make any kind of educated choice for alternative options. If I stay with the exact OEM size, all I can find are the Potenza RE050's.


What I would like out of a tire option:
Looking for a great summer performance tire, a few track days, 15k life span is acceptable, very occasionally wet weather, most of my driving would be mix of city & HWY.

I like the reviews of the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11, but not sure if they'll work for me.

Some of the tire calculators online say that I'm fine if I stay within 3% of the diameter. These are some of the results it spat out:


Current OEM
235/40 ZR19 Front

RE -11 Options for Front:
235/35R19 Diameter Difference: 3.53%
245/35R19 Diameter Difference: 2.47%


Current OEM
275/35 ZR19 Rear

RE -11 Options for Rear:
275/30R19 Diameter Difference: 4.07%
285/35R19 Diameter Difference: 1.05%


Would appreciate any input current owners might have in terms of this tire, other tires you would suggest and sizing options.


Thanks!

 

Get the RE-11s, they are the #1 tire on the market and area natural progression/replacement for the RE050s. If its off by a few % points you are ok and that is well within the threshold of what the ECU can handle. Anytime you switch tires you will be off by a little bit.

I will be purchasing 255s RE-11s for the fronts, and 305s for the reasons in the next week or two. I will do a writeup on them as soon as I get them installed.
________
KinkyViolet

 

Why not go for the Pirelli Corsa?

 

I recently replaced the OEM Potenzas w/ Continental ExtremeContact DWS. My main reason for switching was due to price vs performance. The Continentals are significantly less expensive than the Potenzas and I personally could not tell the difference in performance. I'm a more conservative driver though and I don't run the car as hard as it should be! All in all though, I'm satisfied w/ the Continentals.

 

I need new tires asap so I will be watching this thread. I asked a dealer to price me new oem tires (I have Potenza) they gave me a quote of $2300 installed and tirerack's price was $1300!

 

I'm interested to hear this, as I've thought about these tires. I like the idea of ultra-high performance all-seasons--not because I would drive in the snow, but because they should stay more compliant on cold clear days. (I suppose that wasn't your motivation, living in Houston.)

I take it you went with 245 width in the front and 285 in the rear--i.e., 10 mm wider than stock, since not many tires are made in the original size.

 

Hi eelton, it definitely doesn't snow much here in Houston but it rains a alot and I've used these tires in the rain and have no complaints. I have HRE aftermarket rims that are of the same size as the OEM rims and I used 275 in the rear. You can get these sizes at Tire Rack or at Discount Tire (not sure if they have this retail establishment in your area).

 

The Conti DWS are a great high performance all season tire (and probably better than Pilot sport ps2), but the RE-11 is in a completely different league. Its a true R-compund essentially but with a 10-15k lifespan. My car never sees a drop of rain so I can afford to go with the RE-11s (which btw are still amazing in the wet).
________
MegaBoobs4U live

 

I had considered this tire, but read mixed reviews.
Do you have any experience with this tire on your car ?

I figure I'll only do 4 to 5 track days, rest is all around town, mostly going to parking lots & hanging out with other guys who are trying to get away from their wifes/girlfriends . . .




Thanks, look forward to your reviews.
My car is still stored, so likely a few more weeks before I have to make a decision.

 

Well I don't know about all that...the RE-11 sounds like a good tire from the reviews, but it's not an R-compound tire, and it's not the #1 tire on the market...that's silly. That reminds me of Kenny Bania..."It's the best, Jerry...the best!"

Anyway, it is a good choice for this car though and provides a good balance of performance and tread wear, although it is heavy. They were tested on Tirerack and ranked best in test (vs. Yokohama Advan Neova, Kuhmo Ectsa, and Dunlop Direzza Sport)...and although it had the worst dry lap, slalom times, and braking, and was only middle of the pack for lateral acceleration it still was ranked first of the four.

Other equivalent tires for the RE-11 would be the Conti ExtremeContact DW, new Pilot Super Sports, Nitto Invo, and Pirelli P Zero.

The R-compound tires like the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup, Pirelli P Zero Corsa, or Toyo R888 will give much higher performance albeit with less tread life..and you couldn't use them in the snow/cold or even in heavy rain.

Lots of good reviews and tests on Tirerack...check it out.

 

Hey Tahoe, I was obviously being a bit sarcastic, I was just saying in relative terms compared to the DWS or Michelin PS2. Obviously its not a TRUE R-compound, just trying to put it in perspective as far as the amount of grip. Direzza Z1 & RE-11s are def the two best tires on the market though for street legal performance as per tirerack survey & test results.

Every Michelin experience I have ever had has been horrible. I refuse to touch them anymore, and on the last set of pilot sport PS2s I had a golf ball size blister developed in one of the side walls, and an internal cord snapped on another.... pure junk IMO. They run waaay too narrow, cost waaay too much, have poor breakaway characteristics, are often greasy in my experience, and don't have very high levels of grip. With that said, they are lighter in weight than the bridgestones, however you sacrifice too much for that reduced weight (albeit they run about 2-3 sizes narrower than the Z1 or RE-11s which is probably why they weight so much less). Therefore, it's probably not a fair comparison to compare the weights based on the "official" sizes, thus its probably more accurate to compared the weights based on the actual contact patch sizes. There is a reason they aren't even in tireracks top performance category anymore. In many ways, PS2s were good half a decade ago, but tire technology has come so far in the last 5 years that in many ways they are a dated tire relying on its once great past reputation, but on very little justified modern day merit. (Just my opinion)

The Direzza Z1s are absolutely phenomenal but unfortunately they just aren't made in 19s (very annoying). The Kuhmo XS is supposedly the best in pure dry grip but you sacrifice responsiveness as kuhmos typically have very soft sidewalls, (Had the Kuhom MXs and they were great, and XS is supposedly much better). So the only logical choice left is RE-11s for me. Plus since the car already comes with the RE-050s its nice to stick with the same brand.
________
Park Royal 2 Condos

 

I've been happy with the Corsa. It's their system tire, so it's supposed to handle better in the rain. Living in Seattle, I've driven them in the rain quite a bit and they handle pretty well. Certainly handle a lot better in the rain than the Pilot Sport Cup.

It's a R compound, so the amount of grip on a dry track should be quite a bit more than most tires out there. The downside is that in the cool (around 40 degrees or so) weather, they become like hockey pucks.

Currently, I have 7K miles and still quite a bit of tread life- however, no track days. If you are going to do 4-5 track days and don't drive a lot in the rain or cold, I would recommend looking into them. You'll be amazed at the difference at the track.

 

Highly recommend Continental Extremecontact summers.

I also love my Yokohama AdvanSports....

Ok, here come the boos. IDK why people always diss the Yokos. Works great on Denver roads.

 

I ended up getting the OEM Potenza's from Tirerack. My last set lasted 15,000 miles and I used them on the track once and they handled good.

 

FYI

I've been reading the Bridgestone Potenza S001 is the long term successor to the Potenza RE050 and will eventually replace it in most sizes.

Here's a video I just found

Bridgestone Potenza S001‬
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTs4m2OHNWg

Bridgestone Launches the Potenza S001
a new Tyre for the World's top Sports Cars