Review by James Bergeron, photos courtesy of James Bergeron, 1MoreLap.ca and HotLapMotorsports.com

Perhaps shootout is a little optimistic for the title of this review, but that was the intent when the idea came to fruition. Unfortunately, a lot of tire manufacturers do not want to be part of a test where their tires will be compared directly with a competitor in a harsh environment; well, either that or they just didn’t want to send us tires.

But we pulled up our socks and buckled our seatbelts anyways and what we have here is a two tire “shootout”. Two tires that are at the top of their game, in fact, and if you do some research you will find many enthusiasts recommending these tires as leaders. Maybe that’s the reason nobody else wanted in on this fight – were they running scared?

The tried and true Michelin PSS (Pilot Super Sport) is a tire that is rated very highly by auto-x and lapping day enthusiasts as a great all-around summer tire that will take a beating at the track and perform with admirable grip in both wet and dry.

The new kid on the block is the Bridgestone RE-71R. Not strictly rated in the same category, the Bridgestone is rated as an Extreme Performance Summer tire while the Michelin is rated as an Ultra Performance Summer tire, but what’s the difference between Extreme and Ultra really? Po-tay-toe, Po-tah-toe I say.

Both tires are completely useless in the winter, and as the temperature drops to anything below 10 degrees Celsius their performance on dry pavement becomes sketchy at best so we will call them both performance summer tires.

The vehicle used for testing purposes is a 2009 Lexus IS F, a vehicle that fits squarely into the category which these tires were created for. Other vehicles that these tires would be recommended for would be the BMW M3/M5, Mercedes-Benz AMG models, Chevrolet Corvettes or any high-performance vehicle where their owner expects the best overall tire performance.

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Using tires like the Bridgestone RE-71R and the Michelin PSS may seem like a compromise on the track, but in reality they are great choice for the casual lapper or auto-x participant because they offer both extreme dry grip while having the ability to evacuate water as well – there is nothing worse than losing track time because you need to switch tires or worse, don’t have another set of high performance rain tires.

The Michelin PSS was the tire originally mounted to my IS F test vehicle. A quiet, comfortable tire on the highway that has been a proven choice by many over the years. On the racetrack I know many that have used this tire in 30-40 minute races and for the most part the tires stand up for about half a season of racing – that is a grueling test for any tire.

First up, the Michelin PSS in both dry and wet conditions. On the street they are smooth and produce very little tire noise. On the track, the Michelins work well; proof that their reputation of a good all-round tire is immediately noticeable with good grip immediately upon hitting the track.

For short lapping sessions they work great with predictability and a smooth transition from grip to slip. After about five laps though, they start to get greasy and grip becomes very limited and it becomes more slip. After a few lapping days I noticed some chunking of the tires as well. In the wet, the Michelins perform equally well, even with a powerful rear-wheel drive car, confidence is high except in large puddles where evacuating the water becomes an issue.

Next up the Bridgestone RE-71R. This is Bridgestone’s newest extreme performance tire set to replace the RE-11 and RE-11a although not all the same sizes are offered so the RE-11 will remain for some sizes while the RE-71R takes over the more common tire sizes. On the street compared to the Michelin the Bridgestone seems to ride a little firmer, most likely due to the stiff sidewalls. The RE-71Rs also produce a slight hum on various pavement types but this is barely perceptible – as a street tire it performs just fine. In the rain as a street tire I did not notice any perceptible loss of traction either compared to the Michelins.

On the track though, the RE-71Rs prove why they are an Extreme performance tire, grip is … well, extreme. Compared to the Michelin, it is immediately obvious that dry grip is higher and as a result so are cornering speeds. In fact, chasing down some vehicles running racing slicks was not out of the question with these tires – they are as near to a race tire as you are going to get for the street.

Because of the limited tread design, they also do not heat up as quickly as the Michelin tires, less tread block means less heat, which means no chunking and more consistent laps even after 30 minutes – the RE-71R performed equally as well even after 30 minutes of hard lapping.

That limited tread pattern does mean less wet grip, on a damp track the grip is still high – heck, even on a wet track grip is okay, but things get a little dicey in large puddles, at least past my comfort level where the Michelin produced more confidence.

So which tire would I buy with my money? To be honest, whichever one is on sale at the time. Both tires perform amazingly well both on and off the track with an on-track advantage for the Bridgestones and an on-road advantage for the Michelins. So which tire is best for you really depends on your priorities.

But if you plan on a lot of track days or auto-x and want to win, the RE-71R would be my choice.

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