Topic: New Tires for the R

[Gurgie]

I'm somewhat in the same place with the TT, needing to replace the Dunlop Sport Maxx RTs, size 255/35/19 that I currently use.  I also want a tire that will see occasional track use and one of my fellow track rats, Andre Corriveau, who also runs a tire and detailing shop (https://www.slickautosolutions.com/) *and* is an incredibly gifted driver said that the Indy 500 will put up with a lot of track punishment.  Basically his premise is that its forte is dry grip but that it will not be out of sorts on a damp day.  It has very large and solid looking shoulder blocks and might be a good fit for my use case.  The General is tempting, but it gives away a bit too much dry grip and I worry about how much abuse it would take. 

The Tire Rack did a test that involved both contestants -> https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=235  They seem to concur with Andre's observations.  Furthermore, another acquaintance of mine, who tracks a late model Mustang GT, just switched to the Indys last track season and swears by them (not at them LOL).  Gurgie would know him.  His name is Yannick.

Basically it comes down to a battle of the subbrands.  Bridgestone/Firestone and Continental/General.  The Indy 500 is a rebranded Bridgestone Adrenalin RE003 (google it, they're identical) and many say that the General G-Max RS is the same carcass/tread compound as the Continental ExtremeContact Sport (or maybe its predecessor, the Contiental ExtremeContact DW but with a different tread.

I could afford to buy the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S or the Continental ExtremeContact Sport for track use but given a choice of grinding a $350 per corner tire down to its constituent parts or a $200 tire, my left brain votes for the latter.  My car is not that easy on tires so maybe giving up a bit in terms of ultimate grip and bragging rights would be the better compromise.

Surprised you didn't go with the Hankook RS-4's for track use as they've been getting rave reviews. I've got them on the front of my 951 now & so far I'm impressed with them.

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[blur911]

I went with a similar type tire, the Dunlop DZ102, but haven't put it on the car yet to give an opinion.

If you only want one summer out of them the price might be right.

I think Mango had those on his WRX?

I've had DZ101 before, this tire's predecessor.  They're good for the price and grippy enough.
I'm not racing on the street and sometimes it's nice to have something cheap enough to burn off and slide around on if you want to.

[Angry Chicken]

<snippage>

Surprised you didn't go with the Hankook RS-4's for track use as they've been getting rave reviews. I've got them on the front of my 951 now & so far I'm impressed with them.

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Haven't bought anything yet. I don't believe the RS-4s are available my size.

[JohnnyMac]

I considered the Generals but I haven't been too impressed with my conti's that came on my Golf R.  I'm not a crazy aggressive driver and I might get around 18,000 kms on the tires.  I know they are all summer tires so tread life will be low.

I wanted to try something a bit different and something that might offer a bit more dry grip.  I could have gotten the Generals for around $15 cheaper per tire once factoring in the rebate (only $40 on the Generals and $100 on the Firestone). 

Overall I hope I made the right decision by spending a bit more for something different than what I currently have on.  These tires are really for the next owner of the vehicle anyway as I might only use around 20% of them.

[Gurgie]

<snippage>

Surprised you didn't go with the Hankook RS-4's for track use as they've been getting rave reviews. I've got them on the front of my 951 now & so far I'm impressed with them.

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Haven't bought anything yet. I don't believe the RS-4s are available my size.

235/35/19? If so, $230 a corner at Wall to Wall  http://www.walltowalltires.com/search.php?w=235.00&p=35.00&d=19.00

[tortoise]

I considered the Generals but I haven't been too impressed with my conti's that came on my Golf R. 

To be fair, I don't think you can judge the Generals based on the OEM Continentals.   Aside from being round and made of rubber, they're not going to be very similar.

Regardless, I think you'll be happy.  Looking forward to hearing your impressions.

[dirtyjeffer]

I considered the Generals but I haven't been too impressed with my conti's that came on my Golf R.  I'm not a crazy aggressive driver and I might get around 18,000 kms on the tires.  I know they are all summer tires so tread life will be low.

summer tires definitely won't last as long as a decent all season.

FWIW, the UTQG rating of the RS tires is 360AA...the Altimax RT43 (in sizes 17" and larger) is 700AA...that's a pretty significant difference in treadwear...the Altimax RT43s are rated for something like 112,000 kms...it's not like you are tracking your car and i'm sure the RT43s will provide you with plenty of performance with the added benefit of improved treadlife and lower cost (?)...that said, if your tire size is 235/35/19, it may limit your options to the ultra performance summer tires due to the low profile...you can get RT43s in 40 series, if that's close enough.

The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires are rated at 340AA...none of the "Ultra High Performance" tires are going to give decent tread life.

[tortoise]

the Altimax RT43s are rated for something like 112,000 kms...it's not like you are tracking your car and i'm sure the RT43s will provide you with plenty of performance with the added benefit of improved treadlife and lower cost

Man, the RT43's are not going to have anything near the performance of the tires he's looking at.  And he only needs them to last two summers so treadwear isn't an issue.  Sheeesh.

[Gurgie]

the Altimax RT43s are rated for something like 112,000 kms...it's not like you are tracking your car and i'm sure the RT43s will provide you with plenty of performance with the added benefit of improved treadlife and lower cost

Man, the RT43's are not going to have anything near the performance of the tires he's looking at.  And he only needs them to last two summers so treadwear isn't an issue.  Sheeesh.

Really it's one summer... he's keeping the car for 14 more months... so next July it's gone.

[quadzilla]

the Altimax RT43s are rated for something like 112,000 kms...it's not like you are tracking your car and i'm sure the RT43s will provide you with plenty of performance with the added benefit of improved treadlife and lower cost

Man, the RT43's are not going to have anything near the performance of the tires he's looking at.  And he only needs them to last two summers so treadwear isn't an issue.  Sheeesh.

Really it's one summer... he's keeping the car for 14 more months... so next July it's gone.

Personally I wouldn’t want to drive one day on lesser tires if I had a Golf R.

[Gurgie]

the Altimax RT43s are rated for something like 112,000 kms...it's not like you are tracking your car and i'm sure the RT43s will provide you with plenty of performance with the added benefit of improved treadlife and lower cost

Man, the RT43's are not going to have anything near the performance of the tires he's looking at.  And he only needs them to last two summers so treadwear isn't an issue.  Sheeesh.

Really it's one summer... he's keeping the car for 14 more months... so next July it's gone.

Personally I wouldn’t want to drive one day on lesser tires if I had a Golf R.

Me neither.... so that's why I wouldn't even worry about wear ratings 

[tortoise]

Really it's one summer... he's keeping the car for 14 more months... so next July it's gone.

Fair enough.  Either way, bringing up the RT43's was absurd.

[Gurgie]

Really it's one summer... he's keeping the car for 14 more months... so next July it's gone.

Fair enough.  Either way, bringing up the RT43's was absurd.

 

I'd be getting the stickiest tires I can find 

[JohnnyMac]

I only drive about 8,000 kms per year, so I shouldn't be complaining too much about tread life.  If I was keeping this vehicle long term I would likely go for something higher end from Costco with some form of tread life warranty.  But seeing as I only have plans on keeping her until July 2020, my only concern is up front cost, performance, and have good amount of tread life when I trade her in.  I don't want to get low balled for trade in value because my vehicle needs new tires.

[Angry Chicken]

<snippage>

Surprised you didn't go with the Hankook RS-4's for track use as they've been getting rave reviews. I've got them on the front of my 951 now & so far I'm impressed with them.

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Haven't bought anything yet. I don't believe the RS-4s are available my size.

235/35/19? If so, $230 a corner at Wall to Wall  http://www.walltowalltires.com/search.php?w=235.00&p=35.00&d=19.00

255/35/19 per a couple of posts ago.

[Gurgie]

<snippage>

Surprised you didn't go with the Hankook RS-4's for track use as they've been getting rave reviews. I've got them on the front of my 951 now & so far I'm impressed with them.

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

Haven't bought anything yet. I don't believe the RS-4s are available my size.

235/35/19? If so, $230 a corner at Wall to Wall  http://www.walltowalltires.com/search.php?w=235.00&p=35.00&d=19.00

255/35/19 per a couple of posts ago.

Ahhh, in that case they don't come in your size...

[dirtyjeffer]

the Altimax RT43s are rated for something like 112,000 kms...it's not like you are tracking your car and i'm sure the RT43s will provide you with plenty of performance with the added benefit of improved treadlife and lower cost

Man, the RT43's are not going to have anything near the performance of the tires he's looking at.  And he only needs them to last two summers so treadwear isn't an issue.  Sheeesh.

he said he's not an aggressive driver and isn't tracking the car or anything...i mean, sure, spend the money on a 10/10ths tire you'll never use if you want to...just offering up some alternative options since he mentioned he wanted something decent that didn't break the bank...the RT43s aren't available in his size though, so they are out if staying with that size...a 35 series tire is pretty much limiting you to summer high performance tires.

[quadzilla]

he said he's not an aggressive driver and isn't tracking the car or anything...

No but he did say ...

I wanted to try something a bit different and something that might offer a bit more dry grip.

[Angry Chicken]

I considered the Generals but I haven't been too impressed with my conti's that came on my Golf R.  I'm not a crazy aggressive driver and I might get around 18,000 kms on the tires.  I know they are all summer tires so tread life will be low.

I wanted to try something a bit different and something that might offer a bit more dry grip.  I could have gotten the Generals for around $15 cheaper per tire once factoring in the rebate (only $40 on the Generals and $100 on the Firestone). 

Overall I hope I made the right decision by spending a bit more for something different than what I currently have on.  These tires are really for the next owner of the vehicle anyway as I might only use around 20% of them.

Good choice. Waiting for first impressions!

[Angry Chicken]

I'm getting a set of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s installed either tomorrow or Thursday.  I was literally going to pull the trigger on a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S @ about $150/tire more  but the speedshop/detailing owner said he would love to take my money on the Michelins but I really owe it to myself to try a set of the Firestones.  Firestones on an Audi?  Who ever heard of such a thing?  He said that the big blocky shoulders and tread pattern and other features of the tire are more suited for predominant track day use while not being too much of a compromise for DD use.

I will report!