[CtheW0rld]

Hi all. I did do a search but everything was several years old. after the commonwealth of PA's annual shakedown today (aka safety inspection sticker) i am forced to buy new tires. the bridgestones are the tires that were on the car when new.

i did see a lot of talk about the re11s, but apparently those are no longer available. i'm not a racer, but i do enjoy cruising and having some 'fun' on PA's curvey and hilly roads. i mainly drive to work and back, and errands. i do not plan on driving the spyder during the winter. i have another car for that.

are these still a good choice? i do plan to go with the OEM staggered fittment. not a lot of choices in the size, yokohama, dunlop and some firestone. Thanks!

 

[OldMan]

Post Deleted

 

[cosmin]

RE040 are overpriced for how good they are. I would look into other tires. I run Yokohama S.Drives on my street wheels. I think they'd be fine for what you need.

 

[CtheW0rld]

i got a good price, $820 out the door, including tax, mounting, balancing, etc.

 

[southerneditor]

Well I love my Potenza REO 40s. When the first set wore out at around 25K odo, I happily replaced them with the same. They offer excellent grip in the dry and wet, and when they break they do so very predictably.

And mainly, the car shipped with them - Toyota thought they were best for the Spyder. Since those halcyon days, lots of owners have had to replace tires but balked at the price, so they went cheapie. "Oh," they exclaimed, "Hankooks are just as good!"

Or maybe they went with Kumhos, or Yokohamas, but whatever cheap-jack solution they thought they had, it was a bad-faith move. They went cheap, knew they went cheap, and then tried to back-justify the logic.

Didn't wash then, doesn't wash now.

On the downside, the Potenzas start to lose grip bigtime when the tread is gone. When it's time to replace them, your last 1000 miles will be quite amusing, with the back end sliding around real horrorshow.

 

[cosmin]

Well I love my Potenza REO 40s. When the first set wore out at around 25K odo, I happily replaced them with the same. They offer excellent grip in the dry and wet, and when they break they do so very predictably. .

OEM exhaust manifold was awesome too! Toyota never lets me down with their decisions!:lol:
s.drives aren't the greatest tire. I would take any cheap street tire that lasts long. They're all pretty crap in terms of performance.

 

[rvicke]

Tirerack.com list 4 Protenza RE040 for $752

List 4 Yokohama S.Drive for $364....that's quite a difference...you really think they are $400 better?

I'll never put Sophia on a racetrack, so I'll drive the Yokohama.

Rick

PS: Pretty crappy that your State can force you to buy commercial stuff....oh wait, Obama is doing that with medical care....not good peeps.

 

[nocoolname]

I think there's better options than the 040 too, especially for their price. Not to mention it's a 12 year old design with minimal updates to tread compound. A lot changes in 12 years.

 

[T-bone]

000000000

 

[pturley]

who told you RE11 are no longer sold

This is BS

educate yourself
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireModel=Potenza+RE-11&tireMake=Bridgestone

What is true is they are not at this time sold in stock sizes. The 040's are, and near as I can tell, are the only tire that is.

I've got about 4,000mi on my set, entirely on the street. Mostly DD commuting, but the occasional wild fling through the twistys. On my old familiar "test track" road, with a mix of wet spots, loose gravel, forest litter, irregular surfaces and opposite banking, not to mention rapid elevation changes and some truly hairy corners, the car on 040's is the most sure-footed I've ever driven. Bar none. On the other hand, I've never driven this car on other tires, so can make no comparisons there.

I've been told the 040's are slippery when wet, but have not found this to be so, at least with full tread. Maybe when worn, dunno. And believe me, we get a lot of experience with wet roads here. I've even driven them with light snow on the ground --or 1/4 inch of slush, actually, and found them far stickier than I'd have expected.
Couldn't tell you much about tread life at this point, but don't see anything that looks excessive.


DO get a good alignment.

 

[CtheW0rld]

who told you RE11 are no longer sold

This is BS

educate yourself
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireModel=Potenza+RE-11&tireMake=Bridgestone

Not available in stock size, i did check tirerack. It would've been nice to be able to save a couple hundred and get the re11s.

 

[richardraley]

Re 11

You can get the RE 11s in very close to stock sizes. they are avalible in 195/50/15 front and 205/50/15 rear. The front is only one size wider and the rear is the same. I have them on my 01 and I love them. I haven't had them too long so I don't know how long they will last, but they are the best handling tires I've had. They are not that expensive either, around $700.00 a set.

 

[MCquik]

Check this out.

http://spyderchat.com/forums/showthr...highlight=RE11

 

[dev]

Tirerack.com list 4 Protenza RE040 for $752

List 4 Yokohama S.Drive for $364....that's quite a difference...you really think they are $400 better?

I'll never put Sophia on a racetrack, so I'll drive the Yokohama.

Rick

PS: Pretty crappy that your State can force you to buy commercial stuff....oh wait, Obama is doing that with medical care....not good peeps.

How much of your time behind the wheel is worth it to you. Tires are the single best thing you can do to enjoy your car. At the very least buy tires that are at least as good as the factory otherwise you will suffer for many miles and your car will be uninspiring.

I don't mean to be an ass but I had a friend that named his car also and it was just as annoying as having dinner conversation with the servers at TGI Fridays.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

They are better...not $400 better. But which tire out there is.....say.....$200 better? None. There really aren't enough choices to be picky. You spend the extra $400 because you want better, or don't because you'd rather settle.

 

[T-bone]

000000000

 

[CtheW0rld]

i do appreciate all the opinions. I have decided to go with the bridgestone OEM in stock sizes. getting them put on after work today. i can easily afford it, so I decided there no need to compromise on this.

btw thanks to t-bone (or was it dev) about the advice for breaking the tire in. i had no idea. :huh:

 

[pturley]

nothing is anymore you have to be flexible.

For a 2000 - 2002 The 040's and Yokohama S.drives are.
:evil2: educate yourself :lol:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireS...50&rearDiameter=15&rearSortCode=38400&tab=All

 

[karlfevans]

Tires are the LAST area where a driver should economize. I bought less expensive tires in my 20's and lived to regret it every time.

I have RE-11 (15 front and 16 rear). They grip very well. No regrets.

 

[cosmin]

i do appreciate all the opinions. I have decided to go with the bridgestone OEM in stock sizes. getting them put on after work today. i can easily afford it, so I decided there no need to compromise on this.

btw thanks to t-bone (or was it dev) about the advice for breaking the tire in. i had no idea. :huh:

You just let someone trick you out of $300. I hope you're ashamed of yourself.

RE040 SUCK! If money isn't an issue, step up to some better street tire. RE11, Dunlop Star Spec. The treadwear rating on RE040 is complete bullshit. That is not a 140 treadwear tire.