[GT-101v2]

Hey guys, anyone have experience with Conti ECF and RT660? The car will be a DD during late spring, summer and early fall; and will be going to some lapping days. Contis are $1050 USD and RT660 are $725 USD. Was also considering Advan Fleva V701 - they are $740 USD. Would love some feedback.

Thank you.

 

[DrFries]

I have RT-660s on my autocross track car. I wouldn't recommend those tires for street driving. They wear too quickly and aren't good for the wet. I would recommend a more road focused tire like the Conti extreme contact sports.

 

[ScootyPuffJr]

I'll second the comment about RT660's not being good in the wet for a DD. Specifically, coming back from autocross events in downpours is scary as heck, like trying to steer a boat (point the wheels and cross your fingers) 😆 the RE71R's I have on my other car are the exact same way. The PS4S's on my WRX are fine in the rain though, and I see plenty of them at HPDE's, might be a good choice if you can get them in your size...

 

[clubber]

I like my Fleva's a lot. They are passable in the rain and can run in really low temp's (30's). Some TW 200's can't. If you want a street tire you can use for fun competition stuff, do these. If you want to keep up with your other options on a track, pick one of the others.

 

[Node]

As a current RT660 shod owner I can say NOT a good tire for the wet or cold. They take a bit to warm up and behave like ice on wet surfaces. That being said, I do like the challenge of driving with them on cold wet mornings. Reminds me that I am alive. Or, will be for the next few seconds. Really, a great tire for fun weekend car but not a DD when you have to use the car no matter what. I have other cars and now that I have a few miles on the RT660 they are far less effective than they used to be on wet surfaces.

When hot the RT660 will tear your face off. Really a great tire for track and road legal use to the track. They don't really warm up fast enough for autoX but I am going to try them and see what the results are. I expect I wont be able to get heat into them.

FWIW they have worn great and outlasted my expectations by a very wide margin. Seriously, I have used these tires for more miles than others that have had 300 tread ware and they are still going strong. I'm pretty amazed for a DOT legal 200TW tire. I used to go through AO48 tires on my Elise every 6000 miles. So, the fact that I used these for a DD and road trips and they lasted is friggin amazing!

 

[ScootyPuffJr]

They get plenty hot for autocross 😉 (depending on your climate, of course). They heat up just fine for me after a run or two, but are greasy after about 5 in a row for me on 90 degree-ish days. On other cars they get greasy much sooner and need spraying; all depends on power and aggressiveness, of course 👍 I took 3rd locally in RWD Street Class last season, so for the price they did well for me in that regard!

 

[GT-101v2]

Thanks for the feedback - I might have to do a dedicated set for the track later on. It's tough to find the right size for the Spyder - especially with 15x6.5 rims. I had the Contis on my E90 and they were great - I can't find them locally and from Tire Rack (with duties and shipping) they end up being almost 50% more than the other 2 mentioned previously.

 

[DeuceFatty]

My Spyder is a daily only and has had Continental Extreme Contact Sports, but currently on Flevas. Flevas are great ride quality, but the Continentals I miss since they were great even in the rain. Only downside was the ride quality.

 

[GT-101v2]

What size Contis did you run?

 

[DeuceFatty]

What size Contis did you run?

Sorry, both tires are 205 50 15

 

[cyclehead]

I like my Fleva's a lot. They are passable in the rain and can run in really low temp's (30's). Some TW 200's can't. If you want a street tire you can use for fun competition stuff, do these. If you want to keep up with your other options on a track, pick one of the others.

I thought Fleva says min temperature is 40 degrees F?? Edit: well I found the warning. And I still can’t decide if they’re safe to drive at 32F or not!??

 

[beachbum]

I thought Fleva says min temperature is 40 degrees F?? Edit: well I found the warning. And I still can’t decide if they’re safe to drive at 32F or not!??

I wouldn't run them below 40F. It isn't just the potential for damage, but most "summer only" tires use a rubber compound that doesn't work well in the cold.

We are running the Fleva and they work very well in regular driving with good grip, very predictable handling, and a better ride quality that some other previous tires. We haven't driven them much on wet roads, but they seem fine. Like many summer tires, they do work better when warmed up. Below 50F we drive gently for the first few miles to get some heat into them. Not sure how they would work in autocross.

 

[carlbecker]

I use Dunlop Direzza ZIII tires above 50 degrees daily driving and enjoy the grip. I have found most summer tires I have used on the spyder don't do great in the rain, the Dunlop Direzza ZIII are acquit. I switch to AS tires in cooler/cold weather. Fleva is a very good tire, maybe not in the same class as the others listed but that would mainly be noticed in racing.

 

[rmeller]

My experience mostly with the ZII, although I have the ZIII now, is that they are very good in the rain. However, they will start to hydroplane at highway speeds. Wet traction is very good, but standing water is a real problem.

 

[rmeller]

I thought Fleva says min temperature is 40 degrees F?? Edit: well I found the warning. And I still can’t decide if they’re safe to drive at 32F or not!??

When you find out, tell the rest of us and we'll all know.

The tire makers put a margin of error in the specs exactly because they don't want to answer that kind of question. I am confident that they will be good at 39 F. The actual result probably depends on the use profile. What the warmup duty is like, how fast, how much thrust, how much lateral load, yada, yada. I remember a conversation where, "I drove them below freezing and they are still good, so that is all BS!" Well, ok.

 

[FormInFunction]

You can drive on them below 40F but aside from not having much grip they'll also be very prone to cracking. Also, more prone to losing chunks of tire if its aggressive driving on a rough surface. Its kinda like the equivalent of taking years off their usable life.

 

[Node]

When you find out, tell the rest of us and we'll all know.

The tire makers put a margin of error in the specs exactly because they don't want to answer that kind of question. I am confident that they will be good at 39 F. The actual result probably depends on the use profile. What the warmup duty is like, how fast, how much thrust, how much lateral load, yada, yada. I remember a conversation where, "I drove them below freezing and they are still good, so that is all BS!" Well, ok.

There are two aspects to this. The rubber can actually crack below a certain temperature when flexed. That is a safety issue. Then there is the elastic aspect. When a hot tire is parked and cools substantially it will somewhat hold the shape it had when it cooled. So, you end up with a flat spot until the tire warms. At very cold temperatures you will notice the extra vibration. But if this is done a lot you will end up with some odd wear marks and potential imbalance (permanently) due to odd wear.

 

[cyclehead]

I drove them in to work today at 30F. Slow drive to the interstate, then steady 82mph. I’ll know later if they start shucking rubber chunks.

 

[GT-101v2]

Tirerack only has Fleva, PS31 and & PA31 avail in 195/205 for 15". I got Konig Helium wheels (6.5" wide) so 215 is the widest I can go. Might have to look into different rims to allow for a greater choice of tires.

 

[DeuceFatty]

Tirerack only has Fleva, PS31 and & PA31 avail in 195/205 for 15". I got Konig Helium wheels (6.5" wide) so 215 is the widest I can go. Might have to look into different rims to allow for a greater choice of tires.

I dis like Kuhmos (PS31 / 205 50 15) they were the worst by far next to the Contis and Flevas. Maybe others like them? They were a great tire to make the Contis feel night and day better though bottom line. lol