Jake951

The latest issue of Excellence has an article on the 2010 Turbo. It talks about tires on the Turbo and says the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A N1 has "grip levels not far off Michelin's Cup tire", with better aquaplaning resistance. Has anybody here used the RE050A on track? Comments on this tire?

My '07 GT3, which I picked up a couple months ago, came with RE050A N0. I'm not sure how the N1 version differs.

flash1034

I ran a set on my last GT3 and went back to Michelin PS2s. The Michelins gripped better in my opinion and I had more confidence in them (which is more important to me). They are nice tires if you dont push your car very much IMHO.

Flash

ADias

Were Those N0-rated or N1-rated?

My new 2010 S came with N1-rated. I have a little over 300 miles on them and they seem great. The N1 are supposedly different than the N0.


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flash1034

I dont know. They were 2008 models.

Flash

PogueMoHone

I am very surprised about how good the Potenza RE050A NI tire is, it performs very well and doesn't limit my activities in any way. I had thought about trying to get the Dealer to replace them when I bought the (09) car, but since the rears were 305s, it would have been difficult... and in hindsight, totally unnecessary.

When they wear out on my car I would have no hesitation buying them again (this from a Michelin lover).

savyboy

My 09 C4S w/SPASM came with RE050A N-1's.

Photos show two full tanks of gas driven at 8-9/10's on a very rough road course. Elevation changes, off camber corners. PSI cold set to 3 lbs over f/r spec (with nitrogen fill).

Fronts show even wear across tread face within 1/32 (perfectly even across face). Rears show additional 2/32 wear on both outer and inner edge vs middle of tread face (I was power oversteering out of some corners).

While no racing or tire expert, I thought they performed superbly on the track. I think the tread wear speaks towards that.

Front -1.0 camber/rear -2.0 camber.

First three pics Front. Last two pics Rear.

Edgy01

I was mildly concerned that my car came with the 050a tires yet have been highly impressed with their capabilities. Mine are only the N0 version. I'm sure I;ll be jumping onto the N1 the next time around.

ze_shark

I was forced to mount RE50A after a puncture at a track day in Hockenheim, all that I could find in the area that day in GT3 dimensions and load rating. I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised by how well they perform on road and track compared to the two sets of theoretically superior Corsa Systems I ran prior.

zizu

I have them too, I'm not a big fan though.
They flat spot after a few days and are very noisy. The grip is good but not as good as the PS2 specially on the wet.
What I dislike the most about them is the soft sidewall ans they are not as precise as the Michelin on "spirited driving".
Note: I have the N0, not N1.
I'd like to try the new RE11 next time, heard good thing about them...

Deanski

I had the N0's on my C2S as I didn't see why I needed to spend $550 per tire for rear. I also went up to 305's as opposed to 295's.

I really liked these tires, performed well and didn't have any issues.

I also parked them on Tire Cradles as well.

Deanski

996toomey

IMO the Bridgestones are just as good as the PS2. I guess it depends on what your needs are but I would not classify them with the OEM MPSC. Two different tires for different purposes.

kailuadog

Great C4s tire not for the 3.

zizu

I went to the track today and after a few laps, there was some major grooving (granted they are not track tires) and confirmed what I suspected on the street, the sidewalls are way too soft even with the pressure up, they roll a lot into turns (PS2 are lot more stiff). IMHO...

PogueMoHone

^

Your experiences are the direct opposite of mine and savyboy's. I was quite impressed with the lack of blocking on the Potenza, and the fact the little "nubs" were still on the tires. For me one of the negatives on the MIchelin PS2s was the extensive blocking.

Photos would help, and did you go up in pressure after the rolling? What pressures did you run?

Also, what is the printout of your alignment?

TT Surgeon

I had the same soft side wall issues on my turbo on the track. Recently switched to the Re11, very nice tire indeed, somwhere between a cup and a ps2 in track grip and a ton of rubber with a stiff sidewall. Plus a set of 4 is around 1100$ shipped from TR.