RE-71RS is the likely replacement. They have been available in Asia for about a year now. They probably want to sell out of the old ones before the new ones are introduced here. Here is some info on these tires. Not quite in the sizes we may all want, but expect that will change with a North American introduction sometime soon.

 

^ If that isn't marketing info for the USDM it's not a guarantee what sizes we are getting and usually we get different sizing than overseas. Japan doesn't even have 20in RE71RS's, nor did they have RE71R's in that size. I'm guessing that is Australia's info release as they're selling them there right now.

I only like really hankooks for race tires, but the RS-5 is getting released soon too I think, and hankook was always good at having a lot of sizes (just really crappy availability) so I'm crossing my fingers those come in our sizes in 20s so I don't need to run 19s.

 

You are correct sir.

 

Used to drive up there all the time for night skiing in high school and college. Lots of good memories for me in the great Pacific Northwest. Maybe run into you one day if I can get my friend to attend a PCA event when I am up there visiting.

 

Another PM question about how the cars compare. 981 GT4 vs 982 GT4 vs 918 GT4 Clubsport.

981 GT4 vs 982 GT4: The new GT4 is definitely faster. It feels like it's got gobs more power... 415hp seems underrated. I've only have one session on track with the new car so far, at Portland International Raceway, but shaved 1.5 seconds off my previous best time in the 981 GT4. Everything listed in the initial post was installed except the stiffer Swift springs. They're on now. My initial impression is that the car could use a little more tire, but time will tell; while dry, it was pretty chilly at PIR (in the 30s/40s), and PIR is pretty slippery when cold, and the RE71Rs that were on the car were done after that day.

982 GT4 vs 981 GT4 Clubsport. My best time in the Clubsport that same day was 1.1 seconds quicker than the 982 GT4, but... I was driving a wounded car that day, it was down about 50 whp past 5500RPM because it turned out that the intake plenum flap was broken and not being activated at higher RPMs. Vmax was down 5-7 mph at the end of the straights. Was also running Yokohama ADVAN A005 take-offs that were nearly done that day. You can tell the two cars are from the same family tree, but the 982 GT4 is faster on the straights while the 981 GT4 Clubsport has more mechanical grip and walks away in the corners. PDK doesn't hurt the lap times either.

Here are a couple videos of that day:

 

Let me know if you do, I'm quite active in the PNW track scene and instruct with Audi Club, BMW, PCA, HOD.

 

Were you chasing the Ferrari 50 hp down or was that another day for the video?

 

Yes, both videos are from the same day last November, and the Clubsport was 50 whp down. Actually my car had this problem all season long, LOL. It took me awhile to diagnose the issue, and actually the fine folks here on Rennlist helped me figure it out just recently.

Let's just say the FWC driver is not quite as far along in his driving development

 

You are the first person I've heard say the RE71R is consistent over an entire session. Of course, I am coming from a different platform and will track my GT4 for the first time this spring. I have run Michelin Pilot Super Sports, Hankook RS3, then Hankook RS4, Dunlop ZII, now Toyo R888R. Planning to try R7s for the first time on my track car this year. I find the Toyos far more consistent over a session than I have any other tire. This was a front engine/rear drive low-hp platform (Subaru BRZ). I hear the Toyos are not that good on 911s, particularly the rears. I'll only be tracking the GT4 one or two events a year, so probably sticking with the Dunlops that came on it then the Cup 2s.

There were some questionable choices there.

 

You'll find the GT4 is very friendly to tires, and the RE71Rs work really well here. I would say the majority of GT4's I've seen on track around here in the PNW are on RE71Rs. I've run all of the tires you've listed except the R888Rs, not all on the GT4, but I'm convinced RE71Rs are the better tire for this platform. That said, I recognize that since I mostly drive in the PNW, the relatively cooler temperatures up here might be a factor. I do recall having some in-session inconsistency with the RE71Rs on really hot days (>90 degrees ambient), but probably not any more than any other tire I've tried.

Now, there are a lot of cars that I wouldn't recommend the RE71Rs for, because they are relatively soft/high wear. They wear out too quickly on my two son's GTIs (we've switched to Hankook R-S4), and pretty much any front-heavy Audi/all-wheel drive. We've used RE71Rs on our E36 M3 racecar, and while the overall grip is better than the R-S4, they don't last nearly as long (essentially the most loaded tire will be corded after a 7 hour enduro, while an R-S4 can go at least twice that). We run Nitto NT01s on our BRZ and really like them; it's my understanding that the compound is the same or very similar for the NT01s and R888Rs.

But like I said before, it also comes down to driving style and the tracks you run, so YMMV.

 

Somehow I completely missed the BRZ in your signature!

Pretty much everything you said above is consistent with my general understanding. Most of my track days are 85 and above here on the east coast. I too found that the RS4 wears like iron. Usually heat cycles out far before tread is gone on low HP applications. Several BRZ folks were running NT01s in 2018/2019. Supposedly the tire is a little quicker than the R888R but there has been no explanation or validation. I've always wanted but never run them because my shop can't get them through his distributors/partnerships. The newish Nankangs seemed to be more popular last season. I am debating what to do with my BRZ going forward. Supercharge or give up and buy a 987.2 to build into a dedicated track car (as I did with my BRZ.). While I will track the GT4 occasionally, I am not interested in putting a lot of track wear on that car or gutting it.

 

ski35off,

Thanks for all the info. This is very helpful.

If the RE-71R's do end up becoming unavailable and we have to move over to the R888R or R7, would you recommend going with a 295/35/19 or a 295/30/19? Both tires are available in either size.

The Nankang AR-1 is available in 265/35/19 and 305/30/19, but I am not sure if the 305 would throw off the desired balance.

 

On my 981 GT4 with 19" wheels, I ran R7 295/30 R and 265s on the F. I ran The RE71s before the Hoosiers and wasn't impressed.

 

We ran 265/35R19 front, 285/35R19 rear for the 981 GT4 because the balance was good with these sizes. You have to be careful comparing tire sizes between manufacturers; they actual measurements differ, so one manufacturer's 285/35R19 probably won't be the same as another manufacturer's 285/35R19. So when looking at whether a tire will fit, I look at the specs tables at Tire Rack, and I also calculate the projected section width based on the measured rim size in the spec table and the rim width that I'm using. The rule of thumb is for every 1/2" difference in rim size, you get a corresponding 2/10" difference in section width (or 5.08mm). There is a good write-up on this here. I apologize if you already know this, but it helps to set a baseline understanding for the rest:

When you get into slicks, and particular "real" racing slicks like Pirelli DH, Yokomaha ADVAN A005, etc, the sizes listed are even less relatable to the actual sizes, so it's really important to find that spec table on section width, diameter, etc. Another thing to consider is that you may alter the rake of the car if you end up with a smaller diameter, and with all the aero work Porsche has done with the 982 GT4, I wouldn't want to arbitrarily change that. Of course you can adjust the ride height front/rear to the tire you select.

So, for the Forgeline wheels that we have (size/offset listed in first post), I know that the RE71R 265/285 combo works in terms of clearance inside and out. That said, we're pretty close on the outside rears and we might get some rubbing in a heavy compression zone (like T7 at Ridge Motorsports Park). I say "might" because we definitely did get some minor rubbing on the 981; I won't know with the 982 until our first event at the Ridge in March. The R888Rs are almost identical in size to the RE71Rs, and have a similar shoulder profile, so 265/285 R888Rs should definitely work for us. R7s in 265/35R19 front, 295/30R19 should also work although I haven't tried these. The rears are about 2.5 mm wider, so that should be OK, but I would also look at how square the shoulder is. Note that we would be losing rake in this scenario; with the RE71Rs (our baseline and we set our alignment using these), the front tires are 0.5" (12.7mm) smaller in diameter than the rears, while with the R7s, the rears are actually 0.1" (2.54 mm) smaller in diameter than the fronts. I believe the 295/35R19s would actually be too tall and would cause rubbing issues.

I would be concerned about about going to R888R 295/30R19s in the rear, because with the 10.5" rear rims we have, the section width would be 7.6mm wider. If you have smaller offset numbers than we do, maybe it will work for you. Probably not for us. I do think the 982 would be happier with a wider tire in the rear with that extra grunt that it has, but the trick is finding the right offset. There isn't much room to work with on a 19" rim because of where the rear toe link connects to the rear wheel hub carrier. BTW, I don't think Toyo make the R888R in 295/35R19; at least Tire Rack doesn't list them.

 

Well another similarity for us Ski. My son has been running a well massaged Golf R since high school. He has even knocked off a few GT3s and Corvettes with it. VW makes great affordable products. Now that he has a great job and is off the payroll, he has moved up to my Cayman S with the arrival of my GT4 PDK. Nice to keep a great Porsche in the family.

Tay, the 265/35-19 and 305/30-19 set up is perfect. That is what I plan on running. Both tires are 26.3 inches tall. The PASM will be happy, and you just shortened the gearing of your car by about 2.5%. A good thing for a car that is geared on the tall side of the spectrum.

I agree with ski's comments on the RE-71Rs. I keep coming back to them after a set of Cup 2's here and there. Warm them up slowly to preserve your grip throughout the session. If you go out too hard too fast, you will prematurely roll off the outside edge, and they will get hot and greasy early. I am in Texas so it is quite warm down here much of the year. We can however run year round. PCA starts with its events in February, takes a break in the middle of summer, and runs till Thanksgiving. Other outfits run all year long. We are lucky!