Autocross tire
01-22-2018, 06:04 PM
#2
I prefer the BFG Rival S on my old air cooler, it's a little more forgiving to slip angle than the Re71 which makes the car both more fun and a little faster in my experience. I run stubby 225/245-15s on 15 x 7&9s. They're shorter which helps with the long 2nd gear. I've run oe height 17s too and those work, just a little slower.
Not sure if any new tires are in the pipeline before the April cutoff.
Good luck.
Not sure if any new tires are in the pipeline before the April cutoff.
Good luck.
01-22-2018, 09:10 PM
#3
Drifting
RE-71R and RivalS are the top two tires right now, both very fast. If you can't run one of these, you're unlikely to finish top tier. If you're not worried about that, Nfera SUR4G and Kumho V720 are not far back, and Hankook R-S4, Dunlop ZII* and Falken Azenis RT615k+ also. (If you go with the Nfera or Falken, make sure you get the SUR4G, not SUR4 and the RT615k+ not RT615k). The latest Max performance tires, Michelin MP4S and Continental ECS, are pretty good, too, but not competition tires.
Different tradeoffs for each. What matters most to you? Performance? Cost? Performance cold? Heat tolerance? Tire noise?
Different tradeoffs for each. What matters most to you? Performance? Cost? Performance cold? Heat tolerance? Tire noise?
01-23-2018, 08:42 AM
#5
I would stay away from the V720. I bought a set and they delaminated on me. I'm still bitter.
The SUR4G seems to perform pretty well but I hear wear isn't great, even compared to the pretty gummy Rival/RE71. The Dunlop, Falken, and Hankook are definitely a tier down in AX speed, but I'd consider the Hankook if it were a car that did 50:50 AX and track days.
The SUR4G seems to perform pretty well but I hear wear isn't great, even compared to the pretty gummy Rival/RE71. The Dunlop, Falken, and Hankook are definitely a tier down in AX speed, but I'd consider the Hankook if it were a car that did 50:50 AX and track days.
01-23-2018, 06:05 PM
#7
Drifting
I was about to run down the pros/cons of RE-71R vs RivalS but realized it likely boils down to whichever one comes in your size. They're both fast tires but have different strengths/weaknesses. I think RE-71R may be slightly faster, but with a big "it depends" and times so close most events it's hard to tease out a statistically significant difference from test numbers.
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01-23-2018, 09:08 PM
#9
I was about to run down the pros/cons of RE-71R vs RivalS but realized it likely boils down to whichever one comes in your size. They're both fast tires but have different strengths/weaknesses. I think RE-71R may be slightly faster, but with a big "it depends" and times so close most events it's hard to tease out a statistically significant difference from test numbers.
01-24-2018, 09:31 AM
#10
I'll throw in my $.02
The RE71 is a lot more "sharp." It feels like it has a much stiffer sidewall. It responds quicker. It also doesn't like a lot of slip angle, so if you're a loosey goosey driver you might not like it as much. They're peaky, it's a little tough to find and keep them on their limit. They seem to hold up better to both being pinched onto narrow wheels, and also seem to do better on camber challenged street class cars. In my experience they take an event or two to come up to speed. It's not a mold release thing as street miles don't seem to help.
The BFG reacts quite a bit slower but has a more forgiving breakaway. It's an easier tire to keep in the peak grip range because the range is broader, and it'll tolerate higher slip angles without biting you back so hard. It prefers more wheel for support, and camber too if you can get it. It's much worse than the RE71 on anything more than damp pavement due to the tread design. Also even though it technically can be flipped, it seems to be a waste of time as it's slow when flipped. The RE71 can be flipped and is still pretty fast, but not *quite* as fast for some reason.
As to which tire is "faster," it seems to depend. At Lincoln things seemed to be split fairly evenly, with a minor edge to the Bridgestone in Street classes and minor edge to the BFG in ST classes. On non-Lincoln concrete, seems like the BFG is the way to go, with the Bridgestone doing slightly better on asphalt. Also availability is an issue in some cases, and then the rest comes down to driver preference and setup. I've had friends find success with both tires, on the same car, in the same season, with no real preference. As for me, I run the RE71 on my Mini and love the razor sharp response on that car. The BFG doesn't come in the right size, but I wouldn't bother trying it on that car. On the 911 I've tried both tires back to back, and the Rival S is by far the better tire for the setup and my driving style on that car.
Note that a lot of pointy end drivers choose what they run by contingency program. Nexen's generous program last year, for example, nabbed some real hotshoes that make the tire look faster than it is. I don't think Bridgestone paid out for pros last year, so that pushed some people to BFG.
tl;dr, it's complicated.
The RE71 is a lot more "sharp." It feels like it has a much stiffer sidewall. It responds quicker. It also doesn't like a lot of slip angle, so if you're a loosey goosey driver you might not like it as much. They're peaky, it's a little tough to find and keep them on their limit. They seem to hold up better to both being pinched onto narrow wheels, and also seem to do better on camber challenged street class cars. In my experience they take an event or two to come up to speed. It's not a mold release thing as street miles don't seem to help.
The BFG reacts quite a bit slower but has a more forgiving breakaway. It's an easier tire to keep in the peak grip range because the range is broader, and it'll tolerate higher slip angles without biting you back so hard. It prefers more wheel for support, and camber too if you can get it. It's much worse than the RE71 on anything more than damp pavement due to the tread design. Also even though it technically can be flipped, it seems to be a waste of time as it's slow when flipped. The RE71 can be flipped and is still pretty fast, but not *quite* as fast for some reason.
As to which tire is "faster," it seems to depend. At Lincoln things seemed to be split fairly evenly, with a minor edge to the Bridgestone in Street classes and minor edge to the BFG in ST classes. On non-Lincoln concrete, seems like the BFG is the way to go, with the Bridgestone doing slightly better on asphalt. Also availability is an issue in some cases, and then the rest comes down to driver preference and setup. I've had friends find success with both tires, on the same car, in the same season, with no real preference. As for me, I run the RE71 on my Mini and love the razor sharp response on that car. The BFG doesn't come in the right size, but I wouldn't bother trying it on that car. On the 911 I've tried both tires back to back, and the Rival S is by far the better tire for the setup and my driving style on that car.
Note that a lot of pointy end drivers choose what they run by contingency program. Nexen's generous program last year, for example, nabbed some real hotshoes that make the tire look faster than it is. I don't think Bridgestone paid out for pros last year, so that pushed some people to BFG.
tl;dr, it's complicated.
01-24-2018, 09:48 AM
#11
I'll throw in my $.02
The RE71 is a lot more "sharp." It feels like it has a much stiffer sidewall. It responds quicker. It also doesn't like a lot of slip angle, so if you're a loosey goosey driver you might not like it as much. They're peaky, it's a little tough to find and keep them on their limit. They seem to hold up better to both being pinched onto narrow wheels, and also seem to do better on camber challenged street class cars. In my experience they take an event or two to come up to speed. It's not a mold release thing as street miles don't seem to help.
The BFG reacts quite a bit slower but has a more forgiving breakaway. It's an easier tire to keep in the peak grip range because the range is broader, and it'll tolerate higher slip angles without biting you back so hard. It prefers more wheel for support, and camber too if you can get it. It's much worse than the RE71 on anything more than damp pavement due to the tread design. Also even though it technically can be flipped, it seems to be a waste of time as it's slow when flipped. The RE71 can be flipped and is still pretty fast, but not *quite* as fast for some reason.
As to which tire is "faster," it seems to depend. At Lincoln things seemed to be split fairly evenly, with a minor edge to the Bridgestone in Street classes and minor edge to the BFG in ST classes. On non-Lincoln concrete, seems like the BFG is the way to go, with the Bridgestone doing slightly better on asphalt. Also availability is an issue in some cases, and then the rest comes down to driver preference and setup. I've had friends find success with both tires, on the same car, in the same season, with no real preference. As for me, I run the RE71 on my Mini and love the razor sharp response on that car. The BFG doesn't come in the right size, but I wouldn't bother trying it on that car. On the 911 I've tried both tires back to back, and the Rival S is by far the better tire for the setup and my driving style on that car.
Note that a lot of pointy end drivers choose what they run by contingency program. Nexen's generous program last year, for example, nabbed some real hotshoes that make the tire look faster than it is. I don't think Bridgestone paid out for pros last year, so that pushed some people to BFG.
tl;dr, it's complicated.
The RE71 is a lot more "sharp." It feels like it has a much stiffer sidewall. It responds quicker. It also doesn't like a lot of slip angle, so if you're a loosey goosey driver you might not like it as much. They're peaky, it's a little tough to find and keep them on their limit. They seem to hold up better to both being pinched onto narrow wheels, and also seem to do better on camber challenged street class cars. In my experience they take an event or two to come up to speed. It's not a mold release thing as street miles don't seem to help.
The BFG reacts quite a bit slower but has a more forgiving breakaway. It's an easier tire to keep in the peak grip range because the range is broader, and it'll tolerate higher slip angles without biting you back so hard. It prefers more wheel for support, and camber too if you can get it. It's much worse than the RE71 on anything more than damp pavement due to the tread design. Also even though it technically can be flipped, it seems to be a waste of time as it's slow when flipped. The RE71 can be flipped and is still pretty fast, but not *quite* as fast for some reason.
As to which tire is "faster," it seems to depend. At Lincoln things seemed to be split fairly evenly, with a minor edge to the Bridgestone in Street classes and minor edge to the BFG in ST classes. On non-Lincoln concrete, seems like the BFG is the way to go, with the Bridgestone doing slightly better on asphalt. Also availability is an issue in some cases, and then the rest comes down to driver preference and setup. I've had friends find success with both tires, on the same car, in the same season, with no real preference. As for me, I run the RE71 on my Mini and love the razor sharp response on that car. The BFG doesn't come in the right size, but I wouldn't bother trying it on that car. On the 911 I've tried both tires back to back, and the Rival S is by far the better tire for the setup and my driving style on that car.
Note that a lot of pointy end drivers choose what they run by contingency program. Nexen's generous program last year, for example, nabbed some real hotshoes that make the tire look faster than it is. I don't think Bridgestone paid out for pros last year, so that pushed some people to BFG.
tl;dr, it's complicated.
01-24-2018, 05:10 PM
#12
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Are those 16" wheels? If so then the RE-71r in 205/55-16 and 225/50-16 should fit. Rivals only come in 215/50-16. If those are 15x7 and 8 Fuchs then you could use 225/45-15 and 245/40-15 as suggested by Burglar. I have those exact sizes on my 15s on my '88 Carrera and they work great. Definitely a larger slip angle than the RE71r which I have on my M3 but the grip is still great. The 15" setup should be quicker for Autocross because you would have more tire on the road and the smaller O.D. would help acceleration without forcing you to shift into 3rd on most courses. Also an advantage in unsprung weight.
01-24-2018, 08:40 PM
#13
Drifting
Yep, what burglar said. I would add RE-71R work in a little cooler weather than RivalS, but RivalS tolerate heat a little better. BFG did a bunch of testing on the rubbered-in surface at Lincoln once year after nationals wrapped up, and developed the forumla specifically to work well there. Consequently, it kicks a lot of *** at Lincoln. Elsewhere, I think RE-71R is a bit better, but a lot of it is also driver dependent. The sidewall on RE-71R is a little stiffer which means it couples up well with soft sidewall tires and overtires better than the RivalS. The RivalS, however, seems to work better than RE-71R with cars with stiff suspension and lots of camber. Both will get rapid outside corner wear on camber challenged cars.
A lot also boils down to your driving style and preference. You can have two different drivers in the same car on the same day each be faster on the different tires.
A lot also boils down to your driving style and preference. You can have two different drivers in the same car on the same day each be faster on the different tires.
Last edited by sjfehr; 01-25-2018 at 08:54 PM.
01-24-2018, 09:52 PM
#14
Yep, what burglar said. I would add RE-71R work in a little cooler weather than RivalS, but RivalS tolerate heat a little better. BFG did a bunch of testing on the rubbered-in surface at Lincoln once year after nationals wrapped up, and developed the forumla specifically to work well there. Consequently, it kicks a lot of *** at Lincoln. Elsewhere, I think BFG is a bit better, but a lot of it is also driver dependent. The sidewall on RE-71R is a little stiffer which means it couples up well with soft sidewall tires and overtires better than the RivalS. The RivalS, however, seems to work better than RE-71R with cars with stiff suspension and lots of camber. Both will get rapid outside corner wear on camber challenged cars.
A lot also boils down to your driving style and preference. You can have two different drivers in the same car on the same day each be faster on the different tires.
A lot also boils down to your driving style and preference. You can have two different drivers in the same car on the same day each be faster on the different tires.
01-25-2018, 08:07 AM
#15
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