brave1heart

So the BFG g-Force Rival tested out 1 second quicker than the Direzza II at NOLA. Coming from SCCA and Pro Solo Champ Andy Hollis who did the back-to-back test makes it a must-read for anyone in the market for the most competitive street tire for the 2013 season. http://www.onehotlap.com/2013/01/bfg...-thickens.html Too early to call it but for now, I'm thinking of sticking with the ZIIs.

burglar

I've also heard the Bridgestone RE-11a is heading this way, and a few unsubstantiated grumblings that one or two more surprises may drop before the April deadline for Street Touring / RT class tires to be declared legal.

I'm no conspiracy theorist, and have a lot of faith in Andy, but it was a BFG Sponsored launch event for the Rival. If possible, I'd hold a out at least until the deadline to both see all the chips that fall, and look for a little less carefully orchestrated testing or maybe some early results from the parts are the country that don't get cold enough to freeze your Winnebago.

That said, I already have 2 Dunlop Z2s sitting in my garage. I should take my own advice.

balefire

thank you for the link.
here's another.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1946806
i see a set of bfg rivals in my future for scca RT class

TrackToyz

Trust me, there was no favoritism. In addition to comparing the two tires, I was also wanting to learn the track, since One Lap is going there this year. And I went out first on the Rival, not knowing the track. The fact that I came up to speed that quickly says a lot about the confidence the tire produced. Once lap times settled (10 laps or so), we put on the Dunlops and I tried to replicate the performance, to no avail. Worse, it was unnerving how the Z2 responded on track. Very peaky, which meant you had to keep both ends of the car within that zone of slip angle which produced higher grip...or risk losing it. I never got the car out of sorts at all on the Rival and did so several times on the Dunlop.

That said, the things that made the Dunlop nervous on the track may make it a better autocrosser, assuming the car is setup for it and driven appropriately.

I am just bummed that no 19's are coming out any time soon for my 7.2 GT3. But I'll likely be running the 225/45-15 on my CRX for One Lap.

burglar

Gah! The man himself!



In all seriousness, thanks for all the info you provide. Good luck with the new car, I think it'll be just like the Mazda2, but if it was driven in reverse.

TrackToyz

And with 10 times the power!

brave1heart

From the Tirerack:
***Bridgestone RE11A UPDATE***
Launch will be in March 2013
10 sizes 15"- 18"
40 - 45 series
200 AA UTQG
V and W speed rating
New compound designed specifically for autocross with better wear
http://www.onehotlap.com/2013/02/bri...spect-has.html

kpl

hopefully they'll come in sizes that'll fit my car (2003 C4S) as it would be nice to have more choices.

N_Halbert

Ooh... We have a few new choices here. Just went to the Tire rack site pulled up one of my sizes and clicked on New Arrivals

BFGoodrich g-Force Rival Extreme Performance Summer

Consumer Rating
Warranty Rating
Size: 225/50R16
3-Rib Tread Design
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Serv. Desc: 92W
UTQG: 200 AA APrice: $143.00 (each)
Estimated Availability: 05/10/13
Estimated Arrival: Get EstimateQty:
Optional Road Hazard Program: Add $15.11 per tire
Add Road Hazard: $60.44
Set of 4: $572.00

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11A Extreme Performance Summer

Consumer Rating
Warranty Rating
Size: 225/50R16
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Serv. Desc: 92V
UTQG: 200 A APrice: $142.00 (each)
Estimated Availability: In Stock
Estimated Arrival: Get EstimateQty:
Optional Road Hazard Program: Add $15.04 per tire
Add Road Hazard: $60.16
Set of 4: $568.00

Dunlop Direzza ZII Extreme Performance Summer

Consumer Rating
Warranty Rating
Size: 225/50R16
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Serv. Desc: 92V
UTQG: 200 A APrice: $145.00 (each)
Estimated Availability: In Stock
Estimated Arrival: Get EstimateQty:
Optional Road Hazard Program: Add $15.25 per tire
Add Road Hazard: $61.00
Set of 4: $580.00

sjfehr

Competitively priced between the three, too, I see! Obviously collusion. SUE!!

porrsha

give me a Hoosier A6 any day of the week.....

A6

N_Halbert

Yes, I agree. Hands down budget no object, the Hoosiers are the fastest tire out there, but I would not want to be driving them on the street.

Life is trade offs and what's your goal? (metaphoric "your") To have the stickiest tires or help to teach your teenage son car management? Performance wise I would say any one of the above are 85%-95% that of the A6 in warm dry conditions (0.75 to 2 sec). Throw in temperature and precipitation and they can end up being 110% to 120+% of the A6 (-4 to -6 sec in wet, cold or heat).

burglar

Check out 255/40-17, the most popular size for STR:

Z2 - $184
RE-11A - $191
Rival - $211 <-Why so 'spensive? Sneaky BFG...

And the old guard:
RS3 - $155
XS - $164
R1R - $192
AD08 - $244(!)

porrsha

I don't think having the stickiest tire and teaching car control are mutually exclusive at all. My son and daughters all learned car control at a beginners autocross class followed up with active participation with a Porsche or a Lotus 7.
"My" trade off is that although the A6 is DOT approved I would not drive them on the street on a regular basis. I always brought the street tires as back ups in case it rained. I once ran the Lotus 7 at a divisional SCCA event that turned into a monsoon. I had waves crashing over the windshield there was so much standing water in the puddles.

Being in snow country I have autocrossed in April, May, and October with snow flurries and squalls coming down. I still found the A6 tire to be faster than a street tire, at the time. Time marches on and so does tire technology. What was true 10 or 20 years ago may not hold water (or snow) today.

Every Porsche I have ever owned has immediately been given a set of extra rims with the autocross tire du jour. If you are going to only one set of tires and rims then what would your choice be is a separate discussion from the best autocross tire. IMHO

burglar

That's a good choice, as they have "not for highway use" printed right on them. The combination of no tread and thin, lightweight plies means they have very little puncture resistance, and are dangerous in anything more than "moist" conditions.

140tw tires (and soon 200tw) are slowly taking over, at least in SCCA. First it was the ST classes, which exploded in popularity, then RT classes came out of the gate strong last year, and there's a proposal to take R-comps out of Stock with the change to Street class.

12 years ago, Kumho Victoracers were competitive, affordable, and reasonably hard wearing. A great R-comp time. The Hoosier has gotten too soft, too fast wearing, and too expensive to run for too many grassroots enthusiasts. Today's ST tires are just as sticky as the old Victo, with the benefit of being even cheaper and longer lasting, plus you can daily drive them without heat cycling them out. You can even use them in the rain.

Of course, the slope is slippery. In another 12 years tire makers will have figured out how to make a 200tw tire be faster than all getup but only last 20 runs, and we can start all over again.