Federal 595RS Tires - Review

SilverSurfer · 05-22-2008, 04:21 PM

I bought some Federal 595RS tires about 4 months ago. At the time I had a MY07 STi and I was planning to use these tires on some 18" summer wheels. I ended up selling the STi to get out of the payment and find something bigger for the kids.....

Fast forward to now. I ended up with a 2002 WRX (cheap fun). I have not found a big family hauler yet. Still in the process of doing that. I did place these tires up for sale and nobody ever would pay me what I wanted. They are a bit wide for the WRX, but I decided to make them work since nobody was givin me the loot. I promised Teh_Clap I would post a review when I used these things.

I ended up buying some CCW C10 wheels size 18x8.5 +45 offset in the 5x100 WRX bolt pattern. Had these tires mounted on the C10s. I have the WRX dropped on STi struts and Tanabe GF210 springs. The drop is about perfect. It rides pretty decent for strut/spring combo and handles pretty well for what it is. I had to shave the rear fender wheel well lip to eliminate a tiny bit of rub that would occur on hard corners or on very big bumps. No rub now.

I really like these tires so far. For an aggressive tire they are very quiet. Traction is great. I have not tracked this setup yet, but on hard cornering around town they GRIP. I love it so far. No hard driving in rain yet. The sales guy told me these tires grip in dry conditions similar to an Azeni, but have better wet traction. He said the drifters use them all the time (probably because the bargain pricing). I love the tires so far. I will post back with better pictures and more information as I use the tires more....

One issue with these tires. The mounting was very difficult I'm told by the tire place. The bead is substandard. They had to put the tire in a cage by itself and run up pressure to 90-100 psi to make the bead pop!! Crazy. They ended up getting mounted though. The tire is performing excellent. Just thought I would note that issue so all could be aware.

SilverSurfer · 05-22-2008, 04:33 PM

Couple fitment pics. I will add good pics from a distance later (when the car is clean). These wheels/tires look awesome on the WRX imho. Looks really aggressive/mean.

jutes85 · 05-22-2008, 05:31 PM

I have the non-RS model and I love them, excellent grip in the dry. Had a chance to try them out on a highway in heavy rain and the car didn't slip at all, it was very responsive at highspeeds through the water. For the price you pay, it really is a great deal.

Gami004pilot · 05-22-2008, 05:44 PM

I spin my tires in all four corners. Nothing so far compares to the feelings of the stockers of the STi.
I get massive tire squirm and the car feels unsafe to drive aggressively unless you really get use to the characteristics of the tire and the cars handling.
It's very easy to drift the car with these tires. i miss the responsiveness of the RT-615's and the 070's.
It makes the STi feel like a WRX.

SilverSurfer · 05-22-2008, 06:01 PM

Do you have the RS or the regular 595?

There is supposed to be a large difference. I like these 595RS alot so far. Feels every bit as grippy as my MY07 STi on the 225 width RE070 tires (this on a 2002 WRX mind you...).

Suspension mods on this WRX consist of:
Subaru STi struts and tophats
Tanabe GF210 springs
Whiteline steering rack bushings
Perrin front 22 mm sway bar
Perrin rear 24mm sway bar
Noltec rear endlinks
Cusco titanium front strut bar

MY07 STi suspesion mods were:
Cusco Zero2E coilovers
Kartboy swaybar endlinks (OEM bent with just regular hard cornering - non-track cornering)
Cusco titanium front strut bar

Between the two cars the big differences would be:
A) tires/wheels
B) swaybars
C) better strut/spring on the STi (coilovers)
D) In general better STi parts like the aluminum control arms and front fender braces (among others) for example

SilverSurfer · 05-22-2008, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jutes85

I have the non-RS model and I love them, excellent grip in the dry. Had a chance to try them out on a highway in heavy rain and the car didn't slip at all, it was very responsive at highspeeds through the water. For the price you pay, it really is a great deal.

Can't assess water performance yet. But I totally agree with your other comments. For the price I like this tire alot so far. Feels alot better than expected. Give me a couple weeks and I'll know alot more after some more driving.

ogintheback · 05-22-2008, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverSurfer

Couple fitment pics. I will add good pics from a distance later (when the car is clean). These wheels/tires look awesome on the WRX imho. Looks really aggressive/mean.

Hey man, your tires are rotating the wrong direction.

SilverSurfer · 05-23-2008, 03:10 AM

I know. LOL... Good spot. That was a test fit. I only had one wheel/tire mounted at that time. The other side of my car, there isn't much room in the garage. So I had to put it on the driver's side and the tire was facing backwards for the test fit.

They are the right direction now.

ogintheback · 05-23-2008, 07:28 PM

LOL, not much room in the garage....I can relate for I too have kids toys/wagon/stroller.
I am glad to see someone test the federals....the tread pattern looks outstanding....you said they have good grip....how 'bout the sidewalls?

SilverSurfer · 05-24-2008, 03:18 AM

Tread pattern is great. They have the "aggressive" look they are nice & sticky. Sidewalls are pretty stiff. Don't think as stiff as the RE070, but they are up there. So far, on cornering they feel pretty good. These are heavy tires and I attribute some of that to the sidewall stiffness. They aren't gonna roll or distort or anything like that on cornering - or at least it doesn't seem that way at point.

SilverSurfer · 06-08-2008, 04:07 AM

Thought I would report back on these tires now that I've been running them a while.

Wet Traction: Wet traction on the highway felt pretty darn good. I was driving in a huge downpower on the way back from St Louis on the highway and they didn't hydroplane and felt planted to the road considering the conditions. Can't complain.

Dry Traction: I'm still diggin the dry traction on these.

I've take more corners and curves with these now and they are a good tire imho. An absolutely great deal considering what I paid and what other similar high performance tires cost in same size.

For a performance tire on a budget, these are an excellent, excellent choice.

***Szumita*** · 06-08-2008, 04:51 AM

how much are these things each?

SilverSurfer · 06-08-2008, 10:28 AM

Varies by vendor I'm sure. I got (4) 595RS in 245/18/35 for $600 and $675 after shipping. All the competitors I was looking at were $800-$1100+ before shipping for a set of four.

SilverSurfer · 06-08-2008, 10:31 AM

Some pics from my photo thread over on NASIOC...

jutes85 · 06-08-2008, 10:43 AM

CityTireOnline has great prices for this tire.

05-22-2008, 04:21 PM	#1
SilverSurfer Professional STI Racer Car: 2004 Audi S4 Avant Fav Mod: wheels & suspension Location: Normal, IL Posts: 744 Join Date: Oct 2004 Trader Rating: (5)	Federal 595RS Tires - Review I bought some Federal 595RS tires about 4 months ago. At the time I had a MY07 STi and I was planning to use these tires on some 18" summer wheels. I ended up selling the STi to get out of the payment and find something bigger for the kids..... Fast forward to now. I ended up with a 2002 WRX (cheap fun). I have not found a big family hauler yet. Still in the process of doing that. I did place these tires up for sale and nobody ever would pay me what I wanted. They are a bit wide for the WRX, but I decided to make them work since nobody was givin me the loot. I promised Teh_Clap I would post a review when I used these things. I ended up buying some CCW C10 wheels size 18x8.5 +45 offset in the 5x100 WRX bolt pattern. Had these tires mounted on the C10s. I have the WRX dropped on STi struts and Tanabe GF210 springs. The drop is about perfect. It rides pretty decent for strut/spring combo and handles pretty well for what it is. I had to shave the rear fender wheel well lip to eliminate a tiny bit of rub that would occur on hard corners or on very big bumps. No rub now. I really like these tires so far. For an aggressive tire they are very quiet. Traction is great. I have not tracked this setup yet, but on hard cornering around town they GRIP. I love it so far. No hard driving in rain yet. The sales guy told me these tires grip in dry conditions similar to an Azeni, but have better wet traction. He said the drifters use them all the time (probably because the bargain pricing). I love the tires so far. I will post back with better pictures and more information as I use the tires more.... One issue with these tires. The mounting was very difficult I'm told by the tire place. The bead is substandard. They had to put the tire in a cage by itself and run up pressure to 90-100 psi to make the bead pop!! Crazy. They ended up getting mounted though. The tire is performing excellent. Just thought I would note that issue so all could be aware. This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad. Last edited by SilverSurfer : 05-22-2008 at 04:36 PM.

05-22-2008, 04:33 PM	#2
SilverSurfer Professional STI Racer Car: 2004 Audi S4 Avant Fav Mod: wheels & suspension Location: Normal, IL Posts: 744 Join Date: Oct 2004 Trader Rating: (5)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review Couple fitment pics. I will add good pics from a distance later (when the car is clean). These wheels/tires look awesome on the WRX imho. Looks really aggressive/mean.

05-22-2008, 05:31 PM	#3
jutes85 Silver Member Car: 2006 OBP STi Fav Mod: DOM3 Paperweight Location: Alberta Posts: 1,426 Join Date: Sep 2006 Trader Rating: (7)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review I have the non-RS model and I love them, excellent grip in the dry. Had a chance to try them out on a highway in heavy rain and the car didn't slip at all, it was very responsive at highspeeds through the water. For the price you pay, it really is a great deal.

05-22-2008, 05:44 PM	#4
Gami004pilot Senior STI Driver Car: 05 WRX STI Fav Mod: Just having an STI is good enough. Location: Central Florida Posts: 365 Join Date: Jul 2005 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review I spin my tires in all four corners. Nothing so far compares to the feelings of the stockers of the STi. I get massive tire squirm and the car feels unsafe to drive aggressively unless you really get use to the characteristics of the tire and the cars handling. It's very easy to drift the car with these tires. i miss the responsiveness of the RT-615's and the 070's. It makes the STi feel like a WRX.

05-22-2008, 06:01 PM	#5
SilverSurfer Professional STI Racer Car: 2004 Audi S4 Avant Fav Mod: wheels & suspension Location: Normal, IL Posts: 744 Join Date: Oct 2004 Trader Rating: (5)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review Do you have the RS or the regular 595? There is supposed to be a large difference. I like these 595RS alot so far. Feels every bit as grippy as my MY07 STi on the 225 width RE070 tires (this on a 2002 WRX mind you...). Suspension mods on this WRX consist of: Subaru STi struts and tophats Tanabe GF210 springs Whiteline steering rack bushings Perrin front 22 mm sway bar Perrin rear 24mm sway bar Noltec rear endlinks Cusco titanium front strut bar MY07 STi suspesion mods were: Cusco Zero2E coilovers Kartboy swaybar endlinks (OEM bent with just regular hard cornering - non-track cornering) Cusco titanium front strut bar Between the two cars the big differences would be: A) tires/wheels B) swaybars C) better strut/spring on the STi (coilovers) D) In general better STi parts like the aluminum control arms and front fender braces (among others) for example Last edited by SilverSurfer : 05-22-2008 at 06:11 PM.

05-23-2008, 03:10 AM	#8
SilverSurfer Professional STI Racer Car: 2004 Audi S4 Avant Fav Mod: wheels & suspension Location: Normal, IL Posts: 744 Join Date: Oct 2004 Trader Rating: (5)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review I know. LOL... Good spot. That was a test fit. I only had one wheel/tire mounted at that time. The other side of my car, there isn't much room in the garage. So I had to put it on the driver's side and the tire was facing backwards for the test fit. They are the right direction now.

05-23-2008, 07:28 PM	#9
ogintheback Junior STI Driver Car: 05 CGM STi Fav Mod: Twin Graco's Location: Stuck behind a buick. Posts: 179 Join Date: Jan 2006 Trader Rating: (1)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review LOL, not much room in the garage....I can relate for I too have kids toys/wagon/stroller. I am glad to see someone test the federals....the tread pattern looks outstanding....you said they have good grip....how 'bout the sidewalls?

05-24-2008, 03:18 AM	#10
SilverSurfer Professional STI Racer Car: 2004 Audi S4 Avant Fav Mod: wheels & suspension Location: Normal, IL Posts: 744 Join Date: Oct 2004 Trader Rating: (5)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review Tread pattern is great. They have the "aggressive" look they are nice & sticky. Sidewalls are pretty stiff. Don't think as stiff as the RE070, but they are up there. So far, on cornering they feel pretty good. These are heavy tires and I attribute some of that to the sidewall stiffness. They aren't gonna roll or distort or anything like that on cornering - or at least it doesn't seem that way at point.

06-08-2008, 04:07 AM	#11
SilverSurfer Professional STI Racer Car: 2004 Audi S4 Avant Fav Mod: wheels & suspension Location: Normal, IL Posts: 744 Join Date: Oct 2004 Trader Rating: (5)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review Thought I would report back on these tires now that I've been running them a while. Wet Traction: Wet traction on the highway felt pretty darn good. I was driving in a huge downpower on the way back from St Louis on the highway and they didn't hydroplane and felt planted to the road considering the conditions. Can't complain. Dry Traction: I'm still diggin the dry traction on these. I've take more corners and curves with these now and they are a good tire imho. An absolutely great deal considering what I paid and what other similar high performance tires cost in same size. For a performance tire on a budget, these are an excellent, excellent choice.

06-08-2008, 04:51 AM	#12
*Szumita* i eat cones Car: 08.5 GTI MKv Fav Mod: 18x8 Location: ma & ri Posts: 6,730 Join Date: Oct 2006 Trader Rating: (21)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review how much are these things each?

06-08-2008, 10:28 AM	#13
SilverSurfer Professional STI Racer Car: 2004 Audi S4 Avant Fav Mod: wheels & suspension Location: Normal, IL Posts: 744 Join Date: Oct 2004 Trader Rating: (5)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review Varies by vendor I'm sure. I got (4) 595RS in 245/18/35 for $600 and $675 after shipping. All the competitors I was looking at were $800-$1100+ before shipping for a set of four.

06-08-2008, 10:31 AM	#14
SilverSurfer Professional STI Racer Car: 2004 Audi S4 Avant Fav Mod: wheels & suspension Location: Normal, IL Posts: 744 Join Date: Oct 2004 Trader Rating: (5)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review Some pics from my photo thread over on NASIOC...

06-08-2008, 10:43 AM	#15
jutes85 Silver Member Car: 2006 OBP STi Fav Mod: DOM3 Paperweight Location: Alberta Posts: 1,426 Join Date: Sep 2006 Trader Rating: (7)	Re: Federal 595RS Tires - Review CityTireOnline has great prices for this tire. This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.