[SL1200MK4]

Alright guys, I am actually an Evo fan, well used to. I think the look of the EVO 8 is just ugly, the EVO 7 is the best EVO so far.

With all those talk about EVO handles better than the STi, I think the difference is rather minimal, but have you guy ever thinked about the tire size?

The EVO 8 is fitted with 235 tires VS the 225 on the STi. I think that does give the EVO an edge. Of course the evo runs on ultra sticky tires, which I believe are better/sticker than the tires on the STi.

What do you think?

 

[CloNeGTS]

I think the difference would be minimal. Those numbers show there is only a 1 cm difference in width at each tire. Sidewall performance and size would mean more than that little bit of tread.

I thought the tires of the EVO and the STi were pretty much right on par with each other. Heck, the RE070 is stock equipment on the NSX Type R....can't be too shabby.

 

[WRX_Mundi]

I would also think it would be relatively small. However, the wheel is 17x8 vs. 17x7.5. The approximation I read was that every 1/2" of extra rim means 0.2" of section width (I'm sure this falls apart out of some range, but we're within range) for the same tire, so this couldn't hurt.

Let me use the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 numbers, since Tirerack supplies them for a 225/45-17 on 7.5" rim vs. a 235/45-17 on an 8" rim. The section width is 9.4" vs. 9". That's 1cm, just as CloNeGTS said. Different tires can have different section widths even for the same size, so it would be hard to say just based on that (hmm, looks like Clone covered that too...).

Anyway, both tires are great -- arguably the Evo has some advantage, but I doubt it is merely this fairly small difference in tire size that makes all the difference. I'd not heard that the Evo tires were stickier -- both should be really nice as far as street tires go. I'd suspect alignment first. After that, it looks like Mitsubishi just made their car better for track use in stock form.

 

[CloNeGTS]

If there is a DOT legal tire that grips more than the RE070s....damn....bring em on. Those tires are amazing!

 

[Guest]

STi Wins out by a smidge...

If there is a DOT legal tire that grips more than the RE070s....damn....bring em on. Those tires are amazing!

I am hoping everyone is still singing these tires praises when they are in need of replacement...shortly after the break in period. Sticky tires are an expensive habit (addiction). Companies like Hoosier have made a business out of that fact.

 

[4MLA1FN]

anyone found a supplier? (i haven't.) what are they? $250 per corner??

 

[4MLA1FN]

msrp

oops. answered my own question. just ordered some tires for my outback from tirerack. (a+ company!) they have a few sets of re070s. i *think* he said they're $180/corner. (he's sending me an email with the info.) they also stopped carrying prodrive wheels. hopefully i can find some forged 17x8s for summer tires and "demote" the oem for all-season tires for winter.

 

[shoeeater]

any ideas on how long those tires will last in the real world? I may do a little bit of "serious" driving, which I am sure will help the wear speed.

 

[wi77iam]

Also those RE070s don't look very good for rain traction. Anybody have any experience in the wet yet?

 

[WRX_Mundi]

If there is a DOT legal tire that grips more than the RE070s....damn....bring em on. Those tires are amazing!

I'd be stunned if the Hoosier A3S03 tires were not substantially (1-2 seconds per 60 second run) better. Certainly if the RE070s were better it would be massive news that would rock the autocross world and put Hoosier out of business. The Kumho Ecsta V700 and Victoracer should also be much grippier, and they are also DOT legal.

What you mean is a real street tire. How one defines that is tricky, but at the moment a good rule is DOT legal with 140 or higher treadwear rating. Does highway driving with them make sense? No -- another good indication they're not real street tires. Barring the DOT-legal competition tires, I'd agree that there seems to be little else out there that springs to mind -- maybe the Advan's from the Evo would be worth testing? The RE050 Scuderia would be a tight fit at 245/35-19 and probably made more for high speed abilities than ultimate grip, though they seem to be more than adequate for the job. The Falken Azenis have often been thought to be among the best performance street tires, partly because of the stiff sidewall, and I'm sure the dirt cheap prices don't hurt. Still, they are often the tire of choice for SCCA street tire classes, and I use them as my current street tire. I'd love to see a shootout with the same car and wheels, between the RE070, Advan A046, Azenis Sport, Bridgestone S-03, and others.

 

[4MLA1FN]

Also those RE070s don't look very good for rain traction. Anybody have any experience in the wet yet?

yep. rain is all we've had in dc for 4 weeks. i haven't found the wet traction to be that terrible; e.g. i haven't spun the tires or picked up a skid when i didn't intend to. but i'm also still in the break-in period, so i am babying it around. and the awd can also help make tires with poor rain performance look good; you've got twice the contact patch as a two-wheel drive car. hmm. bottom line is i guess i have nothing to contribute. i'll crawl back to my cave.