RE71R Tires + 18/19 sizing, input needed

[slightlyevil]

I have BFG KDW2 on my 18x8/19x10 Work Meister set up currently. The rears are worn down, and need replacing, and since this tire is discontinued I'm looking at new options. Car sees mostly cruising and enthusiastic backroad driving, for the record. No track beatings planned especially on an 18/19 setup.

My shortlist is:
Falken F453 (Cheaper, mixed reviews on grip, good sizing)
Yokohama S.Drive (Very mixed reviews, but very cheap, good sizing)
Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 (K120)
Bridgestone RE71 (seem like a good mix of value and grip but not much data yet, sizing questions below)

Here's my 3 questions:

1. Any owners of the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 running them on an 18/19 setup? I had the previous gen K110's on the rear for a while previously and they felt AWFUL, like the sidewalls were made of jello. Replaced them immediately. Curious about the new "K120" ones.

2a. Anyone run the RE71's yet? Input on quality of ride, grip, wear?

2b. Sizing of RE71's and TCS is a concern. My current BFG set up is:
215/35/18
265/30/19
which has a f/r ratio of 5.9% (

RE71s have the following sizes available:
215/40/18
275/35/19
which is has a ratio of 7.3%
OEM for 1992 is 7.8% so I assume the RE71s would be even less likely to set off TCS. Is my understanding of the front/rear ratio correct?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jwmelvin]

Yes that's closer to OE ratios. I cannot vouch for your degree of rubbing with those sizes. I know that AJ runs re71r in 17/17 sizes that are 45 series and they rub; as in, requiring removed fender liners and rolled fenders. That's the price one pays for the best autocross tire. The only reason for that tire is autocross unless there is only junk in the correct sizes.

 

[docjohn]

take a look at this http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...0-19-amp-225-35-18-Bridgestone-Potenza-RE050a

 

[nsxtasy]

Your current sizes - 215/35-18 front and 265/30-19 rear - are the best 18"/19" sizes for an NSX, especially if you don't want to have to deal with rubbing in the wheel wells. 275/30-19 rears also work. I prefer 275/30-19 rears on a '91-93 NSX, 265/30-19 on a '94-05 NSX.

The very best, stickiest tires in these sizes are the Sumitomo HTR ZIII, which are available at Tire Rack. They're much much better/stickier than the Yokohama S.drive or Falken FK-453.

The Bridgestone RE-71R and Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 are not available in these sizes.

Don't get 215/40-18 fronts, which will rub.

 

[SoloNSX]

I'm running re71r's in 225/45r17 and 255/40r17. I've had zero problems with traction control. In fact this past test and tune event I forgot to turn off traction control for a couple runs and I barely noticed it was even on.

To fit the 225/45 up front, I had to remove the fender liners and roll the fender slightly. I didn't *have* to hammer in the inner fender wall where tires on these cars typically rub, but I did more so as a precaution. I only rub the when pretty much at full lock. Wheel is 17x8 +45 with 5mm spacer, max positive caster(better for autox but also might help reduce rubbing that inner fender a bit) and max negative camber(-2.1* from stock adjustment and after lowering).

Tire calculator says a 215/40r18 is just a hair shorter in diameter than my 225/45r17. So you'd likely need to do what I've done to make it work. The grip from the re71r is phenomenal, I have yet to hear anyone complain about its performance when compared to any other street tire. I ran them on my competitive civic si all last year. There's a reason why I did what I had to to make them work on the nsx. They do offer a 215/40r17 which should fit fine and probably less hassle. I just wanted to try and get the most out of front grip which is why I went with the 225.

 

[Hapa88]

Agree with everything NSXTASY said.
For the record, I'm running Federal SS-595 right now and am pretty happy with them on my 18/19" setup 215/35/18 and 265/30/19. They are in line with the Yokohama S Drive and the Falken 453. They're probably not as good as the Sumitomo ZIII but for the price they're hard to not consider.
I got them from OnlineTires.com
http://www.onlinetires.com/products/vehicle/tires_staggered/federal/ss-595/49133/49163.html