I need to vent with my fellow Z-er's.

I bought some BS RE050 (emphasize the "BS") in March 07' for the rear wheels. Now come Oct 07', and 5600 miles later, and I need to replace them already! F**K THESE TIRES!!! They cost around $250 a piece to mount and install and I already had to get a new set!!!

I have never had a problem with BS tires, so I got some RE960 pole positions to replace them this time. The BS guy said they are warrantied at 40K miles... I don't believe that, but at least I got that going for me.

I don't like the looks of the RE960 as much as the RE050, but what the hell, who wants to buy $500 worth of tires every 7 months.

Anyone else have a sh**ty experience with these tires!

 

1) Stay off the gas pedal so hard and they'll last longer.

2) Warrantied at 40K miles? No high performance tires are going to have a mileage warranty and their expected life is a lot lower than that.

3) Based on posts here in the past, more than a few people have worn through a set of rear RE040's in under 10K so it's not surprising that you did with the RE050's.

 

You guys might want to do a little investigating before you buy tires. The RE050 only have a tread wear of 140. That is extremely low.
Yes, the 960s do have a 40K warranty. http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tires...roduct_ID=1112.
I don't work for Bridgestone. I've just done a lot of checking. I'm getting the 960s the next time around.
I'd also suggest pumping the tires up higher. I have no idea why, but all of the shops want to put 32-35 pounds in the tires. The OEM Bridgestones that I have currently have a max pressure of 52 lbs. To put 32 to 35 pounds seems awfully underinflated to me. I put about 42 pounds in mine. I haven't noticed any handling issues with this pressure. If you think about bicycle tires as an example, when the tire gets smaller, the pressure goes up. You may think I'm crazy, but give it a shot and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

Ive got 7800 or so miles on mine and almost at the wear bars. Not a fan of the RE050's

 

Bridgestone Potenza RE050 tires are maximum performance summer tires. They grip like crazy because they are very soft; but like any “maximum performance tire,” they wear quickly if you drive “hard.” Also notice that these tires turn “rock hard” when the ambient temperature goes below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. At that temperature you never need to worry about tire wear; your only problem is the tire won’t adapt or grip the roadway.

If you drive conservatively (like a grandpa), you could get close to 20K on the tires, If you drive hard, I would expect to get around 10-12k miles before they are worn significantly. 5.6k seems a little low to me unless you are really pushing the car.

Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS tires are all-season tires made with a much harder compound material (“rubber”). They wear much less than “maximum performance summer tires.” They also work over a much wider range of ambient temperatures. Of course these tires won’t grip even close to what you get with the RE050 when running in the optimum ambient temperature range for “maximum performance summer tires” (above 40 degrees Fahrenheit). You should get about double the mileage on these that you get on a “maximum performance tire” such as the Potenza RE050.

--Spike

 

I got about 17k miles easily out of 2 sets of RE040's. For almost any tire to wear out in under 6k miles....you'd have to be doing burnouts every chance you get. The RE050's aren't even the softest rubber compound available. At the very least you should get 10k out of them with some seriously aggressive driving....

 

That might be bad advice.
Re>: “The OEM Bridgestones that I have currently have a max pressure of 52 lbs. To put 32 to 35 pounds seems awfully underinflated to me. I put about 42 pounds in mine.”

The maximum pressure (52 lbs in this case) is the maximum pressure designated by the tire manufacturer. This is also the tire pressure at which the manufacturer measures sidewall width, aspect ratio, and overall diameter. It has nothing to do with the pressure you should use on your car. On your Z, you should run according to Nissan’s recommendation, which is 34-36 psi. Your recommendation (42 psi) is way too high.

--Spike

 

I also own the RE050a and haven't noticed that much tread wear (6000+ Miles in them too)

 

Arbitrarily choosing a tire pressure is not a wise thing to do. Especially if you don't understand the science and engineering behind it. The max inflation pressure is the maximum amount you can put in a tire at max load. It has nothing to do with what the "normal" pressure would be. You also don't want to use bicycle logic when determining the actual pressure.

Car manufacturers work along with tire manufacturers to determine the optimal pressure for a given tire on a particular car. They balance wear, handling, ride comfort and safety in the process.

Increasing the pressure won't necessarily increase wear, in fact, it reduces the contact patch to the center of the tread so it will actually wear there faster than the outside edges. Reduced contact patch also means reduced traction. If you're not noticing a difference in handling at 42 psi (which probably rises to around 46-48 when hot), then you're not really in-tune with the feel of your car. I autocrossed on the OEM RE040s at 38-39 psi and the feel and handling was noticibly different.

 

I know there is always going to be a difference of opinion on these type of things, but just for argument sake, why would the "standard" pressure be the same for a sloppy, tall sidewall family car as it would be for a sports car?
My apologies for my statement about handling. I guess I should have expounded. I really should have said that my braking didn't seem to change. My handling actually got better. Much quicker response and honestly better overall grip. I went to a little higher pressure awhile back because I had developed HUGE amounts of cupping on my fronts using the "standard" pressure. The camber is "within" spec, but the cupping is ridiculous. I actually get interior panel vibration between 20 and 30 miles per hour. Also, I mistated the pressure. I have an operating pressure of about 42-44. Cold pressure is below that. The thing is, I think a lot of people are operating at 35 or so and that is way too low. I still stand by the bicycle logic though. Call me a ding-a-ling, but the physics just make sense to me. When you have a sidewall height that is short and needs to be firm, you don't want low pressure. Also, how many sport tires are ever "under load". Not a lot.
Call me skeptical, but I'm gonna stick my neck out and say that the car companies and tire manufacturers aren't as scientifically bent as you may think. Money tends to be the driving force behind MOST business situations. I work in a different industry, but I have to figure out how to make things work after someone else has made an "engineering" decision.
Basically, I'm about what works. If this higher pressure thing doesn't work, then I'll be more than happy to admit that I'm wrong.

 

^^ Wow… long message and pretty much all you say is wrong/inaccurate. For example running your suggested psi on the 350z is a big mistake. I think you believe all you say, but it’s just horrible advice that I hope no one follows.

--Spike

 

Wow! Thanks for the science lesson and the advice on these tires.

It pisses me off that I spent so much on the RE050s, but at the same time, makes me feel better about my new RE960s.

I think I'll keep the pressure at 35-40.

Thanks fellas.

 

Yes we are aware that tread life is rated “fair.”

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ighlight=tires.

 

Like I said. Wouldn't be the first time that I was wrong! Thanks Spike.

 

Well, that the beauty of the whole system. It's just pure coincidence that the amount of pressure that's correct for the soccer-mom's van and a 350Z are the same amount. Like I said before, it's not like a bicycle tire.

 

I see on your mod list that you have a lowering kit. Did you get a camber kit? when i bought my car it was lowered 1in and it had no camber kit and it ate a brand new set of all seasons about 3 months - make sure you check the camber so the tires are flat on the road and not at an angle

 

I believe that this tire family comes in 3 different options (maybe more);

REO50 (comes stock on the Honda S2000)

REO50A (comes stock on 2006 350Z)

REO50A Pole Position

Which one are we talking about?

 

i just spent 1200 bux on the re050a pole positions....i love them

 

to the OP: your mod list shows springs , but what are you doing to address camber and toe adjustment?

TefiddzZ - treadwear is virtually a useless #, as there is no industry standard

 

Close, but not quite.

RE040 (Come stock on 2006 350Z non-GT)

RE050A (Come stock on 2006 350Z Grand Touring and All 2007 350Z)


Just to add my 2 cents, I've been running on RE050A's for over 11k miles and while they aren't brand new they still grip quite well. I'm not sure how far down the tread is, but as long as I'm careful when driving in colder conditions I think they'll last me at least to 16k or approx. 1 year. Not the longest lifespan and probably deserving of the "fair" rating, but by then any Z owner should have bought aftermarket wheels and tires anyhow.

I tend to run around 40psi which has worked well, but psi is something people should experiment with to see what suits their own driving style.