I heard from a lot of people that the Hankook RS3 are some really great sticky tires. I would get these in a heartbeat but my friend works at Bridgestone and can get me 30% off any Bridgestone/Firestone tires.

So my question is, what Bridgestone/Firestone tires are comparable or better than the Hankook RS3?

Thanks!

 

Although I run Hankook EVO V12'S,I have several friends that have RS3'S on their Z'S.
They love e'm.I've driven their cars and honestly,cannot tell much difference from my
V12'S which are terrific.Possibly on the track they will really show their stuff.
As far as price goes,Hankook usually runs promos on their tires.Possibly the price difference on the the discount you may get on the Bridgestone's may be offset by a deal on the Hankook's?

 

There arent any firestones or bridgestones that come into the same class as the RS3s... The best tire would be the Bridgestone RE-11 which was king of the street tires once a while back, but has since had many tires exceed it while bridgestone doesnt improve anything but thier profits margins. Even with the discounts, the RS3s or Dunlap Direzza Z1 Star Specs (my personal favorite) could still possibly be cheeper then the RE11s.

Discount Tire Direct is a great place to pick up the RS3. Free shipping.
TireRack is the ONLY place you can get Z1 StarSpecs.

 

I also mention those two cause i use my car really hard... autoX, track, and weekly dragon runs. They are extreme performence tires. If you dont need extreme performence, its not for you. They last around 3000 miles.

Back to hankook, The Ventus V12 is a great performing tire, i just would never try to track with it. Probally would be my favorite DD tire if i didnt run PS2s.

 

Where are you getting this information and what street tires have exceeded the RE-11? The Bridgestone RE-11 is still the #1 ranked tire in the extreme performance summer category on tirerack.com. Aside from the Toyo R888, I haven't heard of any other street tires that consistently outperform, outgrip, or "exceed" the RE-11.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ay.jsp?type=EP

 

What do you use the car for? Won't you still pay tax on the BS if your friend works at a local place, negating some of that 30%? If you don't use your car for much "stuff", I'd get one of the cheaper Bridgestones and apply the discount. The RS3s, however, are incredible in the warm weather.

 

I thought R888s aren't "street" tires given their treadwear rating of 100, iirc. Isn't the cut off 140? Also, the tirerack surveys and lists are made with bunch of people rating the tires that they've used. While I'm not trying to knock it, I'm sure many people just give ratings based on their limited experience and are rather easily swayed by others' reviews (read: should be taken with a grain of salt).

Either way, RE-11s are the only ones comparable to R-S3s and Star Specs.

 

Agreed.

 

V12 vs RS3 is like compairing a Z to a GTR. Both are good , but one is so much faster. I have a set of each tires on my wheels right now.

 

Thanks for all the input guys. Post #3 said the RS3s only last 3,000 miles? Is that an exaggerated number? I realize they won't last 30,000 miles but I thought they would last at least 12,000-15,000. I only go to the drag strip once every 2 or 3 months and only get 2 or 3 runs in when I do go.

 

A bit of a stretch...faster going where?
For everyday driving city,interstates etc I don't see much difference.If your car is set up with an aggressive suspension,some time on the track,the RS3
is a better choice.

 

^ There's a very noticeable difference between V12s and R-S3s. If all you do is daily drive on them, of course, you won't notice any difference at all. Once the R-S3s get a little heat in them, it's a no contest between the two.

As for how long the R-S3s last, they'll last a lot more than 3,000 miles if you're daily driving on them.

If you're looking to drag race, then none aforementioned tires are meant for that type of motorsport. While they won't be the best, they'll still do better than most of the other tires. If all you're doing is daily driving and you're relatively serious about drag racing, then you may want to look into drag radials instead.

 

They only lasted me 3000 miles cause that is all i did on them.... They will last longer ofcourse DDing them.

The R888 is just pretty much a street legal R Comp. Almost as sticky as a RA1.

I know im a little biased because i just dislike bridgestone tires. I know the RE-11 is a great tire, but it isnt better then the RS3 or Z1 and is a bit more expensive in specific sizes. But that is one thing the RE11 does have is great choices in sizes that the Z1 and RS3 lacks. I just cant justify the cost difference for something that is just as good.

Again with an autocrossing state of mind, I do believe that the RE11 likes heat and needs that little bit to be that optimum tire, Where i have found that the Z1s dont and are grippy when warm, but can get pretty greasy if hot....i usually autoX on a really slick cambered course too so idk.

If you arent autocrossing every other weekend, get the V12... you will still be blown away. There isnt a Bridgestone or Firestone that i would put on my car for DD use.