Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R

[///Mobbin]

Originally Posted by 8600RPM

What pressure did you end up finding worked best? I am finding 38 psi hot seems good

38 psi hot is where I ended up though I think this could vary slightly based on the track, outside temperature, and driver.

[8600RPM]

Was that roughly 33 cold? I know it varies but roughky?I think I did 32 or 33 cold

[///Mobbin]

Originally Posted by 8600RPM

Was that roughly 33 cold? I know it varies but roughky?I think I did 32 or 33 cold

Between 28-30 cold. Lots of variables here though so really need to jump out and test pressures just after parking to get an idea of where things are at. I also like to see how close I am getting to the wear indicator triangles on the side walls. If you are wearing past them you can add pressure back to prevent that.

Here's a good example of where the wear should fall (borrowed image):

[///Mobbin]

Front tire after 6 sessions at COTA:

[z3papa]

Originally Posted by ///Mobbin

Front tire after 6 sessions at COTA:

That is down right impressive wear there. I would have thought it would be much more. Thanks. Gives me confidence going into next year as I'm taking the "track days, here I come" approach. I've many in the past but held off for concerns of roasting fronts.

[///Mobbin]

Originally Posted by z3papa

That is down right impressive wear there. I would have thought it would be much more. Thanks. Gives me confidence going into next year as I'm taking the "track days, here I come" approach. I've many in the past but held off for concerns of roasting fronts.

I agree though someone mentioned to me that COTA actually wears tires less than other tracks.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by ///Mobbin

Front tire after 6 sessions at COTA:

RF or LF? I should be able to tell by looking at it but I can't...

[///Mobbin]

Originally Posted by admranger

RF or LF? I should be able to tell by looking at it but I can't...

Pretty sure it was the left front (driver side) but not positive.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by ///Mobbin

I agree though someone mentioned to me that COTA actually wears tires less than other tracks.

This is true.

[dbyrd]

I plan to run them in the rain at TWS tomorrow. I'll report back.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by ///Mobbin

Pretty sure it was the left front (driver side) but not positive.

Ok. If it was the RF I was going to be pretty amazing, although the RF takes a beating on 16-17-18...

[ThunderMoose]

Originally Posted by admranger

Ok. If it was the RF I was going to be pretty amazing, although the RF takes a beating on 16-17-18...

My LF took the most abuse I think because of 2 and 16-17-18. Pressure was 2-3 # higher than the rest.

[Kong Sheng Han]

^ that. 2, 6, 8, and carousel, I'd guess.

[8600RPM]

I had a new set running at a pretty fast track with all right hand turns essentially, a few really hard and fast. I had pressures all hitting about 38 hot. Wear was completely even on rears and the right front. However the left front had a bit of center rib wear despite the,wear pattern was perfectly at tge,arrow inductor on the sidewall. The outside of the tire was pretty even with inside but a bit of center rib wearing. I understand usually this indicates high pressure but my right front was perfect. So I was wondering if anyone noticed a bit of center rib wear on their fronts? I run negative 1.8 camber front

[dbyrd]

Originally Posted by dbyrd

I plan to run them in the rain at TWS tomorrow. I'll report back.

These were good in the wet. I'd say better than NT-01s. Once the track dried up, I eclipsed my previous personal best by over one second with several laps in the 1:55s. Wear is better than NT-01s, too. I've been running NT-01s for the last couple of years, and I don't plan to go back. I was running them at 36 PSI hot.

[redpriest]

Originally Posted by 8600RPM

I had a new set running at a pretty fast track with all right hand turns essentially, a few really hard and fast. I had pressures all hitting about 38 hot. Wear was completely even on rears and the right front. However the left front had a bit of center rib wear despite the,wear pattern was perfectly at tge,arrow inductor on the sidewall. The outside of the tire was pretty even with inside but a bit of center rib wearing. I understand usually this indicates high pressure but my right front was perfect. So I was wondering if anyone noticed a bit of center rib wear on their fronts? I run negative 1.8 camber front

Maybe you're running too hot? FWIW with stock camber in front i corded the outside of my RE71R fairly quickly while the inner half and middle had a good chunk of meat on them. Keep an eye on them and flip if necessary.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by dbyrd

These were good in the wet. I'd say better than NT-01s. Once the track dried up, I eclipsed my previous personal best by over one second with several laps in the 1:55s. Wear is better than NT-01s, too. I've been running NT-01s for the last couple of years, and I don't plan to go back. I was running them at 36 PSI hot.

If you didn't cord those tires in a single weekend...then they should last everyone at least 4-5 weekends.

That's how my dbyrd to bigjae tire wear conversion ratio works.

[8600RPM]

So my 2nd set of re71r and I noticed the same thing that on my left front Tire, after 5 sessions on a track with all hard right turns, the middle rib wore a bit more than the outside. Have negative 1.9 front camber.. my front Tire had perfectly even wear so I don't think this is a over inflation issue but read online it seems several people,experience this. Anyone seen this themselves on these,tires?

[dbyrd]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

If you didn't cord those tires in a single weekend...then they should last everyone at least 4-5 weekends.

That's how my dbyrd to bigjae tire wear conversion ratio works.

I squarely lay the blame on the Bigjae school of drifting.

That said, I really am working on smoother inputs - especially braking. Going through a set of pads and tires in 2 weekends is killing me.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by dbyrd

I squarely lay the blame on the Bigjae school of drifting.

That said, I really am working on smoother inputs - especially braking. Going through a set of pads and tires in 2 weekends is killing me.

Part of the issue is the weight. Going from my 330Ci at 3300 lbs to my E46 M3 at its on-track peak at about 3000 lbs...it makes a significant difference. You're at the crossroads of driving a fast daily driver/track toy. Its expensive and a lot of work. I was there with my 330Ci...luckily it blew up and made the decision easy.

So you can do one of three financially sensible things...

1. Strip your car out, turn it into a track car, and trailer it.

or

2. Buy a miata.

or

3. Buy stock in tire companies.

[///Mobbin]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

So you can do one of three financially sensible things...

1. Strip your car out, turn it into a track car, and trailer it.

or

2. Buy a miata.

or

3. Buy stock in tire companies.

Or option #4 - part out, sell everything, and buy a GT4!

Seriously curious where dbyrd goes next as I'm following his lead. Also resisting the urge to call it and strip out my car, must resist ...

[dbyrd]

Originally Posted by ///Mobbin

Or option #4 - part out, sell everything, and buy a GT4!

Seriously curious where dbyrd goes next as I'm following his lead. Also resisting the urge to call it and strip out my car, must resist ...

The next step that I've been seriously considering is buying a race car in the $15-$20k range - looking at e36s or even e46s. I need a little more HP than a Miata. Then there's the trailer and truck so I'm thinking $30k total.

That said, I'll probably stick with this setup for a while. The car is as good as its going to get without tearing into it, and I still love to DD it. Also, the more I do this, the more I realize that driver-mod is most important. In the last year or so, I've taken 5 seconds off my time at both COTA and TWS with the same setup.

Sorry for the thread-jack.