ByeByeSaturn

I can't believe I didn't notice this at the dealership - I had 4 friends with me and I went over everything, so I thought.

I have Dunlop XP Sport 8090 M 225/45

I don't know if I should be pissed or not - I've heard that Dunlops are superior to Bridgestones.

Thoughts, suggestions?

Thanks

EstonRX

Mazda switched to those at some point. I picked my 8 up on Valentines day this year and I have the same tires.

WinningBlue

Sounds like the salespeople on the lot were having fun doing smoky burn out contests with the old set of Bridgestones....

Ajax

I have the bridgestones on mine.
I picked it up like.. 2 weeks ago, so I don't know why you'd have the dunlops, but aren't they supposed to handle wet weather better than the potenzas?

BIU

What are you smoking to jump to conclusions like that?

Well if you were trying to be sarcastic im sorry if i interpreted it the wrong way...


well anyhow the early 8s came with Potenzas ( RE040 ) ... and the later ones came with the Dunlops ( Sp8080 )....

no biggy... theyre both not bad

ByeByeSaturn

lol, he was totally kidding.

Anyway, my car had 5 miles on the odometer - it had just arrived from port.

Thanks for the replies fellows.

I also just read in the owner's manual that insofar as break-in is concerned, the only thing it says relative to RPMs is not to keep it over 7000 RPM for extended periods of time. So what the hell have I been *****-footing it for, waiting for 600 miles to test it over 6K, and keeping it for the most part under 4K? I know I'm hijacking, but it's my own thread

HiTMaNN

hahha i got the dunlops on mine too :D hahhaha ive been taking it eazy on the 8 just waiting till i hit 3k km and than BAAAAAAAAAAM

Ajax

I still dont understand you guys who are saying the early model 8's had potenzas. My 8 is brand new, straight off the truck and it has potenzas. I really think it's more of a regional thing.

Which is really the better tire anyway?

Gord96BRG

What's hard to understand? For the first 5 months or so, all RX-8s delivered in North America had Bridgestone Potenza RE-040 tires. Since sometime in December, RX-8s have had either the RE-040 or the Dunlop SP-8090.

Nobody knows which is better - there haven't been any back-to-back or head-to-head comparisons or instrumented tests. Don't worry about it.

Regards,
Gordon

Ajax

It's hard to understand because my car is incredibly recent. I bought it 2 weeks ago straight off the truck and it has the potenzas on it. It was manufactured just before the release of the L flash (200 cars below the VIN on L).

If I have a new car with bridgestones on it, who is to say they've stopped selling them with bridgestones.

ByeByeSaturn

Ajax, what he's saying is not that Mazda has stopped equipping the 8s with Bridgestones, but they have stopped equipping them exclusively with Bridgestones.

nt5k

What is the wear rating on the Dunlops?
I can't wait till the SuperSport SP 9000 comes out in 225/45

Ajax

Ahh! That makes sense now.

I was very confused :b

DemonRX-8

From what I've read, the wear rating is better on the Dunlops than the Bridgestones and they are as good, if not better, of a tire than the Potenzas.

Break-in is a bit more of a sticky subject, as people have varying opinions as to what the proper break-in is for the Renesis. I think the truth is that no one really knows for sure other than what Mazda says in the owner's manual. I also think the consensus is to take it easy and gradually increase rpms, which is basically what I did. Under 4000 rpms for the first 300 or so miles, then increase 1000 rpms for the each 100 miles after that. I did this up to almost 1000 miles. And no steady state cruising at one particular rpm for any extended period of time. But most people will say to let her rip at 600 miles and don't look back!

Ajax

Mazda gave me this little "Quick Tips" booklet when I bought my car. Here's what it says about break in:
"Break-in period
First 600 miles: Drive at varying road and engine speeds; avoid full throttle, rapid acceleration or kick-down of transmission. Do not use special break-in oils."
That's what i've been trying to follow.

John Corbitt

I have been running Dunlops on all of my rx-7s. As soon as I wear these Bridgestones out I will have Dunlops on my 8. For those of you who started out with the dunlops, consider yourself lucky.

John

ByeByeSaturn

Thaniks John - I do feel lucky.

I have been staying for the vast majority of the time under 4K , no extended runs over 5K, and only hit 6K once, accidentally. Haven't gotten those auxiliary ports open yet. I have 110 miles on it now. I couldn't resist today - I had to take it out in the Berkeley/Oakland hills - can you say twisties?. OMG!!! Thrill a freakin minute, and I haven't even begun to test this car because of the break-in. I even waved to a 2nd gen driver who was taking a long glance. It's like being a member of the Saturn family, only so so much cooler

KrustyKlown

I just didn't use crusie control. That was it. I am from the school of thought that you need to expose the engine to 8k - 9k once or twice a day. Not for extended period of time and not ******* it out either but just when you get the chance give it a little extra in short bursts. But that is just me.

DemonRX-8

Ha ha! Yes, I'd have to say that an 8 is one giant step for mankind cooler than a Saturn!

ByeByeSaturn

That's pretty much in line with what Mazda suggested, so you didn't do anything bad, that's for sure, and clearly you had FUN not doing anything bad. I was shocked when I read the manual today and it said just don't stay over 7K RPM for an extended period of time. I was thinking - huh? what's all this I've heard about on this forum about easing it in the first 600 miles? I know that it's hard to say that anyone is right or wrong about any of this, esp. since the suggested method of another 1K RPM per 100 miles or so is, from what I heard, suggested by Mazdaspeed. However, I won't be too hesitant now about testing 7K a few times during the break-in period.

doc.marx8

my 8 was manufactured in 1/2004, i purchased it this month and it came equipped with the dunlops. I am a potenza fan, but am equally satisfied with the dunlops as they are very quiet esp. at high speeds. i forgot how quiet a coupe actually is, esp. the build quality of the 8, Ive driven the rx-7 convertible for the last 15 years and became accustomed to the turbulent sound at 80+ mph, the new 8 was a refreshing change!

Nubo

The Dunlops' treadwear rating is significantly higher.

After reading about the suicidal handling of the Potenzas in any amount of snow or even cold pavement, I would hope the Dunlops would be at least a little better though I haven't seen any real information on that. I haven't driven in any snow in the 8 years I've lived here, but it does drop below freezing once in a while and I did witness one freak snow squall. I'd like to NOT die if there's ever one when I'm on the road. Somehow I don't think buying snow tires is a rational way to handle 15 minutes of snow every 10 years.

weiweiwei

what about doing all the downshifting rev matching for break in period

emailists

Didn't someone mention in anaother thread of this same type (one I may have started) that he had the potenza's and then test drove a car with the dunlop's and thought the potenza's handled much better. this was in dry weather of course- I believe the dunlops will handle better in rain and will wear better. I had the potenz'a on my first 8 and dunlop on my 2nd (which was made on dec 3rd) SInce I never drove them back to back (7 weeks in between cars- then a few weeks of mellow break in driving) it was hard to compare, but my guesse was the potenza's did handle better- but of course there was the weather change- so I can't really say.

I did notice this however- with the potenza's I had gotten the car in august- in the fall one night I had the car parked out on the street for a few hours- it wasn't even cold- maybe 60- when I started driving- I thought I had driven through an oil slick or something- the traction seemed to be so much worse than I was used to- and it never got better- what I realized a few months later after reading about the tires was that the temperture affected them so greatly, as they were a summer compound. We'll have to see how the dunlops behave in cold vs. warm- anyone have any comparisons.

Gord96BRG

I wouldn't count on the Dunlops being any better. The very poor performance on snow is certainly not unique to the RE-040 Bridgestones - it's common to ALL max performance summer tires, no matter the brand. When the Dunlop SP8000s first came out they were leading the pack for dry performance, but had the same knocks about winter performance - even worse, because they became slick and lost most grip at any temperatures near freezing, without having snow on the ground! The newer SP-8090 are probably better than the older Dunlops on dry cold pavement, but do not count on using them on snow safely.

For the rare snow squall - leave the car parked rather than taking a huge risk trying to make it home! Take a cab, bum a ride, get a hotel, whatever it takes, don't drive performance summer tires (again, any brand) on snow.

Regards,
Gordon