Special at Tire Rack for the 8's OE tires
 

The original (original) tires for the 8 (Bridgestone Potenza RE040) which normally go for around $230 or so are on sale right now at Tire Rack for $125 each.

A lot of you always hated the OE tire for the noise and tread life, but I think 500 bucks + shipping is a somewhat decent compromise for them since they always did handle fairly well.

EDIT: Brought thread back to life from last year (2009)....special is over, and the tire is back at regular price...ouch

General Exclaims are in the same category, cheaper, and rated higher. Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport is what I decided to go with ...... so far, so good. Those crappy RE040 are discounted for a reason :).

The RE760s seem fairly priced, but with such a high treadwear rating (340), I can't imagine what kind of sacrifice is made when you're trying to do some high speed cornering. Also the General Exclaims you suggested are rated even higher at 380!

Even though the RE040s are noisy as hell and only last about 25k miles (if you're lucky), I still think they're a steal for under 600 bucks considering their handling ability.

TireRack's own testing and customer online survey results for the RE760 speak for themselves :Peace: .

One man's trash is another man's treasure :) .

Those tire tests do NOT compare anything to the RE40s and the surveys are of very limited comparative value.

They don't compare based on what? You've driven with RE040s and RE760s?

Here's an opinion from an RX-8 owner who has had both from TireRack:

"These tires are far better than the OEM re-040. They grip excellent and are quiet and smooth. they say not to drive in near 0 temps because they don't grip as well, but that's not true, I've driven at -9 Celsius. However I would not recommend driving in snow or on ice because they are a summer tire only. I will give and update when there are more miles on these tires".

One clueless owner's opinion matters not, Cited. Dry grip-wise, the all season 760s are not in the same league as the 040s. A long time ago one or two drivers here expressed their negative opinions about the stock tires and then all the other sheep follow. Contrary to what they say, Kumhp SPTs, Eagle F1 all seasons, and whatever other mediocre rubber they mention do not come close to - let alone exceed - the handling from the stock tread.

Try them yourself - fresh rubber vs fresh. Not worn-to-the-belts OEMs against insert tire of the month here.

Based on anything--the RE40s weren't even in the comparison tests you cited.
No, I have no need or desire to drive a 340 treadware tire. It has no relevance on my estimation of the abilities of the RE40s. They were a great dry traction summer tire. Not so good in the wet, especially the colder wet, noisy as they wear, which they do quickly, as should be expected from a 140 treadware tire. They're now close-out priced comparably to the Kumho SPTs. If someone's looking for dry traction, they could do a whole lot worse in that price range.

The fact that TireRack customer ratings put the RE040 at #38 of 39 tires on their UHP tire survey results list, where the RE040 ratings are based on 554 submissions says nothing to you guys apparently. Oh, yeah, I forgot, they were all dumb sheep that submitted those survey responses.

:bsflag: All season? Try Ultra High Performance Summer tire - same as the beloved RE040s.

I have a new set of RE760s on my car now which replaced my RE040s. I have not noticed any difference in performance.

I wish you'd put some substance behind that hot air aside from this lame statement:

I never said they compared RE040s to RE760s, did I?

The RE760s have 340 treadwear rating so they must not be any good :Wconfused, never mind the results of TireRack's own testing compared to other tires within the same category?

Hey Bridgestone, re-mark these tires with 180 treadwear and you'll have a few more customers :rofl:

I'm sure lots of customers can't tell the difference between a 140 and a 340 treadware tire. And most customers prefer long tread life anyway. I don't think your RE760s are bad tires, nor did I say so. If I was in the market for a 340 tire, I'd probably buy them, but I want higher performance, and I can tell the difference.

I never understood the 040 bashing. Not the best tire in the world, but far from the worst. They were a little twitchy in the rain, but other than that I think Mazda did pretty good by choosing the 040.

FWIW, I've had the 040s, Toyo T1-Rs, Dunlop Star Specs, and now Toyo R1-Rs. I'd say the 040s were right in there with the T1-Rs. A good tire fore sure, and at $125 a fantastic deal.

On the other hand, the Kumho XS can be had for $167...

Me either. I enjoyed them while the lasted. I probably got 25k+ out of them (I have snow tires too).

Now those are in a whole other category of Extreme Performance. More performance than I choose to afford right now or need. :). Have you heard good things about them?

George, how would you compare your T1Rs with your Star Specs? I've had the T1Rs on my Miata but am now thinking about the Star Specs for my 8. I'm hoping they'll be every bit as good as the RE40s in the dry if not considerably better and much better in the wet. I was considering the EXs but have heard they aren't as good in the wet, especially as it gets a little cool. Tire Rack's tests should be out invthe next weekk or so.

Yes, they have been tested by Grassroots Motorsports in an autocross setting and were found to be faster than the Star Specs, the Toyo R1-Rs, the Bridgestone RE-1s and RE-11s, and the Falken Azenis. Basically, they won the comparison.

However, this was on a Miata and not an RX-8. And, the Miata had a STS suspension, which means coilovers, stiffer sways, etc. And, the Star Specs had a taller sidewall than the rest. So, how meaningful the test is for and RX-8 driver remains to be seen. Suffice to say they are all very grippy and very fast.

:Peace: Cool! So you'd buy RE040s again over any other tires at the same price point if you need tires today? What would you get if the RE040s were not on sale?

Um, I think you just answered all my questions above in your previous post while I was typing .... :).

The Star Specs are a significant step up from the T1-Rs, performance-wise. The Dunlops are super sticky. There is a reason they are one of the favored tires for street-tire class autocrossing. You'll never find the T1-Rs in that same league.

On the other hand, I liked the T1-Rs better than the Star Specs from a subjective standpoint. The T1-Rs have great turn-in and feel alive. The Star Specs have a slightly wooden feel to them. Nothing terrible, but I missed the T1-Rs, subjectively speaking, when I went with the Star Specs, at least for street driving. It just depends on how you get your jollies.

I should say that both the Toyos and Dunlops were 245/40-18s, on 18x8.5 wheels. The Toyos in this size are marked as having a reinforced sidewall, so I'm not sure how other sizes would handle. I also found that I didn't like the Toyos on the OEM 8" wide rims - they really needed the 8.5" rim to come into their own.

I guess I'm picky on the street, subjectively speaking.

[edit] And yes, early reports from the autocross crowd is saying that the XS is not the best rain tire out of the bunch. One of the reasons I went with R1-Rs for this season.

They were OK for OEM tires. They were good on the track. But, I only got 10K miles out of mine. And, I spun the car on a wet interstate @ 70 mph when the temperature was about 30 F. Those tires just don't like the cold, wet or snow. I only got 10K on the tires because after the spin, I got rid of those tires. I wouldn't have them on my car any more.

Ranked 1st by GRM in their recent auto-x test. Great dry performance. Tire Rack's more comprehensive tests should be out in a week or so.

After I read what people were saying here, I did not bother to even trying the RE040s in cold for fear of dying since my 8's a daily driver.

What tires do you have on your 8 and how do you like them?

My car handles great with Dunlop Winter Sport M3s.

I initially ordered Star Specs, but then decided against them in favor of the more economical higher treadwear lesser performing RE760s since my 8's my daily driver.

Yes, I agree, driving a summer performance tire at below freezing temperatures on a wet freeway at 70 mph is not a good idea.

But anyway, if that is a common thing for you, then there are other tires out there that are a better choice. I drove my 040s until they wore out and never had a problem with unexpected spins. Although I never drove the car much in below freezing temps.

No, not at all, but I am tempted at this price point to get a couple since I have a couple more in my garage that have decent tread left. I was saying I would strongly consider the 760s if I was looking for a 340 treadwear tire.

I was switching between Falken Azenis in the summer and Pirelli PZero Nero M&S in the winter (on the stock wheels). I gave up and just started running the Pirelli's after the Falkens wore out. The Pirelli's are now worn out and I chose Continental ExtremeContact (all season) for the car. They are great in the snow. Better than the Pirelli's. Not as grippy in the dry. The Goodyear F1 All Seasons may be next.
When I start tracking again, I will have a set of dedicated wheels for that.

So is mine--all the more reason to have great tires to enjoy my commute, but I happen to have an ideal commute over 'mountain' roads.

I too am thinking of a higher-wearing tire to drive on the street daily, and after perusing Tire Rack, I came up with Goodyear Eagle F1 all-seasons. They seem well liked in the review section, are priced reasonably, and should wear better than the gumballs. And, handle sub-freezing temps OK.

Haven't taken that plunge yet, however.

Great Minds think alike.

Seems like a good choice based on ratings and price. Did you see the $50 rebate? I was going to suggest the Bridgestone RE960AS, but they're more expensive ... and um, nevermind - not so good in light snow, but wait, better than the Goodyear Eagle F1 if snow's a factor.

I vow to never again buy all-season tires. At least not for any of my cars--the wife drives an SUV so that's another story.

Hah! Indeed.:cool:

We had a nearly 3-week solid bout of below-freezing temps here in Portland last winter. The RX-8, on Star Specs, stayed parked in the driveway and I drove the Outback around instead.

So, I know the feeling, but I've found that I care less about ultimate grip on the street. While autocrossing, that's a different story. But on the street I want fun more than pure speed. And, with the autocross tire-budget always looming, I need tires that will last a little longer for daily driving. So I will probably compromise next time around.

I think the funnest car I ever had on the street was a '95 miata with a very stiff suspension (JICs setup for R-compound autocrossing) running 195 section Toyo T1-Rs. The JICs were too much spring for the Toyos, and grip was compromised. But oh-man, control was fantastic. Gentle drifts were trivial to execute and quite addictive. Not the fastest setup, but very fun.

One of the illuminati over at Miata.net is telling me that he's driven his Star Specs in 18 degree weather without problems ... as long as he drives carefully at first to warm them up. I've done that with my T1Rs and SPTs but, I dunno, don't want to crack the rubber. I have a set of Wintersports on my stock Miata wheels so it becomes my beater when it snows.
I compromised last time and got the SPTs (not all-seasons, mind you, but the SPTs) and I regretted it from the very first day. Don't do it, George. LOL.

Thanks for the feedback - perhaps I should get a set of the 040s while they are cheap.

And, to add a bit of clarity, the reason the RX-8 stayed parked was the huge (for us) amount of snow that built up over that period. We had some nasty driving conditions. Saw a Camry high-centered on a berm created at a railroad crossing, and the manhole covers built up these silos of ice that were just plain dangerous. And the ruts on Christmas day on the secondary road gave the Outback issues, even on studs.

Most likely based upon their high cost ($200+ per tire our size). I would definitely pick a different UHP tire if that was my budget, and based on their cost vs comparably priced tires would also rate them lower no doubt. 37 out of 39 tires deserving to be ranked higher (exclusive of price)? No way.
Tire retailers like to label many tires UHP, doesn't mean that they are. For example, 6 or so years ago a salesman at a local retailer tried to tell me that he would put the Bridgestone 750 up against any other UHP tire; I was in there asking for pricing on the Potenza S-02s and was totally dumbstruck at his "knowledge".
Could be that you're comparing a worn/aged tire vs fresh set. Not a fair fight, because as you know tires' grip fades immensely when they're close or down to the wear bars.

I totally agree with your logic! The ol' all(true HP tire) or nothing(dedicated snow tire) adage holds true --- at least for performance cars.

Btw, I've heard that the Star Specs sidewalls may be a bit too soft. What's your take since you've owned 'em before?

George has owned them before, not me, but I'll probably be buying them next week.

I wouldn't say the Star Specs have a soft sidewall, like the old Toyo T1-S. I wouldn't say it is an overly-stiff sidewall either. It seems reasonable in that area.

Again, my only complaint is that they feel a little "wooden" or dead. That's the only criticism I have. Beyond that, they are fast, don't heat cycle out, do well in the rain, and are a good bit cheaper than the Bridgestone or Yok equiv. Honestly, most people probably won't even notice/care about the feel. The Kumho XS is cheaper still, but rain performance would keep me away, based on what I've heard so far.

Though I'm not a big Kumho fan I'll admit the XS does look interesting, and if GRM's ranking of first holds true a price of 160 something each seems pretty good relative to the competition. Hopefully its sidewall is considerably stiffer than what I've heard about its predecessor.

RE040s are awful in anything other than dry weather.

Don't get too hung up on the tread wear rating on tires of different brands. These are subjective ratings and only valuable when comparing tires of the same company. A 340 rating on brand A "may" wear out faster than a 280 rating on brand B.

I recently replaced my RE040's with the General Exclaim UHPs. I chose the Exclaims mainly because of price and the survey ratings on the TireRack site. I've only had them for 2 weeks but so far have found them extremely quiet compared to the RE040s. They are also fantastic in the rain. The Exclaims are rated as "all season" tires, but are not meant to be driven in snow. So in reality they are "3 season" tires. One area the RE040's shine in comparison to the Exclaims is feel. With the RE040's, the 8 had fantastic handling, best described as knife edge handling. The Exclaims feel very soft compared to that; the knife edge handling is gone, which is the best attribute of the 8.

So far I am not unhappy with the Exclaims. They are a good compromise tire, and for the price, they can't be beat.

wow,

i am going to make a simple star spec point.

i have about 8 k miles on a set.. and 5 track days. they are very very good tires.. and also very good in the wet.

they surprised my instructor when he drove my car..

the point is if you live where it gets below 50 deg. not the tire for you. period..

if you dont track dont bother.. but great tire..

it is a waste of money.. if you dont track the car.. simple.

beers :beer:

It's true that tire companies do their own UTQG testing or pay to have it done by independent labs so there is some variation in test implentation and interpretation or even spin (no pun intended), but it is not purely subjective. Furthermore, there can be consequences for false ratings. A difference between 140 and 340 cannot be fabricated and is meaningful.

I wasn't trying to start a huge argument on whether the RE040s are quality tires or not, but the bottom line is $125 a piece for these is a steal in my opinion, especially if you live in hot as hell states like me. This deal couldn't have come at a better time for me cause I just finished my S-03s.

That's what I've missed for the last year. My SPTs just are not comparable in the dry.
Would you recommend a cheaper tire that really handles as well in the dry as the stock RE040s? I think it's an extravagance, perhaps, but not a waste of money, at least not to me, but that's pretty subjective and I have a great 'mountain' commute and hardly ever drive on boring Interstates.

With a mountain commute get fun tires! I wish I was so lucky.

As long as it never snows or ices over on those roads, anyway.

On those days I drive my Miata with Wintersports. Lightweight cars are better in snow--don't need as much traction. Sir Isaac Newton would drive a Miata.

i think the star spec just for the street driving is a waste of money. you cant really get enough heat in them to make them yummy..

at least and be reasonable person driving on roads with others. but i will say they are just fine on the street.. they have not got loud. and lord knows i have got the rain test out of the way the last three days! :(

i think the for sale tires mentioned in this thread are a great deal.. but i would choose something different for the street. they just get to loud to fast.

have not decided it i am just going to burn the rest of the star specs off, street and track. or mount some old kumho spts that i have for the steet. and use the 01r that i have for the track..

beers :beer:

SPTs don't compare with the RE040s in the dry, not even close.

that is correct.

but for me as a daily driver tire it is more than enough for the streets of fla.. :)

beers :beer:

As others have noted, I too think the Star Specs are very loud. Even brand new. I had seen these comments ahead of time, but I was still surprised at how loud they are, much louder than the RE40s were when old and worn. I can live with this since the traction is fantastic. I am really enjoying these tires but don't recommend them if you want a nice quiet commuter tire. Maybe I still have them inflated on the high side and they will be quieter when I try some lower pressure.

The Star Specs were a great tire for AutoX. Since cording those (and having to buy a new set of street tires) I switched to the Ecsta XS and I really like it. The sidewall seems a bit stiffer and it retains most if not all of the star spec grip. Granted my Dunlops were greasy as hell by the time I was finished with them so I am trying to compare the XS to what my Star Specs were like months and months ago.

As for the RE040's I did not like them even new. I actually managed to snag a set new from a friend of mine's 2008 RX-8 because he immediately upsized but ended up getting rid of them because they really are a tired old tire (ha ha, don't mind the pun). I replaced them with the S3s and am much happier. My girlfriend has the Exclaim UHP on her 8 and I gotta say they grip hard and are smooth but the turn-in response is akin to an econobox. I don't really know why Tire Rack has them rated so highly. So for this price point I would definitely go back to the stock 'stones but only if I couldn't afford a newer tech tire.