Bridgestone RE050

[tosugrad]

So I need new front tires. My local shop says the RE040s are out of manufacturing. They say the replacement is the RE050.

I see TireRack still sells the 040s but not the 050s.

Anyone had any luck with the 050s? Are they better than the 040s?

Wondering what to do.

My rears are 040s and probably have 5k left on them (=2 years).

Thanks!

 

[Osiris_x11]

Bridgestone, FTW!

RE050A Pole Position > RED50A > RE50

Yes, the sizing is a bit weird on the RE050 lineup.

IMHO, RE050A Pole Position is on par w/ the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 / Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 / Pirelli P-Zero Rossa.

 

[nsxtasy]

The RE050 is not a replacement for the RE040. The RE040 is the OEM tire for the '02-05 NSX-T and, like the OEM tires for earlier years, is corner-specific.

If I still had plenty of tread left on the rear RE040, and I were happy with its performance, I'd just get a pair of front RE040, to keep the tires matched.

 

[austrian type-R]

The RE050 A is one of the best performance tires you can get for the street. The RE040 sucks in compare to the RE050, especialy in rain the RE040 can not keep up with the RE050 A.

 

[tosugrad]

I was thinking of moving to the RE050 As up front then, when the rears wear, moving to them in back.

Any size issues with the 050As?

 

[Osiris_x11]

I was thinking of moving to the RE050 As up front then, when the rears wear, moving to them in back.

Any size issues with the 050As?

That's a wise strategy, considering your circumstances. Max' performance tires generally last twice as long on the fronts as they do on the rearswhen the NSX is concerned.

Also, if someone was to mix/mis-match tires on a NSX, it's generally suggested to go w/ the most similar style of tire in terms of brand (Bridgestone), make (Potenza RE050) model (RE050A / RE050A Pole Position), classification (Max' summer performance), rating (Z), etc'.


Regarding size, I assume you're using '02+ OEM NSX wheels? Then, therein lies a predicament!

* 'Bridgestone Potenza RE050A' has 215/40ZR-17, but not 255/40ZR-17.

* 'Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position' has 255/40ZR-17, but not 215/40ZR-17.

For my 17x7/17x9 wheels, I went w/ RE050A Pole Position (F) 205/45ZR-17 & (R) 255/40ZR-17 w/o any significant/major consequences regarding TCS, speedo', or rubbing.

 

[nsxtasy]

The RE050 A is one of the best performance tires you can get for the street. The RE040 sucks in compare to the RE050, especialy in rain the RE040 can not keep up with the RE050 A.

Wow, I don't agree at all.

Have you actually used the sizes of the RE040 made for the NSX? Because the RE040 varies in design for each of the cars it's made for, based on the car manufacturer's specifications. The RE040 made for the NSX are not the same as the RE040 made for other cars. In fact, the RE040 for the NSX is the only corner-specific version of the RE040. So if you've tried the RE040 on some other car, that experience is not necessarily translatable to the NSX.

As for rain traction, the big differentiator with these two tires will be tread depth. If you tried an RE040 which was more worn than an RE050A (less tread depth), it won't grip as well in rain; similarly, an RE050A with less tread depth won't grip as well as an RE040 with more.

 

[austrian type-R]

My Cousin had the RE040 on his Mazda RX8 and it was terrible.