NA2 NSX-R Tires are different than 2008 S2000 CR Tires

[Ben]

So, I just got back from Japan, with a pair of front Bridgestone Potenza RE070 H0s for the NSX-R in my luggage. I was so proud of myself, thinking I would now just order the rear RE070s from the 2008 S2000 CR to complete the set.

Wrong, as I just found out today after checking out an S2000 CR. :frown:

The RE070s on the NSX-R are unique to the NSX-R and are different from the S2000 CR.

The NSX-R's RE070s are the "H0" model, and are corner and orientation specific. They are marked inside, outside, and rotation direction, and the sticker on them say "For Honda NSX-R use". They are also marked "H0" after "RE070".

The S2000 CR's RE070s are the normal model, and can be flipped left and right, just as they can on the STI and Civic Type-R, and are simply marked "Outside", with no rotation direction.

I can't speculate as to what the difference is between normal and H0 models are, but perhaps it's in the sidewall, tread composition, etc., designed specifically with the NSX in mind.

So, if you want a set of NSX-R tires, the entire set of 4 still needs to come from Japan. Will have to bring the rears with me on my next trip to complete the set.

 

[Hugh]

Why go through all that trouble for tires? Especially when the Goodyear F1-GSD3 is a better tire and easily available!

 

[Ben]

Why go through all that trouble for tires? Especially when the Goodyear F1-GSD3 is a better tire and easily available!

Can you point me to the data which shows that the F1-GSD3 is a better tire?

 

[NSXknight]

Nice! Didn't know you could bring tires as luggage :biggrin:

 

[Ben]

Nice! Didn't know you could bring tires as luggage :biggrin:

You can pretty much bring anything you want as long as it's within the max weight limits, and not an illegal/controlled substance, contents under pressure, combustible, etc.

Among other things, I've brought rims & tires, cases of motor oil, furniture, 21" CRT monitors, fishtanks, cases of wine, electronic items, toolboxes w/ tools, random car parts, glassware, and small appliances as luggage before.

Tires actually was one of the easier things to bring, because you don't have to worry about it breaking or getting scratched when they throw it.

 

[WingZ]

Why go through all that trouble for tires? Especially when the Goodyear F1-GSD3 is a better tire and easily available!

The Goodyears are nowhere near close to the RE070 in terms of performance. The RE070's are pretty close to being an R compound tire for the street. Goodyears are good but not that good. They're a high performance tire for the street and just okay at the track.

 

[Hothonda]

Ben...What about the RE040's that came on '05's OEM? (at least mine did)

 

[Ben]

Ben...What about the RE040's that came on '05's OEM? (at least mine did)

What about the RE040s? Those are the standard non-R tire for 2002-2005. They're readily available in the US, no need to bring them from Japan.

 

[EndLeSS]

You know, I was wondering about a similar thing the past week.
Thanks for the clarification

On Tire Rack the Potenza RE070s are rated pretty poorly, and I was thinking that can't be right, because they are on the NSX-R.
I was then wondering if they were the RE070 Pole Positions, which is better rated.

I guess, it turns out that they are unique tires, like the Advan A046's for the Lancer Evolution.

 

[Hothonda]

What about the RE040s? Those are the standard non-R tire for 2002-2005. They're readily available in the US, no need to bring them from Japan.

Don't like them? I'm getting ready to replace my rears @9K....the RE010's
that came on '01's and earlier NSX's (along with Yokos on some cars) were
toast at 6K. I've been happy with the RE040.

 

[socalx]

steve,

like you I like the OEM RE040's. I just brought a brand new set for my 2005 a couple of weeks ago.(there are 4 specific part numbers for each corner of the car) I don't think ben is doing this because of not liking the Re04's but more as a desire to get the rare NSX-r tires that have been highly spoken of.

 

[Ben]

Don't like them? I'm getting ready to replace my rears @9K....the RE010's
that came on '01's and earlier NSX's (along with Yokos on some cars) were
toast at 6K. I've been happy with the RE040.

No, the RE040s are fine. Just wanted to try the NSX-R tires, and see what the hype was about.

 

[Hothonda]

No, the RE040s are fine. Just wanted to try the NSX-R tires, and see what the hype was about.

Oh now I understand.......so how many miles do you have on your car now Ben? (& Let us know if you can tell the diff when you get the full set on).

I changed from OEM RE010's to the OEM Yokos on one of my older NSX's (thinking I'd get more miles out of them) & I could tell the difference in the handling. The Yoko's were a harder riding tire w/sharper turn in though but at the same time gave more tram-lining than the Bridgestones. They still went the same 6-7K miles. I preferred the better riding Bridgestones. When I purchased my first new NSX in '94, I had to sign a waiver that I understood that tires would not last very long ha ha

 

[NSXGMS]

Can you point me to the data which shows that the F1-GSD3 is a better tire?

I think what he means is that on the street the RE070 isn't going to provide measurably better performance than the GS-D3. And the GS-D3 are priced much better and last much, much longer. And their performance on the track is on par with the old SO-3 and Michelin PS2 but is inferior to the RE070.

On the track I'll put the RE070 or RE040 or SO-3 or Yoko Advan or any street tire up against the dirt-cheap Falken Azenis 615-RT.

Between the GS-D3 and 615-RT I don't see why any NSX owner with stock wheels buys any other tire.

 

[Ben]

I think what he means is that on the street the RE070 isn't going to provide measurably better performance than the GS-D3. And the GS-D3 are priced much better and last much, much longer. And their performance on the track is on par with the old SO-3 and Michelin PS2 but is inferior to the RE070.

On the track I'll put the RE070 or RE040 or SO-3 or Yoko Advan or any street tire up against the dirt-cheap Falken Azenis 615-RT.

Between the GS-D3 and 615-RT I don't see why any NSX owner with stock wheels buys any other tire.

There must be a reason, otherwise, Honda would have speced either the GS-D3 or 615-RT tires as the OEM tire for both normal and Type-R NSXs if they were truly the best tires for these applications. :tongue:

 

[EndLeSS]

Between the GS-D3 and 615-RT I don't see why any NSX owner with stock wheels buys any other tire.

Well, the Potenza RE-01Rs are a better tire than the 615s, just more expensive.

 

[NSXGMS]

There must be a reason, otherwise, Honda would have speced either the GS-D3 or 615-RT tires as the OEM tire for both normal and Type-R NSXs if they were truly the best tires for these applications. :tongue:

Not necessarily. First, the GS-D3 has not been around long. I'm not sure the tire debuted until 2004 or 2005. Same for the Azenis as well I believe.

Car manufacturers don't always use the very best tire available. There's contracts, relationships and product developments involved in those decisions.

The fact remains that the GS-D3 is probably the very best all-around street tire one can buy taking all factors into consideration e.g. dry/wet performance, price, tread life and noise. And the 615-RT performs at a level just below R-compound which I would imagine is similar to the RE070 at a fraction of the price.

 

[NSXGMS]

Well, the Potenza RE-01Rs are a better tire than the 615s, just more expensive.

That's an R-compound tire not recommended for any street use as it has unsafe levels of wet traction. The 615's wet traction is nothing to write home about but it will get you home during a sprinkle where the R-comp could get you killed.

Any R-compound's performance on the street in dry conditions will also be inferior to the 615 as all R-comps are not designed for ideal traction under street temperatures. The 615s will grip measurably better on the street than any R-comp.

 

[slamstrom]

Nice! Didn't know you could bring tires as luggage :biggrin:

Put your clothes in the tire and tape 2 circular cutouts on both sides of the tire. Don't forget the make the carrying handles for the tires (opps, I meant luggage).:biggrin:

 

[WingZ]

I think what he means is that on the street the RE070 isn't going to provide measurably better performance than the GS-D3. And the GS-D3 are priced much better and last much, much longer. And their performance on the track is on par with the old SO-3 and Michelin PS2 but is inferior to the RE070.

On the track I'll put the RE070 or RE040 or SO-3 or Yoko Advan or any street tire up against the dirt-cheap Falken Azenis 615-RT.

Between the GS-D3 and 615-RT I don't see why any NSX owner with stock wheels buys any other tire.

How about the RE01R:biggrin:

No, the RE040s are fine. Just wanted to try the NSX-R tires, and see what the hype was about.

I'll let you know as soon as mine arrive. I bought a full set on YJ and am just waiting for delivery.

I'll be comparing them against the RE01R. I bought a front set of 215/40/17 RE01R from YJ as well.

I've got a track date on April 12 and then a 3 day event in St Louis.

 

[Ben]

Oh now I understand.......so how many miles do you have on your car now Ben? (& Let us know if you can tell the diff when you get the full set on).

I changed from OEM RE010's to the OEM Yokos on one of my older NSX's (thinking I'd get more miles out of them) & I could tell the difference in the handling. The Yoko's were a harder riding tire w/sharper turn in though but at the same time gave more tram-lining than the Bridgestones. They still went the same 6-7K miles. I preferred the better riding Bridgestones. When I purchased my first new NSX in '94, I had to sign a waiver that I understood that tires would not last very long ha ha

Got about 2100 miles on the car now. Not sure when I'll get around to getting the R tires on the car, since I need the rears, and I don't particularly want to pay to have them shipped. So, it will have to wait until my next Japan trip to bring the rears back.

On my old '92 NSX, I did the Bridgestone vs. Yoko thing also. Originally had the OEM Yokohama A022, and I wanted to try the Bridgestone RE010s. Although I came to the opposite conclusion that I liked the A022s a lot better than the RE010s, so they were back on the car as soon as the RE010s wore out. I actually got 12K out of the RE010s, while the A022s only gave me around 9K.

 

[EndLeSS]

That's an R-compound tire not recommended for any street use as it has unsafe levels of wet traction. The 615's wet traction is nothing to write home about but it will get you home during a sprinkle where the R-comp could get you killed.

Any R-compound's performance on the street in dry conditions will also be inferior to the 615 as all R-comps are not designed for ideal traction under street temperatures. The 615s will grip measurably better on the street than any R-comp.

Are you saying that from experience or hearsay?

Because I'm running on RE-01R's right now.

I bought the tires last month, brand new, and guess what?

The first day they were put on, it was raining here quite badly.
I was concerned about brand new tires in the rain, but you know what?

They were PERFECT in the rain at freeway speeds.
It was about a 30 mile drive home, in the rain. Not light sprinkling of rain, but actual rain where you needed to use the 2nd speed setting for your windshield wipers.
It was raining continually for the drive home, and my NSX was 100% fine. I went through a few puddles, and zero hydroplaning. Also, there was zero tracking on the cracks at freeway speeds.

They are seriously the best tires I've ran in my life. Although they were different cars, I've had the GS-D3's and Advan NEOVAs

They are sharp steering, precise, and comfortable but firm. I've got over 1000 miles on the tires already.

And where did you hear that 615's are better than the RE-01R on the street?

There was an S2000 review that said that the RE-01R's are better than the 615s in a comparison, but I haven't heard the other way around.

How about the RE01R:biggrin:

I'll let you know as soon as mine arrive. I bought a full set on YJ and am just waiting for delivery.

I'll be comparing them against the RE01R. I bought a front set of 215/40/17 RE01R from YJ as well.

I've got a track date on April 12 and then a 3 day event in St Louis.

I think you will like them.

I'm curious, how come you ordered them from YJ?
I got mine from Tire Rack for a good price.

 

[EndLeSS]

Check out the thread I started regarding the Goodyear GS-D3s (OEM NSX size) having the rears made in China, and my first review of the Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R tires:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101080

 

[WingZ]

Are you saying that from experience or hearsay?

Because I'm running on RE-01R's right now.

I bought the tires last month, brand new, and guess what?

The first day they were put on, it was raining here quite badly.
I was concerned about brand new tires in the rain, but you know what?

They were PERFECT in the rain at freeway speeds.
It was about a 30 mile drive home, in the rain. Not light sprinkling of rain, but actual rain where you needed to use the 2nd speed setting for your windshield wipers.
It was raining continually for the drive home, and my NSX was 100% fine. I went through a few puddles, and zero hydroplaning. Also, there was zero tracking on the cracks at freeway speeds.

They are seriously the best tires I've ran in my life. Although they were different cars, I've had the GS-D3's and Advan NEOVAs

They are sharp steering, precise, and comfortable but firm. I've got over 1000 miles on the tires already.

And where did you hear that 615's are better than the RE-01R on the street?

There was an S2000 review that said that the RE-01R's are better than the 615s in a comparison, but I haven't heard the other way around.




I think you will like them.

I'm curious, how come you ordered them from YJ?
I got mine from Tire Rack for a good price.

I wish I could order the fronts from Tirerack but Bridgestone doesn't import the 215/40/17 to the NA:frown: I had 235/40/17 on for my last track event of the season ,but my track suspension is too low and I was getting a lot of rub. LOL I even tore off a fender liner. So I'm trying to stick with the 215/40 as any wider rubs.

 

[EndLeSS]

I wish I could order the fronts from Tirerack but Bridgestone doesn't import the 215/40/17 to the NA:frown: I had 235/40/17 on for my last track event of the season ,but my track suspension is too low and I was getting a lot of rub. LOL I even tore off a fender liner. So I'm trying to stick with the 215/40 as any wider rubs.

I see.
I was considering running Advan Neova's on the NSX, but they didn't have them in the proper sizes for my OEM 97 wheels.
Do they carry Neova's in your size?

They're a bit rough feeling, but the dry grip on them was rediculous. They were on my 240SX, lowered on Tein coilovers, Cusco and Nismo parts all around. I had to purposely whip the rear end out to break traction. I've only broken traction once on that tire.

For the RE-01R's, I haven't done anything stupid with them, nor do I intend to.
My friend needs to get a new set of tires soon (He's in a WRX, with GS-D3s) so I strongly encouraged him to get RE-01R's.

I took him for a short ride in the NSX at night, testing out the tires for myself and him.
I was going through a 30mph turn at about 50-55mph in 4th gear with relative ease. It was a 2 lane turn. I took the turn 6 times in total, 3 left turns, 3 right turns.

And before people go crazy, this was done on with absolutely ZERO cars on the street, I checked.