The 195/55R15 Tyre Thread

GRAHAM WALLIS said:
Not listed in 195 60 15 so it looks like its happened again, as soon as you find a decent tyre they discontinue it!
If the Re002s work well at the autocross on Sunday I may buy two more.
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Dont forget a re002 in 195/55/15 is not realy 195mm wide.
More like about 203, so i doubt the 55 bit is very accurate either.

It might be stating the bleeding obvious here, but 195/55/r15 is a great size to run and one that will hopefully be around for a while in high performance guise, because there were so many early 2000 hot hatches that used them as their OE size...Clio sport, honda type r to name a couple.

Jo
 
GRAHAM WALLIS said:
Not listed in 195 60 15 so it looks like its happened again, as soon as you find a decent tyre they discontinue it!
If the Re002s work well at the autocross on Sunday I may buy two more.
Click to expand...

I think that you are wrong. I was just having a look at the Bob Jane RE 003 size list for another purpose & there 195/60-15 was (third down the list).

cheers! Peter
 
Thanks I just checked the Bridgestone web site.
I am after as much ground clearance as I can get, the reason for the upsize.
Also, the car looks much better with taller tyres, fills the wheel arches better.
405s always look undertyred but no complaints as to how they work both in the Mi16 and the base models.

After trying these tyres they are a lot different to the 195 50 RE002s on my S1 205 GTi.
Much softer and better riding but no where near the response, should work well on dirt though, the reason I bought them.
The events I'm running require the use of road tyres only, sure the tread isn't that open but nothing is these days, the old days of Michelin MXTs are long gone. I reckon the tread compound is just as important, if not more important anyway, and with a low wear rating of 220 these are quite soft.
These tyres are made in Indonesia, the 195 50s made in Thailand.


4cvg said:
I think that you are wrong. I was just having a look at the Bob Jane RE 003 size list for another purpose & there 195/60-15 was (third down the list).

cheers! Peter
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GRAHAM WALLIS said:
<snip>

After trying these tyres they are a lot different to the 195 50 RE002s on my S1 205 GTi.
Much softer and better riding but no where near the response,
<snip>
These tyres are made in Indonesia, the 195 50s made in Thailand.
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hmm! thanks for that.

I wonder if the "tautness" difference is a matter of size more than structure; I find it hard to believe that Bridgestone would play around with the Adrenalin reputation by making the 003 a soggier structure. Mind you, others have done that sort of thing but usually with tyres in a more rolling resistance sensitive class.

I doubt that the difference has anything to do with place of manufacture; Bridgestone would have a specification profile for the type which each team would achieve.

cheers! Peter
 
Yes, the size I would think and different cars too.


4cvg said:
hmm! thanks for that.

I wonder if the "tautness" difference is a matter of size more than structure; I find it hard to believe that Bridgestone would play around with the Adrenalin reputation by making the 003 a soggier structure. Mind you, others have done that sort of thing but usually with tyres in a more rolling resistance sensitive class.

I doubt that the difference has anything to do with place of manufacture; Bridgestone would have a specification profile for the type which each team would achieve.

cheers! Peter
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The 50 series tyres were very direct from new and still hardly used, the car is waiting for a use but in the meantime I should put them on the 309.

4cvg said:
Being newer & deeper treaded would not have helped either. Peter
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GRAHAM WALLIS said:
The 50 series tyres were very direct from new and still hardly used, the car is waiting for a use but in the meantime I should put them on the 309.
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quite so! unlike a good red wine, tyres do not improve with age (sadly for many classic cars owners).

cheers! Peter
 
Another interesting drive report from the same pre-release Bridgestone Australia event for the RE003.

http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/...-re003-review-read-to-win-a-50-off-tyre-deal/

Of particular interest with this one is that the writer has named up the competitor tyres. Jo Proffi might well be interested to read the comparison with the PS3 on one test. I was certainly interested to read the wet comparison with the excellent Conti SC5.

cheers! Peter
 
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I just put a new set of RE003s on my 205 replacing a set of RE001s which were absolutely shocking in the wet but were fantastic in the dry. If I had of come back here and read this thread first I probably wouldn't have made the same decision based on what some have said about 'sogginess' etc. But I'm now glad I didn't!

I gave them a good hiding over the weekend on the Old Pacific Hwy and the Wollombi road in the wet and dry and I am loving them :)

Pat
 
patpug said:
I just put a new set of RE003s on my 205 replacing a set of RE001s which were absolutely shocking in the wet but were fantastic in the dry. If I had of come back here and read this thread first I probably wouldn't have made the same decision based on what some have said about 'sogginess' etc. But I'm now glad I didn't!

I gave them a good hiding over the weekend on the Old Pacific Hwy and the Wollombi road in the wet and dry and I am loving them :)

Pat
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My wife's Forester was up for some new tyres a while ago & I was thinking of fitting Conti's PremiumContact2. Although not by any means a notably crisp tyre, my motivation was primarily wet grip. As it turned out, one of the bloggers in the above RE003 preview links identified the comparison tyre in the wet discipline as the Conti SportContact5. That tyre is wonderful in the wet & given the RE002's mediocre wet performance, I thought it to be a very daring choice of a rival by Bridgestone. The RE003 was considered to be the equal of the SC5 - praise indeed!

Even though it seemed a bit like "gilding the lily", I switched from the (much used & liked by me on other vehicles) PC2 to the RE003 (decision helped by a Bridgestone "4 for price of 3" promotion).

The size is 215/60-16. Despite being full tread compared to the worn old tyres (mediocre Bridgestone SUV tyres fitted by the previous owner) the increase in turn-in response was very noticeable on the same pressures. So the tyre's structure is having it operate well at unusually low slip angles. My wife complained of it handling worse than previously & it emerged that it was this eagerness that was the unliked symptom. I lowered the front pressures by 3 psi & the issue was resolved.

I haven't seen a formal test of the RE003 yet but my anecdotal report would be: crisp tyre with splendid (braking & lateral) wet grip & good limit behaviour. Purchase with confidence, I suggest - if these are your priorities.

cheers! Peter
 
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If only Z1 Star Spec were still easily available (Stuckeys are so expensive!). They are my favourite tyre I've used. Insane grip in the dry, better than most all season tyres in the wet too and decent tyre life for such an extreme performance tyre. They even looked awesome with those chunky sidewalls. The only downside was they'd get noisy towards the end of their life but that's a small trade off.

ZII Star Specs are out - anyone tried them? I'm leaning towards RE003's for the 405 when it's done, seeing as they're so cheap and seem great, but I could easily be swayed towards ZII if they're awesome.
 
sounds like if you enjoyed the Z1, then you'll more enjoy the Z2

"This tyre follows the evolution of the illustrious Z1, a new class of street legal race tyre. It delivers an unheard-of level of performance for a street tyre, yet docile enough for everyday use. It incorporates slightly reduced tread depth, high stability pattern, race tyre construction and high grip compound, yet complies with all regulations as a street tyre. Expect improved levels of grip over the Z1, in both wet and dry conditions."
 
uploadfromtaptalk1441786832964.jpg

I'm gonna miss those chunky sidewalls. These are 195 section tyres but they look massive. Z2s aren't like that. Also the tread pattern didn't look as cool.

Who cares about tyre aesthetics though right? Picky, I know, but I'm just saying, one of the things I liked about the Z1 is they looked like a fast tyre too.

Here's Z1 vs Z2 sidewall:

uploadfromtaptalk1441786813350.jpg
 
hmm! that looks like a "rim protector" on the Z1. having them is usually size dependent, so I'd have thought same size Z1 and Z2 would be similar in that respect.
 
The re003s are somewhere between both those two sidewall profile wise.... Excuse the filth!
 

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They look baggy pat. What size are they?
 
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