Potenza RE050A Question

[Kiasis]

Yes, I did a search, but didn't see what I needed on the first 4-5 pages, sooo.....

Just got my Tokico struts/springs and whiteline sway bar. Next is wheels and tires. I'm thinking (based on previous recommendations from this site) to only go up to 16-in. Right now, I'm really interested in the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position 205/55/ZR16 tire.

Can anyone offer feedback regarding tire wear, handling, road noise? Yes, I read the TireRack opinions, but I'd rather read something not posted on the site selling the tires.

And if anyone thinks a 17-inch is a better way to go and has a different tire-of-choice, that'd be great, too. Thanks.

[GrkBallaG]

Originally Posted by Kiasis

Yes, I did a search, but didn't see what I needed on the first 4-5 pages, sooo.....

Just got my Tokico struts/springs and whiteline sway bar. Next is wheels and tires. I'm thinking (based on previous recommendations from this site) to only go up to 16-in. Right now, I'm really interested in the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position 205/55/ZR16 tire.

Can anyone offer feedback regarding tire wear, handling, road noise? Yes, I read the TireRack opinions, but I'd rather read something not posted on the site selling the tires.

And if anyone thinks a 17-inch is a better way to go and has a different tire-of-choice, that'd be great, too. Thanks.

I just purchased these in a 225/40-18 and have put about 500 miles on them since. First impressions is god damn! I went from a tire that had a treadwear of about 420 to this tire which is 140, it grips like a mother fucker since its a soft tire. You cant be conscerned about treadlife... i asked the guy at tire rack about how many miles do you think these should last and he said these tires are for smiles not miles . Realistically i should get about 10,000 miles out of them. The tires are also really quiet. And i dont know since your getting 16's if the treadwear is higher or not. whats the treadwear on the 16's?

[Venom_5]

Potenza's come stock on Subarus .... i hate them ... and ive been drivin my subaru for 3-4 years now

just my $.02

[GrkBallaG]

Originally Posted by Venom_5

Potenza's come stock on Subarus .... i hate them ... and ive been drivin my subaru for 3-4 years now

just my $.02

a regular subaru or an sti???


reason i say this is because the sti comes with the re0750 which is a sick ass fuckin tire .

[Kiasis]

GrkBallaG, good point on the treadlife. Yeah, they're all rated at 140 AA A.

Venom, is it the same Potenza? They make about a 1/2 dozen of the Potenza style and I think the RE050A Pole Position is a relatively new one in the line -although I've been wrong plenty of times in my life....

Any other thoughts?

[Rdizzle]

i still like the bfgoodrich gforce better. But now i am getting the toyo proxes so I'll see how those work. I heard all the potenzas had problems with chunking

[EvoFire]

The Potenza they have on Imprezas that aren't STI's are RE 92. Those suck, I have them on my car right now. They suck. They look really good, however, they suck. Did I mention, they suck?
For some where that doesn't rain, they are ok, in wet West coast Canada, they suck.

I have no idea how the 050 fair, but I've seen some decent reviews. However, don't expect phenomenal grip on wet pavement, just my $.02

[Venom_5]

not an STi ... an Outback

[mzfe5speed]

my buddy had the re92's and they also sucked for him! but i have had the G009's and now the RE960AS pole position and they have all been awesome for me!! tread life on the G009's were pretty good considering the beating they took, i think between 25-30k w/ quite a few track visits. i would recomend potenzas, just make sure to get the right ones!

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by Venom_5

not an STi ... an Outback

Then they definitely came with RE92 stock. Those tires are crappy.

[Kiasis]

Anyone know anything about the Michlelin Pilot Exalto PE2 or the Avon M500?

[Venom_5]

if you want high performance tires, go for Pirelli or Yokohama IMO

if you just want a good tire, anything will do ... a store like Sears or whatever will sell you a decent tire for every day driving

[Kiasis]

No, I defintely want performance. I'm comparing (or at least trying to) the various tires that Tire Rack has in the same performance categories. It's just that their rankings claim all these tires are very close in most characteristics, yet the price differences are huge. So, I don't know how else to get the right tire except toss the questions out there and see what different peple are using and how they like them. My criteria rank like this:

1- Performance
2 - Ride Comfort/noise
3 - Tread life
4 - Price

Yeah, I know there's no one right answer since it's so subjective by driver and car. But I've never bought high performance tires before, so am a total neophyte and don't want to waste money experimenting if I can help it.

Thanks to all for the feedback.

[Venom_5]

you probably dont NEED performance ... unless youre doing some sort of AutoX or Racing events, you dont need a high-perf. tire

sure, theyre nice to have [i have them], but you wont know the difference unless you race or youre super-sensitive

any good ol' tire will do as long as they come from a well known brand and supplier ... look for something in the $55/tire range on tirerack.com or from your local supplier and you should be fine

[nodrogkam]

dude i'd upgrade to either 16 or 17" but wider tires...something like 215 or 225 (depending on rim offset for strut clearance issues). 205 is just too narrow.

I got a magazine from tire rack and have been doing a little research on tires for my new rims and came up with these...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=0

I drove my friends wrx with i think the tires u asked, and they were great...i dunno what that other guy was talking about, but no complaints, but they should only last a little over 10K if driven pretty normally. I wouldnt expect it to last to 10K if driven hard/on the track etc.