Bridgestone RE-11s

[noldevin]

Hey everyone. I recently made the switch to my new tire setup and I am not getting the precise feel that everyone says you get out of RE11s. I haven't had the chance to track them yet so this is all street testing. They feel like a soft sidewall tire like a winter tire or drag radial, and the car seems to lag a half second or so behind the steering wheel on initial turn-in. Once the car settles into the turn it feels very grippy but that initial lag doesn't promote confidence.

I am coming from 275/40/19 MPSS on 19x9.5 wheels. The MPSS felt nimble and precise. I am running BMR handling springs with Koni yellows (about 1/2 stiff in front, 1/4 stiff in rear), as well as bmr control arms and relo brackets.
I am now on 285/35 RE11s on a 19x10 wheel, with a 3mm spacer up front to clear brakes.

I've tried a few different cold tire pressures (30, 32, 35, 38). Lower seems to be slightly better.
I don't know if its pressure related, break-in related, body-roll related, or what. Has anyone else noticed this when switching to an RE11 or other extreme summer tire?

 

[Jabooh1]

I just went to re-11 on the front. They are an improvement for me but I came from the S-04. 265/35 on 19x9. Cold tire pressure 35. Steeda springs. Koni yellow with one turn stiffer than full soft.

 

[noldevin]

Hmm I'm wondering if it's related to the spacer, but 3mm is tiny it shouldn't cause any funky handling. Yours are also a bit smaller than mine so it could be the size. Did you need to wear yours down a bit before they felt good?

 

[Jabooh1]

Not really. They have maybe 300 miles on them. I'll do some "testing" tomorrow on turn in and see if I feel a wobble.

 

[noldevin]

It's not really a wobble. Just a slight delay when turning in. Like the car is a half second behind the steering wheel

 

[KBBoss302]

Just to be clear - you had your suspension modifications with your old tires, too? Or did you do the suspension recently with the new tires?

I had 285/35/19 RE-11s on 19x10s squared for a while and did not notice what you are describing. One thing I will say is that they have a slightly dull feeling at normal speeds (I always just attributed it to them being a heavy tire - especially compared to the PSS). I generally ran them ~34psi.

Maybe find a parking lot and do some figure 8s and scrub them in a bit. I liked my RE-11s for the short time I had them (unfortunately I bent 2 of my custom offset and finish CF5s on a huge pothole and couldn't wait a few months for new rims so I went with FF01s and PSS).

 

[noldevin]

Just to be clear - you had your suspension modifications with your old tires, too? Or did you do the suspension recently with the new tires?

I had 285/35/19 RE-11s on 19x10s squared for a while and did not notice what you are describing. One thing I will say is that they have a slightly dull feeling at normal speeds (I always just attributed it to them being a heavy tire - especially compared to the PSS). I generally ran them ~34psi.

Maybe find a parking lot and do some figure 8s and scrub them in a bit. I liked my RE-11s for the short time I had them (unfortunately I bent 2 of my custom offset and finish CF5s on a huge pothole and couldn't wait a few months for new rims so I went with FF01s and PSS).

Yes I had the same suspension setup on the MPSS. The only change was wheels, tires, and the 3mm spacers in front. Maybe the "dull" feeling you are describing is the same thing.

 

[Jabooh1]

I did some slalom testing today at 20, 40, 80, and well don't ask.

I didn't feel any hesitation, dull, wobble, etc. 35 psi cold. 95* Houston sunny weather on both asphalt and concrete. I had steering response set to sport. -1.5* camber.

 

[Zandura99]

weight change on the new setup? The RE-11 is more precise and faster than a MPSS on a track.... so the results seem strange.

 

[noldevin]

The new wheels are 7-8lbs lighter each and the new tires are 2lbs heavier each. No other weight changes.

 

[GBCoyote]

My experience with sticky tires and the koni's are that the koni's have to be set stiffer in order to handle the stickier tire. My koni's upfront are set to 9/10 or 10/10, and the rears are 8/10 when I'm in the mountains. I've tried softer settings but I always find myself turning them nearly full stiff to keep up with the sticker tire I run. A good source of information is on Corner Ponies on facebook. They always have good information when I'm in need.

 

[TheVikingRL]

I use 3mm spacers all around and never noticed any ill affects so doubt that has anything to do with it. Also have Koni Yellows and never noticed anything like you described even when running my BFG Comp2 A/S tires. Would be curious to see if adjusting the Koni's helps any as GBCoyote suggested.

Or just bring them by and I'll mount them up on my car to see how well they work On another note, did you notice any other differences with the lighter rims?

 

[noldevin]

I use 3mm spacers all around and never noticed any ill affects so doubt that has anything to do with it. Also have Koni Yellows and never noticed anything like you described even when running my BFG Comp2 A/S tires. Would be curious to see if adjusting the Koni's helps any as GBCoyote suggested.

Or just bring them by and I'll mount them up on my car to see how well they work On another note, did you notice any other differences with the lighter rims?

Corner ponies is a great page, but I prefer to just listen/read rather than ask there. They don't like basic/stupid questions lol. Plus half of them would probably blame the Konis.

I haven't really noticed the wheel weight difference, however I'll bet they're the reason I haven't really noticed a ride quality difference from going to a stiffer and shorter tire.

I'll try tightening up the Konis a bit and see if that helps. Wishing I got Bilsteins but oh well.

 

[Zandura99]

The new wheels are 7-8lbs lighter each and the new tires are 2lbs heavier each. No other weight changes.

yeah then I would look to suspension like the other posts have talked about, may need some stiffening.

 

[noldevin]

So I just tightened up all the Konis to about a half a turn below full stiff in front and a full turn below in back.
The car feels much tighter and better handling wise but still not quite perfect. But now bumps are more harsh
I think I need better shocks to handle the sticky tires and stiffer BMR handling springs.
That or maybe a stiffer front swaybar.

 

[TheVikingRL]

If it were my money I'd start with the front bar.