Bridgetsone S-04 vs. Bridgestone RE760 ~ Suggestions?

[Mr.Impreza]

Okay. So I would like to get some suggestions on what tires I should upgrade to comparing these 2 options.

Size: 215/45/17 (Only)
Goals: More Grip!
Concerns: Road Noise, Comfort
Cost: Not a deciding factor

Bridgestone S-04 (Max Perofrmance)
Bridgetstone RE760 Sport (Ultra High Performance)

I DO NOT TRACK/AUTOCROSS

That aside I would like a tire with more grip compared to the stock tires.

I was dead set on the S-04 but lately I've read about how the RE760 may be a better tire for the street in regards to comfort and noise. (However just went to Bridgestone website and it seems as if based on the reviews the S-04 are more quiet and perform better?)

Anyone have opinions on this? Is there a big difference?

Also, I have used 3 set of tires on my Subaru but it's hard for me to compare them since the car was AWD...however

Falken Azenis - Loved the grip! Forgot everything else about them haha.
Falken FK453 - Hated them...poor dry grip...horrible grip in the rain (So I hope even the RE760 are better than these)
Yokohama S Drive - Better than the FK453's (Hope RE760 or S-04 are better than these)

Thanks!

[headlikeahole]

Ive used the RE760 for two summers and I liked them a lot. After they wore out I switch to a performance all season (toyo proxes 4) and it really highlighted how sharp the bridgestones were. The sidewall is fairly stiff so they might not be quite as comfortable as the s-04 but the grip level and road feel was impressive to me. Not noticeably louder then the stock tires.

I honestly think the RE 760s are then best performance tire you can buy under 200 bucks. My only grippe (and this is true for nearly all UHP summer tires) is that they turn into hockey pucks in the fall and spring when the temp drops below 5-10 deg. Really had to be careful on cold wet mornings in sept/oct before the winters went on.

[jasonojordan]

I used the s-04 on my wrx for a year or so before going dedicated summer and winter tires. They are a great set of all seasons. Side wall was a bit soft for aggressive summer driving on the wrx. With the superior chassis on the brz they may be fine.

[Mr.Impreza]

Originally Posted by headlikeahole

Ive used the RE760 for two summers and I liked them a lot. After they wore out I switch to a performance all season (toyo proxes 4) and it really highlighted how sharp the bridgestones were. The sidewall is fairly stiff so they might not be quite as comfortable as the s-04 but the grip level and road feel was impressive to me. Not noticeably louder then the stock tires.

I honestly think the RE 760s are then best performance tire you can buy under 200 bucks. My only grippe (and this is true for nearly all UHP summer tires) is that they turn into hockey pucks in the fall and spring when the temp drops below 5-10 deg. Really had to be careful on cold wet mornings in sept/oct before the winters went on.

Originally Posted by jasonojordan

I used the s-04 on my wrx for a year or so before going dedicated summer and winter tires. They are a great set of all seasons. Side wall was a bit soft for aggressive summer driving on the wrx. With the superior chassis on the brz they may be fine.

Hey guys, so technically the S04 tires are considered all season? Cause on Tirerack they list them as Max Summer tires. Are we talking about the same S04 I am? The Pole Position ones?

Also from what I'm understanding the RE760 grip better than the S04?

Thanks for the comments so far and good to know that they won't be much louder than stock

[jasonojordan]

My apologies I got the S-04 confused with the POTENZA RE970AS POLE POSITIONS. I have had both. The 970AS are the all seasons not the S-04. I had the S-04 on my brz and was not a fan of the soft side wall. My brain is working now I swear.

[stokeless]

IMO S-04 over RE760 but PSS over S-04 (if money is not an issue)

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by jasonojordan

My apologies I got the S-04 confused with the POTENZA RE970AS POLE POSITIONS. I have had both. The 970AS are the all seasons not the S-04. I had the S-04 on my brz and was not a fan of the soft side wall. My brain is working now I swear.

I think you are still confused. The S-04 has a fairly stiff sidewall unless you are comparing it to race tires or something.

To OP: If you do canyon driving I'd say S-04. I had them and loved them. If not I would try the RE760 first (of the BFG SportComp in the same category). Never driven either but for the price difference I would give it a shot. I have S.Drives on my other car that is daily only basically and the grip is acceptable for the occasional backroad.

[jasonojordan]

Compared to the DW I currently have the S-04 felt like they had alot more play in the sidewalls.

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by jasonojordan

Compared to the DW I currently have the S-04 felt like they had alot more play in the sidewalls.

Really? I switched to DWs and they feel like garbage in comparison. Softer and terrible turn in. Decent overall grip though. What sizes on what wheel width?

[jasonojordan]

I guess the size difference could play a role in that feel as I was running a 225 S-04. Im running a 245 DW in the front and a 265 in the back

[Overdrive]

Originally Posted by jasonojordan

POTENZA RE970AS POLE POSITIONS.

Loved that tire. Turns an econobox into a carving machine, still works in snow. To me the closest you could get to a summer tire without actually taking the dive.

[blackstripe77]

I would definitely recommend the Indy 500/RE003. They are like two generations newer.

[PeterFRS]

RE760 FTW
just because i have never tried anything else...

[JazzleSAURUS]

So I'm seeing a lot of misinformation on the S-04 in this thread. I currently run a set on my BRZ, I went through 2 on my Forester XT, (one set purely spirited DD, one set was autox'd on,) and on the FXT I upgraded to RE71R because I liked the S-04 so much, but I was simply making too much torque and could break them free at will.

The S-04 has one of the stiffest sidewalls for a tire in it's class, (Max performance Summer, NOT all season.) In fact, the sidewalls are stiffer than RS3's, a popular tire for track day cars. The slop in this tire, quite frankly, comes from the tread. With an very stiff sidewall, and slightly sloppier tread, you get forgiveness with precision, they balanced it between the two instead of a medium stiffness sidewall, and medium stiffness tread. (Tires like the PSS are more of a balance, medium and medium.)

The S-04's are very close to the PSS in terms of overall performance.
The RE760 are fairly close to the V12 in terms of overall performance, (a bit better.)

The S-04's are quiet, very reasonably priced, wear well, have great street manners, and absolutely excel in the wet.

The S-04 is a softer tread compound, and will be grippier than the RE760, (look at TW, this only means something because they are BOTH bridgestone tires, and not cheater tires like the RE71R.)

I hope that helps, you shouldn't be cross shopping these two tires. (It's like cross shopping a BRZ and a WRX. Either you want boosted AWD, or you want sporty RWD. They are NOT comparable even though they are both fun!)

The S-04 is in a performance bracket above the RE760. If you think the RE760, by all accounts should still be a great tire, you'd be better off cross shopping with something like the Hankook V12, which I think the RE760 is likely a scoshe better than for fun since the V12 has very soft sidewalls.

Let me know if you have more questions about the S-04, I have a lot of miles behind the wheel of them. (120k?)