Re-71 vs Falken RT660
 

Time for tires. I run in upstate N.Y So colder in spring and Fall . Generally heat is not a real issue. We have days in the 80’s, occasional 90’s . I have been running RE-71’s and like them. I hear good things about the RT 600. They run about $80 less for a set. Tests show grip is similar but not sure about longevity.

RE-71R are no longer in active production, so time to begin your phaseout plan anyways.

660s would be the logical, ideal stepping stone. Tests have shown them within noise.

The 660 is faster for both Autox and at the Track. Wear is similar to the RE71r and possibly slightly better but not by a huge margin (cost is lower though). I've run a set of 660s for the last few months and have been happy with them.

wait, what??

am i gonna have to change my plans??

Not super confirmed (i.e. I don't think there's any press release or official word from Bridgestone) but consensus from the rumor mill is that the supply will quietly dry up over the next few months.

imho not a big deal as by all counts the Falken is a solid replacement, there's still the BFG and Yoke and with the Nankang CR1 and Kumho V730 pulling one option off the table should help most people figure out what they will run this season.

Not to say you shouldn't grab another set, just don't be shocked if it's not available in your size in a month or four.

Tire rack has them ,but on clearance, direct tire has them also. When I contacted TR about why it was on clearance. He did not say they discontinued. He did say that did not have a replacement in the works.
“ Unfortunately, Bridgestone has opted not to replace this tire currently. I am hoping they will have an update in the next few years, as I really enjoyed this tire for autocross and track myself. Anothe rgreat tire you may want to check out would be the Falken RT660 which is at least as fast, if not faster than the Bridgestone RE71r”. This is from Devin at TR

as a regional gatekeeper how are the falkens vs kumhos? they are within 10$ of each other

guess im buying tires now and not later!

no idea, test and find out, you may like one I may like another

That's confirmed. The RE-71R's done. Overseas have the RE71RS so here's to hoping that we get those in the US.

i dont have the money or space to buy and mount 2 sets of race tires let alone the time to. i guess ill just get the falkens then. honestly they probably wont make a difference to me anyway unless one much shorter life than the other.

Not everybody shares this experience, but as someone that street drove the RE71R's, they had the shortest prime life of any street tire that I've purchased. They took about 20 runs to get ripe and then fell off a cliff around the 80 runs/3 month time period. And they are the loudest street tires that I've ever owned.

I have no experience with the Falkens, but they seem to be loved by the SSC crowd.

I was still turning competitive lap times with my RE71Rs after 10 track days and 8000 or so street miles. They were pretty much slicks for the last 4 track days...

I would not get hopes up

Anyone have any experience with the Hankook RS-4 tires and how they compare to the Falken RT660 and RE-71?

Not first hand but consensus is slower, last longer, need/want more heat to work. Good lapping/hpde tire, often tire of choice for grassroots endurance racing.

significantly slower, but significantly longer life

RS-4's are much slower in general, also much much worse in the wet. They deal with extended lapping sessions (heat) much better, and last unbelievably long.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Really looking for a replacement for my michelin pilot 4s. Want something in between the rt660/re-71 and the michelins as far as durability. The rs-4 seems like the right fit.

durability will depend on your use case.

What is your use case for the 4S?

Yes of course taking into account the intended use. The 4s i was using as a dual purpose daily/track tire. I'm now looking for a dedicated track/autocross tire. But hoping to be able to drive to the track and back on the same set of tires without worrying about tire wear.

What kind of mileage are you putting on the tire, on the street?

You can easily fit 4 wheels/tires in the car, and run track tires at the track only.

Hard to estimate but say something like 5k-7k in street miles. My biggest priority is durability so I can maximize seat time. I dont compete and really only have about 10 track days under my belt, so dont need the fastest tire out there. Deff open to suggestions if there are other tires besides the RS-4 I should be considering.

Go with the RS4 and save yourself money and hassle. Drive to the track on them, and back. No need to overcomplicate things.

NT01 or VR1 S2 sounds like a better match for you.

Also, Hankook RS4 are getting difficult to find. Not a lot of sizes on Tire Rack available and backordered lots of other places. Could be the beginning of the end...

(i don't know if that's true, just speculating).

Mike, how do the VR1 S2 compare to RS4?

- Andrew

Under the same logic how does a tire like the Federal RS-RR do? Seems to have decent life even though the grip isnt as good as say the re-71s/etc. Best thing about them seems to be the price, for seat time they seem like a decent option as well

Cannot speak for them as I have not tried them but I'd imagine based on comments that they would be similar to the RS4 (a bit lacking in pace compared to the top 200TW but lasting much longer).

I have very bad experience with Kumho V720, delamination.
Hope that they sort it out for V730, anyway I will be away from Kumho for a long time until is clear to me thet solve their issues.

IMO, Federal RS-RR has similar grip than Falken 615.
Happy with my first set.
Do not know yet how they cope with 100F day in Texas.

Hankook always runs low on supply in the winter, should get a new shipment around spring. Tire rack customer support might have a status on when they expect more stock. I've heard they only send one shipment of rs3/rs4 to the usa per year.

Significantly faster, will generate more heat but can tolerate it.

Life is long enough to be WRL competitive.

Significantly more hydroplane resistance than the RS4.

I've had two sets of the RT-615K+ on my car and I'm almost due for another set. I was thinking about going with the 660 but I'm afraid tire life has dropped way off. I only track or autox sporadically which is why I went with the RT-615K+ over the RE71R. I'm also afraid the 660 will be a death trap in the rain and being in Florida this is a concern for me. I haven't read TireRack reviews of the 660 lately. Last I looked I only saw reviews that only addressed track/autox perf and not a lot of talk about daily driving. Now that they have been out for a while I need to read some more reviews.

I've been really happy with the 615's though. Tire life is good and perf hasn't dropped off a cliff to badly with age. So now I need to pick between another set of 615's or the 660's.

RT-615K+ maintains it performance until to the end, even when they are already almost slicks.
Handles heat very good.

Word is that the falkens run wide. Will 245/40 still fit? 9”wheel.

Yes, you could put 265's on a 9" wide wheel if you felt like it. I run 255's on 9" and it's pretty much 'square'.

Have 40 offset, hoping to not have to put longer bolts and spacers, so hoping 245 won’t rub

You should be fine. I also have +40mm wheels and with Yoko A052 in 255/40, I rub a little bit at full lock. But that's it.

Does anyone have experience running the 245/40r17 RT660 on an 8" +35? Stock struts, trd springs with verus plates and bolts, 3.3 front 2.1 rear.

Ran 225 RS4s all last year and they've honestly probably got another track day or two in them. Lining up what I want to try next since I've planned on trying something new each season.

I really don't want to get into rolling fenders or cutting anything yet, and wasn't planning to go to coils this year unless my struts fail on me.

245/40 on an 8" wheel is too much tire. Not recommended at all, it'll feel like mush