Tires? SZ50EP vs. RE370 vs. ???

[InvisiBill]

Time to get new tires. Going on the stock wheels. I do a lot of highway driving, so noise and comfort are big, and I can spare some of the ultra performance stuff...

Firestone Firehawk SZ50 EP $155
Bridgestone Potenza RE730 $126

Anyone have firsthand experience with these? A friend recommended the RE370s. He said that the second layer of the SZ50EP is basically crap, and drops the stats way down. But from the Tirerack ratings and reviews, they sound great. Are they that good? Is it worth the extra money? How loud is loud?

 

[InvisiBill]

Oh yeah. Any other suggestions? I put more stock into what you guys say than what Joe Blow puts on his BMW or Escort...

 

[manitoufs]

Check out RE950's

 

[mrweelr]

Dunlop SP 8000s are great tires for the price. They are quiet and last a long time. I had two sets of BF/G tires and Goodyears on my old 91 Vette before settling on the Dunlops. The Dunlops have a very strong sidewall so the vehicle doesn't feel "loose" in the turns as with some of the others. Tires are like shoes though - everyone has their own opinion. My two fronts are toast so I just ordered two SP 8000s from tirerack.com for $259 to my door...not bad. If price is no object and you want the best, then get Michelins or Pirellis.

_________________
Jeremy
SY#434
Santa Clara, CA

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mrweelr on 2002-01-15 02:47 ]</font>

 

[lavaman]

I've got the 245/50/16 RE730's. They stick in the turns a lot better than the old Michelin XGT-V's. Prolly 'cuz the RE's are Z-rated. The RE's don't hydroplane as much as any other tire I've tried. RE's look more aggressive and seem to be wearing fairly well. PLUS, I was lucky enough to have a friend who USED TO work at a Firestone dealer and sold 'em to me for $99 each!

 

[atc82]

I got a set of the SZ50 EP a couple of months ago and I have had nothing but good results from them. Great traction in wet or dry.

 

[InvisiBill]

lavaman, how loud are they? Notice any problems or oddities with them? How many miles have you put on them?

atc82, how many miles do you have on the SZ50EP's? From the ratings and reviews at Tirerack, their wet traction is better than a lot of tires' dry traction. But I've also heard the the bottom layer (which gives the EP its "Extended Performance") is crap and handles very poorly.

I have SP4000 A/S's now, and they seem to do ok, but I don't really have anything to compare them to...

 

[atc82]

I have about 1700 miles on them, I have only had them for 3 months or so.

 

[Syclone#892]

If you are worried about noise don't get the 730's, I don't have first hand experience but a friend had them and said that when they were half worn they started to howl pretty good and I have heard that from a few other people. Get the SZ50s and you won't be disappointed. I work for a Firestone dealer and I have these on my Prelude and my brothers '00 GTP (255/45/17) and they only need one word to describe them AWESOME. I have not heard of the bottm layer giving less performance and in my opinion and my brothers that layer is even better. Let me give you a little story, Me and my brother do a journal paper route together which will wear out tires prematurly because of all the turning so this summer I put two sets of SZ50 EP's on his car both lasted about 20,000 miles (car has 60k on it now its a '00) I know these tires last longer because my Prelude has them and at 25k they are only half worn. But anyway when the first set was going my brother drove till the tires were smooth as glass and he said "dry traction is awesome and wet had degraded a little." Then on the second set at about 2/32nds (legally bald) we where driving around at about 45 mph in a slight drizzle and my brother forgot he had to turn so when I told him he slammed on the brakes and cranked the wheel still doing like 35 around a 90 degree turn and the tires just hooked and we did not even skid at all. Basically I think they are a very good tire and I think you will be very impressed by them. If I convince TookyCat to get some I am sure you will hear his side of it (he tells the truth on anything) and I am sure it will be positive. Good luck tire hunting.

 

[lavaman]

Invisibill,
I've got over 8,000 mi. on 'em and they're quiet...to my ears. Nothing noisy about 'em at all and no flat spots etc. Only thing is they stick like glue in corners!