RE71 vs BFG R1s

[RaleighM3]

I've gone from PSS to RE71 and love these tires. I'm thinking about getting a set of slicks next and am considering the BFGoodrich R1s. Has anyone tried both and can share their experience?

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by RaleighM3

I've gone from PSS to RE71 and love these tires. I'm thinking about getting a set of slicks next and am considering the BFGoodrich R1s. Has anyone tried both and can share their experience?

+1

[XCUSE_M3]

Has any one tired the DIREZZA ZIII and compared to the RE-71? If going slicks why not just get scrubs. Also if going slick Hoosier is the best in my opinion. Don't see anyone in TT running the R1 vs the Hoosiers. Sorry for the question about the DIREZZA ZIII, about to need new tires for AutoX.

[SYT_Shadow]

I've used both

The R1 is better in every way. Still very progressive, tons of grip, does not overheat easily

[Fitzpadj]

Originally Posted by XCUSE_M3

Has any one tired the DIREZZA ZIII and compared to the RE-71? If going slicks why not just get scrubs. Also if going slick Hoosier is the best in my opinion. Don't see anyone in TT running the R1 vs the Hoosiers. Sorry for the question about the DIREZZA ZIII, about to need new tires for AutoX.

That is because in TT, there is no contingency for BFG, while there is for Hoosier. The Hoosier has that last little "all out grip" (talking a couple tenths) compared to the BFG but most aren't even at that envelope that they need to worry about the difference between the two.

The BFG R1S is a fantastic tire that is 99% of the A7 while resisting overheating on track as badly, and then being "useable" in heat cycles for far longer.

I personally think the R1 is a better tire in every way to the R7 (in both grip and longevity). I think unless you have big issues with overheating your tires; the R1S is the way to go. You get just as many useable heat cycles as the R1 and R7 since the R1S stays on grip till it chords (20+ heat cycles). The R1 and R7 still have tread but become pretty much worthless for grip past 25 heat cycles.

RE71 is a street tire and may have incredible grip but its not a Hoosier or BFG DOT-R. Early reports about the DZIII is is it is more in the vein of a RS4 Hankook than the RE71R (trades grip for life).

[ricardofors68]

I wish BFG would compete with Hoosiers for contingency at the TT level

[dbyrd]

ebay has a pretty good deal on the R1 now.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-NEW-P275-...Fayl~g&vxp=mtr

https://www.ebay.com/p/1-275-35-18-B....c100005.m1851

[dparm]

Just looking at the tread design is a dead giveaway that the R1 is going to be a stickier tire than your RE71.

Have you considered slick take-offs? Dirt cheap and even stickier.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by dbyrd

ebay has a pretty good deal on the R1 now.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-NEW-P275-...Fayl~g&vxp=mtr

https://www.ebay.com/p/1-275-35-18-B....c100005.m1851

that is well priced! I bought 8 last year with TR had a sale. They're sitting in my tire room waiting for the season to start

[dbyrd]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

that is well priced! I bought 8 last year with TR had a sale. They're sitting in my tire room waiting for the season to start

Yeah, I barely missed that Tirerack sale last year - under $250/tire if I recall. The best price that I've seen since then is around $330/tire.

[RaleighM3]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

I've used both

The R1 is better in every way. Still very progressive, tons of grip, does not overheat easily

[RaleighM3]

Originally Posted by Fitzpadj

That is because in TT, there is no contingency for BFG, while there is for Hoosier. The Hoosier has that last little "all out grip" (talking a couple tenths) compared to the BFG but most aren't even at that envelope that they need to worry about the difference between the two.

The BFG R1S is a fantastic tire that is 99% of the A7 while resisting overheating on track as badly, and then being "useable" in heat cycles for far longer.

I personally think the R1 is a better tire in every way to the R7 (in both grip and longevity). I think unless you have big issues with overheating your tires; the R1S is the way to go. You get just as many useable heat cycles as the R1 and R7 since the R1S stays on grip till it chords (20+ heat cycles). The R1 and R7 still have tread but become pretty much worthless for grip past 25 heat cycles.

RE71 is a street tire and may have incredible grip but its not a Hoosier or BFG DOT-R. Early reports about the DZIII is is it is more in the vein of a RS4 Hankook than the RE71R (trades grip for life).

I've overheated the outside edge of the fronts so I should probably look at the R1 instead of the R1S. Appreciate the info.

[RaleighM3]

Originally Posted by dparm

Just looking at the tread design is a dead giveaway that the R1 is going to be a stickier tire than your RE71.

Have you considered slick take-offs? Dirt cheap and even stickier.

yes, but don't know where to get the take offs. I was at VIR this weekend and some IMSA cars were testing but nobody had any usable used tires that they were wanted to get rid of.

[CSBM5]

Side story, slightly OT: Back in 2006 when the Hoosier A6 first came out, we (my daughter and I) switched to them for my E46 we co-drove in D-stock autocross. Lots of grip, slightly vague near/at limit feedback, but the infamous Hoosier "edge of death" was what we learned about that year at the NC Autocross Championship event. Very quickly the outer edge wears off to a 45 degree angle from sidewall to treadface, and then shortly cords are showing. 16 runs and the fronts were corded. Two events. At $275/each, it was time to look for something else yet stay competitive.

The BFG R1 had just been released, so we went to those. Significantly wider than the same size Hoosier, carries its section width all the way to the treadface. On the local courses we ran, the R1s were faster than the A6s on that car. The best part was that they lasted almost 100 runs before cording that outside edge. I liked the feel through the steering wheel of the R1 a lot more...it felt alive and communicative, making it easy to bring them near/at their grip peak. For whatever reason, that all felt muted with the Hoosiers on that car.

The issues you'll be facing to run the R1/R1S at the track is transporting the set, changing them at the track, changing back for the trip home, etc. The R1 is probably the toughest of the pure track tires, and I'll admit I have driven a fairly long distance on the street in the dry, but that's just wasting and potentially damaging them. With the RE-71R you can arrive and drive. You can do similar with an NT-01 and R888R, but it's debatable whether those are now any better than the RE-71R I guess.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

Side story, slightly OT: Back in 2006 when the Hoosier A6 first came out, we (my daughter and I) switched to them for my E46 we co-drove in D-stock autocross. Lots of grip, slightly vague near/at limit feedback, but the infamous Hoosier "edge of death" was what we learned about that year at the NC Autocross Championship event. Very quickly the outer edge wears off to a 45 degree angle from sidewall to treadface, and then shortly cords are showing. 16 runs and the fronts were corded. Two events. At $275/each, it was time to look for something else yet stay competitive.

The BFG R1 had just been released, so we went to those. Significantly wider than the same size Hoosier, carries its section width all the way to the treadface. On the local courses we ran, the R1s were faster than the A6s on that car. The best part was that they lasted almost 100 runs before cording that outside edge. I liked the feel through the steering wheel of the R1 a lot more...it felt alive and communicative, making it easy to bring them near/at their grip peak. For whatever reason, that all felt muted with the Hoosiers on that car.

The issues you'll be facing to run the R1/R1S at the track is transporting the set, changing them at the track, changing back for the trip home, etc. The R1 is probably the toughest of the pure track tires, and I'll admit I have driven a fairly long distance on the street in the dry, but that's just wasting and potentially damaging them. With the RE-71R you can arrive and drive. You can do similar with an NT-01 and R888R, but it's debatable whether those are now any better than the RE-71R I guess.

Good feedback

The R888R is not worthy to be mentioned in the same sentence as the NT01/RE71. I have a set that's half worn which I'm thinking of just dumping.

The R1 really is a great tire. More complicated in terms of logistics but in Borat's words, 'she worth it'

[dparm]

Originally Posted by RaleighM3

yes, but don't know where to get the take offs. I was at VIR this weekend and some IMSA cars were testing but nobody had any usable used tires that they were wanted to get rid of.

https://usedracingtires.com/

http://gttrackdays.com/

My friends have used these and had good experiences.

[lutfy]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

Good feedback

The R888R is not worthy to be mentioned in the same sentence as the NT01/RE71. I have a set that's half worn which I'm thinking of just dumping.

The R1 really is a great tire. More complicated in terms of logistics but in Borat's words, 'she worth it'

R888R is improved over NT01 in that it does not split in the center. I dont have much data to say its quicker than NT01 but has the tried and true Toyo longevity, consistent (dont over heat) and I did like them for DE. BUT i was not competitive in TT. It has the worst howl of any tire I have ever used (like you blew the s**t out of the wheel bearing) so driving to and from was off and I too sold my half used set. Not to say it was bad but I needed a different use.

RE71R is MUCH better. Firstly it didnt sound bad when driving lol kidding. But the grip is amazing. It does overheat after 15-20 mins but for TT it was fine. It was faster than Maxis (utter rubbish) and a few tenths faster than the Toyo RR I got. Pretty good in the rain and best tire to drive to and from and if it rains.... RE is fast to the wear bars.

I now strictly use Hoosier R7 and find them to be plenty good for up to 20~ cycles. After that its very hairy to drive. The R1 I had were slower than R7 but that was because it was 255/40/17 vs 225/40/17R7 (much shorter and very sensitive on a stock ratio Scion), both with 5 HC on them. If I had to drive back to back with feel, I couldnt (being honest).

For DE/Track day, RE71R is king. I tried 4 sets of tires experimenting/data collecting and nothing even comes close (yet).

Lutfy

[M3 Number 86]

R1's or R1S's?

[VicS5]

Can anyone provide guidance on sizing of the R1? I run 275/35/18 square in both NT01 and RE71R (on Apex ARC-8, 18x10, ET25 wheels on an E92 M3), but I’ve read that the BFGs are wider, more squared off where the sidewall meets the tread, so worried that the same size won’t fit. I’m wondering if I should go with 265’s instead. I’d love to know if any of you guys have experience with the 275s (acknowledging that camber, suspension setup, etc. will affect the answer).

BTW, I’m a big fan of the RE71R, as well. I was 1.2 seconds faster around Watkins Glen consistently on the Bridgestone. Same day, same weather, consecutive sessions, and the Bridgestone just stuck better. I recall going through turn 8 faster and faster, just amazed at how they kept carving through compared to the Nittos.

[1MOREMOD]

I had run 275 in c51, nt01, rc1 and went with 265 on r1 due to width. They are as wide as any 275 I've had. Thought front wouldn't clear fender on my e46

[CSBM5]

My experience with the R1 is on my E39 M5 years ago where I went from 275/35-18 NT-01s to the 275/35 R1. I now had inner fenderwell rubbing up front when nearing full lock I didn't have prior. In the rear I had major fender lip contact under bump compression...enough so that it grabbed the lip in the forward section, where the factory lip roll ends, and yanked it down now causing it to gouge the tire.

I would imagine the 265/35-18 R1 is what I should have gone with. I knew from even earlier experience on my E46 that the R1 265 was just as wide if not a tad wider than the 275 NT-01.

[redpriest]

I've driven on both. The R1S is another league up in terms of grip.

However... it has all the properties of a slick, meaning, you MUST religiously warm them up, and you need to have decent enough car control skills to be able to catch a slide. They also have really soft sidewalls that tend to roll over, which also tends to throw the car into a slide if you're not prepared. This is one of the only tires that has "scared me" when driving on them.

This is what happens when you try to take a turn too hard without warming up the tires. Note I was going slow here, just not slow enough for a cold lap. Notice how there is no sound of squealing?



Scary:



The grip is not even throughout the life of the tire. You will get probably up to 6 heat cycles of amazing grip which falls off from there. If you have rotated your tires properly, and made sure you warmed up the tires and didn't drive like an idiot on them, you might get to 18 or so heat cycles, but by then the grip will be worse than NT01.

Did I mention you need to make sure you rotated properly? I have 3 BFG R1S that are sitting in my garage useless at 9 or so heat cycles. Why? Because I got lazy and one of my tires corded from being on a front corner tire too long. The tires are basically useless because they won't have even grip even if I were to get a "replacement".

If you run this tire you need to be committed to using several sets, because like I said above, you are going to probably cord one long before the others. So that means you need to be able to "assemble" sets from different sets - cord 1, save 3 .... another set, once you get to same # of heat cycles if you haven't corded, start mixing and matching, etc.

Cost - these tires are more expensive than RE-71R, and run way wider than RE-71R. I had to run a 5 mm spacer up front on 265/35-18 on my E92 with ET25 tire offset. 275/35-18 RE-71R fits just fine on ET25.

Eventually I've moved on to Pirelli slick cast offs, which are another league up from R1S, and IMO, have more forgiving driving properties. More predictable IMO than R1S and at the price I'm getting them at, will give me more heat cycles of max grip.

R1S behave better in cold than Pirellis, and if it's too hot outside, you will overheat them IMO - the regular R1 I'm told is better for hotter temps.