Is GoodYear Eagle Supercar3 a good replacement for Bridgestone Potenza RE71Rs?

[ABenLauda]

Hello track peeps,

It's time for me to consider moving to a new tire from my current setup of 265/35/19(-2.9 camber F) and 295/30/20(-1.6 camber R) Potenza RE71Rs. Because of my wheel sizes, I'm quite limited when it comes to tires. I do not plan on getting a smaller set of dedicated track wheels.

I liked the 200 TW RE71Rs a lot more in everything except for wet weather performance compared to the OEM 300 TW MPSS the car came with. I do not want to spend extra $ on 180 TW Sport Cup 2s. I did some research and found 220 TW GoodYear Eagle Supercar 3 (non-R!) which isn't SportCup2 costly and is only a little worse than RE71Rs in terms of overall performance.

I'm an intermediate level track day guy doing b/w 10-14 track days/year. I'm not chasing any lap times. I don't care if I'm a few seconds slower per lap.

Can anyone please give me feedback on how GY Eagle SC3 compares with RE71R in terms of:

- Dry weather performance/grip
- Wet weather performance/grip
- Longevity
- Time/laps to get heat into them

Any feedback is appreciated,
TIA

[USSEnterprise]

You in Dallas? You run at Cresson or ECR or both? SC_trojan and me are both ECR members.

[ABenLauda]

Originally Posted by xxaarraa

You in Dallas? You run at Cresson or ECR or both? SC_trojan and me are both ECR members.

Nice. I run both. More of MSR-C than ECR.

[jfritz27]

I know you stated outright that you wouldn't pursue a dedicated set of track wheels, but if I may ask, why? Certainly can understand the desire to keep things simple (and avoiding the slippery slope), but... 10-14 events/year is a solid number. If you foresee that remaining the case for the next few years, finding a good set of 18's (even used) will open up a lot of options, and running costs may be more favorable depending. And you can fit 275x2 and 305x2 18" upright in the back seat!

There's a lot of competition emerging in the 200 TW category with more economical options (Falken RT 660, Nankang CR-1, for example) that are direct competitors to a lot of the hot big-name tires and well-reviewed. The 660 essentially is the 71R, it would seem -- perhaps better from some of the things I've read (eg, less greasy when really beat on).

EDIT: I also see you've got camber plates, which means you could at the track give yourself more negative camber for your track tires, then dial it back for your street set. This will optimize wear in all situations

[ABenLauda]

Originally Posted by jfritz27

I know you stated outright that you wouldn't pursue a dedicated set of track wheels, but if I may ask, why?

I live in an apartment and so, I do not have storage for 4 extra wheels/tires. Keeping them inside the apartment is a no-go for the wifey. If I had a home/garage, I'd have gladly got a dedicated set of track wheels. So many tire options with smaller wheels!

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by ABenChod

I live in an apartment and so, I do not have storage for 4 extra wheels/tires. Keeping them inside the apartment is a no-go for the wifey. If I had a home/garage, I'd have gladly got a dedicated set of track wheels. So many tire options with smaller wheels!

Ahhhh, gotcha

[Montaver]

The Supercar3 will have marginally less performance than an RE-71 (0.1% less lateral G from the tire rack test), but more longevity from what I have read on other forums. All 200TW tires are crap in standing water once they are below 50% because the tread depth is so shallow to begin with so I wouldn't expect improvement there. I have had some seriously sketchy drives on worn RE-71's coming back from track days. SC3's were originally designed for the SS1 LE which is a heavy car, so should suit the f8x quite well. They are also very reasonably priced, I suspect a lot of 'arrive and drive' RE-71R guys will migrate to them. I am considering trying a set on my GT4 as well.

[F80Speed77]

The Supercar3 is a really good tire for track day things. It will definitely last longer than the RE71R, will be down a little bit of grip, and won't be as good in the rain.

Supercar3R will have more grip than the RE71R, won't last as long as the RE71R and won't be as good in the rain.

If you wanted to get wild Pirelli Trofeo R's are on sale right now on TR lol.

[jim1013yyf]

I did a short review of SC3 a while back - hope it helps
https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1719684

[jim1013yyf]

I also had 5 laguna seca track days on the SC3, consistently running 1:42.x. still have plenty meat left.

[fanatic1]

Originally Posted by jim1013yyf

I also had 5 laguna seca track days on the SC3, consistently running 1:42.x. still have plenty meat left.

Nice lap times, what size?

[F80Speed77]

Spot on review jim1013yyf !!!

He was on the 265/35/19F and 285/35/19R on 437M wheels.

[jim1013yyf]

Originally Posted by fanatic1

Nice lap times, what size?

I was running 265F 285R/35/19 with 437M wheels. However I wasn't happy with the side wall bulging (SC3s are much wider than the same spec'd PS4s), and dull turn-in response, so I later updated to 9.5F 10.5R wheels for better fit.

[F80Speed77]

That would be perfect fitment for those bigger wheels.

[jmg]

Has anyone tried the S3's on an autocross type situation? I do time trials on a small track with only one 48 second warm up lap. Is that even enough to get them warm enough?

[DavidGP]

I just purchased Falken Azenis RT660 in 275 35 and 295 35 19s. I am getting them installed hopefully this weekend. Will let you know how they turn out but they feel soft and look amazing. Very good reviews compared to the RE71R.

[ptper]

I am about to pull the trigger on RE-71R's myself to replace the PSS. Especially, since they're discontinued, so I wanted to give them a try. I'll have to ask my tire guy about the GoodYear's. I want a decent daily with better dry performance. I know we give up wet performance in able to get more grip, so I'm not really worried about standing water, since that should be rare, but how about moderate rain, is it really white knuckle moments all the way home?

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by ptper

I am about to pull the trigger on RE-71R's myself to replace the PSS. Especially, since they're discontinued, so I wanted to give them a try. I'll have to ask my tire guy about the GoodYear's. I want a decent daily with better dry performance. I know we give up wet performance in able to get more grip, so I'm not really worried about standing water, since that should be rare, but how about moderate rain, is it really white knuckle moments all the way home?

It can be, particularly as they wear. Even if you encounter a relative "rut" in the road surface where water pools a little bit more than average, the tire can get "sucked" in there and it really can get unnerving (tramlining-like effect). Any decent amount of negative camber if you've got it will also not help that situation.

[CSBM5]

I wouldn't really recommend the RE-71R for just everyday road use. They are loud - in addition to general roar, they have lots of tire "sizzle" going over road stripes and features -- i.e. where the tread feature compresses trapped air as it rolls into the contact patch. They only come with 7/32 tread to begin with, so you're already on the way with a quick wearing tire. They definitely aren't designed with comfort as a consideration (which is of course expected in a TW200 autocross tire).

That said, they do feel wonderful to drive from a performance perspective on the street - just not from a comfort/noise/everyday use perspective. Switching back to my PS4S tires/wheels is a much welcomed change for everyday street use.

The RE-71RS should be coming at some point soon. It's been available and has replaced the RE-71R in other markets for a while now.

[ptper]

Originally Posted by jfritz27

It can be, particularly as they wear. Even if you encounter a relative "rut" in the road surface where water pools a little bit more than average, the tire can get "sucked" in there and it really can get unnerving (tramlining-like effect). Any decent amount of negative camber if you've got it will also not help that situation.

Hmm, well I really want to try something stickier, but don't want to die...maybe i'll drive like a grandpa in the drizzle

Originally Posted by CSBM5

The RE-71RS should be coming at some point soon. It's been available and has replaced the RE-71R in other markets for a while now.

I've checked with a couple of sources and none of them have been able to say definitely when or will it be coming over....so frustrating.

OP, according to TireRack (grain of salt) it looks like the GY's aren't as good in wet performance compared to the RE-71's, but comparable in the dry...but I'm sure you've already seen or know that.

[F80Speed77]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

The RE-71RS should be coming at some point soon. It's been available and has replaced the RE-71R in other markets for a while now.

RE71RS is not coming to the US EVAR as per a Bridgestone resource.

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by F80Speed77

RE71RS is not coming to the US EVAR as per a Bridgestone resource.

High placed source? Wow, if true, it's hard to fathom Bridgestone giving up on the RE-71 product line and the top end of the high performance tire market in their biggest market in the world. The "RE-71" moniker has been popular here since the mid-late 1980s as their top performance tire name (i.e. started with the 959). It's an odd marketing decision especially when they have an excellent follow-on design already in production elsewhere. The current tire is being discontinued according to Tirerack and supplies are being exhausted.