Hey all, Just curious which tires came with your 8. I was under the impression they all came with Bridgestones, but when the 8 came in it had Dunlops. I'm thinking to change them in the summer, but we will see.

 

Check out the ratings of the Bridgestones vs. Dunlops on TireRack.com. The Bridgestones have a wear rating of 140 and the Dunlops, 280. That means, theoretically at least, that the Dunlops will last twice as long as the Bridgestones. I find the Dunlops on my 8 to be perfectly adequate. Do a search of the forum for Bridgestones to see some of the comments on the rapid wear of these tires.

Obviously, if you are into autocross you would probably want to go for a different, softer-compound tire.

 

Thx for the link. It was interesting to compare the 2. I was surprised the Dunlop received all round better reviews.

 

You can not compare wear ratings on the sidewall between 2 different manufacturers as there is no single standard for wear so every manufacturer has their own benchmark for tire wear and their own scale.

 

Dunlops - I love'em. I've put Dunlops on every sports car I've had. They're great tires!

 

Not to get into a P***** contest here, but this is what TireRack says about wear ratings:

"Treadwear

Treadwear receives a comparative rating based on wear rate of the the tire in field testing following a government specified course. For example, a tire grade of 150 wears 1.5 times as long as a tire graded 100. Actual performance of the tire can vary significantly depending on conditions, driving habits, care, road characteristics, and climate."

I guess that statement doesn't necessarily negate what you said, but it certainly implies cross-brand standardization. Otherwise, what benefit would there be to citing ratings across brands?

 

I've got the Bridgestones. They grip great, ride well for a low-profile tire, but are unbelievably loud on some road surfaces. I haven't had them long enough to assess tread wear. User comments on Tire rack make me think I'll go with the Dunlops when these wear out.

 

Very true, The government came up with the UTQG rating system as a way for consumers to rate tires, not a perfect system, but it's something. Since a tire with a treadwear rating of 200 will last approx 2X as long as a tire w/ a rating as 100, you cannot put a mileage rating on it and cannot cross reference it w/ other manufacturers.

 

The traction rating for the Dunlops are AA compared to just A for the Bridgestone as well?

 

Right-o. Said another way, a tire with a treadwear double that of another should last 'twice' as long as the lesser tire, if both tires were driven under the same conditions, uses, etc.

It's relative.

Fwiw, I'd never sacrifice grip for longevity.

 

I've got the dunlops. Been great through the late summer and in the rain.

 

For the first 6 months or so (July 03 - ~Dec 03) they did all come with the BS RE-040. After Dec 03, they started showing up with Dunlops as well.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Bridgestones are excellent tire--but too expensive and wear out too fast. I replaced mine with a set of Nitto 555s with no complaints.

 

i dont think your right....my car was purchased in august of 04. Build date of late april 04....it has bridgestones as well. I thought this as well, but it seems pretty random who has what....

 

I don't think that is correct. The tire wear rating is the "UTQG" that is a standard rating on tire wear developed & administered by the manufacturers against a control tire & tests based on govt. guidelines. But in theory it would mean that a tire with a 300 rating should last 2X as long as a tire with a 150 tire tread wear rating. But it very much depends on the individuals driving style, and also the tire's rubber compound.

From Tire Rack on what UTQG means.


"The Department of Transportation requires each manufacturer to grade its tires under the Uniform Tire Quality Grade (UTQG) labeling system and establish ratings for treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance. These tests are conducted independently by each manufacturer following government guidelines to assign values that represent a comparison between the tested tire and a control tire. While traction and temperature resistance ratings are specific performance levels, the treadwear ratings are assigned by the manufacturers following field testing and are most accurate when comparing tires of the same brand.

Treadwear

Treadwear receives a comparative rating based on wear rate of the the tire in field testing following a government specified course. For example, a tire grade of 150 wears 1.5 times as long as a tire graded 100. Actual performance of the tire can vary significantly depending on conditions, driving habits, care, road characteristics, and climate.

Traction

Straight-a-head wet braking traction has been represented by a grade of A, B, or C with A being the highest. In 1997 a new top rating of "AA" has been introduced to indicate even greater wet braking traction. However, due to its newness, this grade will probably be applied initially to new tire lines as they are introduced and later to existing lines which excel in wet braking, but had been limited to the previous top grade of "A". Traction grades do not indicate wet cornering ability.

Temperature

Temperature resistance is graded A, B or C. It represents the tire's resistance to the heat generated by running at high speed. Grade C is the minimum level of performance for all passenger car tires as set under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. This grade is established for a tire that is properly inflated and not overloaded."

 

What's not right? I never said they switched entirely to Dunlops - I said "After Dec 03, they started showing up with Dunlops as well."

To clarify and be very specific: ALL RX-8s had ONLY the Bridgestone tires for the first 6 months of production. After Dec 03, the RX-8s came with Dunlops AS WELL AS Bridgestones.

Regards,
Gordon