(I couldn't find much info on these tires when I searched for the name a year ago, so I thought I would offer my opinon for anyone planning on purchacing them in the future. This information is purely my opinion, take or leave it as you wish.)



car:
2004 GT w/all options (except the aero kit)
6MT
90,000k miles
MS shocks
MS springs
K&N Drop-in filter
Stock otherwise
EDIT: Stock rim/tire size (225/45 18)

OVERALL
I drive pretty agressively. I'm not "insane" with the car, just "rough." I can count the number of launches I've done on one hand, I never drive much more than 10-15mph over the speed limit, but I take every turn like there's a finish line and a trophy waiting for me on the other side, and I redline the engine just about every chance I get.

Needless to say, I go through tires pretty fast. I used to stick with the stock RE040's because I loved the grip, but I just went through them too fast (all 4 worn nearly to the threads every 7,000-10,000 miles). I decided to go with the Potenza RE960AS PP because they were the cheapest tire I could find with an insanely high wear rating - in fact, they come with a 40,000 mile guarantee.

When I bought them, I was still on the stock suspension, and the car's handling went from that of a Lotus Elise, to that of a mid-80's Dodge Diplomat. It was horrid. I felt like I was hydroplaning on hot dry concrete. The tires appeared to be made out of Teflon. No matter what surface I was on, I had to drive as if I was on a lightly-traveled dirt road. The lightning fast precision and response that we all love about our cars was completely gone - it felt like I was driving-by-wire over a 56k connection.

Shortly after getting these tires, I upgraded to the MS shocks & springs. The difference was that of night & day. The response time from the wheel & pedals still felt pathetically delayed and slugish, but once I got the timing and the feel down, low speed 90 degree turns could be taken with enough finesse and speed to make even the most skeptical passengers say "Damn!"

Unfortunately, once above 30mph, the handling degraded WELL below stock. Highway onramps and offramps trip the DSC even under mildly spirited driving. Sweepers result in a rocking between understeer & oversteer, with no real middle ground for decent balence and grip. Turn-ins - at any speed - have to be taken with slow and smooth motions, even at 25mph a hard snap results in violent understeer; any and all turns have to be *eased* into.

However, as frustrating as these tires are, they fit my driving style and life style perfectly. I've never been one for high speeds, and I'm a really defensive driver, so the lack of precision handling on highways and whatnot only bothers me negligable amount. High lateral g's always bring an ear-to-ear grin to my face, even if I have to work to get them. Like any set of new tires, after driving on them for a while you learn what you can and can't do, and you can pull some pretty damn hard g's on these tires. Plus, with how many miles I can put on a car in a year, it's nice to have rubber that you can abuse to no end, drive from state-to-state several times in one month, and still have more than enough tread left to pass inspection when you have to.


HIGHS
These tires really do last. Right now, mine are nearly bald enough to be considered rcomps. It took 20,000 miles, 6 autocross events, and a practice day to do it, however. About half of those miles were done on the highway, and the other have were done tripoding around every turn in the Houston city limits.


LOWS
As I said, the tires *can* be made to grip, but it comes at a price. If you run the tires in a higher PSI (32+), they are annoyingly slippery. You won't be able to take any turns fast without several attempts, as the slightest mistake in pedal work or steering input and the DSC brings you to a halt.
If you don't have the patience for that, you can run the tires at a much lower PSI (25-27). The grip improves phenominally, and all the precision/balance/and lightning response return to normal, but the tires' sidewall starts to suffer a little wear'n'tear, and I shouldn't have to explain why that's not a good thing.


VERDICT
If you commute a lot or do a lot of long distance driving, these tires will definately last you longer than anything else out there. And if you don't mind sacrificing *quite* a bit of the surgical precision the RX8 offers, you won't mind the extra elbow-grease required to get it to corner like its old self.
However, if you can already make your RE040's last for longer than a year, I'd recommend STRONGLY against these, as you will be stuck with them for 40,000 slippery, gripless, frustrating miles.






Fell free to add your own comments, opinions, insults, etc.

Just remember, I'm no expert and/or leading authority on this subject - I'm just one guy and this is my honest opinion; please don't let this review alone sway your opinion one way or another on these tires.

 

Kumho FTW!

 

I actually tried the Khumo Ecsta Sports before using these. They were less grippy than the RE040's in my opinion, and still didn't last as long. I know they're cheaper, but for how quickly they die an how little they grip they just don't seem worth the trouble; the extra $ for the RE040's is well worth it in my opinion.

 

I'm really happy with my RE050A pole positions so far.
Being in Florida, I probably get more grip than you just from the temperature down here.
Not sure of the exact differences between our sets though. I think DarkBrew(Up in Canada) still has his RE050A's on as well.

 

you're in houston, you shouldn't be buying all-season tires

try the Falken FK452's next time, 300 wear rating and cheaper than the 960AS

 

RE960AS is an all-season high performance tire, while your RE050A is an ultra-high performance summer tire

 

Hence the reason for me.
I was too lazy to even remember the difference, much less go look it up.

Thanks

 

In Houston, when it rains...
...it floods.

The stock RE040's hydroplaned with full tread in even the slightest of rainfall. I figured if I was going to go with no-grip tires, I'd be pretty much commiting suicide if I didn't get all seasons.


I think the 960AS has a treadwear of 420 or something insane like that. The way I see it, they aren't exactly "cheaper" if I have to buy them more often :/

 

incorrect, summer tires usually have superior WET traction compared to all seasons as well. the RE040's are an abomination of a summer tire where it ONLY worked in dry

but 420 means nothing if you're shredding it up in 20k miles, right?

 

...plus 6 Autocrosses and a practice day.

That's 48 pedal-to-the-metal (6 events x 8 runs each) plus the 20 or more "push your car beyond its limits" runs during the practice day. The concrete in the lot where I race is about 15 years past its prime and looks more like someone crazy glued a bunch of gravel together.

Trust me, they took more than their fair share of abuse (and they still aren't showing thread :D).
...the sidewalls look like hell and they've currently got less tread than drag slicks, but that's beside the point...

 

I have the 960's on my car and have been very pleased with them as my everyday tire. They are "all-season" so you do give up some of the responsiveness and quick reactions of the summer tires. However they run quieter and work significantly better at temps under 40 degrees. At the RX-8 recommended pressure of 32 psi they feel a bit soft. I run 35 psi and get good responsiveness and ride. I have run them on the track in an HDPE event and after the weekend the instructor even commented how well they worked for all-seasons. I held my own against some pretty formidable competition.

24psi is way to low and if 32 is annoyingly slippery I suggest you check your tire gauge.