Tyres for Impreza STi

[bls1]

Hello all,
Been lurking for a long time plus reading previous comments on tyres.
But would be interested to have comments on my specific issue.
I need 4 x new tyres for 2004 Impreza STI, that need to be up to the occasional track day but also general road use.
I'm not THAT concerned about wear, and it seems a bit pointless to worry about noise & comfort on this car...
What I'm really looking for is something that will give good feel & turn-in, and not break away too quickly. Plus, and I know this is a bit conflicting, will perform well on a (dry) trackday or 2 PLUS be ok in the wet (this is my wet-weather car but also the one I would use for track).
Previously I've been very happy with Yoko A008 on classic mini (great grip, good feel before break-away), and Toyo T1R on BMW E39 5-series.
Please , no Falkens, I appreciate it may just be me but but I have very bad experience of both 452's and 912's.
Size is 225/40/18 in probably 91Y - 95Y.

I'm thinking (Camskill supply-only prices in brackets)
- Conti Sportcontact 3 (£109)
- Toyo T1R (£96) - bit old now?
- Hankook S1 Evo or V12 Evo (£89) - what's the real difference ?

I've also considered, and think I've ruled out, but willing to re-consider :
- Mich PS3 (£128) - too pricey v's others
- GY Eagle F1 Asymetric (£109)
- Vredestein Ultrac Sessanto (£88) - great price but mixed reviews e.g. 2010 AMS test on tyrereviews

Thanks a lot in advance !

[anonymous-user]

This months Evo has a tyre test using some of the extact tyres you mention. Off the top of my head the Contis came out on top and Hankook were somewhere in the mid range. Might be worth spending the £4 (?) on the mag and having a read?

[bls1]

yeah I saw that, but as they were testing on a lightweight RWD MX5, I thought their views may not be applicable to a heavier more powerful 4wd. It seems that different tyres perform differently on different cars.

[garycat]

S'funny Evo didn't test the Eagle F1 (IIRC) and I've always found that to be a great tyre, especially in the wet on my '03 Impreza.

[SClarke]

A friend of mine is testing some R1-R Toyos at the moment. As I recall they are similar to R888 but with more all round ability in the (very) wet. I'm not sure if they are available to the masses yet but they look like a good track day/every day compromise.

Personally I don't mind R888 on the road. They just teach you to respect puddles!

[ex vtskid]

I had Kumho's Ecsta KU31's on my classic, would recommend them and they are quite a bit cheaper than the one's you've mentioned. I would say they're not great or terrible at anything, just good all round tyres. It's not just me either, they've got good reviews.

[chilled901]

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 or Dunlop Direzza Star Specs


Take your pick. Any other tire is just a waste of money.

[GravelBen]

Any particular reason not to go for the OEM (in some markets anyway) Bridgestone RE070?

I've tried T1R, Eagle F1 GSD3 and Bridgestone RE001 on the GTB and rate the RE001 best by a good margin - T1R and GSD3 grip well enough but the sidewalls are just too soft and weak, they also have a reputation for melting on track with heavyish cars.

Bridgestone RE070 and RE11 are both more track-focussed than the RE001 so the flipside is they may not last as long.

Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 15th July 00:04

[alfa daley]

Well I have the Hankooks V12 Evo on the rear of my newage Sti. The first time out on them in the wet I swore they were the biggest pile of junk ever. Oversteer was achieved with the merest twitch of the right foot in the wet. Then after about 200 miles (even my motorbike tyres never took that long to break in!) they transformed into something completely different: more grip, more poise, more everything. I'm not sure on the stiffness of the sidewall though, as they seem to flex more than the Avons. I would be interested to see what the Vredesteins Ultrac Sessantas are like as everyone eulogises their performance on Scoobynet.

Overall pretty good but as good as the Ultracs or goodyears? Not sure.

[chilled901]

GravelBen said:

Any particular reason not to go for the OEM (in some markets anyway) Bridgestone RE070?

I've tried T1R, Eagle F1 GSD3 and Bridgestone RE001 on the GTB and rate the RE001 best by a good margin - T1R and GSD3 grip well enough but the sidewalls are just too soft and weak, they also have a reputation for melting on track with heavyish cars.

Bridgestone RE070 and RE11 are both more track-focussed than the RE001 so the flipside is they may not last as long.

Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 15th July 00:04

I had RE01R on my car for 30k miles and that included 2 track days. The big difference between RE070 and RE01R/ RE-11 are much much better in the rain, are far less noisy on the highways and have even more dry traction than the RE070s. The Star specs are even better in wet performance but apparently are a bit louder than the Bridgestones.

[sebhaque]

I have Toyo Proxes on my Impreza and they've been pretty good since I have had them. Not had a chance to take them on a track yet but hopefully they'll be better than the P6000s they replaced.

[HellDiver]

sebhaque said:

I have Toyo Proxes on my Impreza and they've been pretty good since I have had them. Not had a chance to take them on a track yet but hopefully they'll be better than the P6000s they replaced.

Two used Durex would be better than the P6000 tbh...

[rhinochopig]

R1Rs as mentioned

or Yoke AD08s meet your requirements. The yokes are supposed to be better in the wet than the R1R.

[bls1]

Guys, thanks a lot for all the suggestions.

Conclusions :
Eagle F1 Asy : £109 , not sure they're significantly better than the rest ?

Kumho Ecsta & Hankook : thanks for your honest comments but not exactly glowing so will avoid these

Toyo T1R : apparently sidewalls too soft for this car

Yoko AD08 & Yoko AD08 : £150 & £160 so knocked out on price

Dunlop Direzza and Bridgestone RE01R / RE-11 : not available in UK (from what I can work out)

Bridgestone RE070 : look to be too stiff sidewalls for the road, according to Tyrereviews.co.uk

For my purposes (mainly road, but not something that's going to get wiped out on track) it does look like the Vredesteins...

Will order them in a few days and definately report back v's existing crappy Falken 912's

[HVAC MATT]

I found the Eagle F1 Asy very good as a road tyre on my old Mk2 Focus ST and not to bad on track but I was using XL side wall rated. the R1R are for track days in the wet or people that drive for fun only as you wont get many miles out of tham as they are ment to be almost as soft as the R888.

[chilled901]

bls1 said:

Guys, thanks a lot for all the suggestions.

Conclusions :
Eagle F1 Asy : £109 , not sure they're significantly better than the rest ?

Kumho Ecsta & Hankook : thanks for your honest comments but not exactly glowing so will avoid these

Toyo T1R : apparently sidewalls too soft for this car

Yoko AD08 & Yoko AD08 : £150 & £160 so knocked out on price

Dunlop Direzza and Bridgestone RE01R / RE-11 : not available in UK (from what I can work out)

Bridgestone RE070 : look to be too stiff sidewalls for the road, according to Tyrereviews.co.uk

For my purposes (mainly road, but not something that's going to get wiped out on track) it does look like the Vredesteins...

Will order them in a few days and definately report back v's existing crappy Falken 912's

All I can say about the sidewall on the RE070 is super stiff sidewall = super sharp turn-in. They are also 60% runflats proven by the fact that 2 nails punctured the rear tires on my car and the sidewall still held up allowing me to drive half a mile to the tire shop.

[Daniel1]

bls1 said:

Hello all,
Been lurking for a long time plus reading previous comments on tyres.
But would be interested to have comments on my specific issue.
I need 4 x new tyres for 2004 Impreza STI, that need to be up to the occasional track day but also general road use.
I'm not THAT concerned about wear, and it seems a bit pointless to worry about noise & comfort on this car...
What I'm really looking for is something that will give good feel & turn-in, and not break away too quickly. Plus, and I know this is a bit conflicting, will perform well on a (dry) trackday or 2 PLUS be ok in the wet (this is my wet-weather car but also the one I would use for track).
Previously I've been very happy with Yoko A008 on classic mini (great grip, good feel before break-away), and Toyo T1R on BMW E39 5-series.
Please , no Falkens, I appreciate it may just be me but but I have very bad experience of both 452's and 912's.
Size is 225/40/18 in probably 91Y - 95Y.

I'm thinking (Camskill supply-only prices in brackets)
- Conti Sportcontact 3 (£109)
- Toyo T1R (£96) - bit old now?
- Hankook S1 Evo or V12 Evo (£89) - what's the real difference ?

I've also considered, and think I've ruled out, but willing to re-consider :
- Mich PS3 (£128) - too pricey v's others
- GY Eagle F1 Asymetric (£109)
- Vredestein Ultrac Sessanto (£88) - great price but mixed reviews e.g. 2010 AMS test on tyrereviews

Thanks a lot in advance !

dont recommend the toyo t1r's: terrible in the wet and cooked within 4000 miles. Ive had the eagle F1's which have lasted longer and were much much much better in the wet. Thats my limited experience for you.

[MudasarKhan]

Don't know much about Impreza's, but quite a few Audi RS4 owners swear by Goodyear F1 Assy's & Ultrac Sessanta's.

Edited by MudasarKhan on Saturday 17th July 05:06