Federal 595RS-R tyres - any experiences ?
Federal 595RS-R tyres - any experiences ?
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Discussion

arabian

Original Poster:

503 posts

204 months

Tuesday 30th October 2012
quotequote all
without wishing to start the age old debate about tyres, and apolologies if this question has been asked before, but i need some new tyres all round ready for spring. I was recommended by a trackday tyre supplier to have a look at Federal Motorsport 595RS-R tyres which, i have been reliably informed, are quieter than the R888 and just as good on road or track. The bonus being that you could get all 4 for £560 compared to £900 for R888 and a scary £1200 for Yoko A048R's.

i appreciate tyres are rather subjective and one shouldnt gamble with ones life for the sake of cheap(er) tyres, but has anyone used these Federals, and what did they think of them ?

Lucozade

2,574 posts

308 months

Tuesday 30th October 2012
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I've got a set on mine. They have lasted well after 3 track days, spa, Anglesey and Rockingham.

I'm definately not the quickest of track day drivers but they seem to do the job just fine.

mgbond

6,749 posts

261 months

Tuesday 30th October 2012
quotequote all
I also have them and think they are very good on track and I have had no problem on the road in the dry. As above post, I'm not exactly a quick driver.

In the wet however I have found that I need to be more cautious than when on my RE050 winter tyres. The other day I had wheel spin in 4th.

This is the first year I have had semi slicks so suspect they would all be like that.

If you can get them for 590 then thats good as I think the best I could get was 650 or something around that.

Bondy

arabian

Original Poster:

503 posts

204 months

Tuesday 30th October 2012
quotequote all
I'm the same, an average driver, no massive bhp and maybe 3-4 track days per year in which case i reckon it's got to be worth a go.

Thanks for the feedback.

BMTR in Birmingham gave me the quote, £560 inc VAT, plus £12 delivery to Essex. Guess it will be another £40 to get them fitted ?

Scooby P1

2,617 posts

258 months

Tuesday 30th October 2012
quotequote all
I've got P Zero Rossos all round. Can't remember how much they were but they are definitely not semi slicks.

Constantly surprised how many laps they last on track and never seem to have an issue with them, which seems amazing for a road tyre.

Bit tricky to get warm in cold temperatures, locking front wheels when cold around town is common, but for a tyre you can take out in the wet and then track I am seriously impressed. (i push quite hard on track sometimes)

mrpbailey

1,015 posts

215 months

Tuesday 30th October 2012
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Ive had a set of these for about 6 months now, done a few trackdays in that time. Have to say that I am very unimpressed, and would say on track the difference between these and the SO2's on my standard wheels is minimal. At the Ring and Spa recently, couldn't believe how bad the tyres were, really struggled with grip (in the dry) and the amount of tyre squeal was incredible!
100% wish I'd spent a bit more and gone for R888's etc. There's definitely a reason these are about £300 a set cheaper than its competitors.
Positives - wear rate isn't too bad, and are ok for normal road use, except in heavy rain!

Paul

Hollowpockets

5,910 posts

245 months

Tuesday 30th October 2012
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I used to run p zero rosso's on my diesel golf run around a number of years ago, wouldn't even consider putting them on the noble.

Chapppers

4,483 posts

220 months

Tuesday 30th October 2012
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I run P-Zero Rossos all round on mine, they're great. Had them on at Cadwell.

What do you think is wrong with them Hollowpockets? They're factory fit on most supercars.

Edited by Chapppers on Wednesday 31st October 09:34

TuxMan

9,011 posts

267 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
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The problem is Chappers if you go onto a cut slick like 888's when you go back to a normal road tyre there is a massive difference !! I managed a week on my bridgestones before I changed back !!! The car felt dangerous on them .

arabian

Original Poster:

503 posts

204 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
quotequote all
Uh-oh, I did start the debate again..........doh !redcard

Hollowpockets

5,910 posts

245 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
quotequote all
They are a road tyre and that's it, a popular brand that supercars/sports car companys use to help sell these flashy cars and justify the price tags, I found Falkens, Toyo T1r's and obviously eagle F1's to all offer more than the Pirelli rosso (maybe just the way I perceive it), but we are talking about track use and they can't offer the level of grip needed on track that's for sure. I've not tried the federals yet but 888's, yokos or trofeos are the way forward, try once and you'll never bother with road tyres on your noble again.

951

614 posts

184 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
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arabian said:
Uh-oh, I did start the debate again..........doh !redcard
Yup! biggrin

Chappers, not only are P-Zero Rosso's a road tyre but they are also at the "comfort" end of the P-Zero collection rather than the performance end. I have them on on mine but I wouldn't say they are all that grippy and they do go off quickly. They are nice and quiet and ride well though.

Just my 2p of course mate! smile

Graham

Chapppers

4,483 posts

220 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
quotequote all
But they're not a bad tyre as was implied. They're a good all-rounder which seemingly does alright on track too, in my experience. Obviously they're not a track tyre, but most of my driving is fast road stuff anyway, so it's good to have a road tyre that can cope with the odd trackday.

By the way, they're not just a "popular brand to help sell flashy cars" - a lot of development goes into making sure tyres are correct for new vehicles, and brands like Pirelli, Michelin and Continental are a lot more experienced in providing this service of making minute changes to their tyres to suit vehicles throughout development. Cheaper stuff like Toyo tyres are good because they're soft, but they wear out quickly as a result. As far as I know they do not supply any tyres to manufacturers, they're purely aftermarket.

Of course, Pirelli didn't make minute changes to their tyres to suit my car, but having gone through a lot of sets of various brands on works cars, and taking recommendations from colleagues, I decided the rossos were for me. For now. smile

Edited by Chapppers on Wednesday 31st October 09:48

Scooby P1

2,617 posts

258 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
quotequote all
Hollowpockets said:
They are a road tyre and that's it, a popular brand that supercars/sports car companys use to help sell these flashy cars and justify the price tags, I found Falkens, Toyo T1r's and obviously eagle F1's to all offer more than the Pirelli rosso (maybe just the way I perceive it), but we are talking about track use and they can't offer the level of grip needed on track that's for sure. I've not tried the federals yet but 888's, yokos or trofeos are the way forward, try once and you'll never bother with road tyres on your noble again.
Interesting how this differs for various people.
I think I agree with you Hollowpockets that once you've tried a track tyre, you're unlikely to want road tyres again and my next set once the Rossos are done will be the Trofeo R's as I love the look of them as well as how good they are meant to be.

Eagle F1's are awesome. My Impreza P1 has them, but they do allow understeer of monumental amounts, so i would say P Zero Rossos are better than them, but i am not comparing experience on the same car pf course.

Anyone got the P Zero Trofeo R's yet? (on demon tweeks the rear profile is 40 instead of 35 - is that a problem?)

Edited by Scooby P1 on Wednesday 31st October 10:20

Chapppers

4,483 posts

220 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
quotequote all
To be fair, Tux, 951 and Hollow all have 500-600bhp don't they? Rossos probably start to struggle with that kind of power in a light car? Who knows, they seem to work on mine.

Funny you should say that though about the Trofeos, i've just had a quick browse and can't seem to find them actually for sale anywhere.

I might see if Costco will sell me some Michelin Pilot Sport Cups next year though, they could be good.

Scooby P1

2,617 posts

258 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
quotequote all
Chapppers said:
To be fair, Tux, 951 and Hollow all have 500-600bhp don't they? Rossos probably start to struggle with that kind of power in a light car? Who knows, they seem to work on mine.

Funny you should say that though about the Trofeos, i've just had a quick browse and can't seem to find them actually for sale anywhere.

I might see if Costco will sell me some Michelin Pilot Sport Cups next year though, they could be good.
Rossos work on mine, not so good when cold though.

I really want the Trofeo R's http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/competiti...

but the profile is 40 not 35!?

Blu3R

2,380 posts

228 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
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I had Rossos on a Z3M some years ago and hated them. Couldn't get any heat into them on the road which resulted in very skittish behaviour when you finally set off at pace. When I did a track day with the same tyres on my STi5 TypeR they seemed much better for a whole lap (lap 2 of 4) before it felt like they'd ballooned and got too hot (my inexperienced opinion at the time). A switch in both cases to Eagle F1s (GSD2 on the M, 3s on the Subaru) made for much more confidence inspiring driving.
For reference I'm trying Vredestein Sessantas on the Noble but found them very average in the wet at the Ring this year which was disappointing as I'd hoped they'd be a good all weather alternative to the F1s that I *thought* were only available in XL sidewalls, therefore being too stiff for a lightweight car like the Noble.

Scooby P1

2,617 posts

258 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
quotequote all
I agree Rossos are a bit skittish as very hard to get warm on the road unless its a bloody warm day!

But that's why on track I find they last a long time!

TuxMan

9,011 posts

267 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
quotequote all
Forget the trofeos !! Shaun has had loads of problems , value fur money nothing beats the 888's , spend a bit more and Michelin pilot cups are awesome !!!! Also the yoky 048 are very good as well .

Tux

sundance002

1,304 posts

193 months

Wednesday 31st October 2012
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Personally I don't see the point of trying to save 200 pounds on a tyre, it's the most important part,
Surely like hi fi, there's no point in spending 5000 on an amp and speakers and only spending 100 pound on cable it won't sound good. IMO you have to decide what you want first, track or road, a road tyre will not perform on track, same as a track tyre won't perform on the road in the wet, if you buy road then buy the best, if you buy track then buy the best Simples why skimp on tyres when you drive a Noble. I use 888s I don't take my car out in the wet, and I do as much track work as I can, they've been great, my next tyre will be going back to the cup sports as IMO they are the best track and dry road tyre you can buy. Don't wast your money trying to find a tyre that does both well, they don't.