They're way cheaper than a lot of the alternatives and I'm mainly looking for a "sticky - but not slicks sticky" tire if you know what I mean. I'd be running them on my Speed3 - I got some rpf-1's (17x9) and now I'm looking to fill out those haunches.
They say they're a UTQG: 140AAA - so not as sticky as an ra-1/r888/etc but pretty sticky?
Anyone run them or know someone who runs them?
Thanks!
Federal...I think there are a lot better choices out there for that price. Admittedly, I know nothing about them, but I am a tire geek and suspect there's a reason no one is talking about them. If you want "sticky, but not slicks sticky" you might want to check out Extreme Summer tires from Bridgestone, BFG, for the fastest tires, or Dunlop, Kumho, or even Falken (there's another thread about these right now) for a similar priced tire.
I'll report back - I read through reviews online and they seemed to indicate a "pretty sticky" but slow wearing tire that gets a bit greasy when it's driven past it's limit - seemed perfect for my use case and cheap.
In reply to CyberEric:
Do you have any numbers on similar 255/40r17? Because I couldn't find anything close to the price for that fitment- I found them for 108 a tire - that's 200 a set cheaper than any "DOT" lower tread wear tire I could find.
Yeah, they're sticky, but really vague and communicate really poorly, but at least they're supposedly pretty resilient - they don't fall apart when they get hot, their performance just falls off.
Federals! I had them in a 265/35-18 for my 88 TurboII and, well, they're great for the money. They reminded me of my Hankook RS-3s except with a stiffer sidewall, which I really like. Very similar break-away characteristics as well.
Their biggest problem is not in the product, it's in their distribution/retail network. Their business model seems to favor mom n' pop type locations. It's a shame because that exposure could really make a difference.
I didn't notice these tires going off, but then my car was right around 2350lbs. I'm looking forward to trying their RSRRs!
I thought Feddies normally go on the back of a car.
I've not used those but have run the 595-evo on the street and on my Chumpcar. I was impressed and at $50 per tire in the 15" size it was half as much as the star specs.
I've run RS-Rs several times before and I like them at the price point. Main issue is getting my hands on a set (nobody around here stocks them, so I need to get them shipped from places I've never heard of). They also seem to wear pretty well, at least on the tired hamster power stuff I run.
IIRC there's place or two in the Bay Area that sells them - not sure if they're cheaper than Amazon but in my recent experience, Amazon tends to be far from cheap. Let me see if I can dig up the info.
Edit: The two places I was trying to think of were Auto Logic in San Bruno and Elite Performance in Burlingame.
The closest tire shop that sells Federal is 60 mins away. Online Tires can ship them to me for ~$78 for a set.
In the Amazon link you posted it says 130$. Looks like the Falkens are the same price: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Falken&tireModel=Azenis+RT615K%2B&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=54WR7RT615KP&tab=Sizes
In reply to CyberEric:
Gotcha - I just posted that since it seemed like a "trusted" link so I could share them. I found them ~120 shipped/sales tax (CA is pretty pricey there) per tire - a lot better than the bottom line of the other comparable tires.
Picked 'em up from UPS today - love the smell o' rubber. Also love my old, rough chevy Suburban - that thing is the best.
Sweet! Please post up some feedback.
I really enjoyed the set I had on my old E30. They were cheap, relatively sticky, and cheap. For a budget summer tire, they're very near, if not at, the top of my list.
Do they compete with the RS4/Z2/RE71's of the world? Heck no. Are they fast enough to be fun without worrying about tire costs? Oh heck yes.
This was a 205/50/15 on a 15x8:
This is the fun you can have in them:
Nice E30! Sounds like I should check these out for a cheaper option for decent performance.
I'll be at Sonoma on Sunday, will post up after...
Sorry to bump a zombie thread, but why not keep like info in one place? Does anyone else have any feedback on these tires?
I want a sticky street tire for my Porsche which will be occasionally autocrossed in ES. I have no intentions of trying to be competitive with the Miatas that dominate the class, just want to have fun.
The car will mostly be used for canyon drives. Considering these tires are half the price of other 200TW options, they are hard to ignore!
Good reminder. I haven't had mine out in a while, but they've done well! The wear pretty slow, and are sticky, but much less sticky than an r888, etc. They don't talk a lot, but do chirp a bit on hard cornering. The ones above are on in this (terrible) video. Any specific questions?
In reply to 2002maniac :
According to the OP, they are lower than the 200tw rating required to run them in ES. Some groups might not care, buy my "home club" is pretty flexible on everything except the 200tw tire requirement for the "stock/street" classes. If yours is the same, off to SM you go!
In reply to kazoospec :
Yeah - that's a good point. It's worth noting that the ones I have (i think they make a 'double r ' now too, don't know about that one) - they're much less sticky than the top of the line 200TW tires, well, so far as I can tell.
Here’s what I’ve learned about them recently. I just bought some 595ss for the Miata. A cheap entry level for autocross. All four cost a whopping $170. The treadwear rating is simply chinglish. The 185/55r14’s are rated 240tw. The 195/60r14’s of the SAME EXACT TIRE are TW 460! Wtf... I emailed Federal, never heard back. That was a few months ago. The tires a great for what they are. If you are not trying win a trophy at autocross, they are a good tire. If you ARE trying to win a trophy, don’t bother with these.
_ said:... The treadwear rating is simply chinglish. The 185/55r14’s are rated 240tw. The 195/60r14’s of the SAME EXACT TIRE are TW 460! ...
That makes more sense, even 240 on these is probably a bit generous.
The RS-RR has the 200tw on its side for those stock classes. They are loud as heck though. Sound like a freight train at 45-60mph. They have worn in and gotten quieter over some miles.
I run them in 205/50R15 on my Fiesta and our Chump build(2002 Elantra). For the price nothing really out there compares. 4 tires in 200tw were $351 shipped. $200 difference between them and a set of the RE71R's in the same size.
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