REVIEW: Bridgestone RE002.

[bennjamin]

Hello all , let me introduce alittle about my car - 2003 EP3 civic type R.
Nice and all for a daily - no real modifications - perfect point to point FWD. Rated up there as one of the best hot hatches of all time. I really do agree.

Anyway. I purchased the car a good 6 months ago harnessed with the power of nankang NS2's. While these do great to drive your car from here to right over there - one track day at Wakefield park taught me that 1. heat effects tyres quick smart and 2.track work teaches you the limits of your tyres long before the limits of your car.

I stumbled upon these Bridgestone RE002 in OEM size. I have had their predecessors - RE001 on a past EG hatchback running basically the guts of a DC2R and liked them quite abit. I had them for approx. 2 years which included daily driving mixed up with occasional spirited spurts through the hills of North Hornsby and Southern Sydney.
A few WSID drag nights and a handful of Wakefield race days and i handed the car over to a friend who tells me the tyres still are holding strong to this day.

Enough about them - it does make you think though. New tyre , so much to hold up high. Can it last ? Can it give the driver into more feedback more confidence in both the daily commute and a good old fashioned thrash ? Thats the point of this review.

I cant tell you more than an initial response as its literally been less than 500kms on these tyres. First few days of driving I noticed a steady grip level on any surface and any condition up to "pushing" point. These tyres feel sturdy and planted and I was impressed with dry performance and wet driving. At a guess this is to do with the slightly softer compound that i recall of the old RE001 (great in the dry but iffy in the wet) and the slightly wider water dispersing grooves in the tread.
I do worry as to the real wear rates as they are definitely softer than the older RE001s - in my case this wont be a major issue as i dont have a massive drop on coilovers but this is something to consider for people in slammed rides. Camber and toe WILL kill tyres !

Generally speaking I wouldnt push them for atleast 1000kms but I have a feeling they will shine with alittle heat in them - heading down to wakefield raceway next week (16/8/11) and hope to put a full day of hooning in. Before i could hold 2-3 hot laps without any major sliding and had to provoke the car into major over or under steer.

So , lets see how it goes !

[bennjamin]

[anzai]

i never knew tyres could look that sexy... nice photo lol :P

[aaronng]

What is the wear rating for the RE002? Is it still 220 as for the RE001 or lower?

[i-vtec]

bridgestone site states its the same wear rating as RE001

[TheSaint]

hrm i have the RE001 and im really happy with them =)

[bennjamin]

hrm i have the RE001 and im really happy with them =)

think of these as an updated version.

One thing to note is - there was differences between the same tyre but manufactured in differing places. For example my old RE001 were made in Japan , and i liked them - but a mate had them made in OZ or somewhere else and they werent really the same tyre. These RE002 are made in indonesia - lets see if they are any good !

[TheSaint]

yeah i put the same tyres on my 98 Liberty Rx (05 WRX wheels) and they seemed to be a tad lower quality than the ones on my 93 Civic Sedan (94 Dc2 fat fives)

the liberty came with 18" chromies when we first bought it with average tyres and it was a tank to drive - hated it, very bumpy, lots of understeer and hard to park
i sold off the chromies and the stock wheels and bought some 2005 WRX alloys than sent it into my local bridgestone to get the RE001 put on and the difference was amazing
the car actually drove properly, alot less understeer, waaaaay easier to park, no bumps and less sound at 110km/h, and got better fuel economy

the civic just had an average set of tyres on the fat fives - i did try to get some Yokohama/Advan tyres for it but the only ones they made in the fitment of the fat fives received not as high reviews as the bridgestones and were going to cost more and be installed by a less reputable shop - so i opted to go with the RE001's again and went to the same place - who gave me a discount for being a loyal customer and did a good job with the fitting - the difference was like night and day on the civic - braking was AMAZING, acceleration was improved ALOT, handling and grip was a million times better - but didnt really notice a difference in fuel economy

one thing i also like about the RE001s from my local bridgestone dealer is that they have never had a drop in tyre pressure even tho i check them all the time and the wheel alignment did not slowly go out either - had both sets for well over 12months and almost no problems or maintenance required on them

they took about 2 months to fade/wear in a bit

i would be keen to see how much better the RE002 is for my next tyre purchase - but i dont think ill need any for another 12months or so =p

[gumus89]

I just bought 2 RE001's at a very cheap price because the RE002's are out.
They are magnificent compared to the SP sport fastresponse and OLD toyo teo plus combo. Now its RE001 at the front and dunlop at the back.

The only downside so far is that I used to get around 8.5L/100kms no matter how I drove. Now I get 9.5 and I do nothing different. A bit sad.

[zco]

Tyre pressure. Bump it up

[bennjamin]

Tyre pressure. Bump it up

Also remember to make the pressure at COLD , and follow the manufactures settings located on the tyre placard (located in the door well)- NOT what it says "as maximum" on the sidewalls.

[Foxx]

Nice - Had re001 before and now looking at getting the re002's tomorrow.. Those living in Sydney - Brigstone liverpool are doing a great deal on RE002's for $137 each and that includes, wheel balance & wheel alignment on all four.