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So I just finished my first autocross in my 1989 Z51 last Saturday at Devens in Ayer, MA for NER SCCA. Placed 8th out of 9 in B-street. My 2002 Goodyear Eagle F1 run flats did the best they could do. So I surveyed the field and found a majority running Bridestone RE-71Rs. There were C6's running the Rival, but not the Rival S which is all I can find on Tirerack. I have sourced 4 18" wagon wheels for 275/35-18's, and ready to mount some tires strictly for autocross. I am aiming for the RE-71Rs, but they are back ordered to June! Should I go with the Rival S, or wait?
The 1989 in the back ground did 12 seconds faster on Hankooks, but only 255/40-17's.
For 275's square, your choice between the Rival-S and 71R will come down to driver preference. The BFG carries slip angle a little easier and has a slightly softer turn-in feel while the 71R has sharper feel to it. If you can fit more wheel on the rear and bump up to the 315 Rival-S, I wouldn't hesitate to do so.
Rival-S is sided but not directional, so easy rotation all over the car for best life.
RE-71 is directional, so tires got stay on same side of the car unless removing from rim.
If you're 12 seconds off the pace, maybe consider a school or some instruction time before switching to a very fast tire. My opinion is that it is easier to learn with a harder less sticky tire. Cheaper too
Tires will make a big difference, but so will seat time. I recommend doing a half dozen events before buying tires or touching the car. Work on the basics, then work on the equipment.
Rival-S is sided but not directional, so easy rotation all over the car for best life.
RE-71 is directional, so tires got stay on same side of the car unless removing from rim.
True, though you can flip the Rival-S and run it "inside out" when it gets work and you can run the 71R "backwards" in the dry without impacting performance.
If you're 12 seconds off the pace, maybe consider a school or some instruction time before switching to a very fast tire. My opinion is that it is easier to learn with a harder less sticky tire. Cheaper too
Agreed ^^^. Starting Line school or a Phase 1 Evo school would be a great place to spend some of that tire $$$.
I agree on many points. I also run at Deven's a lot. Here's my recommendation:
Run with as many clubs as you can, especially Baystate Corvette Club, NE-SVT, and Track Club USA (all run by the same team), and BMW.
NER-SCCA will only get you 6 runs and will take all day. You'll get 10-12 with the clubs listed above and will end at a decent time, which means double the SEAT time.
Deven's is a long place, but 12 seconds is a ton of time. ~80% of that 12 seconds is driving ability. Nothing personal... you're skill-set needs the most work.
Spend the money on seat time at events and invest in a driving/autocross school.
If you still have money to burn, I just ordered my 285 RE71's and my 275/35/18's RE71R's will be coming off soon. They were only used for 1/2 season, and have good life left.
Also, if you want, I'd be happy to meet you at an event and ride with you for the day to help. I'm no national champ, but I bet I can help you cut that 12 seconds to 6 seconds without any mods.
Thank you for the feedback!
Jesup16, definitely interested in the take offs! Send me a PM when ready.
I run NER SCCA Devens events, FCSCC, CTCart, and 24 hours of lemons.
The last experience is more driving and making sure I don't die, but the most fun of my experience, and in a mid Subaru engine 1979 Chevette no less.
Placed 2nd in novice at Devens last year with a 1992 Automatic Miata with Direzzas Z2 only missing 1st by .1 sec to a RX8.
I definately agree that equipment only gets you so far, till you finally address the loose nut behind the wheel. Seat time and coaching is the only solution. I know one of my big issues is over driving what I have.
I will definately keep an eye out for future bay state events on Motorsportreg.com.
Thank you for the feedback!
Jesup16, definitely interested in the take offs! Send me a PM when ready.
I run NER SCCA Devens events, FCSCC, CTCart, and 24 hours of lemons.
The last experience is more driving and making sure I don't die, but the most fun of my experience, and in a mid Subaru engine 1979 Chevette no less.
Placed 2nd in novice at Devens last year with a 1992 Automatic Miata with Direzzas Z2 only missing 1st by .1 sec to a RX8.
I definately agree that equipment only gets you so far, till you finally address the loose nut behind the wheel. Seat time and coaching is the only solution. I know one of my big issues is over driving what I have.
I will definately keep an eye out for future bay state events on Motorsportreg.com.
Yup, hook up with Jesse at an event for sure. Good (and quick) guy even if he did leave the south.
with everyone else on the seat time👍 It is the most important of any upgrades.
To be fair: other than he seat time and to get yourself started off on a good foot; get good tires, the most important suspension component and get the car aligned and corner balanced. This way you learn to drive a car that is at least set up decent. Understand that if you do drive to the events you may not be able to make the alignment as extreme as you could if you trailer the car. Trust me, it is not fun to drive an aggressively aligned car for autox😬 Lastly be patient and have fun. The guy that was 11 sec faster probably didn't start last year.
The big difference between the two tire options is that the Rival S is not symmetrical so swapping left to right is a negative. The RE-71Rs you can run heavy camber, and when the inners wear, you can swap them off the rims to the opposite side and get some more use out of them. Hopefully picking up some used tires this weekend! From my last SCCA event at Devens the A street corvettes were running Rival, but I did not see the "S" designation on them? Tirerack pictures do not show the "S" designation.
The big difference between the two tire options is that the Rival S is not symmetrical so swapping left to right is a negative. The RE-71Rs you can run heavy camber, and when the inners wear, you can swap them off the rims to the opposite side and get some more use out of them. Hopefully picking up some used tires this weekend! From my last SCCA event at Devens the A street corvettes were running Rival, but I did not see the "S" designation on them? Tirerack pictures do not show the "S" designation.
That's not true. You can *absolutely* flip the Rival and Rival-S on the wheel. It was confirmed through BFG years ago that they're the same internal construction on the inside and outside. The tread design difference isn't an issue by the time they're worn enough to flip.
04-20-2016, 08:36 PM
SCCA Solo Street Tires 2016
with everyone else on the seat time👍 It is the most important of any upgrades. 
