Federal RS-RR Tyres

[Wombit]

So after having enough of the old Toyo T1R tyres on the NB, and with much research into which tyres offered great grip without breaking the bank, I decided to purchase some Federal RS-RR tyres.

The Toyo's that came on the car when I bought it still had plenty of tread, but were manufactured in 2006 and it handled as such. Considering that every drive had me thinking in the back of my mind that the tyres could let go at any time, I had to replace them.

On my list of possibilities were the following:

Nitto Neogen
Toyo Proxes R888R
Bridgestone Potenza RE003
Yokohama Advan AD08R
Federal RS-RR

I liked the Nitto's as they were advertised to work best with some negative camber, and their price was good too. They also had a decent looking tread pattern that reminded me of the Toyo's. Unfortunately, these became unavailable and I kept looking for other options. The Toyo R888R's were very enticing, even at $260 per tyre. That was for just the rubber though, and I would have to add shipping, fitting, and other costs on top. The Bridgestone and Yokohama's were also looking good until I stumbled across the Federal tyres.

The Federal's weren't originally on the list as I had seen mixed reviews on other tyres in their range. However, the flame pattern looked awesome, and the specs seemed reasonable as well.

After a friend followed me through a few decent corners in a car low enough to see below the MX-5, they pointed out a bulge in the sidewall of the old Toyo's. That day, I called to find out how much I'll be stung for the Federal's.

I called my local JAX and they gave me a shock; $159 each fitted for 215/40R17. I booked in and brought the new alignment specs along, which I gleaned from the forum.

I couldn't believe the price was so good, and the grip levels are phenomenal. Now that the tyres are working in harmony, the turn in is much sharper, mid corner bumps are no issue and communicate through the steering wheel beautifully, and traction is so good I couldn't unstick the car on public roads.

Since I'll be attending a track day in November, I'll wait until then to fully express opinion on the tyres. For now though, they've been amazing.

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[matti89]

Hi, I was wondering how tyre noise is in these? I'm looking at a set in 205 50 r15 but the main issue I'm hearing is there too loud for a daily dríven car.

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[Wombit]

I was concerned they would be a loud tyre, but I feel it comes down to the application, tyre size, and vehicle construction. A closed cockpit coupe with limited sound deadening would notice the sound more than our open top cars.

The old Toyo's down the highway would emit a high frequency roar that caused me pain after an extended drive. This was mostly on the concrete portion of the M1 as the bitumen is significantly quieter. I would either have to have the roof or at least the windows up, or wear earplugs.

The Federals actually produce a low frequency hum that increases its pitch with speed. It's akin to a mud tyre on a 4WD, but more sedate. Also a bit like a diff whine, or straight cut geared transmission. I actually kind of like it, and it's not that noticeable after the first few drives. I actually find these to be quieter on the highway since they don't emit such a harsh high pitched tone like the Toyo's did.

[ceebee1691]

Hi Wombit. Have you any feedback on what these are like in the wet at all? I'm narrowing down my options for some good road tyres that will also serve duty on occasional track days, so will need good wet weather performance as well as great dry grip.
Cheers

[Wombit]

HI Ceebee,

I did a 200km run through the Gold Coast hinterland, and all through Mt Tamborine. I would give a 7/10 on wet performance, which is probably still a harsh score. I didn't run into any major issues in the wet, and found the front end quite planted. The rears would start to let go if I applied too much power on a corner, but it was very progressive and easily caught.

The previous tyres I had were quite old, so aren't the best comparison. However, I do find these Federals have better grip in the wet than they Toyo's did. The tread grooves are actually quite wide and deep on these, so even through puddles of standing water, I didn't get any hydroplaning.

[Magpie]

Since I'll be attending a track day in November, I'll wait until then to fully express opinion on the tyres.

Any track feedback?

[Wombit]

Any track feedback?

First of all, I did make it to the track and I saw Magpie's NA in action. It was great being able to watch some experienced people go fast.

Since it was my first track day, you can take my opinion with a grain of salt. With that said, I found the grip would far exceed my ability or that of the car. In fact, the original suspension couldn't keep up with the cornering grip from the tyres, so now I need to get some decent coilovers to remedy this.

When it comes to the tyres, I found the sprint session of about 5 or 6 laps never overheated the rubber, and the grip was consistent all the way through. Reports of the tyres fading and getting greasy may be accurate for longer stints, but I didn't experience that. The car didn't understeer, and if I needed to turn in more mid-corner, I could just turn the wheel further and the car complied. As I gained more confidence in the tyres, I found I could remain flat towards the first right hand turn and go hard on the brakes. The car tracked straight under braking, didn't shimmy, and the ABS didn't activate either. On the last few laps, I was trying harder to activate the ABS as well, but it didn't happen. In fact, it felt like I had over worked the brakes by doing this, as there was a little bit of brake fade developing after this.

After each session, I checked the rubber visually. It was hot to the touch, and I could leave a finger mark on the tyre if I pressed onto the tread. There wasn't much in the way of feathering, but the front tyres did have rubber pilling across the surface more than the rear. I ran street pressure of about 29F 32R, and felt I probably could have used a little more air in the front tyres.

Overall, I am more than happy with their performance on track and street, and I am highly likely to get them again once I wear these out.