McKenny14

Hey everybody, im looking at a new set of tires for this up coming auto x season and have narrowed down the search to either a new set of hankook rs3's or BFG rivals. I am running the stock evo 8 gsr wheels (17x8) and am not sure whether to go with 245/45/17's or 235/45/17's . I was set on a 245 size but after talking to a vet of my local auto x he advised me to run the oem size tire on the oem wheel. So the question is rivals or the new v2 rs3's? And if so in a 235 or 245. I have read multiple reviews of both, but there isnt much info on the v2 rs3's. Anyway, thank you for your response in advance!!

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

Check out my writeup on those two in the auto-x review from NOLA a couple years back.

BFGoodrich g-Force Rival Official Review

and our personal testing on them here

Testing Extreme Performance Summer Tires: How Well Can They Handle the Extreme?.

Both tires performed extremely well with the slight upper hand in dry given to the Rivals. They are similar in wet traction ability. Rivals are easier to rotate given their asymmetrical tread design which also helps with road noise.

Either way you really cant go wrong at that level. Bigger problem is availability as most sizes of both are on hefty backorders right now. The 245/45 can be tall at times and wont help with response due to the added height. I'd probably stick oe size also, or some here would say to use a 245/40-17.

Raptord

iTrader: (10)

Having driven both, I felt the Rival had better turn-in response due to the stiffer sidewall. That was the first thing I noticed when I switched from Rival to RS3. I haven't driven the RS3 quite enough yet to provide more comparison.

McKenny14

Thank you for the info and response, awesome im going to stock with oe size then. Has anyone compared the new v2 rs3's to the Rivals? I see a lot of the comparasions being between the older model rs3's and the Rivals but not any on the v2 rs3's. Kinda leaning towards the Rivals at this point from what both of you have said ^^

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

V2's have slightly better wet traction than the previous version. However, my vote would still be for the Rivals.

CooperS7777

I don't Auto-X my car, but I do track it and I finished up last season on a set of 275 Rivals. I liked the tires in the dry, however they seemed to fall off quickly in very hot conditions (3-4 hot laps in on warm/hot summer days at tight tracks like Thompson), but the really handled great on longer, more open tracks where they didn't get quite as hot (WGI). I was also not impressed at all with the wet performance, though this is an area where the Direzzas, which they replaced, excelled. Tire Rack doesn't have them listed in the 275 size anymore unfortunately, but just last week the Rivals were off their site completely so perhaps they are doing some updating.

The RS-3s were on the top of my list to try this year, but it looks like Ill have to start the season off with something else as they wont be available until mid April.

Neal - can you speak to the availability of either the 275 Rivals or RS-3s; anything more specific than listed on the site?

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

Which specific 275 size are you interested in?

CooperS7777

Sorry Neal, should have been more specific. 275/35 (or 40)/18

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

No problem. The 35 series probably late April/early May, not made in the 40 series. Unfortunately same story on the Rivals.

white_turbo

iTrader: (2)

Any idea when the new version of the Rivals are coming out?

Interesting that you like the Rivals more than the RS3. In the autox world, people like the RS3 more and virtually nobody run the Rivals.

CooperS7777

I'm wondering if that has anything to do with my comment above regarding the Rivals falling off quickly when exposed to very high temperatures?

Admittedly, I'm not an Auto-X guy, but Id imagine that tires during Auto-X events are exposed to high temps and at a very rapid pace. They likely also have less of a chance to cool down, both on the track and between runs, than tires do at DE/TT/Racing events.

From having talked to several track friends, I've heard the RS3s perform phenomenally under sustained high heat situations.

Thanks for the update Neal - I guess Ill have to start the season off with something different; I should be on track mid March!

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

No problem! We have part numbers built for the new Rival S, but no word on eta just yet. Still in development at this time.

white_turbo

iTrader: (2)

Most street tires don't like too much heat and fall off quickly anyways, especially on a heavier car like Evo. So, you really only have a small window to get the best times and then you will have to wait for them to cool back down.

One thing that I hate about the Rivals is that it takes relatively long for them to warm up. When cold, they have absolutely no grip.

Hope the new Rivals will be better than the RS3s.

Darwin's WW

I ran the rivals last season all yr on my evo x. They handled really well in the cooler months but once it was close to triple digits they fell off fast. I live in Vegas and it's hot for half of the season and we run year round. I had to constantly spray them down to keep traction consistent. A lot of guys in Vegas run the rs3. It handles heat extremely well and are very consistent. In my opinion it's the better tire to have for our climate.

Avari

RS3v2 is defiantly the tire to have as of last year. Supposed to handle heat much better than the previous generation, and quite a bit cheaper than the Rivals if I remember correctly. Pretty much out of stock just like the D2s at this point.