Bridgestone RE730

[MikeyE430]

Anyone had any experience or have any info. on Bridgestone RE730 tires. How about wear, noise, wet handling, dry handling, etc.

Limited info. on this tire at tirerack.com.

I have owned many different Bridgestone tires and have loved them all (except wear of S02).

[Tobias MB]

My son had a set of S-02s and the wear was terrible. We've replaced them with the RE730s and so far all is good. He goes to college about 2 1/2 hrs by interstate and says they are quiet and work well in the rain. These are on a BMW-M3 and I've had little seat time with the new tires mounted.
The price for them is moderate compared to others available
and the UTOG wear factor is very good.

TobiasMB
4 MBs

[Dr. Julio Fuentes]

I upgraded my stock rims and tires to 225-45-17 RE730's. There were a number of factors that helped in the handling... progressive rate sport shocks, lowered ride height, and wider rubber all around. Yes, if you've got a big V-8 you'll still be able to break the tires loose, but overall traction in the wet from normal driving is excellent. I've only had mine a couple of months so I can't comment on the longevity, but I'm very pleased with the results, as well as the price. I figure it's a good compromise for those who want an agressive tire without giving up all-weather ability.


good luck,
Dr. Julio Fuentes, BS, MD, PhD

[Luke@tirerack]

The RE730's preform great and are one of the best ultra-high performance tires on the market at this time. They do tend to be a little noisier than the Dunlop 9000's but they are not to bad.

Luke

[MikeyE430]

I have now narrowed down my tire replacement selections to either the RE730 or Dunlop SP9000. I am replacing the factory Goodyear F1 GSD2 units which with only 8000 miles are real noisy. Wear looks fairly good so far.

Luke, or anyone else, how will these 2 tires compare against the factory Goodyears?

I note in the Tire Rack tests, the RE730 beat the Dunlop in traction, wear, noise and ride. Right now I am leaning heavily toward the RE730s. Any other comments out there? THANKS!

[Luke@tirerack]

The RE730 and the Dunlop 9000 have never been tested against each other but, after all of the testing I have participated in I can tell you that the RE730 is noisier than the Sport 9k's. I do however like both tires alot and they both offer tremendous performance.

Mikey,

I have a set of SP 9000's, size 215/45-17 on my 92 300E and I love them. I purchased them 2 years ago and have only put a littile over 2000 miles on them so far. They are very quiet for a max performance tire, stick like glue, and have a high treadwear rating (although I can't comment on that yet). For the price, I don't think there's a better all around tire. I only paid $109/ tire 2 years ago and the Tirerack has them for $109 now assuming you get the 215/45-17's. If you get a different size, they are a lot more and you may want to look into the RE730's. RECAP: if you get the 215/45-17's, benefits are:
1) relatively quiet at highway speedways
2) very sticky
3) excellent traction in wet (I still haven't been able to break them loose)
4) very high manufacturers treadwear rating
5) very cheap
6) unique tread pattern
7) of course, made in Germany!
7)

[MikeyE430]

Luke, I meant that in separate tests the numbers favored the Bridgestone. I didn't mean they were tested against each other, but wish they were.

How will the RE730 and SP9000 be better than the Goodyear F1 GSD2's?

THANKS!

[Luke@tirerack]

Both tires would out perform the GS D2's and also outlast them. The Dunlop's are better performing and offer a quieter ride but, the 730's are very good performers. If all things were equal I would go with the 9000's because of the ride quality.

[Luke@tirerack]

Both tires would out perform the GS D2's and also outlast them. The Dunlop's are better performing and offer a quieter ride but, the 730's are very good performers. If all things were equal I would go with the 9000's because of the ride quality.

[MikeyE430]

OK, any of you guys that said you had RE730s but only for a short while have anything else to report? Any of you guys that said you were going to buy RE730s have any new info. Again, I am updating my 17" factory E430 tires to 18" and am torn between the Dunlop SP9000 and Bridgestone RE730. Appreciate everyone's opinion. Getting ready to buy in a couple of weeks and want the best wet handling, low-noise, good riding, tire I can get. Dry traction secondary. THANKS!

[Dr. Julio Fuentes]

Well, I've had my RE730's for a couple of months now, and am still very happy with them. I was also looking at the SP9000, but went with the RE730's because they were such a good value for wet weather traction. Sure, there's a bit more road noise than compared to the stock tires... then again I thought those were fairly noisy too. I think this it probably because my previous car was a Lexus, so I was used to less sound in general. Anyways, the first thing the installer told me after my car's "transformation" was that these tires, (as I'm sure is the case with all high-performance tires) need to be properly warmed up before doing any spirited driving. I've noticed this the most when accelerating hard just after starting the car. Once the car hits it's powerband, forget about traction. Later after a few miles of freeway driving, the tires seem to grip a lot better. Things like cornering traction and steering feel seem fine whenever I'm driving, and with all the rain and slush we've been having lately I'm sure glad my car's got some big feet to run around on.

Hope this helps,
-Dr. Julio Fuentes, BS MD PhD

[MikeyE430]

Dr. Julio:

So your RE730s are doing fine in the rain and even the slush? What brand/model/size stock tires did you replace? What size RE730s do you have. Thanks for your post.

How would you describe the RE730 ride quality and noise level in the dry?

[Dr. Julio Fuentes]

Yes, these tires are doing fine in the rain and other forms of wet squishyness. Obviously I'm much more cautious in less than ideal conditions, but on a couple of occasions have been able to safely test braking/cornering in the wet, and was very pleased with the results. Part of this may be attributed to the lower ride height and sport springs- less dive and squat from the car means better performance from the contact patches. I am now running 225-45-17 tires, up from the stock 195-65-15's. Since I haven't driven the SP9000's and RE730's back to back, I can't honestly make a comparison as to which is quieter... I'd say that would be Lee's department. : ) But, these tires do make themselves known on less than ideal road conditions. It probably wouldn't have bothered me in "sound-deadening-coccoon-Lexus", but is more apparent in the W124 chassis.

hope this helps...
-Dr. J