Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Wheels & Tires Potenza RE730's...woohooo!

I finally got a badly needed new set of tires today (I had to wait for Costco to special order them). It was a great deal:

205/55/ZR16 Bridgestone Potenza RE730's
were 470$ out the door (including mounting/balancing/full road hazard warranty/tax/lifetime rotation...) after I used a $50 coupon.
(We also got a set of 205/65/HR15 Michelin Pilot XGTH4's for $360 out the door for our Maxima!)

I like the Potenzas so far, but since it would be completely unfair and biased for me to review and compare these brand new tires with the stock GS-C tires (they were really old, 31.5K miles, and the rubber was really deteriorating), I will hold off on posting any real review for at least a couple of weeks.

All I can comment on right now is appearance...and they look great: very agressive tread design, the sidewalls are angled slightly inwards and are flat (unlike the outwardly bulging stock GS-C's), and the tread design actually extends over and onto the outermost part of the sidewall (which actually makes the sidewall look even thinner!). Ill try to post some pics soon!

All I can say is Costco is the shiznat!

You are definitely going to like them. They may very well become the first performance tire model that I buy more than once. (OEM GS-C's and then SZ-50, now RE730).

25K on my RE730's and I'm very happy with them. However, I may switch to something a bit 'stickier' soon.

Mark

I love my Bridgestone Potenza RE730s too. 20k miles and loving them.

got the 730's about a year ago, 20k+ miles and still loving them. Going to the 18"ers soon with the 730's. I can't wait

they stick..but are a little loud for my taste

Hi Folks,
Sorry, I didn't speak up sooner. I hope that you are more satisfied than I with the Re730 Bridgestone tires. The Re730 tires have gotten noiser with every mile of driving. These tires seemed fairly quiet at the time of purchase. However, a year plus later with inspection of suspension, rotation and high speed balancing, correct pressure, etc., except for the most smooth asphalt, the noise is more than the original equipment GSC tires.
The RE730 performance on wet roads remains much better than the GSC originals. However, the GSC tires worked adequately in snow and slush. In contrast, the RE730 tires are terrible in slush!!! Beware! Yes, even worse on semi-frozen slush than on dry power snow. (Yes, Philly, PA is in the slush belt with melting and freezing more than repeated and substantial snow.)
The general turn-in perfomance, etc., is no better than the GSC original equipment.
Ah, my "sole" for the perfect tire, regardless of price. Suggestions?
1998 Black Contour SVT, original.
Regards,
Robert

Yes, unfortunately I've heard these tires get very loud as they age. However, at $98 per tire I couldn't pass this deal up. Guess I'll just have to turn up the volume! As far as slush/ice/snow goes, it doesn't really concern me as I live in the Bay Area, CA (winter = 40-60 degrees).

As for your tires, maybe you should try the BFGoodrich KDWS's (they are like the KDW's, but offer better ride comfort and snow performance). Do a search and im sure youll find a lot of threads. Maybe even upgrade to the 225/50/16 size for better stability. Good luck!

True dat. I tried to run a few blocks in about 1/2" of snow and slush a few weeks back and thought I was gonna kill myself.

You folks should try differnet tires every time around. that's what I'm doing. at least you get a feel for tires. Potenza's are good tires, noisy and they aren't the greatest when hydroplane is a factor after so many miles, but all around the perform well. My next set is SS595 Federal 215/45-17 tires.

The KDW's actually have a better bite than the 730's, I will now see if the SS595 has better bite than both.