Tire: Potenza RE070R R2 RFT
Category: Extreme Performance Summer
UTQG (treadwear): 140 AA A
You might be wondering...how many Potenza RE070 tires does Bridgestone need? Well, that answer is three. The original Potenza RE070 was pretty unique, being developed for only two cars. Not to be outdone, this updated version was only created for one car, the Nissan GT-R. If you're not familiar, this is the super car that Nissan had been producing overseas as the Nissan Skyline GT-R, but was recently brought to our shores for the 2009 model year. The original version debuted with 480hp, which has now been increased to 530hp for the 2013 model year. In fact this tire takes some tread design cues from the original equipment tires used on the Japan-only Nissan GT-R SpecV. To handle the amount of power this car puts down, along with the tremendous strain placed on the tires, Bridgestone manufactured a tire for just that purpose. So it only comes in sizes for 20" wheels, and you can't drive it in the winter, but on the plus side, it will handle more power than pretty much any other street tire on the market. Due to some tread design changes, Bridgestone does not recommend mixing this tire with earlier non-R2 tires.
This tire is essentially a revised version of the original Potenza RE070. It has an enhanced asymmetric tread, and very low shoulders which creates a very stiff sidewall -awesome for lateral stability and cornering. Internally, the tire features dual reinforced steel belts and is a run flat tire, so you'll be able to drive for up to 50 miles after a puncture. Due to the low treadwear rating on this tire, it will not last an incredibly long time. As with the original version, I wouldn't expect getting more than 20,000 miles out of a set under normal driving circumstances. I'm not entire sure what would constitute 'normal' in this case, I mean, after driving a Nissan GT-R, I didn't feel very normal. All I wanted to do was go back around the autocross course.
