Bridgestone Potenza Tire RE040

Pros: dry handling; alloy protecting flanges; even wear; price;
Cons: wet handling; looks;

These tyres are the OEM tyres on my Mazda RX-8. The tyre size is 225/45 R18 all round. I had them since new, and I have now covered 9000 miles. I got the car in June, and since then, they have had plenty of grip on dry tarmac, but just average on wet ...

Pros: Exceptional handling, excellent tread life.
Cons: Expensive.

These tires came on a 2006 Jetta GLI. Car and tires have proven to be an awesome experience in handling. I have felt completely secure in dry and wet weather, on the freeway or or tight curves in the mountains. Just about at the end of their tread life at 35,000+ miles.

Pros: handle well in dry weather
Cons: slippery in wet conditions, and constant replacement/short lifespan

These tires were standard on my 2003 MR2 Spyder and have been the biggest nuisance on my vehicle. Unfortunately, these are the only tires that fit my car. The average lifespan has been 9-12,000 miles.

Pros: Excellent dry traction, very good ride comfort and relatively low noise level.
Cons: Average lifespan, poor wet weather traction and absolutely useless in the snow.

When I purchased my 2003 Audi S8 Quattro, it was equipped with Brigestone Potenza RE040 tires sized at 245/45R18. These tires from Bridestone aren't very expensive given their specifications, so replacing them shouldn't be too costly. However, their lifespan is average at best so that is something to take into consideration prior to purchasing these tires. I had to replace these tires after 40,000km. They have decent ride comfort, as they're not too noisy and not too harsh when compared to other high performance tires from other manufacturers. Their traction on dry pavement is great, cornering agility and high speed stability are the high points of this tire. Unfortunately, this tire does have it's low points. It's traction on wet weather is poor, and in snow it is nearly useless. Considering I have a vehicle equipped with full-time all-wheel-drive, I would say that I was disappointed with the performance of these tires during the winter months. I would recommend these tires only for people who use their vehicles during the summer months or those who have a spare set of tires to place on their vehicle during the rainy season. Avoid this tire during the winter!

Pros: Dry-grip is outstanding, Decently Quiet, They hold balance well.
Cons: Expensive, not as good in wet weather conditions

These came OEM with my RX-8. I have the 255/55 16 configuration. In dry conditions, this tire is simply awesome around corners. The grip is excellent! I am just now shopping for replacements as my rears are completely bald after 44K miles on them, which I guess is a pretty standard lifespan for these soft performance tires. I have worn these tires to the bone, and even at this stage, where the tread is completely gone from the rears, they still amazingly grip damn well.... ON DRY PAVEMENT or course!

As described by others, the wet condition performance is good but not great. Certainly nowhere near as excellent as when dry.

They are expensive tires to replace, however, which is why I am moving toward the Yokohama equivalent tires. Those have a better price and have had great dry and wet-weather reviews from everything I've read so far.