I just purchased a new set of XWXs from Longstone in the UK. My tires had great tread left, but they were 9 years old. Didn’t feel comfortable pushing them very hard. Got them in less than a week, shipping was included!
Unfortunately no, you won't get many years out of them - the max performance tires like the RE07R or RE71 (newest version is RE71R) have a limited age life, even if you never drove on them the rubber age hardens starting a year, two years max, after manufacture. By 4 years age they are no longer super grippy, but become pretty ordinary. By 6 or 7 years old, a max performance tire becomes harder to the point it has less grip than a cheap touring tire and gets unsafe for any emergency braking or sudden turns, or in wet weather. You should check the date code on the side of your RE07R tires and see how old they are (Tire Rack tech article: TIRE TECH: Determining the Age of a Tire ) Cheers, Gordon
on my 2nd set of yokohama S drive tires for my 16 inchers, fantastic tire at a good price. under 100 bucks each
I currently have Michelin Pilot Sport but they are about due for replacement on wear, not age. I got about 15,000 miles of spirited driving out of them. I was considering the Pirelli Rosso but I can't justify the price, they are like twice as much as all the others. So I'm planning to get the BFG Sport Comps. I have them on one of my Alfa's and I've liked them. Bottom line is that tire technology has advanced so much over the last 30 years that you really can't go wrong, all of them have performance specs that exceed the capabilities of the 308 chassis anyway so it really just boils down to what tread pattern you think is the most attractive. I think the BFG's look cool so that's what I'm going with.
Personally I'd go with the experts choice... https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/classic-car-tyres/ferrari/308.html
Ran these tires for years on my 911 and really liked them. Even did some track days. Great overall tire and fair price.
Only 2 of those look even halfway interesting to me. Most of the others' tread patterns look... dated, as if the mfg isn't aware the wet road conditions are a thing.
Dated ?? Yeah but if your going for period correct then that's exactly what you want. The construction and materials of those tyres have been brought up to modern day standard but the period look has been kept.
I understand what you're getting at, but I don't care in the least what tires look like. I want performance, reliability, good grip, longevity etc. The way the tread pattern looks aesthetically is the last thing I consider, if ever.
That's where you and I differ. I like the look of a period correct tyre on a classic car. So many classics of the 70' and 80's have very modern tyres with very modern tread and it just looks terrible. Like having a modern sat nav / CD stereo system in 246 Dino. The cars chassis was designed for the tyres of the period and often modern tyres work against the cars handling not enhancing it. I have fitted reissue Pirelli P7's to my 328 and couldn't be happier with the look and performance of the OEM tyre. Image Unavailable, Please Login Compared to a more modern style of Michelin Pilot Sport. I know which one I'd prefer.
I run them on my 328 with Compomotive 17" wheels, and love them. They're just not "Italian cool" enough for some people. Great ratings on Tire Rack, great price, no complaints.
I have a set of the Firehawk Indy 500 tires on my Porsche, and they look like the picture in Post no. 40, not in Post no. 43. These Indy 500 tires are sold as Bridgestones in other world markets, but they are branded as Firestone Indy 500's here, only in the States, as a marketing ploy. These are a superb tire for their very modest money - all the 'Cool Kids' use them. The set currently on my Porsche is the third set which I have bought. Very highly recommended.
I've been using Kumhos for a number of years, and I'm not the only local Ferrari owner doing so. I tried a set of Continentals but they felt squirmy, almost as if they were trying to steer the car! I would have tried Michelin Pilot Super Sports, but they don't make them for 16" wheels.
A bit of sleuthing shows that these Firestone tires are marketed as Bridgestone RE-003's outside of the US.: Image Unavailable, Please Login