If you’re looking for one of the most affordable tires for a solid day of drifting or grip driving, look no further. Here’s why the Federal 595RS-R and 595RS-RR’s are the best drift and grip tires out there.
Federal Tires have been around a lot longer than you might think, founded in Taiwan back in 1954 they are a relativelysmall Taiwan-based tires company that has only recently penetrated the United States Market. Federal Tires first partnered and established a technology cooperation with Bridgestone back in 1960 and with Dunlop Tire Japan for more than 20 years ending their relationship back in 2000 so it’s easy to see how Federal Tires got off on the right foot in regards to R&D, they literally learned from the best.
In 2007, Federal Tires launched their RS-R lineup of tires.
What are the Federal 595RS-R tire specs and what are they like?
According to Federal Tires, “The name 595 RS-R has become a milestone, marking a legacy in Federal’s ultra-high performance tires. Features include,
1. Enhanced tire tread stiffness provides better grip, traction, and cornering at high speed.
2. Wide V-shaped grooves maximize contact areas and water-channeling efficiency.
3. Steel tire cord and reinforced sidewalls deliver dashing cornering stability.
More detailed features of the 595RS-R can be found here on Federal’s official website.
As for what they drive like, I’ve cribbed my driving impressions from various reviews I’ve read on the Internet as well as on SimpleTire.com which offers a non-biased selection of reviews from real purchases.
The 595RS-R is a 220 treadwear rated tires that are oftentimes described as a “Racing tire for the street” and it’s true. As their description suggests the tire has super stiff sidewalls for control around corners, a high level of grip, and enough durability that should see these last for more than a handful of track days with proper tire care, inflation, and rotation.
As far as durability, one Miata named Austin on SimpleTire’s reviews was able to eke out 10,000 miles on RS-R on a mixture of four months of daily driving and four autocross sessions. Suffice to say, they last a long time for 200 TW rated tires.
The only complaint about the 595RS-R is the noise level, a tradeoff you’re going to have to live with at such an affordable price point.
What are the Federal 595RS-RR tire specs and what are they like?
According to Federal, “The 595 RS-RR is an evolution of the race-winning 595 RS-R, delivering even faster lap times and better dry grip.”
Keep in mind my original statement that as far as marketing goes, these are two different tires. Notice the tread pattern difference between the RS-R and RS-RR.
Official specs for tire sizes etc. can be found on their official site here.
Features include,
1. New silica-infused tread compounds provide outstanding grip and enhanced durability.
2. Flame-shaped grooves contribute to decreased aquaplaning and improved traction in rainy conditions.
3. Even stiffness in both center and shoulder areas minimize uneven wear for improved grip.
The RS-RR is said to have even stronger sidewalls when compared to the RS-R which should behoove anyone really chucking it at speed. And, as their description suggests, the new tread pattern does a better job at evacuating water in the event of a damp track surface. These, are by no means, an all-season tire, but if you plan to DD these tires and live in an area with the occasional rain, get the double R tires.
Reading through the reviews, the RS-RR has superior dry weather grip and exceed all purchasers expectations. The only issue, as mentioned before, is the noise. The RS-RR is also a noisy tire, possibly louder than the RS-R.
A SpeedSF instructor and Honda S2000 driver summed up the 595RS-RR quite nicely,
“The Federal 595RS-RRs have phenomenal grip characteristics, that are close enough to R-comp tires that we don’t feel the need to spend precious track time burning up race rubber. We don’t even change any settings on the car’s suspension; simply swap, push hard, review data and repeat.
The grip is consistent and predictable. The longevity of the tires is amazing as well. The relative speed of the tires lasts until the very end, making these tires very useful. They make an excellent track day tire and we couldn’t be happier with the performance and overall remarkable value.”
Cost
There’s no comparison. Compared to the competition, the Federal 595RS-R and 595RS-RR are literally a fraction the price of equivalent 200TW rated tires from Pirelli, Continental, Bridgestone, and etc.
205 50 15 Potenza RE-71R tires are $130 on TireRack, an affordable Summer Performance tire on its own right and the “Go to” tire for autocross, while the equivalent sized 595RS-RR’s are just $105 on Simple Tire, a significant discount.
A couple of review videos
595RS-R
595RS-RR
To sum, the Federal 595RS-R and 595RS-RR are both high-grip summer tires that will both probably be noisy but are really affordable. If you want less noise with slightly less grip,but still with exceptional grip for the money, go for the RS-R and not the RS-RR. If you don’t mind noise but want the most grip for your buck, get the double R’s.
What do you think about the Federal 595RS-R and Federal 595RS-RR? Do you own a set of these tires? What has your experience been like? Let me know in the comments below.
