BFG Rival 225/45-15 available NOW at Tire Rack

I just got off the phone with Tire Rack, and although they haven't updated the website yet, 225/45-15 Rivals are in stock as of a few hours ago in their Indiana location. According to the rep, they received a 'large' order of Rivals, half of which have been used to fill back-orders (like mine, placed in early March). They are going to start distributing them to their other warehouses, and he doesn't expect to get another shipment for 2 to 3 months.

Break open your piggy banks, today is the day to order these. :)

C

... and don't forget to click the link! :-)

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Originally Posted by tailchaser

... and don't forget to click the link! :-)

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Pricey compared to the toyo. Too bad there is not another source than the rak. Not a fan of them or exclusive distributipn deals.

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Originally Posted by Steve E

Pricey compared to the toyo.

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In 225-45/15 they're less than every other tire except the RS3.

C

I asked David Whitner but never got a definitive answer...are they better than the 205 for the smaller wheel/tire combo such as Miata and Civic? Anyone heard anything in that regard? I know the 195 Toyos proved to be better than their 225s on my CRX...

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Originally Posted by Steve E

Pricey compared to the toyo. Too bad there is not another source than the rak. Not a fan of them or exclusive distributipn deals.

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The only reason they exist is because The TireRack stepped up to the plate and made a significant commitment to help justify the DOT certification and other production related costs. This is why they are the exclusive distributor, same for the Dunlop ZII fwiw...

The TireRack couldn't sell Toyo tires for the longest time because Toyo had given exclusive distributorship to a competitor, and they still can't sell them to people living in several NW states ...

my 225 Rivals were new sticker tires for the pro...my 205s took a few events to get broken in from what I felt, but were quick form lap 1.

The 205s would probably be adequate on any STS car...the 225s seem to be needed given the abuse the mini puts on tires. They are more forgiving than the 205 from what I felt as well. If any of you have driven the 225 hanokook on the 7.5" wide wheels its like a sharper version of that. You can feel the tire is too big for the wheel but it still works. The 205 would go from grip to understeer too quickly on the mini IMO...but I still need to do a back to back test on them.

But the 195 toyo is just hard to not love on a sub 2100lb car. For this 2400lb mini the 225 Rival seems to work well :)

I agree with the BFG’s needing a few events to come in. At the pro on day 1 I had new rears and the fronts had 3 events on them. The car had good balance but the rear grip was a little low. Changing to old RS-3’s for day 2 was a mistake as I went slower. At the NTAS event this weekend the rears came in and turned my car into a pushy pig. Time to soften the front sway bar.