Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hi guys, I race a Legacy rally car in NZ and Targa NZ has recently switched from Dunlop to Federal for their sole supplier for the event.

In NZ there is very little use of Federal tyres so far, but I have seen the odd thread around SAU about them. Can anyone provide any feedback on how they have found the FZ-201 and also the 595RS-R (I know its a street tyre, but its the wet tyre we will be using).

I am particularly interested in wear rates and tyre pressures used. I am using what I guess around here would be classed as a medium weight car - 1450kgs which is the minimum weight allowed for my class (we have drastically different rules for Targa in NZ compared to Aus). Targa NZ runs for 5 days and typically rains for at least 1-2 days each year. We are allocated 4 FZ-201 and 4 595RS-Rs and have time penalties if more are used.

Ohh and I should probably mention I started out with an R32 many many years ago, hence having an account here and will most likely be switching back to an R32 GTSt next year, but doing a mixture of tarmac and gravel events with it depending on budget.

Thanks for your help

Vivian

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/372285-federal-semi-slick-opinions/
Share on other sites

FZ201 have got their good points and bad points like any tyre.

Good:

- plenty of lateral grip and traction. I'd rate them on par with RE55S.

- price

Bad:

- they're heavy for a semi slick.

- they are very twitchy on the limit and IMO are not easy to handle if you get it sideways. They do not like to come back in line and would rather stay sideways for as long as they possibly can.

I have not driven on them in the wet.

I've used pressures from 32-36 hot (starting 24-28 cold) so far and have not felt any noticeable difference in that range. Just trying to get the most even wear from them.

Mine are wearing very well and almost still look almost new after 5 track days. A little bit of wear on the outside of the front left - all our tracks are clockwise. They're not getting any slower either.

  • 2 weeks later...

Very similar results to Harry's above. I've been running a single set of them (Hard) and they are wearing well.

The only reservation I've had is their wet performance. I've used them twice in the (very) wet and it was a disaster both times. BUT, I was running a dry alignment with stiff springs, lots of camber and lots of caster. So I can't really blame the tyres until I either run some other tyres in similar conditions with the same alignment, or sort out a wet alignment and try them again.

Overall....I think they are excellent for their price.

If I could afford $600 a tyre I'd probably use dunlop dz03...but I can't so I'm going to very happily stick with these at half the price.

I've also run them at 32 and 34psi, and haven't found a major difference, so they seem to react well to a range of pressure and temp. Haven't really had the chance to try them lower and higher than normal but I will do so next day I get a chance to test.

Very similar results to Harry's above. I've been running a single set of them (Hard) and they are wearing well.

The only reservation I've had is their wet performance. I've used them twice in the (very) wet and it was a disaster both times. BUT, I was running a dry alignment with stiff springs, lots of camber and lots of caster. So I can't really blame the tyres until I either run some other tyres in similar conditions with the same alignment, or sort out a wet alignment and try them again.

Overall....I think they are excellent for their price.

If I could afford $600 a tyre I'd probably use dunlop dz03...but I can't so I'm going to very happily stick with these at half the price.

I've also run them at 32 and 34psi, and haven't found a major difference, so they seem to react well to a range of pressure and temp. Haven't really had the chance to try them lower and higher than normal but I will do so next day I get a chance to test.

Where are you getting them for $300 a tyre ? I was told to expect to pay about $500 a corner for the FZ201's....

Edit: That was for 265/35/18.. obviously cheaper in other sizes...

Edited by Strik3r

Thanks for the feedback guys. I am interested to hear more about the problems you had in the wet Duncan?

Targa NZ have just changed the rules and said we can use either wet or dry tyres, so I have just purchased 8 FZ-201s as I would prefer to take the gamble and rely on the 4WD and ABS in the wet on semis, rather than hope it rains enough to use the 595s.

hrd-hr30 - were you using them on RWD or 4WD car? And were they hard to get back into line, ie they liked to go side to side? Or was it more they just struggled to return to gripping without backing off the throttle?

Thanks for the help guys

Vivian

on a 180SX mate. Not swinging side to side, just like to stay sideways once it happens. So its more "struggled to return to gripping without backing off the throttle". eg the car is only 200rwkw, but at one stage was spinning them up in 4th gear coming onto the main straight. I just kept the foot in because that had never happened there before and I know it doesn't have the power to sustain that, but it just kept spinning the tyres and stayed sideways despite the steering input untill I got off the gas. They're good while they're gripping, but once they let go, I don't have alot of confidence in them.

on a 180SX mate. Not swinging side to side, just like to stay sideways once it happens. So its more "struggled to return to gripping without backing off the throttle". eg the car is only 200rwkw, but at one stage was spinning them up in 4th gear coming onto the main straight. I just kept the foot in because that had never happened there before and I know it doesn't have the power to sustain that, but it just kept spinning the tyres and stayed sideways despite the steering input untill I got off the gas. They're good while they're gripping, but once they let go, I don't have alot of confidence in them.

I had a similar experience with the RE55s though :/

I do like them. They're alot better than the R888's I had before. Just need more respect when they're sideways than other tyres I've used. And yes, I did crash on them :cheers:

My only crash on a circuit ever. And my only spin not caused by a mecanical fault since the QLD Hillclimb Championships 2003 where I lost it coming out of the second loop having just dropped a wheel off the outside of the track pushing too hard to try and get the extra tenth I needed for 2nd in class... was a pretty wild 270 spin between armco on the outside and a wooden post fence on the inside while going down a pretty steep hill. Earned me a mention in Sports Car and Racer magazine though lol

But I reckon I've been very lucky at Lakeside over recent years with brake failure at the end on the front straight at over 200kph and 2 front tyre blowouts... very very lucky!

Edited by hrd-hr30
  • 2 months later...

Quick update, Targa NZ was last week. I blew a motor on the first day and then flipped the car on the final day, so only got in 18.5 stages total out of 30 odd.

The weather was mixed, lots of rain and slippery roads. But I found the tyres great in both the wet and the dry. I was running 24psi cold on the advice of the Federal Motorsport guys who had come over from Taiwan for the event. I was in a 1550kg car with only 2.5 degrees front camber and found initial grip in the first 1-2km was pretty low in the wet, but quickly came up. We did have one stage that was 54km long and the tyres overheated a bit in that (it was a dry stage too).

But overall the tyres wore well (quite even and gradual) and were quite progressive. Overall given they are similarly priced to R888s in NZ I will definitely be using them again.

Hurt my back a bit, but mainly the pride. As its a blind rally its a bit tricky to guess what happens over the blind brows, and I got it wrong on the last day with only 4 stages to go!

Did make the national news briefly that night - http://www.3news.co.nz/Targa-wraps-up/tabid/317/articleID/231134/Default.aspx#.TqxO1NzaMl4.facebook

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Cheers. Skyline is back on the menu, can’t get rid of it. It’s like a child you don’t want, or herpes 
    • I got back to Japan in January and was keen to get back on track as quickly as possible. Europe is god-awful for track accessibility (by comparison), so I picked up a first-gen GT86 in December just to have something I could jump into right away. The Skyline came over in a container this time and landed in early January. It was a bit battered after Europe, though—I refused to do anything beyond essential upkeep while it was over there. The clutch master cylinder gave out, and so did the power steering. I didn’t even bother changing the oil; it was the same stuff that went in just before I left Japan the first time. Naughty. Power steering parts would’ve cost double with shipping and taxes, so knowing I’d be heading back to Japan, I just postponed it and powered through the arm workout. It took a solid three months to get the car back on the road. Registration was a nightmare this time around. There were a bunch of BS fees to navigate, and sourcing parts was a headache. I needed stock seats for shaken, mistakenly blew 34k JPY on some ENR34 seats—which, of course, didn’t fit—then ended up having the car’s technical sheet amended to register it as a two-seater with the Brides. Then there’s the GT86. Amazing car. Does everything I want it to do. Parts are cheap, easy to find, and I don’t care what anyone says—it’s super rewarding to drive. I’ve done a few basic mods: diff ratio, coilovers, discs, pads, seat, etc. It already had a new exhaust manifold and the 180kph limiter removed, so I assume it’s running some kind of map. I’ve just been thrashing it at the track non-stop—mostly Fuji Speedway now, since I need something with higher speed after all that autobahn time. The wheels on the R34 always pissed me off—too big, and it was a nightmare getting tires to fit properly under the arches. So I threw in the towel and bought something that fits better. Looks way cleaner too (at least to me)—less hotboy, less attention-seeking. Still an R34, though. Now for future plans. There are a few things still outstanding with the car. First up, the rear subframe needs an overhaul—that’s priority one. Next, I need to figure out an engine rebuild plan. No timeline yet, but I want to keep it economical—not cutting corners, just not throwing tens of thousands at a mechanic I can barely communicate with. And finally, paint. Plus a bit of tidying up here and there.  
    • Nope, needed to clearance under the bar a little with a heat gun, a 1/2" extension as the "clearancer", and big hammer, I was aware of this from the onset, they fit a 2.0 with this intake no problems, but, the 2.5 is around 15mm taller than a 2.0, so "clearancing" was required  It "just" touched when test fitting, now, I have about 10mm of clearance  You cannot see where it was done, and so far, there's no contact when giving it the beans Happy days
    • It's been a while since I've updated this thread. The last year (and some) has been very hectic. In the second-half of 2024 I took the R34 on a trip through Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland - it was f*cking great. I got a little annoyed with the attention the car was getting around Europe and really didn't drive it that much. I could barely work on the car since I was living in an inner-city apartment (with underground parking). During the trip, the car lost power steering in France - split hose - and I ended up driving around 4,000kms with no power steering.  There were a few Nurburgring trips here and there, but in total the R34 amassed just shy of 7,000kms on European roads. Long story short, I broke up with the reason I was transferred to Europe for and requested to be moved back to Japan. The E90, loved it. It was a sunk cost of around EUR 10,000 and I sold it to a friend for EUR 1,500 just to get rid of it quickly. Trust me, moving countries f*cking sucks and I could not be bothered to be as methodical as I was the first time around.
×
×
  • Create New...