Another tire thread, Falken Azenis Options

[Joe Ricard]

Lots of people running these tires yesterday at the AX mostly the 240SX crowd in STS class. Tread wear is 200. I could run to and from the event without changing wheels.

So what is the consensus arond here. going to need new tires soon. the ones I got are nearly shot.

front Yoko 008R really old and hard
Rear Dunlop D60 tread wear rating of 220. makes the ass end slip willy nilly.

Maybe I should reverse this. Probably understeer like a bitch then.

Ofcourse what I should do is "pay the nice man for 4 of the Kumhos victro racers.

[Aaron Cox]

falkens!

youll love em (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

[seanery]

for the $ the Falkens seem like a great buy.

[Joseph Mills]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

Best performance/dollar value.

AND since you can run them on the street, you will become more familiar with their handling traits than if you had an AX only tire.

Save the Kumhos for later after more AX seat time.

[Joe Ricard]

There is a thought . Azenis on my Fuchs and really look @ the track.

Then let's practice the line. "honey I need to buy new tires for my car because_______ " Help me fill in the excuse Ya'll.

[ottox914]

The Azenis are a great street/auto x tire for the buck. I've been running them for the last 2 seasons. From what is on your ride now, they will be a huge change for the better. 205 50 15 will fit, but might be a little close to the dust cover on the front struts. A great to and from tire, and a great tire to learn on. Hold off on the Kuhmo's till you know what you're doing. Even with 2 yrs use, I'll finish top 5 overall for street tire times, and top 20 or so for overall. Our club has a huge "run what cha brung" street tire index class, usually 20-30 cars, events will close at 90 for our small lots, 150 for the bigger ones. Its great fun with a 90hp aircooled "collector" plated car on street tires to beat a poorly driven STI or muscle car on stickies. Its even fun to show our brothers with the 911's the tail lights on a tight track. Go fast. Have fun. Enjoy.

[GaroldShaffer]

"honey I need to buy new tires for my car because_______ "

They are only $72 a tire and I won't need AX tire untill next year (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Root_Werks]

Then let's practice the line. "honey I need to buy new tires for my car because_______ " Help me fill in the excuse Ya'll.

.......Wait, did you loose weight? You look great!" Stare at here and pretend to forget what you were talking about. Then shake your head and ask for them. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

It hasn't worked for me yet, but maybe I am not doing it right? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[J P Stein]

I put prolly 200 passes on V racers and they had another season left on em' when I solt em'. I also drove them off track.....but not much....back & forth to the AXs & some "warm it up stuff". They were "not bad" in the rain.
They are steel belted so there is puncture protection for the street. IMO, they are worth a second or 2 over any street tire when set up with the negative camber they like.

[Britain Smith]

I recently went from Yok Avants ($160/each) to the Falken's ($290 shipped to my door) and I will never go back. The Falken's are by far the best bang for the buck and I can't tell much of a difference between the two. Several of the 914's running in the AX's out here are using these Falkins and we all are doing very well in the standings.

The 205/50/15's will fit without any issues. I have my car pretty low with 140lb rear springs and it is a great ride, no rubbing or anything. Brad and I think that the 200 threadwear rating is bullshit and the are just putting it on there to meet the classification rules for SCCA. However, I have friends running them on the street and say they have last them for a while. How much wear can you put on tires with a 2000lb car.

-Britain

[Joe Ricard]

Honey did you buy new pants or is your butt getting smaller.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

or, "If your butt gets a little smaller it will fit in the racing seats of the 914. Then you can drive the teener on the track!!!! with (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving-girl.gif) these new tires. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol2.gif) well maybe I should stay with the 1st one.

[lapuwali]

How much wear can you put on tires with a 2000lb car.

Quite a bit, actually. A decade ago, when I autocrossed seriously, I ran the then hot Yoko A008RSII, which not only really sucked in the rain, but was soft enough that 500 street miles would eat them up. The treadwear rating was, I recall, below 100 (80 springs to mind, but I can't remember for certain). I drove on them to a couple of events really close to the house (10 miles), but generally changed at the event. Back in the day, there was a night and day difference between even the best street tires and geniune AX tires, and no one serious ran a double-duty tire. At my best, I was still a no-hoper at the National level, and mid-pack at the Divisional level, but my times were still 2-3sec faster on a 60-sec course with the AX tires v. the best I could buy in streetable tires at the time, and I never optimized the car to run on either type of tire. If I'd futzed with the alignment to suit the A008s, I may have done even better with them.

At that time, the SCCA didn't have any rules regarding treadwear numbers. They just specified DOT legal for Stock classes. At least then, the treadwear numbers were not issued or enforced by any impartial agency. They were a voluntary scale used by the manufacturers, who were essentially free to use whatever numbers they liked with no penalty other than to credibility. It was this fact that argued against using treadwear numbers in class rules, as there was nothing like the impartial DOT testing to establish that the manufacturers weren't fudging the rating, rather than the tire compound, to meet the rules.

If Falken has, in fact, been able to come up with a tire that can be used on the street for even 30K miles AND produces AX times within a second of whatever the top AX tires are today, that's a big advance, bogus treadwear numbers or not.

[qa1142]

I have only had my Azenis (RT-215's) a week, as hard as I have tried I have not been able to make them squeel or slip in a corner on the street yet. I must need to go find a big partking lot with cones all over it

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/mueba.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[J P Stein]

Doing pretty well is a relative thing, I guess.

I don't consider myself doing pretty well when I am 3 sec off the pace for TTOD at SCCA.....that won't getcha into the top 20. I get the AX blues when I pull that trick. One second off the pace will get me into the top 10, which "ain't bad". .5 sec will get ya in the top 5.....I slip into "hog heaven" (haven't been there much, tho).

Having said that, comparing one AX competition with another is pretty tough. Your GGR hotddogs would be
E-mod cars at the SCCA. E-mod cars here are not 2 sec clear of the field, but maybe ours sux. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

This is meant to dispariage anyone, just a point of interest. We'll sort this out at the 914 AX next year...on your home turf. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Joe Ricard]

JP an Autocross for just 914's on who home turf? How far do I need to carry them tires???

[bernbomb914]

I just bought some Nitto NT Performance V rated directional tires 205 x 55. They just fit in the wheel wells. They are mounted on ATS wheels. They should make geat road tires with the high speed rateing

[Aaron Cox]

cost?

[bernbomb914]

$368.20 mounted and balanced at Americas Tire for 4

[Aaron Cox]

falkens got that beat... those nittos still look cool!

84 mounted and balanced each at americas tire co.....
84 * 4 = 336

[airsix]

Then let's practice the line. "honey I need to buy new tires for my car because_______ " Help me fill in the excuse Ya'll.

Safety. You always say it's needed for safety. Your tires are old. They are not safe. You need new tires to be safe. Not buying new tires would be reckless. Irresponsible. Immature. She wants you to be safe, responsible, and mature, right? Then there is only one thing to do. You must buy the tires.

-Ben M.