Hey guys,

I'm looking for a good, inexpensive set of summer tires to buy in the springtime to go on my stock BBS rims. Originally I was planning on getting the Kumho Ecsta MX in 245x40R17, but now I think I'm liking the performance characteristics of the Falken Azenis RT-615 better. Only problem is that they don't come in 245; only 255x40R17.

I know from searching that a 255 tire will fit on the stock rim, but will it be so wide that it rubs or starts to affect the performance and handling of the tire? My car is lowered on Swift springs, so I'm concerned about rubbing too.

Thanks for the help folks!

MisterMR

 

The Falken RT-615 comes in 245/45/17 and fits on the stock rim. I have them on my EVO and they work great.

 

I was in your same boat a few months ago except I am lowered on Tanabe GF210's with stock Evo 8 rims. I ended up going with the Kumho's in 245-40-17 and couldn't be more happy. They have better wet characteristics than the RT615's, very, very close to the dry grip and won't look balloon-y on the wheels. 220 tread wear on the Kumho's vs 200 on the Falkens. 255-40-17 Azenis look a little balloon-y to me. As mentioned you can get the Falken's in 245-45-17 and they are quite cheap. 112 per at Vulcantire.com. Good luck!

 

Picked up 245 45 17 Falken RT615's from Tires.com for around $115~tire and got them locally.. no shipping charges. But had to pay tax, doh.

 

I've had the RT615's for 15K now in the 245/45 size and they're great. They wear very evenly and have remained quiet. I can't imagine the wet weather capability being any better than when they're new so I'll probably replace mine once rainy season hits in June.

 

I don't know why people complain about the wet weather performace of these tires. I never had an issue with them even in a torential down pour, this was when I had them on my turbo colt which is FWD, and they were the 615's. In an AWD evo they would work even better. I plan to get these for my evo once the advans wear down.

I also had no issues driving in heavy rain with nitto 555r drag radials in my 300hp fwd 2g talon.

 

Well as you can see, I also live in Florida. I'm not sure where Riverview is but in Naples, we're sub-tropical. Lots of rain in heavy torrents almost daily during the wet season. When the tires were new, they were fine. Not great but ok and I could manage legal highway speeds in the wet during a tropical storm. I had a few instances where the car would hydroplane in deeper water momentarily. A bit of butt clenching if you would. And that's why you have an accelerator pedal. Simply lift a bit and slow down Now that the tires have half their tread life, I cannot see them being any better than they were new, hence my first post. It's been fairly dry for months down here. Only a few days of rain and nothing really heavy. They've been just fine in that sort of rain shower. They're not designed as a rain tire and aren't going to get better with age. Most tires don't.

 

For the folks that live in wet climates -- why not get the summer tires for the summer and an all season (like the Kuhmo ASX) for the wet months...That is what I am doing and it seems to work out just fine...

 

I have khumo mx's255/40/17's with tein s spring and no rubbing

 

I've got 255/40 615s on my car, and I have nothing negative to say about them. That said, I do not have any experience with them in the rain...

 

Do either of you have pictures showing how much they may or may not bulge out??

 

How are the 615's with neg 1.5 degrees camber or even neg 2 degrees camber upfront with no toe-in?

 

So the stock size is 235/45 R17....Given that the 615 does not come in 235/45, what is the best choice for our cars -- 235 / 40 R 17, 245 / 45 R17, or 255 / 40 R17?

The stock size has a tire diameter of ((235/25.4)*.45)*2 + 17 = 25.326 inches

255 / 40 / 17 has a diameter of 25.03 inches (effectively makes your gearing shorter)

245 / 45 / 17 has a diameter of 25.68 inches (effectively making your gearing a tad taller)

I guess for autox maybe the 255 / 40 would be better b/c of the wider patch and shorter gearing, but for street the 245 / 45 may be better? Thoughts

 

I run 255/40/17s on stock suspension with about 1.6 negative camber up front on 17x8 Rota Torques at the track, they've been great!

 

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