what i meant by 'biased' is u chose to increase ur sidewall hence reduced stiffness.... not really the fault of azenis, agreed?

 

No not agreed because I run a 45 series, just the same as a stock Advan .

 

but a 245/45/17 tire has a taller side wall than a 235/45/17 tire!

 

I guess nobody is going to talk about the difference tires can make after the car has been properly aligned to take fully advantage of the tire capabilities, but that's just me throwing some crazy stuff around here....

















Just joking guys . I just wanted to introduce that little detail into the conversation .

 

Design makes alot more difference then 10mm in width, that is my point in saying the Azenis has a much softer sidewall. This is a fair opinion and comparo since it is a popular tire after the stock Advans have run there course. It is not like I am comparing a 265 and a stock Advan here .

 

The Yokohama A046's were the best tires I've ever drove on (12k miles!). The RT-615's make the car ride, feel, and handle softer compared to the A046's. Like people said, the Falkens make the Evo feel like a different car, not in a bad way, they just don't feel as good as the stock Yokohama's. I bought the Falkens cause they're $115 per tire vs. $280 per tire for the Yokohama. For the $$$ the Falken's ARE worth it IMO. The Falken's hook up w the tarmac just as good (They just don't feel like they do) and are smoother on the street. The Yokohama's have better response & feel but the Falken's are half the $$$. Both are great tires. I'm really hoping that the Falken's last longer cause I burn through tires pretty quick which = $$$.

 

I literally cannot recall any thread on any forum where so many users are proclaiming that the Azenis have a "soft" sidewall. Out of all the tires I've tested, I've always found the Azenis to have the stiffest sidewalls that you can find in a max grip street tire.

FWIW, I currently have the Bridgestone RE-01R on my Evo IX and I think I will stick with them for as long as I own the car.

 

I've run both. I now run Nitto NT01 daily.

The advans are the best flipping street tire you can find. I turned better lap times with stock tires than I did with the 255/40/17 615s. But GD them AO46s are pricey. Your best bet is to find a low mileage set of used wheels and purchase them that way.

One thing is for sure.... on the street the 615s should be plenty good. If you are pushing them to the limits then you are driving like an **** and you should stop. If you are at the track then upgrade to an R compound like the RA1 or NT01 and you won't look back unless you run out of money.

If simply looking for a good replacement street tire the 615s are the hot ticket but get them in the stock size. You'll get better mileage and better feel with the 235/45/17.

 

The only other tires I've run were the Falkan RT615 245/45/17 and the Hankook IceBears W300 in 225/45/17.

Sorry to say I'd have to say I liked the W300 over the 615's also. Let me clarify before I start to get flamed for saying snow tires performed better than supposedly the best dry weather tire.

I had the W300 installed in November and the most of the time temps were no warmer than 50 deg. and summer tires don't work very well when it's below 50. The things I liked about the W300 were my wheel {stock BBS} tire combo was only 40.5 lbs compared to 46.5 lbs with the 615's and the smaller sidewall {225/45}. Believe it or not they felt as crisp as the 615 and didn't under steer as much.

Actually your answer is incorrect for stock class at Nationals. Most if not all replace the stock shocks with aftermarket or revalved shocks.

Blade

 

Hell, a treadwear of 300 MAY grip better than a 200 FROM THE SAME COMPANY.

The fact those numbers mean anything is vaporware. I worked on the Yokohama account very recently, and those numbers are used for marketing and that's about it. For example, the new S.drive may have been grippier than some other tires in Yokohama's line because it's a brand new tire using more recent technology. But, they are not about to risk getting anywhere near their Advan line, so the pricepoint and treadwear ratings are chosen accordingly. Those treadwear ratings are only a guideline for driving some arbitrary roadcourse set up by the DOT.

And that's the truth without any marketing garbage

 

You I wish there were more theads like this. If there were I would have never brought the Falkens. I truely believe this is one of the most honest threads about the falkens and how they will change the performance of the EVO.

What I think most of us are saying is when compared to the 046's the 615's are not as responsive. That doesn't mean we saying the sidewall are soft. In fact they're pretty stiff but when compare to the 046's they're not in the same league.

Why do think so many people that have switched to 615's have said that the ride is much nicer, quieter, and get greater wear? Hmmm

I'd also be willing to wager the same thing is being said about the RE-01, AD-07, MX, and probably the Z1's.

And yes for the money any of the tires listed above {except the AD-07} are a good value compared to the stock tire but your overall performance will suffer {not sure about the Z1's not enought data yet}.

Blade

 

Falken RT-615's can't be beat in that price range. I paid $548 shipped. Although a softer ride, I'm still happy w/ them. If I have the $$$ next time, I'm going back to the stock Yokohama's.

 

Someone mentioned national level AX use. We use what is tire is quickest, not what feels good, contingency $ can sway tire choice if they're close in performance. In the Street Tire class, we're limited to a 245 width tire. A lot of competitors use data acquisition and pyrometers. I've used multiple sets of the tires below.

The stock yok is a good tire but needs excessive pressure, due to a relatively soft side wall. It could be the best wet tire out there though. Could be the 235 size limiting performance. No one uses them.

The old 215 / 615 generates high ultimate grip numbers, but is a little numb and imprecise. Gets greasy when hot.

The yok Advan Neova is the fastest all round street tire for the Evo - period. It reacts like a race tire and does everything well. Think stock yok with a more responsive stiffer side-wall, with a very wide contact patch per size. Good in the rain. Yok has a warning that the tire can be damaged if used under 35F? deg.

Bridgestone RE-01R is a close second. It may generate the most steady-state grip, but it doesn't transition as well as the Neova.

The new Dunlop direzza Z1 doesn't have enough data yet.

RS-2s, Kumho MX, Contis, S03s, BFG G-force, Pilots, Goodyear F1, etc. have all been tested by others and sponsored drivers, and they aren't competitive time-wise.

 

Okay...so I've read on Tire Rack that the BS RE050APP's were like top notch. The Advan AO46 was listed as an ultra high performance and 050APP's were listed as max performance and even rated better overall...

So that being the case...why have those not been mentioned here? I'm curious because I bought a set myself (though I've not installed them yet).

 

More marketing stuff, IMHO.