I am auto-xing, running in street mod and new tires are in my near future. I have been considering a couple different tires but I'm open for new ideas. I want a tire that I can run on the street but still be a good auto-x tire. Now don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying to extract every last ounce from the car, nor am I trying to win a national title. I'm just there to have fun. I need new tires anyways so it's on for something better than the 235/45/17 Kumho mx that I'm currently on. I dont need a full race Hoosier or something. On the same hand though, I'm not concerned with wear, noise, or comfort. If I can get a summer out of them and 7-10 events I'm happy

The two I'm seriously considering.

1. Falken Azenis RT-615 in 255/40/17

2. Toyo RA1 in 255/40/17

Which is better? Any others that I should consider?

 

ra-1 you will get about 4000 miles out of them.. they have a 60 tread wear.. i got some toyo T1-S's 320 tread wear feel just as sticky as the advans but longer life..

 

^ra-1's have a 100 trendwear,t1-s have a 280 trendwear.sorry for busting your *****.also,t1-s are no where near as sticky as the stock yoko's

 

The azenis have a tread wear of 200, I have heard of people getting around 10-12k from them. You will really only get 4000 from a set of ra1

 

hmm thast wierd last RA-1's i saw with my eyes the side wall said 60 .. must have changed it

 

i know the yoks are a 160... i went through them in 12K with rotating.. wanted something a lil harder

 

What Yoks did you run? I need to buy something now, I'm really leaning torward the falkens. Is there any reason not to get them?

 

stock advans are 160..

 

they run about 220 per.. the toyo RA1 runs about 170-190 and the t1s runs 164..

 

Ok, I understand that the Azenis has a tread wear rating of 200 and the RA1 of 100, that doesn't tell the whole story though. Here's my question, do the RA1s actually offer much more performance, if any, than the Azenis?

Here's what I do know, I can get either of the 2 tires for the same price. Seeing that the RA1s will basically wear twice as fast as the Azeins, they they REALLY cost twice as much. Are the RA1's soooooo much better that you can justify DOUBLE the price?

I wish someone would come on here who had real experience with either, someone who was willing to shed some light on the subject. Someone?

The way its looking, I'm going to buy the Azenis. Am I wrong?

 

Please excuse my ignorance, but are RA-1's SM legal? The SM rule is the producers tread wear rating?

I'm no longer involved in Autocross (or any "timed competative event") but I can tell you that RA-1's, as much as I love them on my car, suck when they are stone cold. Which is why I think you could do better for an auto-x tire.

 

SM has no treadwear rating rules, it just requires DOT rubber just like the stock & SP classes. The ST classes have a 140 treadwear rating requirement though.

I used RA1s last year for my everyday tire and for several autocrosses and I got probably around 6-7k miles and 30-40 autocross runs out of them before I decided they were no longer streetworthy. I was quite happy with them and am using a new set as my everyday tire again this year, but the plan is to use them for autocross only if it's wet. Otherwise I am running V710s. My RA1 size is 235/45-17; being shorther and wider, the 255 will probably be quicker though...

JW

 

Something very important that you guys seem to be unaware of - treadwear ratings are only valid for comparison within a given manufacturers product line. In other words - a Michelin treadwear of 100 may last 12K miles but a Kumho treadwear of 100 may last 20K; but if you compare two Michelin tires, one with a rating of 100 and one with a rating of 200 the 200 tire should last about twice as long.

Also, alignment and tire pressure play a huge role in tread life of any tire. Keeping them at correct inflation and maintaining good stock alignment will play a significant role in extending the life of a tire.

 

You are going to get seriously beat running in SM on street tires. Even the RA-1's (A DOT legal race tire) may not be competitive even locally. SM follows the same rules as the Stock and Street Prepared classes in that any DOT approved tire may be used, including "race" tires like the Kumho 710 or Hoosier.

If you must run real street tires (treadwear >140), look at running in the STU class as you will be much more comptetitve. The only thing is that in STU the tire must be no wider than 245mm. STU also allows a wide range of engine and suspension modifications, much like SM.

The Falken Azeni's, Kumho MX and BFG T/A KD's are all competitive in STU. Look for a 245/45/17 or a 245/40/17.

A set of Kumho V700 ECSTA's or Victoracers last me about 20 events (one season/summer)and some limited street driving (mostly to and from the local track). The Stock Advans lasted about a year/15,000 miles. I expect the current Conti Extreme's to last about twice that, but I don't drive that hard on the street.

Mark

 

I would check into Advan Neovas. State of the art tire right now. Just replaced Toyo RA1's myself today. I've only driven about 2 miles, so I can't give you a true critique. But, they feel incredible so far. In fact better than the Toyos. Sunday, I'm going autocrossing with them, so then I'll really know how they compare. www.advan.com/USA