They make great coffee tables and end tables.

l8r)

 

No doubt, just like old MX's make good mosquito breeders............

 

Grassroots Motorsport did a comparo of the Falken Azenis RT-215, RT-615, Kumho MX, BFG Gforce KDW and the RT-615 came out on top. Ofcourse the test was on a different car but the idea here is the RT-615 is the grippiest (if there is such a word) tire of the bunch. It beat out the rest of the tires consistently by at least 1 sec on the same auto-x course by the same driver.

Treadwear ratings are different between different manufacturers. That means a higher rated tire from manufacturer X might wear faster than a lower rated tire from manufacturer Y.

The Yokohama A046 also gets "greasy" after it warms up on the track ... this year I plan to run the RT-615s in 235/40/17 after my stock Yoko's wear out. I'll then be able to tell which is the better tire. Those who have run the RT-615s say it has near R-compound performance ... everyone who auto-xs uses either the Azenis RT-615 or the Yoko Neova ...

 

The Falken 615 are affected by heat much worse than the A046's by the way. The 615's are better than the 215's at handling heat, but they still can't match the A046's, not even close. I know from personal experience that after 2 to 3 back to back autocross runs, the 615's are toast. The A046's are just getting warmed up after that.

 

Now, when all you guys are saying the tires are "toast", what are you exactly talking about? That the tires just got too hot for that run or back-to-back runs and start to burn up, or that the tires are shot and need to be replaced? That would pretty much suck if it were the later.

I have a set of the AZENIS RT-615, and they are great. However, i have yet to drive on them in weather warmer than 45 deg .

 

They mean that don't perform well while they're hot. Most autocrossers spray them down with water between runs to cool them off.

 

Slowride is correct. I meant they just need to get cooled down before regaining their grip. They are not destroyed after getting hot.

 

From my experience with the 215's, they do "greasy" and feel "squishy" but most of the grip is still there. It just feels a bit different.

And the heat problem in autocrossing is much less to worry about than at tracks. When you are doing an average ~45 to ~70 second lap times with rather large amount of time to take a break in between those, you have enough time to cool down your tires. Like someone said, a lot of people spray down the tires with water to cool it down faster.

About the treadwear, it's supposed to be a universal number, but each company has their own way of testing treadwear..so it's rather inconsistent.

Considering the price and effectiveness of the product, I think the RT615's are a better choice. Now if you can add a bit more money for the A046, that may be a better choice if you're worried about the greasiness, which to me, didn't effect me much. Good luck with your choice

 

I would never buy new A046's when there are so many used ones available for pennies on the dollar. The last 3 sets of A046's I had on my car averaged about $20/each with an average of 4/32" left.

 

come on... it's time to leave denial land... the 615s are a good tire if you're on a budget... but they are no advans.

 

Grassroots Motorsports did a tire test pitting the 615 vs the RS-2 Hankook vs the new Advan Nuevo (supposedly very much like the A046), and a few other tires. The 615 was quite a bit faster on an autocross than any other tire. They didn't do track testing, but did say that the Nuevo took heat better than the 615. That could mean the A046 is a better track tire once the tires get hot. However, on an autocross, the 615's should be faster.

 

from my autoX experience it seams that all that really matters is a very low treadware and a stiff sidewall. Any monkey can design something like that...
when you look into racing that lasts more than 30 seconds you'll need a R&D department that has some money. This is why I feel the PS2, S03, and Advans are all much superior tires for a street car or track car... With this said, the falkens are a very good value...

 

Not even in the same level. The S03's are a great street tire and have a nice stiff sidewall. But there is horrible tread squirm new. And even shaved, they are slower in 225/50/15's than the 205/50/15 azenis. The pirrelli? Not even close.