chrisdavis6

Hey Guys, well i'm about to drop some coin on new tires for spring,
and it would be cool if I could get some of your suggestions before the purchase.
I will be using them strictly for auto events, no daily driving. Currently I attend
auto-x events and I also attend one event that takes place on a go-kart track.

I would say my budget is about $500-$550; they are going on a 2000 Integra gs-r
with 15" wheels. I was going to stick with 205-50-15. I’m looking for something with
a combination of good grip and longevity. Last season I ran the Falken Azenis
and I didn’t really like them, they took to long to warm up and were greasy off the
line, grip wasn’t that great either.

This is my runner up list...


Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08 $537 shipped from tirerack


Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 $522 shipped from tirerack


Kumho Ecsta XS $404 shipped from tirerack


Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec $404 shipped from tirerack (Only come in 195-55-15)


Any input or suggestions would be awesome, thanks guys.

ED9man

the R1R is not a bad tire to consider either, and if you look around there are a couple other good cheap sites, i think I foudn the toyo proxes r1r on discount tire direct for a good price and I ran them on my CRX and was pretty happy with the performance. The hankook rs3 might be another one to consider too if they make it in that size. vulcantire has some good deals too

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

Before you drop coin drop on over to the search and read up...on Tires.
Search tires.
There are quite a few threads on everything from Bridgestone to everything else.
BTW Falken Azenis arent that bad. I use them as rain tires.

chrisdavis6

cool thanks guys, i will read up. Any other suggestions please feel free.

Update, after a quickly reviewing tireracks test with the above mentioned tires
i think i might go with the star specs, the sucky part is they only come in 195-55-15.

Would you guys run that size or is it too tall?
Should i stick with something in 205-50-15?

90_EX_Civic

op is lucky stinky is off this week.

on another note, op, why not be a guinea pig and get a set of the yoko's. i've heard that they are a cross between the re-11's and the r1r.

jdm_dc_fan

iTrader: (1)

If you are buying them strickly for autox you should buy r compounds. Star specs are good and can be found for $388 shipped at discounttiredirect.com, but for a $550 budget i would buy some Nt-01's. Or for $150 you can try the bf goodrich R1.

Natural Aspirations

Ran the R1R's last year for autocross about one full season (~12-15 events) and 3-4k miles of street use they have a few dry events left.

nsxtasy

The four tires you listed in the first post, plus the Toyo R1R, are all very good. In fact, that side-by-side comparison test that the Tire Rack did showed just how similar all four are on dry pavement. The test did show that the XS was a bit worse than the others in rain, but if you don't run in rain, that may not be relevant to you. Oh, and it's also worth noting that in most sizes, the Kumho and the Dunlop are significantly less expensive than the other three.

Nope. Neither the Tire Rack nor Discount Tire Direct carries Toyo tires. The best prices I've found on them are usually from TiresDirect.net Although, depending on the tire and size, sometimes you can find good prices at OnlineTires.com, TreaDepot.com, or TreadZone.com

They don't. The only 15" size they have is 225/45-15, and it needs a wheel that's at least 7" wide. Stock Integra wheels are 15x6.

The Azenis were good in their time. Now, those five tires can drive circles around the Azenis RT-615. I bet the folks at Falken are already working on a replacement for it, so that they can keep up with the competition.

OTOH, Falken currently has an $80 rebate on a set of Azenis. Which means you can get a set in 205/50-15 for $244 shipped, from Discount Tire Direct. It's up to you whether you want to save some money with those vs getting one of those stickier tires.

Either size should work fine on an Integra.

Whether to get R compounds is up to you. They will cost you more, for the tires as well as for the fact that they won't last as long so you'll need to replace them more often. If you're not really competing to win out there, these street tires we're talking about may be enough to help you get faster and to make you happy. If you have a lot of experience and you're trying to win races, then you might want to consider getting R compounds. And if you're trying to win races (which means you don't care how much they cost) and you're ONLY using them for autocross (i.e. not in high-speed events), then you probably ought to consider not just any R compounds, but ones made specifically for autocross, such as the Hoosier A6 (which is available in 205/50-15, for $210/tire). Autocross-specific tires are designed with really soft compounds that stick really well from the start; most R compound tires are designed for the racetrack, and don't reach their maximum grip until you've driven a hot lap (a couple of miles).

As long as you're just autocrossing for fun and not scrambling to get every hundredth of a second improvement per lap, the five street tires will probably be all you need. Besides, they're tires, and like all tires, they'll wear out soon enough; if you want better grip at that point, you can always switch to something stickier then.

One other factor to consider is whether any particular tire (based on size, treadwear factor, or usage specified) pushes you into prepared or modified when they figure out what autocross class your car competes in.

CivicSiRacer

Yes Falken is working on the newer Azenis which is due out 1st quarter this year. From the testing so far it is faster than the old RT-615s. Stiffer sidewalls, stickier rubber.
I hope to get the 1st set

ED9man

man it's about time!

Andy Hollis

In addition to NSXTASY's comments, which are all right on the money, let me address the heat issue. I have experience on all of these tires (testing for GRM and autox/track use).

The RE-11 will be your best bet for immediate results, dry/wet/hot/cold. This is especially important on FWD where getting some heat into the rear tires is a big problem. Otherwise, you are halfway through the run and the fronts are nice and grippy while the rear is still sliding all over. This tire also works well full tread.

The R1R is also good out of the box, temp-wise. The 195 is actually faster than the 205. Downside of the R1R is not so good at full tread (except in the rain, where it is awesome).

The AD08 is another good all-around tire. Slightly faster than the RE-11, but more heat resistant. Also requires some warm-up, though. Best transitional response of the bunch (awesome slaloms!). A bit pricey but does well at full tread.

The Dunlop is great in most sizes, but not so much in the 195/55-15, which is what you'll need. It is a skinny 195, and the sidewalls are just floppy. Compared to the others, it makes for a numb tire.

The XS is amazing in steady state, but suffers in longitudinal grip (corner exit accel and hard braking). As mentioned, it is sub-par in the rain, and definitely requires some heat to work. Super pricing makes it a great track day tire, where your turns are mostly sweepers, and you aren't coming off corners hard in 2nd gear causing wheelspin. This one also works well on full-tread.

And finally,*all* of these tires are better than the old Falken RT-615.

As for wear, the XS will last the longest, followed by the AD08. RE-11 will be a bit worse than that, with the R1R being the softest. Pretty much the opposite of the heat tolerance/requirement curve.

--Andy

PS: Good luck getting the first set, Mike.

ohsnapzafingcu

iTrader: (2)

i regret re-buying another pair of 215-45-16 azenis, (i bought a pair with a 8 month span) i wish i went with the kumho xs'.. they are pretty much the only other tire out there for me since i have 16s..

azenis aren't gripping like i thought they would, they don't last long, and are more expensive then xs'..


have you looked at discounttiredirect.com? most of the tires you listed are on the site, plus it's free shipping

nsxtasy

Good insights.

That depends on what car you have. The RE-11 and R1R are available in 205/45-16 (equally suitable as the 215/45 for Integras and many Civics), and the Star Spec is available in 205/50-16 (for many Preludes).

I agree with these comments except the pricing; the Azenis is less expensive than the XS. The Azenis in 215/45-16 is $332 for a set of four after $80 rebate with free shipping from Discount Tire Direct. DTD doesn't have that size XS shown on their website right now but I'm pretty sure it costs more than that (it's $376 plus shipping at the Tire Rack, which probably works out to about $100 more once you take shipping into account).

kommon_sense

I currently have dunlop star specs in 195-55-15 on a k20 civic for street tires (backup track tires for wet condtions). My last street tires were falken azenis in 205-50-15. I've run both tires on roadcourses as well. The star specs were much more consistent than the azenis and didn't have the same problems with them getting greasy like the azenis. The star specs did however squeal like a pig, but they were consistent through the entire session. I can't push them nearly as hard as my r-compounds (but that is to be expected).

So I'd take the dunlops over the azenis, but I don't have any experience with the other tires on your list.

chrisdavis6

Thanks for all of your input guys, there is a lot of really valuable info here.
Now that i am armed with all this info i guess the next thing to do is play
the web store price comparison game, who can get me the tires cheapest after shipping.

Andy, thanks so much for that info on the star specs in 195, i would have been stuck!

Thanks again guys,
Chris

STN_Pat

Andy Hollis, thank you very much.

nsxtasy

Here's what I've usually found.

Discount Tire Direct is usually the cheapest, for any tires they have on their website. Their prices are typically $5-10/tire more than others, but they give you free shipping, for which you'll pay $15ish elsewhere. Sometimes there are tires in brands they sell, but where some sizes don't show up on their website (e.g. Kumho XS, 215/45-16); I suspect you may be able to order those by calling them over the phone, but I've never had to verify this.

Tire Rack occasionally has a specific tire model/size for the cheapest, especially if it's on sale or if they have a special or clearance. But most of the time, DTD is a few bucks cheaper when you include shipping.

See my post above about where to find the lowest prices for Toyo, which is not carried by DTD or Tire Rack.

Most tire internet sites allow you to pick tires up in person. This may work for you if there's one in your area. However, even though you save money on shipping, those savings may be offset by the sales tax you'll pay if you pick it up in person.

By all means, do the website dance with as many places as you like. And if you find that the cheapest place is a place I haven't mentioned, please let me know!

SleeperGSR

ok, here is one for all the tire guys...last year i was running 215/45-16 kumo xs on a gsr that has lots of suspenstion mods and not to much motor mods. I have the budget for only one set of tires for the summer. I go to about 4 track days and as much auto-x as i can get too. Would there be a perfomance gain by switching to the dunlops at the stock size? To me i feel like the tire that is more wide with the shorter side wall (XS) would be making up for the softer ruber of the dunlop. Just looking for opinions. Thanks.

Andy Hollis

Unless you live in a state where they have a warehouse, like I do...and then they hit you with sales tax. Which ends up putting them above Tire Rack (or others).

In testing for the magazine, I was significantly faster on 205 XS's than the 195 Dunlop, and that was on a Civic Si that weighs around 1960 lbs. On your heavier 'teg, I have to believe that the 215/45-16 would be waaay better than the 195 Dunlop. It is just an unfortunate size. If they made that tire in 195/50-15, 205/50-15 or even better, 225/45-15 they would sell a ton of tires.

--Andy

SleeperGSR

thats what i was thinking thanks for your help.

A Blue Lude

Hey, where would the Z1 fit in on this scale? I get to choose between the AD08, RE-11, Z1 (plus NT05) in my size...

Andy Hollis

On a wear scale? Right around the AD08. Maybe a little worse. I have those on my DD (BMW M-roadster). Great tire, if they make a good size for you. Doesn't need much heat, wears reasonably well, very good in the wet or dry, but a little numb in feel.

--Andy

CivicSiRacer

I know seriously.

I'm praying my contact at Falken can help me out They have been my sponsor since 2001'ish. And of course I'm not the type to jump ship from someone who has helped me all these years (unlike others I know - not you guys but locals).

I'm also wondering how you guys are driving wearing out the Azenis so quickly? I had them on every one of my cars since 2001 with long long wear times on these. I had at least 3 sets of Azenis (215s and the 615s) for 30-40 autocrosses, plus about 8000-10000 street driven miles. When I sold all my sets they had 2mm of tread left. I had them on my 91 Civic Si when I ran 42 autocrosses that year and about 10,000 miles. I told Falken about that and they were surprised too. And yes I won 40 of those autocrosses. The 2 I lost were snow events LOL.

A Blue Lude

Thanks for the reply, yeah, I was thinking in terms of wear...that seems to be the hardest thing to document accurately in tests. Tire size for me is 235/40/17 on a 3000lb Prelude, which is maybe a little different from the norm around here...she sure does like to hammer the front tires on the road course

ohsnapzafingcu

iTrader: (2)

well, my advantage is that i have a few DT's around the metro..

now, i'm on 195/55/15 s.drives for dailys.. but i'm thinking of upping to star spec 195/55/15s.. i've had my tires since about march.. they've lasted a while and are great in the rain, which we get occasionally..


do you think this will be a good idea nsxtacy? i take my tires on hard turns occasionally and they don't seem to grip any better then they do cold, not a big of a difference as the azenis, but yeah.

i've put quite a few miles on my s.drives.. how long are the starspecs rated to last?