*** update: fixed the "sloppiness" feel by decreasing pressure in tires significantly -

I adjusted pressures as I drove around for about an hour yesterday, and discovered that the less pressure the better the car felt. I started in the upper 40's (which was obviously a mistake) and by the time I got down to 33f and 30b, the car was snaping back and forth more like it used to with the more narrow 195 width RE010's. It wasn't quite as responsive, but damn if it doesn't feel a whole hell of a lot better now. I am much more happy with this tire now. I guess my mistake was assuming that since the Azenis had a much higher max pressure, and hearing people say it "responded well to high pressure" that it meant I should do just that. Next time I'll trial by fire instead of just going on assumptions or hear-say. :thumb:


[original post]
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I just got back from the track (Hallett) not 3 hours ago and thought I would post some info on my experiences with the 205/50 Azenis on stock 15x6" wheels since I have seen a lot of posts regarding the "theory" of the handling characteristics and such.

First off, yes they are much "sloppier" than the 195's, much sloppier. I saw both Budman and Batoutahell today at the track as well and they confirmed my exact feelings with their ITR's and Azenis on stock 15x6's. Say you try yanking the wheel back and forth, left to right, 3 times quickly... it almost feels like the car has to catch up to the motion of the wheel/tires. It's a very discomforting feeling compared to the crispness and sharpness of the 195's. I had RE010's as my last tire so this next bit may be a tad hard to compare, but I'll do my best.

So while the turn-in and precision of the handling seems to be sloppy, the other important factor, the grip, is much much better. Again, I'm going from RE010's to Azenis, but I think it's still an interesting bit of info. My first "real world" test was a drive down a country highway road with a lot of high-bank esses and wide sweepers. The sloppiness was almost scary to me at some points, but then once into the corner, the car just kept sticking the faster and harder I pushed it. I was amazed when I looked at the speedometer and realized how much more speed I could carry through turns. My first test on this set of roads was at a psi of 46 front and 42 back. The next trip was at 51 front, and 47 back. Both trips down these set of twisties felt about the same, the second setup maybe a slight bit more planted.

My next test was at the track, as I mentioned before. Hallett Raceway, for those who have never been (which is most I would assume) is a 1.8 mile course, with 10 turns, most of which are ascending or descending, several of which are blind. There is a lot of change up, and not a lot of speed. Once again, the car felt a little more sloppy at first, but as the tires seemed to heat up, the grip just got better and better. I've driven this track on 205 width Kumho's on a 15x6 wheel as well, so I have a little comparison there too. After a few laps, I noticed that the car seemed to 4-wheel drift a little through corners, but at no point did I ever feel I was going to spin out. There was hardly any screeching from the tires, and I only ever really noticed the sloppieness of the tire when braking very hard through a sharp curve, or when going through esses with a sharp degree in the change of direction. All in all, I was praising the tires all day and impressed myself with my times. I set new personal best times actually, though previously my last 5 trips to this track where in my old LS Integra, heh. So basically no real complaints in the track department.

To summarize, I really like the Azenis, the grip is unbelievable, but the 205 width on a 6" wheel seems to be pushing it at the least. I have this love/hate feeling right now, because on the street, going to get groceries or whatever, I really do miss the crispness of the 195's, but push it hard through a sweeper and it sticks like it's on rails. And though I can't personally confirm this, I'd have to agree with what a lot of people have said, that a 7 or 7.5 inch width wheel would make it that much more of an incredible tire. In a couple weeks I will have a chance to autox with the Azenis and I'll note my experiences there as well.

note: I apologize if the race/track/tire terminology was a bit off, I'm no pro or anything. Just keep in mind these are all the impressions of a total novice


(gratuitous track pic...)


[Modified by uncleben, 7:11 PM 5/3/2002]

 

Thats some good feedback. My Azenis have been sitting in my garage for over a week now. I was debating if I should put them on my stock wheels, looks like you have answered my question. Thanks!

 

How are the tires for noise & ride quality?


[Modified by JohnnyBoy, 6:26 PM 4/28/2002]

 

Maybe it's just cause my R is noisey anyway, but I can't hear any difference. That was a definite concern for me before purchasing. I've read others that said they were loud though, so I don't know.

edit: as for ride quality, see above about "sloppieness"


[Modified by uncleben, 8:38 PM 4/28/2002]

 

How many miles on the tires? Sloppiness is not unusual on new tires with les than 500-1000 miles on them. RE730's are stickier than RE010's IMO and they suck the first 500 miles.

edit: spell check


[Modified by Asahi, 8:47 PM 4/28/2002]

 

well, u have to use 15 X 7 rim tp max out the 205............

 

i know that this subject with the azenis has been debated many times. but i just never consider the tires as now ,so i never look in to it . as a lot of you guys have and had experiences with this type of tire, here's a couple of questions:
1. would you buy it again ?
2.how long do they last?
3.how do they perform in the rain ?
4.is it a good all around tire ?(daily driven)
5.how do they perform on the freeway?(there some tires that attend to pick up every single thing , specially lines and cracks .)
6.to those who have try the yoko A032 ,how do they compared?

 

1. sure
2. last alot longer than other performence tire.
3. they are not bad, but u cant really push that hard in rain(not that u want to test it on road)
4. yes
5. not sure about that, but its less noise than AVS
6. i got a friend runing a itr(race car) with 225/50/15(032r hard compound) and RG 15 X 7.5 and i was running 215/45/16 and 16 X 7 rim(azenis), same itr motor, i ran a little bit faster than him in street of willow full track.

edited, his tire is brand new, and it was gone after one more event, and mine is still running.


[Modified by spoon_ek9, 3:04 AM 4/29/2002]

 

I'm reading a LOT of posts that support this...

Can anyone else confirm what someone said about the sloppy-factor fading some after 500-1000 miles put on the tires?

 

well, i am not sure what u are talking about, but the reason u have to use 15x 7 rim is that the width match the tire and the tire contact patch are flat. if u put a 15 X 6 rim on 205, the tire will have a over pump effect. thats mean the center of the tire got more pressure to the ground. hope it help.

 

thanks , so over all they good tires with out having to change as often .

 

Has anyone tried the Azenis in 195?

 

what air pressure were you running?

 

i can tell you the sloppiness is not because of the width of your rim.... im running Azenis 215/45/16 on a 7" wide rim and it still very sloppy. Its just t he character of the tyre!

 

I don't even think they make the Azenis in a 195, if they do I would be all over them. I don't know if I want to put them on a 6" wheel, with all this talk of sloppiness. Would a 195/50/15 Potenza be a better fit for my 6" GSR wheels?

Jon

 

My Azenis are on a 6.5" wheel and they don't feel too sloppy at all.

Pretty interesting to know its that sloppy on a 6" wheel

 

I'll have my Azenis on a 7.5" wheel this week, and I'll be at the track this weekend. I'll post my impressions when I return.

 

 

if you need a 195 thenyour best bet is definitely the Potenza S03 at tire rack for 76 a pop

 

Dunlop FM 901's



In stock now and http://www.tire.com. $76 shipped. I'm going to give these tires a try next.

I have Azenis with almost 15k miles. I they stick very well, but like others say, they are sloppy on 15x6 wheels. I run mine at 40psi.

CB

 

Actually, yes. When I first got the tires, they had awesome grip, but a very sloppy feel when approaching the limit. After about 600 miles (includes a couple days in the rain), the tires are much, much better!! The sloppiness has all but disappeared, and the grip is even better than it was before. Overall, the Azenis outperform the stock RE010s in terms of handling and grip, and for half as much money. They are an excellent tire, just make sure they are broken in if you plan on doing any autox or track events!

P.S. I am running the tires at 36F/35R.

 

Good post, Ben. I thought I'd minimized the sloppiness in my Azenis by increasing my tires pressure, which seemed to help, but not a lot. I'll try dropping the pressures to the low 30's to see if that helps.

 

Thanks for the writeup Ben. I have a set In the garage which I am going to be replacing my RE71's with. I think the RE71's are a bit squirmy, so maybe the Azenis will be an improvement. I think the Azenis's sidewall stiffness not being Z rated might also be a factor for their "sloppy" feel. I am planning on running them 37F 37R all around. I have good luck with this pressure with a 25/50/15 tire.

DW
98R417

 

Alright, Ive heard both stories now. At this point Im SO confused on what to do that Im just going to mount them tomorrow.

 

crazybovine - let me know your imperessions. I have not had good luck with Falken tires in the past, so I am a little biased. It has been a few years since I tried any though.

DW
98R417