ok so i have a question. i am looking at getting a set of yokohama avs es 100's but ive also contemplated getting a set of falken azenis rt 615's. the only kicker is what ever tire i get is most likely going to be daily driven on. i have had experience with the yoko's and i love them but im a fan of change thats why im asking about the falkens. any input would be great thanks!

 

Es100's get less traction than snow tires.

 

is it for road racing or autocross ?

 

autocross im sorry i forgot to mention that

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jon Vito &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">autocross im sorry i forgot to mention that </TD></TR></TABLE>

For a street tire autocross tire, the RT-615s can't be beat. However, they come with downsides.

Pros:
grip
don't seem to get as "greasy" as the RT-215s when hot

Cons:
fast wearing
not go great in rain at full tread
down right frightening in rain under 50% tread
not available in all desired sizes

My last set was put through 5k street miles, 3 autocrosses, and 1 HPDE, and were around 50% tread (around 33% useable street tread). I would have expected 10-12k street miles out of them, if only used for street use. For safe street use, you'd have to toss them when they get under 2/32" of tread (like any tire), but for atuocross duty you can take them down to completely bald. Keep in mind, they only start with 8/32" of tread, unlike most tires that start with 10/32".

 

Goodyear F1 GS-D3
Bridgestone Potenza S-03 (unfortunately discontinued)
Hankook RS2

They're grippier than the ES100s and just as good or better in the rain.

 

hmm thats something to think about . im gonna do some looking up on the tires you mentioned any body else got any other suggestions? just trying to get the best bang for the buck on whatever tires i end up going with

 

I agree with the comments above. More info:

The Yokohama ES100 will probably last 25-40K miles (or more) in street driving, whereas the Azenis will only give you 10-12K miles. So you'll be buying tires about three times as often with the Azenis. That makes the Azenis a very expensive option for daily driving.

If you're a novice, I suggest you get whatever is best for your street driving, probably the ES100 (but see other options below). As a novice, you won't be using the full capabilities of your tires, and less-sticky tires are better for learning anyway. Once you build up some experience, and perhaps start worrying about competing well, then you may want to consider picking up a second set of wheels that you use only for autocross, and getting either a set of Azenis for them, or an R compound tire (preferably one designed specifically for autocross, like the Hoosier A6).

If you're really looking for "best bang for the buck", I suggest the Kumho SPT instead of the Yoko ES100. The two tires are generally similar in performance, but the SPT is slightly better at just about everything, and it's less expensive than the ES100, too.

Outrun mentioned three other tires. The Goodyear F1 GS-D3 is a great street tire, with much better performance than the ES100 and SPT (both wet and dry), and good treadlife too, but it's higher in price. The S-03 is discontinued, as he mentioned. The Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212 is a good tire, but it shares the same basic downsides as the Azenis, i.e. it wears fast and it's not all that great in rain (much better than the Azenis, but not as good as the SPT/ES100/GS-D3).

Again, "best bang for the buck" = Kumho SPT.

 

thanks man im gonna look into the kumho spt it sounds like a good tire.