I think they are great tires for the price. I got 205/50/15 's installed and afterwards I noticed that the steering was looser. Is this normal?

I also noticed the decreased responsiveness people have mentioned. The wheel just doesn't "turn back" when exiting a turn as naturally compared with the RE010's.

I got the tires to try out for a track day on Friday. So I'm gonna be driving around getting use to the new handling characteristics of the car.

Overall, I am happy and think they are great!

Brian

 

took me a while to settle on tire pressures to dial out what I thought were short comings... but after that, I still maintain they are the best bang for the buck dry tire out there... the only reason I might not get them again is that I'm curious about the newer Yoko ES100s and Kumho MXs... Of course I also only paid $58 a tire for the Azenis here in Austin TX...

 

what psi is everyone running in their azenis

 

I think I'm still running 37/35... but that is street pressure with a 240lb ape behind the wheel, and 40lbs of gear in the back... I haven't had the car on the track in so long I don't remember what worked best...


...was on script drugs and reversed pressures


[Modified by Zeus, 8:43 PM 8/1/2002]

 

I ran 32/32 at the Buttonwillow. I ran 35/37 on the highways.

The decreased responsiveness is probably due to you mounting the tires to the stock wheel (assumption since you didnt tell us what wheel its mounted on). The most optimum width wheel is 7.5" Yup a WHOLE 1.5" wider than your stock Azenis.

 

I ran a two day track event at Putnam Park and settled on 36/35 by the end of the weekend. My Azenis are mounted on 15x7 K1's and I'm running BC coilovers 8k/12k springs, stock bars. With that set-up I was running consistent 1:28's. I saw as low as 1:27:70's. Not bad for a street tire that I drove home on Azenis = Good bang for the buck. Can't wait to try them out at Mid-Ohio in August. Hope to see some fellow H-Ters there!

 

240 is not that big...

 

... now now boys, remember, it's not how big you are, but how thick...

 

what the optimal tire pressure for 205/50/15 Azenis on stock rims at track? please reccomand?

 

I tried 1 psi over stock pressures and was pleased.

But alignment and driving style will be the ultimate factor when chosing pressures.

Will

 

The decreased responsiveness could also be due to the fact that the tires are brand new.

As noted on the Tire Rack website:

your new tires require a "break-in" period to ensure that they deliver their normal ride quality and maximum performance. As tires are cured, a "release lubricant" is applied to prevent them from sticking in their mold. Some of the lubricant stays on the surface of your tires, reducing traction until it is worn away. Five hundred miles of easy acceleration, cornering and braking will allow the mold release lubricant to wear off, allowing the other tire components to begin working together.It is also important to note that your old tires probably had very little tread depth remaining when you felt it was time to replace them. As any autocrosser or racer who has tread rubber shaved off of his tires will tell you "low tread depth tires respond quicker." Don’t be surprised if your new tires are a little slower to respond (even if you use the exact same tire as before). Their new, full depth brings with it a little more tread squirm until they wear down.

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>The decreased responsiveness could also be due to the fact that the tires are brand new.

As noted on the Tire Rack website:

your new tires require a "break-in" period to ensure that they deliver their normal ride quality and maximum performance. As tires are cured, a "release lubricant" is applied to prevent them from sticking in their mold. Some of the lubricant stays on the surface of your tires, reducing traction until it is worn away. Five hundred miles of easy acceleration, cornering and braking will allow the mold release lubricant to wear off, allowing the other tire components to begin working together.It is also important to note that your old tires probably had very little tread depth remaining when you felt it was time to replace them. As any autocrosser or racer who has tread rubber shaved off of his tires will tell you "low tread depth tires respond quicker." Don’t be surprised if your new tires are a little slower to respond (even if you use the exact same tire as before). Their new, full depth brings with it a little more tread squirm until they wear down.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Sounds right to me!


Modified by SoCal ITR at 12:32 PM 7/8/2003

 

I had a post regarding this issue too...I've put roughly 750+ miles on them and they are still loose. I think I will go back to stock for my next set. It's a daily driver.

 

yep, now I see why they are only $60 a tire.

 

has anyone try 195/55/15 azenis ?

 

They're not available - at least, not in the United States - according to the Falken website.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SoCal ITR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">&lt;BLOCKQUOTE&gt;quote:&lt;HR&gt;Th e decreased responsiveness could also be due to the fact that the tires are brand new.

As noted on the Tire Rack website:

your new tires require a "break-in" period to ensure that they deliver their normal ride quality and maximum performance. As tires are cured, a "release lubricant" is applied to prevent them from sticking in their mold. Some of the lubricant stays on the surface of your tires, reducing traction until it is worn away. Five hundred miles of easy acceleration, cornering and braking will allow the mold release lubricant to wear off, allowing the other tire components to begin working together.It is also important to note that your old tires probably had very little tread depth remaining when you felt it was time to replace them. As any autocrosser or racer who has tread rubber shaved off of his tires will tell you "low tread depth tires respond quicker." Don’t be surprised if your new tires are a little slower to respond (even if you use the exact same tire as before). Their new, full depth brings with it a little more tread squirm until they wear down.
&lt;HR&gt;&lt;/BLOCKQUOTE&gt; Yea, I knew this would come up. This would be my explanation.</TD></TR></TABLE>

awesome information!

 

What's the max pressure on the sidewall for the 205/50/15 Azenis?

 

I run 36/35 Cold on the street....
I run 40/40 Cold at autox.... (I have a 23mm sway, might explain why i don't jack up my rear pressures as high as others)
I run 40/36 HOT at gingerman

Great tires... I'll be buying a few sets sometime soon.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hooptie157 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">&lt;BLOCKQUOTE&gt;quote:&lt;HR&gt;I had a post regarding this issue too...I've put roughly 750+ miles on them and they are still loose. I think I will go back to stock for my next set. It's a daily driver.&lt;HR&gt;&lt;/BLOCKQUOTE&gt;

yep, now I see why they are only $60 a tire. </TD></TR></TABLE>

have you guys autoX'd or ran a road course with them on, then drove around? Mine felt sloppy til I cleaned em up at Beaver Run, and they've been excellent ever since..

 

While some of the lack of responsiveness may be due to the fact that the tires are new, my Azenis have ever equalled the feel from the Pirreli PZeros Assimetricos I had previously (or even the stock RE010s).

These tires have great grip (certainly greater than the RE010s, and perhaps even more than the PZeros) but do not have wonderful feel.

I am going back to PZeros when my Azenis wear out (though I have 16" wheels, and the difference in price between the Azenis and PZeros in that size is not significant).

 

running 215/45/16 Azenis. I'm still trying to figure out what tire pressure im happy with. as of now its @36 psi

 

Yes, I have the "loose" feeling too and I think I'm very near the 750 mile mark since install. I'd been driving on RE-730s for soem time before that - I chalked up the "loose" feeling of the Azenis to the lack of a central rib... maybe not.

Anyway, I don't know if I'd call it "loose" so much as "vague on center"... the Azenis grip like mad on corners and it feel pretty solid, after the first few degrees of steering wheel turning past the center.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by blee00692 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think they are great tires for the price. I got 205/50/15 's installed and afterwards I noticed that the steering was looser. Is this normal?

I also noticed the decreased responsiveness people have mentioned. The wheel just doesn't "turn back" when exiting a turn as naturally compared with the RE010's.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

It's normal especially if the tires are mounted on stock 6" width wheels. And, it won't get much better even after the "break-in" period on stock wheels.

I hated the sloppy feel from 205/50/15 Azenis on stock ITR wheels. I surely noticed extra grip, but I don't do sloppy feedback. I sold my set after ~1,500 mi and riding on stock RE-010's for the street. I'm sure it would have been a none issue, had I purchased a set of 15x7" wheels.

If you have 15x6.5" or 15x7" wheels, try upping the pressure on all four corners within the max pressure limit. It should help out. G'luck.

 

I don't think you can blame the wheel width for the poor steering feel of the Azenis. I went from 225/45/16 PZeros to 215/45/16 Azenis on 16x7 wheels, and the decrease in responsiveness was significant - despite the greater width and sidewall of the PZeros.

I think it is a tire construction issue.