Ok I need a new set of road racing tires. I have an extra set of Roata Slip Streams (15s) to use for road racing events only. I am looking for suggestions for racing and street tires.

The car is an FF, 2000 Civic Hatch

I was thinking about the FALKEN AZENIS 615k (205/50/15), at $130 per it seams like they are the best bang for the buck. Only thing is I can only find them in 205, I would like to go with a 225...


Advan RA048
Toyo RE-1
Nitto NT-01
Falken 615K
Kumho XS

Ay one have experience with these tires?
How do they hold up to heat?
How is the grip?

Any suggestions are appreciated

 

You're looking for a cross over street / HPDE tire? Or is this for an actual racing series?

I like the Hankook RS3 for a xover tire.

 

These will only for track use. But not for a racing series.

 

There are much better tires available like kumho xs, bridgestone re, dunlop star specs

 

road racing tire =/= hpde tire...

however they are a blast :-P Just don't last too long

 

NT-01's

 

Yea i was thinking about those.

 

+1 on bridgestone re-11

awesome awesome tire. they're great before they even warm up, very grippy when they warm up, and surprisingly great in the rain, too.

 

been on the old rt-615, i like it alot and it held up well. Got greasy quick tho. I've read the new one is about the same, no experience on it tho. The re-11 is way to expensive for what you get the star spec and the xs are 100$ less expensive and perform about the same. I've neve compaired the two, but from all the tire threads on here seems to be the general opinion. I just got my second set of XS's. I think they are great. they hold up well, handle heat well, people say they aren't the best in the rain, i liked them. and the price is right. however, the only real way to see what tires you like best is to try a bunch or go by what others say. I'll save you some time tho. most on here say star spec is best, followed by the re-11, xs, then the rt-615k. Slicks above them all, but the price is more than the re-11 and wear out twice as quick. Good luck

 

the only reason people like the star specs more is because they cost less. from a performance perspective, personally i decided to swing the extra 100 for the advantage over the star specs. i've driven both, and prefer the re-11. lol although that might change depending on how long they last, but after 1000 miles so far so good.

 

I am NOT a fan of the RT-615. Every set I've driven on is inconsistent at the limit and they do not hold heat well. They're designed as more of an autocross tire anyway.

You really can't go wrong with an Advan Neova AD08, BS RE-11, or Kumho XS if that's the category of tire you're looking for. I really like all three of those, best to 'worst' in that order. I noticed that the XS's wear out the fastest when habitually driven at or near their limit, but they're super cheap and consistent. If you're willing to spend the money, the AD08 is a superb tire. Super consistent with lots of response and lots of grip (although the RE-11 has a smidge more, but less response from my experience). The Neova even does very well when abused to 100+% of it's (and the car's) limit for 5 sessions of a track day.

The Hankook RS-3 is another option - statistically the most static grip in the class but I've never driven on a set so I can't vouch.

In terms of R-comps I like the A048 and BFG R1, though many will point you to an NT-01.

 

Thanx Alot for all the great advice Guys....

I'm really considering the NT-01s, its a top 3 (R) rated tire, great cost (about 170$) vs over $250 for the Advan A048 and Toyo RA1s and it gets lots of great reviews from road racers and auto crossers allot, and surprisingly even drag racers seem to like it.

From what I have read, it gets superb grip, handles heat well and it stands up to wear, (well as much as an R tire can) but people are saying that they get 7 to 8 full track events out of them....

If the only surface these tires are going to see is a track, I think it seems to be the best bang for the buck....

What do you guys think?

 

I don't think you'll go wrong with the NT01 if you get a set. I've got nothing against them at all but I don't have much experience on them either. Another tire to consider is the BFG R1. $197/tire on Tire Rack in a 225/50-15. I like the R1 a lot. Not saying you definitely need to choose it over the NT01, just another option.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....del=g-Force+R1

*As an addendum the NT01 has a better treadwear rating than the R1 and will more than likely last longer, just not perform *quite* as well.

 

what is your experience. there are a wide variety of suggestions in here.

 

You mean driving experience?

I have some Auto Cross experience, SCCA events in the So-Cal region. But Mostly I do HPDE events, through ExtremeSpeedTrackEvents.com. at Willow Springs....

August. 28 I'm doing a HPDE event with a Civic vs Integra shootout, class battle...

Tire Experience, I don't have any. Ran on a set of original Falken Azenis, Yoka ES-100, and Falken Ziex 512s....

 

There is a downfall to great tires, as they can mask mistakes. Although you may be "slower" on street tires, you will definitely know when you are about to screw up and the audible feedback to the driver is always a plus to someone that is still learning.

205-225, get the smaller tire, you arent going to be any faster with the 225's.

At 102ea the 205 XS is what id advise.

 

well for what it is worth. i might have a different mindset than others. but if you are trying to "progress yourself" then staying on a 140+ tire would probably be better.

if you are just trying to be "fast" then go with a -140 tire but it will probably have more grip then you will use.

 

you beat me to the post. so i will bold yours again just for reference. lol.

 

well the type of tires I have been driving on have given me a great feel for my car, and increased my driving ability exponentially. Like the Destroyer mentioned, "great tires mask mistakes" since the best tire I have used is the yoko ES-100, and it was not that great of a tire. I have had the inadvertent benefit of having a good learning curve, I feel I know enough about my car, how its set up, and how it responds under extreme driving conditions. That is why I decided to take the next step and see the difference a good tire makes....

 

I used street, then 615's, r888's, and now Nt01. I liked the 615's after a street tire, and thought they were great. The 888's were quite a bit better, and I am not finding much difference in the 01's. I only have 4 days on the 01's, the others used up over seasons. The 01's were a much better price than the 888's for a similar drive. There are threads comparing on HT.

205-50-15 NT-01 @$139+about $11-12 shipping, or about $150/tire

http://www.discountedwheelwarehouse....dial_Tires.cfm

or $158 at America's tire. Shop the internet and then get price match at America's Tire. Works for Nitto that they carry.

 

if you have zero experience:
whatever is the cheapest tire you can mount on there.

when you have more experience:
Hankook RS3s.

 

Ive also read that sticky street tires dont last as long as race tires on track. So you might get more use out of something like an NT01/R888 as opposed to the XS/RT615.

 

I love my XS's, they handle amazing.. but I do want to try the new 615K since their using a new compound that does better than the old 615 and I love how crisp the Azenis feel.. can't go wrong with ether man.. or the z1 star specs, rs3 or other ultra high performance summer tires

 

Dont buy into that marketing, they still "dont" hang with current cheaper street tires.

 

Everyone drives different and everyone will have their own favorite tire.. simply said i want to try them put since I did like their old models.. there have been videos and tests proving their better but never said its faster than anything else or that they could "hang" just saying he can't go wrong with any high performance summer tire