I'm considering getting a set of Azenis for my car since I'm going to hold off on R-compounds for a while. Price is important since these damn 17" tires cost a bundle.

Front rims are 17x7.5" - don't expect any problems there. The rears are 17x8.5" and I'm concerned that a 225/45-17 Azenis, even though it runs a bit wide, will be too narrow for the wheel and that I'll be sacrificing grip due to the sidewalls being expanded out, not to mention the lack of section width.

So should this provide me with pretty good grip, or should I go with something like a Kumho MX that comes in 225/45-17 and 245/40-17 for the rear?

 

Why don't you just get the 245/45/17 Azenis for the back? I assume they make one this size since its on their website.

 

Better yet, run 245/45/17 on all four corners.

 

I thought about that, as alot of E36 M3 autox guys use 245/45-17 Victoracers on the rear. Yet this would be primarily street driving, autocrossing plus the occasional HPDE. The 245/45 is 6% taller than the stock 245/40, and like 9% taller than the 235/40 I have on there now. I already think my gears are tall enough with a 3.23 diff - so I am really reluctant to go with some big ole' monster truck tires back there.

Should I just give up on affordable tires and go with some Kumho MX's?

I currently have Yokohama ES100's up front and some crap tires out back. I really haven't been that impressed with the ES100's dry grip. It is ok, and they don't necessarily do anything wrong - but I was under the impression their dry grip was better. I plan on trashbagging them and saving them for street driving after I get the $$$ for another set of stock rims and R-compounds to satisfy my grip needs when I need it.

I just miss my RE71's I had on my Integra! Why Bridgestone! WHY DID YOU KILL THE RE71's?!?!?!

 

...the 225 up front and the 245 on the rear, really. 6% is negligble, and, on the upshot, you get better gas milage. The MX on the other hand is allegedly the next great tire (beats the BFG KD by a hair) and is about $90 bucks cheaper per tire. How much do they run in your size(s)?

 

225/45-17 Azenis - ~$106 unshipped
245/45-17 Azenis - ~$111 shipped

225/45-17 Kumho MX - ~$120 unshipped
245/40-17 Kumho MX - ~$127 unshipped

ES100's are comparable to Azenis in price.


While it doesn't seem like a big difference, an E36 M3 weighs a tad over 3200lbs with driver(me being light), and is not the easiest on tires. So a 'small' price premium does add up. Especially on the rears.

Guess I should just wait until I can throw down enough bank to get the MX's, as the ~10% gearing difference from now would be too much IMO since the 235/40's are like a real cheap diff upgrade.

 

Where did you get this info from? I don't remember the Mx being as good as the Azenis or the KD.

Anyhow, stretching a tire over a wide wheel will not reduce max grip, unless you go to the extreme--and then the tire probably wouldn't fit anyways.

I'm running a 205 Azenis on an 8" wide wheel if it makes you feel any better.

 

I guess what I'm asking is the effects of a 'smaller' tire on a wider rim than you would normally put it on. Is there anything to be gained by using a 225/45 tire on a 8.5" wide rim, or is the loss in tread width just too much rubber not touching the ground to be compensated for by the improved sidewall geometry(so going for a 245/40 is ideal)?

I've only had experience with stuffing a wider tire over a smallish rim. Which results in a tad more lateral grip at the expense of a slightly vague transient response while the sidewalls 'set' after experiencing the initial cornering load.

 

Tirerack test; MX v. BFG T/A KD v. AVS SPORT.

Todd00 se above for reference.
Tirerack doesn't carry falken, so any comparison b/w this test and azenis performance is a bit of a stretch, but the results, overall, intimate that the MX is a better tire than the KD, and is more affordable.

Def: If you can swallow the change in gearing, which at 3% shouldn't really kill you, and w/ gas prices these days might be welcome. Just get the Azenis. If, like you said, your gonna eat em, get the best that YOU can afford. Good luck, and tell us what you choose. Pics would be nice too. I've never actually seen the 245 azenis, must look massive!

 

"better", only because two comfort categories are introduced to kill the KD's handling superiority.

[edit] read further down the page... seems more logical now.

 

ideally you would want the rim and the tire to be even on the side. meaning, the tire shouldn't hang over the rim or the rim shouldn't stick out beyond the tire. If a tire is too wide for the rim you will get more bulge along the sidewall, like an offroad tire. thats why they put wide tires on narrow rims. to get more shock absorption. but in road racing you don't want that. If the tire is too narrow for the rim you will pull the tire and get a crown in the middle of the tread. so try and match the tire to the rim so that you get a nice even plane from tire to rim on the side.........