Tires Tires Tires

[Chad]

What kind of tires is everyone competing in? I was thinking about getting some slicks but i am not sure of where to get a good deal on them. I'm trying to source some 7" wide rims for the merkur too. Otherwise i was looking at the parada 2 tires that yokohama makes. My buddy has them and they grip like mad but i don't really have the money for $100 tires. Does anyone have any good cheap options?
thanks,
Chad

[Chris Bienert]

The Falken Azenis has been making waves for those who autox on street tires. It sells for about $44/ea in 195/60-14. I run them and have been very pleased with the grip level and responsiveness. The only downside is their weight (19.5 lbs in above size) but that's the price you pay for really stiff sidewalls. Don't expect them to last a long time as daily driver tires. I bought mine from Discount Tire Direct. If you're looking for R-compound tires, try the tire rack (www.tirerack.com). They carry Kumho (also kinda heavy) and Hoosier ($$$) race tires.

[Peter]

I use the Falken Azenis tires for autocross only(14-60-195 size). I have them mounted on steel wheels i picked up for next to nothing. They are perfect for my level of driving right now. The low price in that size makes it possible to have a new set each season if needed. I do notice the added weight of them and the steelies compared to the stock tires and aluminum rims. But not that bad. Good grip for the price and i can drive them to and from the events. Saves me a lot of time changing tires at the track. ;)

[HandCommand]

Wow, you guys even know the weight of the tire...that's great. I guess with all that sidewall support it will be heavier. What would you guys run on a slightly lowered CRX, 14's or 15's? What would be the next size to 195/60/14 that is offered in the Falkens?

Are the Azenis directional?

Is the performance gain from 15's worth the more rotating mass? I know you want to keep the rotating mass close to the center as possible, kind of like a figure skater pulling her arms in and she spins easier.

Is the trade off worth it? Traction Vs. Less Rotating Mass?


Tony C. Nguyen
HAND COMMAND INC.
Mobile Electronics & Performance
(612) 386-8010

[Jon Kotek]

My Miata is alot more sensitive to unsprung weight, I deffinitly feel the diffrence in tire wieght. I am currently running 14's and I am going to stick to that (mostly because my alloys are only 10 pounds each.) big rims are nice but heavy.

Oh and Azenis are directional, AND right and left sided LOL

Jon

[1/2mv^2]

Originally posted by Jon Kotek


My Miata is alot more sensitive to unsprung weight, I deffinitly feel the diffrence in tire wieght. I am currently running 14's and I am going to stick to that (mostly because my alloys are only 10 pounds each.) big rims are nice but heavy.

Oh and Azenis are directional, AND right and left sided LOL

Jon


I agree - I just put Azenis (195/60-14) on my stock '97 Miata wheels (which are the hollow 10.8lb ones), and I can definatly feel the combination of the heavier tire and the larger diameter. The car accelerates slower, and has more inertia.

This is all completely overshadowed by the ride and the grip of the tires. I am VERY pleased!

I have to commend Discount Tires in Bloomington about the installation. I called, and they just happened to have 4 sitting around - was in 15 minutes later, and installed 30 minutes after that (even got coupons for lunch!) They have Hunter 9700 balancers, and actually used a torque wrench for final tightening.

It had been the first time in a many years that I used anybody but Tirerack and Orr for tire install, but I will definately use Discount Tire again!

---
Ed
'97 Red Supercharged Miata

[Chris Bienert]

195/60-14 is the only 14" Azenis available. I would recommend staying with the 14" size unless you have done something to your Honda to give it a gross excess of torque and hp. As others have said, the increased unsprung and rotating mass is noticable. I agree that it's worth it though.

[SalahK]

I have the Azenis on my wife's WRX wagon. These tires are used as street tires since the car hardly ever gets to see a competitive event. Overall, these are the best high performance street tires for the cash-starved enthusiast.

The advantages and disadvantages of the Azenis stem from the fact that this tire has a sidewall stiffness similar to a race tire but the compound is significantly harder and therefore less sticky than a race tire. The stiff sidewall results in a fairly hard ride and some tramlining over uneven surfaces. The hard compound results in much longer treadlife compared to race tires. In addition, the tread pattern makes the tires somewhat noisy compared to other performance street tires. Still, the noise levels are far below the Yokohama A-032R.

Overall, the performance level of the Azenis is far less than any race tire (don't be fooled). The Azenis is the second fastest street tire after the BFG KD. However, the KD is way more expensive.

I highly recommend the Azenis.

[rdub]

I have noticed no real difference in my times and ranking overall (from last year)between BFG KDs which I am now running in STS, vs Kumho victoracers I ran in DSP!
So even though the cost is higher ,I'm really pleased with the KDs.They actually seem more predictable too.I use them on the street too.Maybe my old e30 318is just digs them.

[Bernardus]

I just switch to Azenis too, and the sidewall do seem to be a lot stiffer than my old tire (Dunlop SP Sport 5000). With the old tire, I had to raise the pressure to near maximum otherwise the front feel soft. With the new tire, I don't even need to raise the pressure at all!

[the tick]

The Falkens are asymmetrical (different inside verses outside), but hte are not directional (there isn't a left and right tread pattern). I've had these on my CRX for about a month (on the street) and have no complaints. I'm planning to get ti an autox soon, is the CRX legal in a street tire class (dst)?