Thread: Tire Talk.....

Well yet again another question.....

With being out of the car game for such a long time I am lost to as far as to what is good and what is not and I am now shopping for tires. Ofcourse when it comes time to get down the car will be on drag radials but, I need a nice tire to kick around town in. I want something performance oriented. Not really concerned with how long they will last due to my car being a garage queen Just something decent that will perform well around town and a very few track days (Convention)
I am looking for a basic 205 15 50 tire. These are my choices thus far.

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11


Dunlop Star Spec


Kuhmo Ecsta XS


Falken Azenis 615



So far I am leaning towards the Khumo tire but, I am in love with the look of the Azenis. Any info or experience with any of these tires would be great. I am looking to pull the trigger this coming week along with rims. So let here it gang!!

The Hankook Ventus R-S3 belongs in your list of options.



Same with the Nitto NT-05



Tons of people love the Star Specs and the Potenza RE-11 for serious daily use, but for a tire that won't see much use, I don't see shelling out the cash for the extra longevity they provide. They will rot out on a garage queen before their tread is gone. The Kuhmo Ecsta XS is probably the stickiest of your options (if you can get the heat into them that they need). They are a real track tire, comparable to the Nitto NT-01. I don't think that's what you're looking for. Also I've just never liked Kumho tires ever since the bait and switch they pulled with their first "high performance" summer tire. So I'd go with the Hankooks. Unless you want to save some money, then I'd be looking at the Nitto NT-05.

Best thing about the Hankooks is that they come in 225/45/15 too.

The RE11 have the best daily driver manners and do everything well
The Star Specs are well rounded too but don't like heat as much as the REs
The XS LOVE heat and have a ton of dry grip, but they suck in the rain
The 615K are good in the dry but don't like heat or rain.

Azenis RT-615K

Ben when you say this is it because they are not a good tire? Or just a little overkill to what I may be looking for.

I just want a decent quality built tire. Keep in mind my car will never see rain and let alone snow. It will only see nice Sunday morning drives and the the Strip from time to time and I will have dedicated tires for that.

I say that because your typical autocross/hill climb/extreme summer tire is sticky from the get-go. They don't need much heat in them to get their traction. These are what you want on the street and hold up well for lapping sessions. A real race tire needs a good bit of heat in them to stick well. They will be great when you're lapping, but they will be pretty bad on the street where you can't get any heat in them. They will also wear away very quickly on the street as you won't be heating them properly, you will likely scrub the tread off sliding around, and they won't be heat cycled which helps their life a good bit.

For the spirited Sunday drives and some track sessions mixed in, stick with the autox oriented tires. (Potenza, Star Spec, Azenis, Ventus, NT-05.)

Edit: Maybe I'm getting the Ecsta XS mixed up with the V700? Maybe they are an autox tire?

Yah, I had the Ecsta XS mixed up with a different tire. Sorry. Ignore what I said about it. I was thinking of the V700. I'm so used to a certain race crowd talking about the V700 and V710 Kumho tires (then running Ecsta XS on the street) that I just lumped them all into one category in my head. :o

LMAO!!

So I am good with being torn betwen the Ecsta XS and the Azenis

If that's what you've boiled it down to, I'd suggest avoiding the Azenis as they are a bit noisy.

Where are you planning on buying these? And can you fit a 225/45/15 tire instead of the 205/50/15? Because the Hankook Ventus R-S3 is a better tire in every way, and it is only $1 more (at 225/45/15) than the Kumho Ecsta XS (at 205/50/15) on TireRack.com