TheDingo

Has anyone tried these tires on a daily driver? I'm curious as to about how many miles I can expect to get out of them. Would be used for daily driving and weekend spirited driving. I need more grip than the Hankook V12 Evo tires that I have now can provide.

vill0169

iTrader: (4)

The Dunlop Star Spec's are much better. The Azenis is an "OK" street tire but when they come up to temp they tend to get really greasy/loose feeling when compared to other similar tires. I have personal experience with the Star Spec's and would recommend them to anyone. The forum fav around here seems to be the Nitto NT-05's which is another 200 or so treadwear tire.

Mileage would definitely depend on how much "spirited" driving you are doing with them but I'd say if you got 15-20k miles out of them you'd be about average.

That help?

jav540

iTrader: (2)

I second the Dunlop star spec great tire in wet and dry. I am piss,, they don't make them on 19 in. Still searching for a comparable tire include price...

TheDingo

We're getting there! Have you personally used the RT615K? I'm assuming you have since you say the Star Spec tires are much better.

All of the reviews I have read about the Falcons say that they're very sticky and a great track day/auto-x tire. Just didn't know how long they might last on a dd.

My spirited driving is limited to 2 times a month or once a week.

TheDingo

I noticed that the Azenis also have a 200 tread wear as well as the same traction and temp rating as the star spec dunlops.

I'm really hoping you've tried both. I'd like a comparison review.

vill0169

iTrader: (4)

Trust me the Dunlops are better, much more stable and predictable grip and I would be they're better in the wet too. I've had friends buy them in the past both for street/track use and have driven on both and yes, still would recommend the Dunlops. This doesn't hold a lot of weight but if you look at the pro drift scene - a bunch of teams use the Azenis' simply because they have that greasy feeling which makes that cars stupid easy to rotate.

It's your call but I would only ever buy the Dunlops. I've also tried the Kumho Ecsta XS's and still think the Stars are the better tire.

Show up to a NASA track day and 99% of people would agree that if you're not on slicks and are on a budget the Dunlops or the Hankook R-S3's are the only ways to go.

TheDingo

Thanks for the input. I reckon I will take your advice and give the Dunlop tires a shot. I have the Hankook V12 Evo tires on the car now and they just don't have the extra grip I would like. Although I found it strange that they have a AA traction rating (which beats the dunlop and falcon tires - on paper).

vill0169

iTrader: (4)

AA doesn't mean a thing really.

TheDingo

I realize that. However, it seems like the ratings should reflect the actual performance of the tire. Especially since they use those ratings as selling points over other tires.

vill0169

iTrader: (4)

I think that user reviews are the only way to judge/compare tires. Case in point, in the most recent Grassroots racing magazine, they did a tire test of all the types of tires you're looking at and they didn't even put the Azenis' in the test.

The treadwear, traction, temp, etc categories for tires is all subjective to the tire manufacturer itself so it's pointless to compare one company's tire to another solely on that information.

What size you looking for btw?

TheDingo

Good point. Do you happen to have a link to that review? I'd like to read the full article.

Stock wheels.. gonna go w/ 245-45-17

vill0169

iTrader: (4)

Why not 255/40? Couldn't find the latest test on their website but here's some comments I found somewhere else.

Falken-

As test day arrived and the Falkens took their turn, we were immediately comforted by an old familiar feeling. The same communicative turn-in response of the original RT-615 was still there, but with more grip—much more grip. It was like enjoying our favorite ice cream flavor, but now with chocolate syrup on top.

However, there was trouble lurking. The harder we pushed the tire, the greasier it got. The K-compound still had the Achilles heel found in the original tire: poor heat tolerance. Judicious use of the water sprayer brought back some of the performance, but not enough for an entire autocross run. Once the tire was overheated, it could not be revived entirely.

Things were less rosy out on the track, as each successive lap got slower and slower. That communicative feeling turned into mush in the face of multiple laps at 100 percent. In short, the Falken is fast and friendly, but it requires some extra effort in terms of heat management. The Azenis could thrive in colder climates, however.


And I think this sums up the Dunlops nicely-

The Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec has done very well in national-level autocross competition, especially on heavier vehicles. Priced at the lower end of the UHP tire segment, the Dunlop is also a great performance value. It has also earned a reputation as a great daily driver tire as well as a favorite for the track.

TheDingo

Haven't really considered the 255/40 because I didn't consider losing sidewall/height on the tire.

Thanks for the user reviews.

veggiemonster

iTrader: (1)

rule of thumb:never buy falkens

but that's my rule.