PETEW Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Hey guys, I am looking to buy some new tires for the 240Z. It has some Falken Azenis tires on it right now and they are a nice sticky tire. I like them because you can use them on the street, or autocross, or use for a track day. The only problem is they melt away like a race tire. I was wondering if the new model Rt615 has better wear characteristics? I also was wondering if they are better in the rain? My set is horrible. I am also looking at the Kuhmo Ecsta XS. I have heard they are lighter, wear better, and stick more than the Azenis, but you can't believe everything you read online. Does any one here have any personal experience with these tires? I haven't gotten to talk to anyone about the Kuhmos. The price of the Falken are very attractive at $80 a tire while the the Kuhmo is $96 a tire, so not bad either (tire size is a 205 50 15 right now). I am trying to do this before Z days, where I will have to commute over 1200 miles (total) there and back. I would like a tire that would last more than this one trip. If you have a recommendation for a tire other than the two I listed I am open to suggestions. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hankook Ventus RS2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETEW Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hey John, Thanks for the reply. I forgot about the Hankook. I heard they wear like iron. I will have to see what my local guy would put them on for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I ran DOT legal race rubber on the street for quite a long time with no problems. I was running the Yokohama A032's. Surprisingly good wear on the street, wet weather traction was good, and I didn't have to load up the rear of the car with an extra set of wheels every time I went to the track. I was probably doing about 10,000km a year or so plus 15-20 autocrosses on a set. I would look for something along those lines if I was in a similar circumstance again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sickboy Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Nitto NT01, treadwear 100, not too pricey. I've met a couple of people who run this tire for street/autox/track days, they love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Hankook Ventus RS2 John - I was doing some research and came across this from Tirerack http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/TireTestServlet?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Direzza+Sport+Z1+Star+Spec&tirePageLocQty= Seems the Hankook was way down the list. What behind your recommendation as I'm in the same boat looking for street tires to use on the colder track days / autox when the slicks suck and I can still drive to and from the track on them. Thanks Cameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaNoZeta Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 I have Sumitomo HTRZIIs on my Mustang and they're the stickest tires I've personally dealt with, the only previous tire experiences I had were the $60 Cooper Cobras. The grip from the Sumitomos is what finally made my rear sub-frame fracture open, the car is a rust bucket afterall. I was surprised how good they are on the wet roads, dont even try ice. I learned that the hard way, lol. Good treadwear considering I'm gone between Pennsylvania and Arkansas with them 3 times now with plenty of abuse. I still have tons of tread left, but to be honest the tread on the rear is half as high as the front because of how the car is driven. Also I haven't rotated the tires yet either, I should though. I like them but next time I buy tires I'm gonna try something else because I want to have a good taste of different things that are out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Z Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Hankook Ventus RS2 +1. Very good quality for the price. Had them on my car for a couple months before selling the wheels that they were mounted on. The most impressive thing for me was the amount of grip in the rain. Never feared hydroplaning on the freeway with 'em, and that was pretty often due to the climate of the NW. I cannot however comment on how well they perform on the track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaze73 Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 I've heard good things about the dunlop direzza http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Direzza+Sport+Z1+Star+Spec And there's always the cheap and very popular Falken Azenis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
310z Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Yokohama has a new tire comming out called the AD08. It's charistics are unknown at this time. But it is going to come in 32 different sizes and the best part is the AD08 is going to run Yokohama's 180 tred ware compound. I ran Yokohama A-008, Y323, both of which used their 180 tred ware compound years ago and I dont think there is a better multi-use/forgiving high preformance compound available. They stuck like nothing I have ever seen on the road at the time and did not have an abrupt breaking point. I would get 10000 to 12000 miles of very hard mountain driving out of them. I am sure the AD08 will be better than the old tires with the new advanced compounds and tred designs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannyvig Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 I've heard good things about the dunlop direzza We had Direzzas on the RB powered car and they would not hook up very well and would even let let the ass end get loose at around 45-50. I recommend Nitto NT-01s, they perform super well on the track and dont take long to warm up. They wont last to long on the street, but the trade off for performance is worth it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Mannyvig, Did you have the direzza z1 star spec or the direzza dz101? The former performed much better than the latter in tirerack's test (and is in the Extreme Performance category versus the Ultra-High Performance category). Just clarifying. The NT01 sounds good, but treadwear of 100.. it doesn't sound like its likely to fulfil the OP's request of 1200mi round-trip. I'm currently debating between the direzza z1 star spec and the kumho xs. Tirerack hasn't reviewed the kumho XS yet, but hopefully they will soon which should give a little more info upon which to make the decision. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 So just did some more research, the NT-01 comes out to be the cheapest comp tyre for me. Pretty cool. Thanks for the heads up. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 The only problem is they melt away like a race tire. I recommended the Hankooks based on the original question and specifically because of the above sentence. The Dunlops and Bridgestones wear quickly. Two customers I have (one running a WRX and another a M3 in STX/STU) report about 6,000 miles of use before they were down to the wear bars. BTW... Over the years I've learned to take magazine tire tests with a grain of salt and just go to events and look at what people who win have on their cars. One result from one test is just one data point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Two customers I have (one running a WRX and another a M3 in STX/STU) report about 6,000 miles of use before they were down to the wear bars. If I get 10K on the rears of my Dunlops, I'm perfectly happy. Then again, I don't look to get any more out of them... Looks like I will have to check out Hankook for more grip and more life. That would make the wife happy on at least one point of owning a Z-Car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Just a little more feedback on the direzza z1 star spec, for a street tire they maintain grip when hot on the track better than most, but the tradeoff is they are slippery any time it's cool, even on 50 degree days. I would not recommend them for a daily driver except in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowlerMonkey Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 I third the hankooks. They used to be my secret tire but now everybody wants them once a class ran them as spec tires. You really can't have the cake and eat it too concerning wear vs performance. Most performance tires that last are usually just below the performance level a person wants but, if you are willing to accept a little less performance, it seems michelin tires beat the rest by a large margin concerning wear. Not sure why but it's always seemed that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff G 78 Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 +4 on the Hankook RS-2. They have lots of grip and are wearing great. The best part is that they are very true and quiet. Can't beat the price either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.