auto-xr

Looks like the new RE01Rs are faster than the RT-615s per this article.

http://grmotorsports.com/news/index.php?s=re01r

Also, I read another article from the Grassroots (Aug. 2005) that I found on rennlist searches that puts the RT-615s ahead of the Neovas.

In another test artcicle (Dec. 2005) from Tirerack, the Neovas were faster than the PS2s.

Irksome

Well, I went with old reliable RT-615, which appear to be well respected and the cheapest of the respected tires. I'm not yet into this enough to go for max performance, I'm still looking at this from a bang-for-buck perspective.

The article was a good one, though, I'm glad you posted that!

Also, as auto-xr knows, I've bit the bullet and bought track wheels, so the mixing brands issue is gone. Now I just need to get the wheels and tires in my possession, introduce one to the other, and rock on!

=)

Wilder

Good for you. I just sold my set of CCW on 615s this afternoon to another RLer (parting out and selling my car). It was my first set of cheap tires and was very impressed with them compared to PS2s. Please post your impressions after you've got some miles on them.

Lerxst

I loved my RT615s on my 350Z. What sizes did you end up getting?

I ended up biting the bullet and buying the Yokohamas as the Azenis' closest size was 265/35/18, losing a good inch on the tread width.

Irksome

I went 225/40/18 and 265/35/18. I'll be running on 18x7.5 front and 18x10 rears, hollow spoke turbo twists. The other size options just didn't work, the wider tires also increased the overall size enough to start messing with my car's computer. I finally decided to try to hit the target rim size instead of trying to jam in more rubber. =)

Heck, I'm doing great in my class right now, running 235 and 265, so better rubber and lighter wheels should compensate for the 10 mm loss of width in front.

Tires arrived today, but wheels are still in transit. So, Saturday's a/x will be on Michelin PS2, though my fronts are beginning to make me nervous. I might end up being forced to replace them on Monday, they are chunking up pretty badly. =(

asoduk

do not run different compounds. the car will never handle consistently. different compounds heat at different rates and react differently to difference surfaces and temperatures. i'd put money on matching tires beating unmatched any day.
i run a VERY COMPETITIVE series here where we even care about having our tires made in the same batch.

Irksome

I have a full set of Azenis for autocrossing, and my first event on them is this coming Sunday. I can't wait!

Very good point on the different compounds heating up and changing the balance. While I am considering mixing compounds for my street tires, you've just for sure convinced me not to do so for my competitive tires.

My last a/x was run on my full set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s, and as expected, it was the end of the line for the fronts. I ripped them up pretty good, but they died happy (I did very well). I'm now breaking in my track tires, and will be putting my street tires back on in a week or so.

I'll post next week with my a/x impressions of the Falken Azenis RT-615.

Irksome

Well, I autocrossed yesterday and had a blast.

I had three new variables to consider: venue, wheels, tires.

The venue was El Toro, a decommissioned marine air station, which is absolutely flat and amazingly good asphault. Normally I run at Qualcomm Stadium's parking lot, which is 'ok' asphault with lots of bad patches. So I think the surface was better than I am used to by a good margin. Also, the track design was different than I am used to, but fundamentally the same. Being flat, we didn't have the off-camber sweepers, but otherwise it was very similar (tight sections, fast sections, sweepers, hairpins, slaloms, etc.).

I just put on my new wheels, which are hollow spoke turbo twists (I believe from 993 turbo). Only 7.5" front, 10" rear, and definitely lighter. My street wheels are Carrera IIIs, which are 8" and 10", and the weight difference is VERY obvious, the car is lighter, nimbler, and faster.

Tires of course are Falken Azenis RT-615 (ZR rated), 225 in front, 265 in rear. My comparison point is Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s, 235 front, 265 rear.

The weather was amazing, hitting 101 degrees at mid-day, with a light breeze turning to gusting winds by the afternoon. Hot, but not unbearably so. While the car sat parked, there was a 3 psi difference in tire pressure between sunny side and shade side. Obviously, the pavement was quite warm, so tire temps definitely got pretty high.

My run group was near the end, so I got to watch 3 run groups before me. On the first practice laps, the majority of times were around 90 seconds, with a few street stock cars getting down to 88 seconds. Full on track cars were down to 82 or so, and the fastest time (which held up) was put down by a guest Corvette driver, who is a SCCA national champion (multiple times), who hit 75 seconds.

My very first run was a 78. Then I spun, and my last lap that session was 82. I was plowing through the corners, clearly coming in too hot, and not able to sense what car was doing. No doubt the current setup did not communicate to me like the old setup.

My second practice session I pulled way back, to regain my 'slow in, fast out' approach. I also adjusted my tire pressures down a bit, but not too much. My times came back down, and I got 88, 87, 87. I also discovered that I could be much more aggressive than I was used to in the slalom, but my braking seemed to be less effective than the PS2s. I think this was due mostly to the 225 width instead of 235, and may have simply been subjective because I was able to carry more speed to the braking zones.

I put it all together in the timed laps, pulling mid-87, high-86, low-86. Woot! Won my class by over a second.

Overall, my impressions are:
- GREAT side-to-side grip for turn in and slalom
- Very forgiving, even when pushing (understeering) through turns, still gave me control and a chance to pull through (PS2s would really not respond until the speed came down, Azenis still responded to adjustments in steering).
- Different 'feel', but once I learned it I felt they communicated better than the PS2s

So far I'm very happy with them. =)

MechanicalEng

Did you do anything with the alingment? that will also improve your turn in. I AutoX also with my PCA region, have been doing it for a while now. I drive a 996 just like yours.. I just got a new alingment + better brakepads and the difference was amazing..

Irksome

I have tweaked the alignment 3 times now, and I think I've settled in on what works best for me. I've had the current alignment for two events, so it was not a variable in my evaluation of the tires.

Alignments I've had:
- totally out of spec from previous owner (I think he never aligned it in 4 years)
- Porsche spec from dealer who would not discuss options (will never see my $ again)
- Max tire wear (virtually no camber)
- Autocross/daily driver blend (high camber, some toe out)

I don't have the specs of the autocross/daily blend with me right now (traveling), but I worked with a good Porsche shop that does both street and track car work (whose shop foreman and son are consistently TTOD 1-2). I like this alignment a lot, I shaved almost a second off my times (as compared against some other drivers I benchmark against), and stopped chewing up the outer shoulders of my tires so badly.

Joe Weinstein

Hey Irksome, can you tell us the alignment you run for autocross, when you get back home?
thanks
Joe

MechanicalEng

I have maximum negative camber up front (-0.5 thats the strut all the way in), 0 toe up front. At the back I have -2 camber and the stock toe.. I use Porsche Performance brake pads all around..

Wilder

Irksome: How many miles did you log on the tires before the event? They'll be a little slippery for the first couple of hundred miles which may have made a difference at the begining. Also watch your tire pressure. These tires get hot very quickly which is good but you have to stay on top of tire pressures. I doubt I'll but PS2s again. I just bought an Audi A4 DD and I'm buying a set of 452s for street and 615s for AX/DE.

Irksome

I put 2,000 street miles on the tires before this event. I am certain that my first session challenges were all me, learning the course and the tires. I got it sorted out, though. The times were just posted, and I was able to see how I did against one of my benchmark drivers... Picked up over a second!!!

I was watching pressures closely, even in the first session. Even with the super hot conditions (I'm pretty sure it was 101 degrees out there!) I was able to keep my pressures where I wanted them.

I can't wait to get back to my home stomping grounds and see if I get comparable results on that surface. =)

Wilder

Cool...keep us posted. I'm curious if you think you'd ever go back to PS2s...