falken azenis sport
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falken azenis sport
I'm looking at aftermarket rims, and the tires i'm considering are the falken azenis sport.
I've heard they are good, and very comparable to the stock S02's that come on my car, but I've heard they can get a little gooey under extreme heat.
Anyone have any experience with these tires?
I've heard they are good, and very comparable to the stock S02's that come on my car, but I've heard they can get a little gooey under extreme heat.
Anyone have any experience with these tires?
Autocross Junky
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Rep Power: 382 I run them exclusivly for autocross... easily one of the best tires for the class I run.
so heres a quick wrightup. For pure Dry traction the Azenis will out perform the S02. They have a Much stiffer side wall, and a better tread design for dry traction. (Think HUGE Tread blocks = very little tread squirm) Wet traction... Your better off with the S02, as the Azenis tend to not react well to puddles. Slick conditions they are fine.. puddles.... Hydroplane city. as for the overheating problem... thats some thing you'd only run in to on a road course. (Took me 20 min on track to get them greasy). and even when they do start getting greasy, its not like they just lose traction, but rather you'll find the car sliding a slight bit more. Note that the temp the Azenis starts getting greasy is around 150+ deg surface temp.
Another tire you may want to take a look at is the Kumho MX, excelent tire, with as much traction as the Azenis, but with out the Overheating issue.
so heres a quick wrightup. For pure Dry traction the Azenis will out perform the S02. They have a Much stiffer side wall, and a better tread design for dry traction. (Think HUGE Tread blocks = very little tread squirm) Wet traction... Your better off with the S02, as the Azenis tend to not react well to puddles. Slick conditions they are fine.. puddles.... Hydroplane city. as for the overheating problem... thats some thing you'd only run in to on a road course. (Took me 20 min on track to get them greasy). and even when they do start getting greasy, its not like they just lose traction, but rather you'll find the car sliding a slight bit more. Note that the temp the Azenis starts getting greasy is around 150+ deg surface temp.
Another tire you may want to take a look at is the Kumho MX, excelent tire, with as much traction as the Azenis, but with out the Overheating issue.
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Rep Power: 401 i have heard the kumho ecsta mx's are cheap and worthless. essentially shitty rubber. you get what you pay for type thing.
the wet traction on the azenis concerns me a bit, though the S02's were never too great in the rain either.
zz in your opinion, which would you use for every day street use and spirited driving. the falken azenis sport, or the kumho ecsta mx's? i value handling over anything else on the street. tire tread life comes 2nd. i could give a crap about ride comfort. i drive an S2000. it's a stiff ride as it is. lol
the wet traction on the azenis concerns me a bit, though the S02's were never too great in the rain either.
zz in your opinion, which would you use for every day street use and spirited driving. the falken azenis sport, or the kumho ecsta mx's? i value handling over anything else on the street. tire tread life comes 2nd. i could give a crap about ride comfort. i drive an S2000. it's a stiff ride as it is. lol
Last edited by S2000man01; Jan 19, 2005 at 01:22 AM.
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Rep Power: 0 If the main thing your looking for is handling I would personnaly go with the azenis. They grip like no other. I use it on my civic which is my daily driver and they wear out pretty fast but for the grip there worth it.
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Rep Power: 401 i can't imagine anything wearing out faster than the stock S02's. by 10,000 miles, the rear tires are already looking to be replaced....
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Rep Power: 0 ^if you get azenis its gonna be much worse. I can gaurantee that. But if you really want good handling tires you just have to sacrifice something and thats treadwear.
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Originally Posted by S2000man01
i have heard the kumho ecsta mx's are cheap and worthless. essentially shitty rubber. you get what you pay for type thing.
the wet traction on the azenis concerns me a bit, though the S02's were never too great in the rain either.
zz in your opinion, which would you use for every day street use and spirited driving. the falken azenis sport, or the kumho ecsta mx's? i value handling over anything else on the street. tire tread life comes 2nd. i could give a crap about ride comfort. i drive an S2000. it's a stiff ride as it is. lol
the wet traction on the azenis concerns me a bit, though the S02's were never too great in the rain either.
zz in your opinion, which would you use for every day street use and spirited driving. the falken azenis sport, or the kumho ecsta mx's? i value handling over anything else on the street. tire tread life comes 2nd. i could give a crap about ride comfort. i drive an S2000. it's a stiff ride as it is. lol
And if Kumhos are cheap and shitty, then falkens must be worse... because MXs cost more.
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Rep Power: 401 ok so obviously both tires are decent and comparable to the traction of the S02.
so which has better tread life? the azenis or the ecsta mx's?
so which has better tread life? the azenis or the ecsta mx's?
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From: so cal djmota=oscar
Rep Power: 324 the only thing I would worry about using the azenis full time is the hydroplane factor. If you get cought in a nice rain with some puddling on the road..forget about it, you will be going 45 mph tops and even then its scary.
I would not use these year round and I'm in california.
I would not use these year round and I'm in california.
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Originally Posted by djmota
the only thing I would worry about using the azenis full time is the hydroplane factor. If you get cought in a nice rain with some puddling on the road..forget about it, you will be going 45 mph tops and even then its scary.
I would not use these year round and I'm in california.
I would not use these year round and I'm in california.
Regardless, I bought the Azenis strictly for autocrossin. I have a set of 18s with Yokohama Paradas on them, which I use for daily driving.
Autocross Junky
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Rep Power: 382 THe MX has better tread for evacuating water... However, the MX isnt all that grippy when its cold. and this is speeking from an autocrossers stand point. THe MX will be able to deal with puddles better, but because the tire isnt near its optimum opperating temp, it will ultimatly have less grip in those situations. Where as the Falken, even with its Issue with Puddles and hydroplaining, will give you better cornering grip when its cold/wet out, because it still gets good grip in low temperatures.
Personally the only time I've had issues with the Falken and rain was when I was autocrossing in the rain... quite fun really, but you could feel each tire hydroplane as it hit puddles. On the street I've never had a problem with them, and have actually been quite supprised how well they griped in wet conditions (almost as well as they grip in the dry)
Personally the only time I've had issues with the Falken and rain was when I was autocrossing in the rain... quite fun really, but you could feel each tire hydroplane as it hit puddles. On the street I've never had a problem with them, and have actually been quite supprised how well they griped in wet conditions (almost as well as they grip in the dry)
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Rep Power: 0 i work for discount tire. the azenis sport is an awesome tire but treadwear on those will probably be worse than your so2's. the mx is also a great tire. but if you want good grip get the bfg g-force kd. they are a little pricey but well worth it once you drive on em hard youll understand.
I have went thru 3 sets of Falken Azenis and 3 sets of Kumho MX's. So I think i can get a honest opinion between the two.
Azenis:
Great for autoXing. Optimal stickyness is greater with the Azenis than Mx's. Already at opt. temp from the beginning pretty much. Doesn't wear much faster than MX's, but the sticky is gone before the tread is gone. Most of the stickiness is gone by the time 1/2 of the tear is gone. Stiff sidewalls. The car doesn't roll as much as the Mx's. No problems in moderate rain, even for road racing or canyon running. Just be smooth. When its heavy rain, its a different sorry. the tread design can't get rid of enough water in time. When I was driving up a highway, the tires would slip from the heavy rain when i was just going start.
Kumho Mx:
Great road race tires. After a 2-3 laps, the tires hook. You need the 2-3 laps to bring up the brakes and other components up to temp anyways. Not so great for autoXing compared to Azenis. While everyone else was cooling their Azenis by spraying water, I left my Mx's alone to try to keep the temp up. Much much better in the rain. The tread design lets out water much better. Softer sidewalls, more tire roll compared to Azenis. You can feel the flex of the tires at the limit. The stickyness pretty much last most of the tread life. Tread life is a bit longer by 15% or so.
I would go with MX for daily driving. I am.
Azenis:
Great for autoXing. Optimal stickyness is greater with the Azenis than Mx's. Already at opt. temp from the beginning pretty much. Doesn't wear much faster than MX's, but the sticky is gone before the tread is gone. Most of the stickiness is gone by the time 1/2 of the tear is gone. Stiff sidewalls. The car doesn't roll as much as the Mx's. No problems in moderate rain, even for road racing or canyon running. Just be smooth. When its heavy rain, its a different sorry. the tread design can't get rid of enough water in time. When I was driving up a highway, the tires would slip from the heavy rain when i was just going start.
Kumho Mx:
Great road race tires. After a 2-3 laps, the tires hook. You need the 2-3 laps to bring up the brakes and other components up to temp anyways. Not so great for autoXing compared to Azenis. While everyone else was cooling their Azenis by spraying water, I left my Mx's alone to try to keep the temp up. Much much better in the rain. The tread design lets out water much better. Softer sidewalls, more tire roll compared to Azenis. You can feel the flex of the tires at the limit. The stickyness pretty much last most of the tread life. Tread life is a bit longer by 15% or so.
I would go with MX for daily driving. I am.
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Rep Power: 401 thanks for such a comprehensive report! it's nice to hear from someone who has gone through 3 pairs of each. it's nice to hear your decision on the mx's as a daily driver. i think i will do the same. 
thanks to input from everyone!
thanks to input from everyone!
Originally Posted by S2000man01
thanks for such a comprehensive report! it's nice to hear from someone who has gone through 3 pairs of each. it's nice to hear your decision on the mx's as a daily driver. i think i will do the same.
thanks to input from everyone!
thanks to input from everyone!
daily driving
autoXing
road racing
canyon running
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Rep Power: 401 I have 17 x 7.5 rims, but i'm still going with a staggered setup to keep as close to stock as possible.
i'm looking at 225/45 in the front and 245/40 in the rear. but i'm wondering if my 17 x 7.5 rims will be able to take the 245/40 in the back. fwiw my rims do have a +40mm offset.... hmmm
i'm looking at 225/45 in the front and 245/40 in the rear. but i'm wondering if my 17 x 7.5 rims will be able to take the 245/40 in the back. fwiw my rims do have a +40mm offset.... hmmm
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