Originally posted by gotapex:
Originally posted by RogerB:
Originally posted by gotapex:
Originally posted by RogerB:
Originally posted by gotapex:
Honestly, the Azenis are not really street tires. They simply have the treadwear rating inflated (so that they're allowed in SCCA street tire class). They grip right about the same level as the Yok A048R's and Toyo RA1's, though heat management doesn't seem quite as good (that may not matter to you, depending on the speeds of your auto-x course).



This is pretty much BS when you look at how long they last. "True" DOT R's grip better, too.





You've found them to last longer than what other DOT R?



What do I know? I know people who've put 2 seasons on them and 10,000 road miles or more, to boot. There was an urban legend about them "really" being label-engineered R-DOTs when they first came out, and people were saying you'd have to be crazy to drive them on the street, etc. etc. It all turned out to be bull.

I know the UTQC ratings are subject to a bit of fudging, and not regulated by any central agency. Yeah, there's opportunity for abuse, there, but I thought this story died 2 years ago. Apparently your personal experience has been different.



Wow, that's excellent life! That's far longer than I get on my all season road tires.

I'm not doubting your experience. I'm just wondering which R tires you've found to be noticably shorter lifed than the Azenis.

I've found them to be very short lived on the track, matching the experience of some of the Lotus Elise and MR2 owners (some of them nationally ranked). I personally like roadracing more than auto-x, so I'm probably a bit harder on tires that have problem with heat. This being said, there shouldn't be that big of a difference though, I think.

I'm trying Pirelli Corsa's next:





Well, my own experience is limited. Allow me to pull my foot out of my mouth. I think experiences vary, and most people get a lot of life out of these tires, and many run them on the street. I've heard of people driving A032's to an event, too, because they are not as soft as Hoosiers. Not all R's are the same.

Track use is a lot tougher on tires than autocross. You wouldn't want to use Hoosier "A's" on a road course, either. The Azenis are optimized for autocross, and even then they tend to get "greasy" after a few runs in deep summer. That would explain your "short life" experience with the Azenis on track, but it doesn't bode well for my argument, either.

Oh well. I don't know enough to argue the point, but if you haven't been to SCCAforums.com, I'm sure there's plenty of discussion in the archives, from smarter people than me.




Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998