Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Autocross and Open Track Tire advice needed

Gonna buy some Azenis this week, and need opinions. Should I go with:

205/55-16 V rated or 215/45-16 Z rated?

Gator SVT,
From what I am hearing the Falken is a good choice for STS/STX. The 215/45-16 offers the best of both worlds, smaller diameter for better acceleration gearing and wider contact patch. The big question is what width wheels will these be on? I'm assuming stock width SVT wheels since it is the 16" diameter you are considering. The sidewalls of the 215's would like a wider rim for better support under cornering loads, but the stock wheels will work fine I think. I have also heard the Falken Azenis tend to run wide. You might want to find out the rim widths that Falken suggests for these sizes. When autocrossing the 45 series tires, in my experience, you won't have to go much over the max. pressure stamped on the tire to get good grip.
Respectfully,
Andy Hohl

More rubber on the road is good with a car as big as ours, so I'd say go w/the 215. The shorter sidewall will shorten your gearing a bit though. You may end up having to shift into 3rd more often on faster courses. Also a shorter sidewall will ride a bit tougher on the street and mess up your speedo, if that concerns you. The Azenis runs a bit wider than the listed size, so the 215's are closer to other brands 225's... I have not heard what difference the speed rating makes on the Azenis yet.

Azenis tires are AMAZING! I've got a set on the way for my way modded 84 Jetta GLi (195/60/14H). I hear they are very good in the wet too...

EDIT: Looks like SVTSTS responded about the same time I did... :p

Gator,
Were you considering the 215/45-16s for a CSVT? I found Falken's specs for the Azenis and saw that the approved rim width is 7-8 inches.

http://www.falkentire.com/html/products/azenis/tirespecs.htm

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with this size on the SVT's 6.5 inch rim? Any problems?

Also, does anyone know the weight of an SVT (E0 or E1) wheel? I know that light-weight wheels are supposed to be the way to go, but to stay G-stock means staying with 16x6.5. No?

Thanks,
--Neal

We will find out soon enough as I have 215/40-16 Kuhmo Ecsta 712 enroute that will be mounted on stock EO 6.5" rims. Stats recommend 7-8.5 but they will fit, if not optimally. I am willing to accept the odometer/speedo error in exchange for lowering the car an inch on stock springs and changing the gearing for faster acceleration.

The one thing I had not considered is the load rating on these tires (1,047lbs) which is much lower than the 205/55 (1,356 lbs) and 215/50 sizes. When you consider 60-what percent of our weight is upfront on a 3400 lb car (with driver) that means at least 2040 lbs is upfront BEFORE braking and cornering. I guess I will find out whether the tire is overengineered beyond specs. Luke said extra air won't help the load rating, but it will sure help prevent tire rollover!

SVTCole - good luck with the new Kuhmos. Will you be autocrossing with them?
I moved from stock 205/60-15s to 215/60-15s and finally to 215/50-15s on my '96 SE. Everything worked fine.

FYI, I did some more searching in the Wheels & Tires section and found a post with the weight of the E1 stock rims: 19-20 lbs.

E0 Wheel Weight?

Regards,
--Neal

the hottest new tire is the kumho victaracers they are the hot new tennis shoe everyone in the metro ny p.c.a. is running during their autox

SaVant, thanks for posting the website with Azenis stats. Here's a comparison between the 712 and Azenis:

Tire.....Size...Dia...RPM..Trd Dpth.SectWid.Load
Azenis 215/45-16.23.5"..883..8/32..8.5"..1168bs
Kuhmo..215/40-16.22.7"..888.10/32..8.6"..1047lbs
Kuhmo..205/55-16.24.9"..829.10/32........13--lbs

So the Azenis won't throw off the speedo/odometer as much as the 40 series Kuhmo, but they don't lower the car nearly as much either or change gearing. The load rating is about the same and still far lower than stock sizes. I won't be attempting any long trips with the car loaded, that's for sure.

The Azenis have a 200 wear rating vs. the Kuhmo 280 so the Azenis are probably stickier despite the A (not AA) traction rating. The Ecsta 712 Kuhmo are much cheaper at $79 each!!

I have only 3 autocrosses and 5,000 miles on my old 205/55-16 Kuhmos, but figured rather than pay to dismount them and swap sides remounted with the wear on the inside, (which I will do later) I would go ahead and get a larger size for Spring Zing which I will probably attend now that wife has conceded to work for me. I will depart early in dark AM Saturday morning and arrive in Kalamazoo late Saturday so no banquet for me.