Falken Tire
Azenis Sport RT-215
The Falken Azenis Sport RT-215 is, without a doubt, a high-performance, dry-weather tire. In fact, Falken only promotes it as such, and it comes with a shallow tread depth to prove the point. It was no surprise when Falken finished an impressive fourth in our dry testing. More surprising was the tire's fourth place performance in the wet and second place overall. Since our wet tests didn't involve much standing water, we felt this helped elevate the tire's standing. A good performance nonetheless.
Tread Depth: 8/32 inch
Tread Design: Asymmetric
Tread Wear: 200
Traction: A
Temperature:A
Load Index/Speed Rating: 90Z
Contact Info: www.falkentire.com
WET
Slalom:4.526 sec
Skidpan:0.865 g
Lap Time:32.267 sec
Braking from 50 mph:97.5 ft
DRY
Slalom: 4.176 sec
Skidpan: 0.932 g
Lap Time: 29.448 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 79.5 ft
DRY
Don: The eleventh tire driven in the dry, these were the closest to an R-compound that we've driven on. There was very little squeal from them, and they probably had the highest lateral grip of any so far, although they weren't as precise as the BFGoodrich.
Will: These were up at the top for ultimate grip -- not as precise as the BFGoodrich, although there was a similar level of grip. They were predict-able, well balanced, and excellent all round the skidpan where many tires push but these didn't.
WET
Don: As the sixth tire tested in the WET, the Falken were the second best so far. The time is probably closest to the Dunlop, but they felt more consistent for throttle response and had great braking and good grip on the limit -- higher than anything except maybe the Goodyear.
Will: After looking at the tread pattern, I am amazed by the grip they had. They probably offered the highest speed through the skidpan -- you can keep control of the front end and get on the power sooner than anything. They were excellent in the high speed sections and felt almost as good as the Goodyear, while being more consistent in the corners than the Dunlop. These gripped all the way through while the Dunlop didn't hold on so well.
Goodyear used to be the performance tire, but somehow it got left behind. However, the Eagle F1 GS-D3 is a very good tire; it achieved second in the WET thanks to its triple tread design -- which was less impressive in the dry. When all the points were added up, the F1 came in third overall, proving it should not be overlooked.
Tread Depth: 11/32 inch
Tread Design: Directional
Tread Wear: 280
Traction:AA
Temperature:A
Load Index/Speed Rating: 91Y
Contact Info: www.goodyear.com
WETSlalom: 4.416 sec
Skidpan: 0.861 g
Lap Time: 31.410 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 94.1 ft
DRY
Slalom: 4.167 sec
Skidpan: 0.929 g
Lap Time: 29.754 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 84.3 ft
DRY
Don: As the first tire run in the dry, these were a baseline tire that offered more grip than the control but pushed more than I expected. In the rain they felt like an R-compound but not in the dry, although we have nothing to compare them with yet.
Will: As the benchmark, there's lots of grip in the slalom, but they weren't as impressive as they had been in the WET. They are obviously better than the OE, but the turn-in wasn't as sharp as I'd hoped.
WETDon: As the second tire driven in the WET, lateral grip was amazing compared to the Toyo. I discovered more grip on each lap and could keep pushing harder. Braking is about the same as the Toyo but they are much better on acceleration.
Will: Wow, these are so impressive. There's so much more grip everywhere -- braking, the skidpan, and under power. I liked these a lot (Will then walked around the car staring dumfound-ed at the tires).
Hankook Tire
Ventus Sport K104
When you look at the numbers, the Ventus Sport K104 didn't seem to do so well, but with the exception of the WET slalom, it finished solidly in the middle of the pack in every test. For a tire company just beginning to make a splash on the performance scene, it's a solid performer that's worth considering.
Tread Depth: 10.5/32 inch
Tread Design: Directional
Tread Wear: 280
Traction: AA
Temperature: AA
Load Index/Speed Rating: 94Y
Contact Info: www.hankooktire.com
WET
Slalom: 4.866 sec
Skidpan: 0.844 g
Lap Time: 33.594 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 100.7 ft
DRY
Slalom: 4.186 sec
Skidpan: 0.932 g
Lap Time: 29.695 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 83.4 ft
Driver's Comments
DRY
Don: As the seventh tire tested in the dry they were good but not great. You could drive hard on them, but they didn't grip like the best. You could slide them nicely through the slalom, but there was less lateral grip.
Will: These were only average for grip and felt poor under braking, triggering the ABS easily.
WET
Don: As the eleventh tire tested in the wet, this is in the top five. It doesnt have spectacular grip but gives plenty of control. Theres also good braking and they dont feel much different from the Pirelli.
Will: When did the track freeze? These were the hardest to drive on and I wouldn't feel confident in the rain. There's a lack of grip and they break away immediately, without any progression.(This was only the second time our drivers disagreed about a tire in the wet.)
Kumho is the little Korean company that could. Evolving from motorsport, it didn't have a high performance tire until the late '90s, when the Ecsta 712 was released. Since then, the Ecsta MX has developed to compete with the big boys. Our tests showed it to be an excellent dry weather tire at a fraction of the cost of comparable tires. It did rather poorly on the WETcourse, and we're left wondering how much better this tire would be received if Kumho made it a dry-only tire.
Tread Depth: 9/32 inch
Tread Design: Directional
Tread Wear: 220
Traction: AA
Temperature: A
Load Index/Speed Rating: 91Y
Contact Info: www.kumhotires.com
WET
Slalom: 4.746 sec
Skidpan: 0.782 g
Lap Time: 33.789 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 104.2 ft
DRY
Slalom: 4.147 sec
Skidpan: 0.959 g
Lap Time: 29.761 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 82.3 ft
DRY
Don: As the fourth tire tested in the dry, I didn't like these. I had less confidence in them because they had poor lateral grip and were not great under braking. These were the easiest to get loose and I was hitting a lot of cones with them. The car felt sloppy on them but gave a good time. I expected them to be the slowest so far, but they weren't. It's possible I was compensating for the lack of grip by pushing harder, and it seemed to work.
Will: This is the hardest tire to comment on. They seemed to have grip on the initial turn-in, so you could get into a corner fast and they didn't give up on the skidpan. They were good in transition and under braking as well. I felt this was probably the fastest tire so far and close to the Goodyear.
WET
Don: As the ninth tire tested in the WET these were average tires, better than Toyo but little else. They had poor lateral grip and were probably the worst so far on the skidpan for grip. Braking and acceleration were decent but average.
Will: There was no grip for braking, and they were a little better than the Yokohama. I'd put them down at the bottom of the ranking because they lost grip on the skidpan like the Toyo and Yokohama, while the ABS would trigger as soon as you hit the brakes.