Released at SEMA... thought y'all might wanna see what they look like! Supposedly more street friendly than the RT-215 they will eventually replace (although Falken won't say when they are going to stop making the current RT-215's like I have on my track wheels...)

The new RT-615 looks quite a bit different than my RT-215's with more channeling for water... also the tread compound was changed to make them behave better and not get greasy... I wonder if they will be as good, though...



Q1 2005 (release date)

195/60/14

205/50/15
225/50/15

205/40/16

205/40/17
215/40/17
255/40/17
275/40/17
225/45/17
245/45/17

225/40/18
235/40/18
245/40/18
255/40/18
225/45/18
275/35/18

Q3 2005

185/60/14

195/50/15

235/40/17
215/45/17

255/35/18
265/35/18
315/30/18

 

Where's 215/45-16? Boo!

Looks like a nice tire, but the proof will be at the autox.

 

Yeah, all the Civic guys are complaining about the lack of good 16" sizes, too... Gotta wonder if Falken is holding back on saying this is the replacement for the tried-and-true RT-215 until they can at least make all the same sizes? Hopefully they'll continue making the RT-215 for the people running 215/45R16 until they make this tire in that size and it proves its worth...

My track wheels are 15's, so I'm all set with 205/50R15 (as long as they are just as sticky)!

 

Has anyone purchased these tires yet? If so how are they? Why do you think they are more $ than earlier Azenis rt-215 ?

I am going to purchase my first set of replacement tires for my 04 MCS ( stock suspension ) only 2k miles. I have stock 18" rims and plan on keeping them.

I don't drive in the rain. Fair weather/weekend car only. Only agressive street, and some drivers type schools and hope to do some track days this year.

Am I headed in the wright direction looking at this tire in 215/40 0r 215/45 ? I still don't really understand why the 40 series would be a advantage.

Eager to learn. Thanks

 

IMO, they're more expensive to pay for the tons of money Falken has dumped into marketing them. When did you ever see the first model advertised? I think they're also using the price to help legitimize the brand as a true performance tire - for the "higher end" people who think expensive is good. I suppose it makes sense for them to fall into the Kumho MX category, a pretty comparable tire.

I haven't driven the new model yet... but after driving both the old azenis and the MX, I'd say that the MX is a better weekend tire and the Azenis should be a better track tire. Hopefully the smaller tread blocks don't add more squirm to the tire - the main fault I have with the MX on track.

In some ways, I wish they'd left well enough alone... the Azenis only got greasy when they were overdriven, and faired fine in the rain for me.

 

Actually, I know of several people who have gotten emails back from Falken stating that they are, in fact, going to product that size. Here's a quote:

Apparently, enough people asked for them.

 

My RT-615's shipped... I should have them in hand on the 16th...

I forgot how much I loved my RT-215's until this weekend's autocross - I hope the RT-615's are at least as good, but hopefully even better.

Preliminary testing by some on the SCCA Forums has produced quicker times on the RT-615's than the RT-215's OR MX's - but it's still being debated. The times posted for the RT-615's were some 0.5 - 1 second faster! Let's hope that holds up, shall we?!?

 

Scobib, Where did you end up getting your tires and in what size?

Thanks

 

205/50R15's... got them from Vulcan. I pre-ordered in January...

 

Woohoo! Just got mine in 205/40-16 from tires.com I ordered on 3/8 and they arrived today (they called the day I placed the order to let me know it would be about 2 weeks due to low stock).

I am replacing my well-worn 215/45-16 Azenis 215's, which weighed 22.8 lb each. The new ones weigh 18 lb each according to my bathroom scale. :smile:

It's tough to judge the difference in width between the mounted old 215's and the unmounted new 205's, but looks like about 1/4" difference in tread width (between those little grooves that separate the tread from the sidewall). A nice plus is I paid $103 each for the old ones versus $84 each for the new ones.

 

I would like to see what they look like. . . got a pic?

 

HTH

 

http://www.vulcantire.com/falken.htm

 

Congratulations Andy that you received your 615s. Are your 215s so worn that you cannot wait for the 215/45-16 to come out in May? I really want the RT-615 but I need a set of track/autox tires now so I went with RT-215 in 215/45-16.

The 205/40-16 is a whopping 8.15% smaller than stock! You're going to get some serious torque gain with these tires. The 4.8lb unsprung weight saving is a huge bonus too.

 

Well, my 215's still have a bit of life left into them, but the cost, effective gearing, weight, and availability of the new ones got me to click on the [BUY] button.

 

Now that is one odd looking tread pattern (not that the Azenis I have now are not odd).

I will definitely pay attention to how people review these after some miles and months. Looks like my favorite size 215-45-17 will be available this fall around the time I will need my next set!

Thanks for the pics!

 

M3 owner's review here:

http://www.sccaforums.com/ubb/ultima.../topic/22/1097

 

Got my 215/40-17 last week and getting them mounted today. They shure look cool. Let see how they perform.

 

Those tires do look cool. Of course, how they look is only 90% of the equation, the other 10% is how they perform! I will be watching this thread, so PLEASE keep us informed of how they do.


Thanks!

 

I installed the RT-615 in 205/45-16 on 16x7.5" Kosei K1's (38 offset?). The combo showed 33.3 lb on my digitl bathroom scale (the tires weighed 18 lb). The tires look stretched but the rim protector barely sticks out past the rim. The local tire shop had a tough time getting them mounted due to the size as well as the stiff sidewall.

Anyway, I put all four to 35 psi to start with and gingerly took my '03 MCS out for a ride. I have a gravel driveway and could immediately hear the ping of tiny stones hitting my wheelwells. Summer tires rule!

Since the tires are still fresh with mold release compound, I was careful not to push too hard in corners, but I can already tell that steering feel and turn in is phenomenal. The short stiff sidewalls really impart movement from the road to the wheel and vice versa. Ride quality is about the same as the stock 17" S-Lites with Goodyear all-season runflats. The Azenises (Azeni?) ride quiet and don't seem to tramline along grooves in the road. I did a few roll-on burnouts from 4k in first gear (in the name of science of course!) and they spin smoothly and quietly.

The effective gearing of my MCS is now much closer to that of the '05 MCS, since the 205/40-16 are about 7% shorter than the 205/45-17's. It's pretty noticeable, especially in 2nd gear. I used the gps m/s readout in the nav system to find out how far off the speedo is now. Using an indicated 40, 50, and 60 mph, it seems to be a consistent 11% difference. This makes it easy for me to remember, so that if I want to go 70 mph, I'd need to show an indicated 77.7 mph.

I'll post more when I have some miles on them, and when I have a chance to give them some abuse on an autox and road course. For now, my preliminary findings are all positive.

 

Andy,

Thanks for the preliminary report. I was waiting your writeup since your last post almost a month ago when you received the shipment.

I am very interested in what you think comparing the 615 against the 215. I read the folks report on the SCCA forum and so far so good.

I am quite happy with the 215 and my eyes are on the 615 as follow on replacement when the 215/45-16 becomes available.

 

Hey Andy, thanks for the review...

How do these compare with the Kumho Escta MX as far as sidewall stiffness? I know the Kumho's have a reinforced sidewall, but I was wondering how they'd compare. Also, are they even in the same classification, or am I comparing apples to oranges here?

Thanks guys...

 

There is a write up about these tires in the new issue of Modified Mag.

 

Andy,


Can you give us an update on your opinions of the RT-615's. I'm thinking of getting a set and puting them on Roja LT-5 (14.5 lbs) for my track set up.

Thanks

 

I haven't had a chance to do any autox or track days on 'em, but put on several thousand miles of street driving. These tires are fantastic. Great grip, great turn in, decent wet traction. They are pretty loud while rolling, but I didn't buy them for their silence. :smile: In the corners, and during wheelspin, they are very quiet.