test drive - Falken Azenis vs. ES100 vs. G3-DS
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07-07-2003, 01:53 PM
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Back-to-back comparison on identical Audi S4's, virtually the same rims (all nearly the same weight), once dry, and once wet... Not sure how I got so lucky, but a buddy of mine drug me along to an Audi event and the attendees were willing to let me drive their cars.
Falken Azenis - All I can say is WOW do the Falkens stick like glue on the dry... I mean, nearly as good as any R-compound tire I have ever seen. They are quiet, and hardy, and can definitely take the abuse (this owner uses his S4 for track days and autocross). After it rained a bit though, whoa nelly does the character change! With as much hp/torque as the S4 puts out, the car was a handful even WITH the Quattro on a barely wet road. Not unmanageable, but you really can't push the car very hard on wet pavement. It might get a little better after the surface dirt/oils have been washed away, but as it begins to rain the Azenis were slick!
ES100's - Good stick on the dry pavement, but nowhere near the performance of the Azenis. Much lighter tire than the Azenis though, and the unsprung weight difference was noticeable during acceleration - however, everything being equal, I have no DOUBT that the Azenis would easily smoke the ES100's in a dry track or autocross situation. The owner of this S4 also reported mild chunking after high speed track days, but Discount Tire replaced two under road hazard (no, honestly, I wasn't driving on the track Mr. Manager). For autocrossing, he noted slight wheelspin even with the Quattro, but no chunking. Quiet as all heck. On the wet, they easily outperformed the Azenis, but then again, they are much more suited to the wet stuff. The car always felt controlled and stable, even when pushing it pretty good. The owner was also VERY pleased with the price...
Goodyear GS-D3's - I have to admit, I think this might have been my favorite for both dry and most definitely for wet. Very quiet, very predictable. Previous tires on this car were S-03 Pole Positions, and the owner was not pleased with their performance (wierd, but whatever, I've only heard good reports). The owner of the this car had NO experience with these tires on his car for track or autocross, so I have no feedback there - I would assume they would do great on dry or wet tracks/courses, but I am NOT sure about their ability to stand up to the abuse. They really did quite well on the dry (not quite as good as the Azenis), but they were just plain awesome in the wet.
I did note that several attendees said they were waiting patiently for BFGoodrich to release the KDW-2 (new tread pattern, not the traditional one) in the size they wanted for their S4's (215/45R17). Evidently it was supposed to be released in Q2 of this year, but nobody has them yet.
Anyway, just thought I would share my experience...
Falken Azenis - All I can say is WOW do the Falkens stick like glue on the dry... I mean, nearly as good as any R-compound tire I have ever seen. They are quiet, and hardy, and can definitely take the abuse (this owner uses his S4 for track days and autocross). After it rained a bit though, whoa nelly does the character change! With as much hp/torque as the S4 puts out, the car was a handful even WITH the Quattro on a barely wet road. Not unmanageable, but you really can't push the car very hard on wet pavement. It might get a little better after the surface dirt/oils have been washed away, but as it begins to rain the Azenis were slick!
ES100's - Good stick on the dry pavement, but nowhere near the performance of the Azenis. Much lighter tire than the Azenis though, and the unsprung weight difference was noticeable during acceleration - however, everything being equal, I have no DOUBT that the Azenis would easily smoke the ES100's in a dry track or autocross situation. The owner of this S4 also reported mild chunking after high speed track days, but Discount Tire replaced two under road hazard (no, honestly, I wasn't driving on the track Mr. Manager). For autocrossing, he noted slight wheelspin even with the Quattro, but no chunking. Quiet as all heck. On the wet, they easily outperformed the Azenis, but then again, they are much more suited to the wet stuff. The car always felt controlled and stable, even when pushing it pretty good. The owner was also VERY pleased with the price...
Goodyear GS-D3's - I have to admit, I think this might have been my favorite for both dry and most definitely for wet. Very quiet, very predictable. Previous tires on this car were S-03 Pole Positions, and the owner was not pleased with their performance (wierd, but whatever, I've only heard good reports). The owner of the this car had NO experience with these tires on his car for track or autocross, so I have no feedback there - I would assume they would do great on dry or wet tracks/courses, but I am NOT sure about their ability to stand up to the abuse. They really did quite well on the dry (not quite as good as the Azenis), but they were just plain awesome in the wet.
I did note that several attendees said they were waiting patiently for BFGoodrich to release the KDW-2 (new tread pattern, not the traditional one) in the size they wanted for their S4's (215/45R17). Evidently it was supposed to be released in Q2 of this year, but nobody has them yet.
Anyway, just thought I would share my experience...
#3
07-08-2003, 08:24 PM
ALOHA
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07-09-2003, 02:32 AM
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07-11-2003, 07:50 PM
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