STS tire poll please vote...

[BodyRollin']

well its that time again...time to buy new rubber for nessie....and for the first time ever i find myself at a point of indecision, falkens or kumho ecsta MX's

mind you that everything stated about the kumho is stuff i heard from other TRUSTWORTHY autox people.


FALKENS (http://www.discounttiredirect.com/product/tires/falhv2.xl.jpg) :

Pros: i have driven my way throug 4 sets already, and i am experienced on this tire, and i KNOW they are grippy as hell, and dont mind their low tread wear, and they are great cold weather tires. excellent stiff sidewall

Cons: Falkens get "greasy" when they get hot. autox points season is mostly during summer months, and greasy = not good. everyone is on these tires, so you have no advantage in rubber.


KUHMO ECSTA MX'S (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/BigPic.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Ecsta+MX&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=05WR5EMX&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes) :

Pros: New tire, not everyone has it, IF it is stickier you have a rubber advantage. better water channeling than falkens, said to have an equally sticky compound in rubber. great when hot.

Cons: I have no experience on this tire. slightly softer sidewall. unproven tire...its kinda a ? if they are indeed as sticky. unknown tread duration. slightly worse in the cold


thanks in advance for voting/addiong to this post.

[PseudoRealityX]

For autocross...

Dry: toss-up between the two, but you better get shaved MXs if you need that last tenth.

Wet: Falkens are faster, it's proven.


The MX isn't untested. Last year at Nationals, there were cars running them...and going FAST on them. It comes down to driver.

Falkens get hot? cool them off. end of story.


Falkens are cheaper, and Id go that way if you're sticking with 15", which I would.

[mofugga]

falkens & buy a water sprayer for when they get hot!

[Chin]

Ive had expericane with both, let me tell you the azenis are better, the MX"s just chunk if they get excessivly hot. Plus they get really hard near the end of the tread.

[OversteerS2K]

Ask Muddy. He's running them on the Miata (post brown splash down).

[PseudoRealityX]

Originally posted by Chin180sx
Ive had expericane with both, let me tell you the azenis are better, the MX"s just chunk if they get excessivly hot. Plus they get really hard near the end of the tread.

you're just abusing the tires if you can get MX's to chunk. Azenis lose grip over 120 degrees.

MXs are still strong at over 150.

[Leonard]

Originally posted by PseudoRealityX
you're just abusing the tires if you can get MX's to chunk. Azenis lose grip over 120 degrees.

MXs are still strong at over 150.


Of course he abuses them... he's a driftor!!!! :-P


I didn't have any issues with them losing grip/getting hard on the mustang....

[BodyRollin']

just FYI in that size falkens are 4 dollars cheaper per tire....that makes 16 dollars difference which would even out if i had to buy a water sprayer to keep them cooled off.

[Muddy]

The falkens have more grip, however if you are lazy like me, you will want the kumhos. You don't need to spray the kumhos between runs to keep them from overheating. I have made 7 runs in less than 10 minutes in the kumhos with no loss in grip. You can't do that with the falkens. I will probably buy another set when these run out, but I have no intentions of seriously racing the miata.

[flmcoupe]

'Sup Jesse! Tell me about this...
Wet: Falkens are faster, it's proven

Looking to get the MXs as my next set of street/rain tires. Not a good idea?

[Leonard]

I had the MX's.

here's the deal.

For street purposes, they are wonderful. Great in the rain I went through some 2" deep water on I75 with them at 70mph and the car didn't even wiggle a bit). Great in the dry.

For autox... The water keeps them from getting warmed up, so the compound isn't as sticky as the azenis. If it's really light rain/damp, the azenis will beat them hands down. Once the amount of water reaches the limits of the azenis water channeling the MX starts to take the lead. (basicly because you can't use sticky compound if you're hydroplaning).

[PseudoRealityX]

in pouring/standing water, the Azenis beat the MXs by 2 seconds....tested back to back by last year's STS National Champion.

I NEVER had a problem with Falkens in the wet, and loved them every second I had them.

[flmcoupe]

So the Azenis do a beter job channeling water??? Looking at the tread design I would think the MXs would have an advantage, I guess not. Leonard seems to think so.

I've had 2 or 3 sets of Azenis and felt they don't do a good job (in my car) in the rain unless they're brand new, after 2k or 3k miles car starts hydroplaning.

Might need to look at other tires... trying to find a good street tire that I can also use as rain tire at autox, can't really afford to have an extra set of wheels with Hoosier Wets! I might actually end up doing that if I really want to win at Nationlas! :)

BTW, haven't been on the Yahoo list for a while... just read about the SM2 issue you had to deal with! :roll: Some people! Wish I was at the event, then he would've had to deal with my Z3 in SM2! :D I had surgery a couple of days before the event so I wasn't in good shape to autox!

So you doing DC Tour? I was thinking about it, but heard finding hotels is close to impossible right now! SM2 sure looks nice though! Would like to compete against the other Coupe guy (he just won the One Lap in his calss) with the Twin Screw SC!

[Muddy]

The only time I had a problem with Falkens in the wet was when they were almost completely bald. I do very little highway driving, so hydroplaning is not a big issue for me.

Alan Gross and I did made a trip to Tally for an autox a couple years ago at some insane speeds in the rain, I was on bald falkens then, too. I never hit any standing water on I-75 or I-10. I eventually ran out of courage and common sense prevailed.

I would like to try the falkens on a miata again, though. My only experience on the falkens are when they were on my cavalier. They really transformed that car.

[Loren]

No compromises "win STS" tire? Probably the Azenis. MX being a close second, maybe even a tie. (though I've never actually driven on the MX, just going on what I've heard)

But, if street and wear characteristics come into play... the Goodyear F1 (GS-D3) is the absolute best tire I ever had on my car. Outstanding dry grip, great steering response, comfortable rather than harsh like the Azenis... and unbelievable in the rain.

Dunno about the MX, but the Falken's lose their rain ability by the time they get to half-tread. I had the F1's down to below half-tread (several autocrosses and two drivers at the Primus track event put lots of wear on them quickly) and their wet performance and really every aspect of their performance was unchanged.

So, it comes down to whether you're running the same tires on the street and what your priorities are.

Something else to consider... Azenis are heavy. Something close to 21 pounds in the 205/50-15, I believe. My 195/50 F1's were 19 pounds... that makes a difference on a lightweight and underpowered car.

[neurovish]

Originally posted by Loren

But, if street and wear characteristics come into play... the Goodyear F1 (GS-D3) is the absolute best tire I ever had on my car. Outstanding dry grip, great steering response, comfortable rather than harsh like the Azenis... and unbelievable in the rain.

Do you know how they compare to the falken fk451? I picked up a pair of the goodyears and a pair of the falkens at AK to run temporarily on what will be my autox wheels when I can afford another set for the street.

[Loren]

Originally posted by neurovish
Do you know how they compare to the falken fk451? I picked up a pair of the goodyears and a pair of the falkens at AK to run temporarily on what will be my autox wheels when I can afford another set for the street.
As far as I know, not much compares to the F1. S-03's are close, but the F1's are MUCH better in the rain (and the S-03's weren't bad). I've heard that Toyo T1-S is close, but has mushy sidewalls and thus slow turn-in. Azenis outgrip them, but don't have the quiet and smooth road manners, nor do they have the consistent wet grip.

FK451? Haven't heard much about them... which means they probably aren't available in typical Miata sizes, or they simply don't compare. (I keep up with the Miata communitiy, and the Miata community keeps up with what's good in the world of tires!)

You should carefully consider which end of the car you put those F1's on. I expect they will grip WAY better than the 451's. I know you like to drift... so I won't tell you to put the F1's on the rear. ;)