nichigo

So i'm looking to get some new tires for track/street use. A big factor for me is tread wear (these are rated @ 360) cuz i'll be using the tires year round. Does anyone have experience with the Falken 912's? I was originally just going to get the 512's, but it looks like the sizes for the rears (255/40/17) have been discontinued in favor of the 912 replacement. I want to run the common setup:

225/45/17
255/40/17

So if anyone could give input on these tires, i'd really appreciate it

AP2

Hey Nick,

you are going to have to make a compromise when it comes to traction and tread-life. you cant have both. A nice sticky tire like the RT615, Advan Neova, S03's aren't going to last very long and on the other side tires that will last a while like Kumho 711s, Falken FK452s, Yokohame YK520, etc. wont have the grip that you want. I think your best bet would be the Falken RT615s or maybe even the Hankook RS2s.

CobraTi

The 912's just came out. I doubt anyone has enough miles on them to determine if they're good or not. If you're looking for tires for year round driving and some time on track/autocross, I wouldnt look at an all-season tire, especially in CA. If you want some really sticky in the dry, check out the Hankook RS2's or Falken Azenis (though they won't be as good in the wet as the Hankooks). If you want something with longer treadlife and should be better in the rain, I'd look at the Toyo T1R's or the Falken FK452 (I have the old 451's and they're great).

nichigo

aren't T1R's R-compounds tho? I'm not lookign for anything super-sticky...as i don't think my experience is high enough to use R-compound stuff...just need something that's balanced with good treadlife and grip. Only one set of tires so need something for street and track.

EriS2k

RT615's FTW!

CobraTi

T1R are street tires (I believe they have a 280 treadware). Toyo's track tires are the RA1's.

nichigo

cool i'll look into those. btw...how can u tell if a tire is an r-compound if the tire description doesn't specify it?

CobraTi

Normally race compound tires will have low treadware ratings. The Toyo RA1's are 100 treadware rated and are great for road course racing. Grippier tires, like Hoosier A6 or Kumho V710 popular for autocross have a treadware of 40.

I personally feel if you want a good street tire that grips decently well, look for things with a treadware between 200-300. A little buffer over/under is OK (most of the high performance Bridgestones are rated 140, though that doesnt mean the Falken Azenis RT615's will last longer just because they have a 200 treadware).

The two I suggested above, the Toyo T1R and Falken FK452 are both around the 300 treadware mark.

nichigo

thanks for the input man...big help

fastgsx

for RT-615's