mx5cartalk.com

Anyone that was following my questions about Federal RS-RR, this is the outcome.

I decided to avoid the 215/40 and especially 215/45 sizes that a majority of "almost semi-slick" tyres seem to come in and I was adamant about staying with a 17" wheel (still looking for new wheels). One of the local tyre guys floated the RT615K's as an option.

First up, the reviews on these tyres are pretty bad, mixed at best and I wasn't super keen. However given I wanted the 205 size and something that doesn't compromise on dry grip, there really wasn't a lot of options. A lot of the reviews are bad because they melt on the track, I can imagine thats true because they don't need any heat to work, come right out of the garage ready. For a road tyre though, this is what you want and I am impressed. Just back from my first trip up the old pacific hwy and they are pretty decent tyres.

At $140 a corner I am happy, they are reasonably quiet and have a lot of grip. They are probably bad in the wet, they do dart around on crap roads a bit and the stiff sidewalls compromise the ride, but for a toy car that only sees sunny days and mostly winding roads, they are a good thing.

Only danger now is that they will heat cycle out quickly and become terrible over a short period of time. I will update the thread if it turns out that way !

I would not worry about heat cycles as they have a UTQG rating of 200...

The issue could be that they could NOT handle the track induced heat hence why they 'failed'. Darting around on rough roads could be your alignment on the tyre pressure. What pressures are you running cold/hot and when was the last alignment?

Notwithstanding let the forum know how they go.

Falken Azenis RT series used to be the bees' knees ages ago simply because they were almost literally the only "semi slick" tyre available, and so introduced to most of us how good tyres can grip on the road, but they lost the plot many years ago and don't even bother competing with any manufacturer and just pump out the same tyres year in, year out. I don't think their tyre lineup have changed for about 4 years and the RT615 have been around for more than 6 years.

You seem like you're sitting on the fence regarding how good they are simply because of the reviews out there, but IMO they are an excellent UHP road tyre, but are simply incomparable to modern UHP tyres. I've had/dríven them on MX-5s and my Pulsar GTi-R, but not on the track. Wet weather grip is not compromised;this is always a stupid misconception people place thinking "oh, they are awesome in the dry therefore they MUST be crap in the wet".

Over a decade, I've had at least 3 different Falken models and I've liked all them, and the only reason they never come up in my shopping list whenever I need new rubber these days is because their technology, prices, and performance are now below par.

[why is this thread not in the correct section....]

I totally agree with steampunk. I had both the RT 215 & 615. 615 was a bit more refined than the former. 215 you had to actually warm up the tyre 2or 3 corners before you could really give them everything.

Although the 215 was a more exciting tyre the 615 was a fraction quicker around the racetrack. Although it didn't feel it the testing by the pros got the numbers.

I spent countless hrs up the old pack in the rain. But grip was beyond comprehension. Although I always avoided big puddles at speed.
Yes they were noisy. Only lasted about 12k km but that all depends on a lot of things. I had a few track days on both tyres.

As far as the wet goes don't take our word for it. Just don't be taken back when you're pleasantly surprised though. I was.
I know they would be all over my current tyres which are just tyres. Legal to make it through rego. But at 140 a corner. They are a fantastic buy for what you want them for.

They are not everyone's cup of tea. But for outright grip, stopping& so forth. I might re-consider when my current tyres wear out. Prolly another 50k km. Which by current rate of driving.....will be in about 10 years. LMAO