Falken Azenis RT615K to Hoosier R6

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RallyKeith
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Falken Azenis RT615K to Hoosier R6

Post by RallyKeith »

How drastic or noticable of a difference is there in performance going from a Falken Azenis RT615K to a Hoosier R6 tire on the hills?

We have a set of the Falken Azenis RT615K that we bought to run Mount Washington, which is about 10% gravel, and they serve that purpose rather well. I've now come to realize that we can and are running the same size tire as Spec Miata, which means I can get a set of 50% tread or greater take-off Hoosier R6's for about $250. Seems to me like a cheap was to pick up a second or two considering the Azenis' 200 tread wear rating.

Thoughts?
Mark Aubele
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Re: Falken Azenis RT615K to Hoosier R6

Post by Mark Aubele »

On a hill like Duryea they could be worth 4+ seconds. It all depends on how hard the car is being driven. 10/10s to 10/10s all things being equal, at least 1 to 2 seconds per minute on course. I prefer the A6 to R6, but they are nowhere near as bad as some say they are (R6) on hills. I have run many events on them, take a corner or two to get some temp in them unlike the ready from the start A6, but way better than the RT615.
'97 BMW M3 #53 SMX
RallyKeith
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Re: Falken Azenis RT615K to Hoosier R6

Post by RallyKeith »

So there are two reasons I'm looking at the R6 and not the A6.

1. Jefferson Circuit. Running about 1 minute laps with 4 laps including the in and out half laps, that's about twice as long as the longest autocross I've ever been to. I figured that might be too much for them and they might over heat and wear heavily from it. Am I wrong on that assumption?

2. The over abundance of used Spec Miata Tires that are out there all seem to be R6s, and that's why they are so cheap. I'm going to see if I can find a set of used A6s to see what the cost difference is.

Either way, I think the R6 would be a big improvement.

Thanks,
Keith
RallyKeith
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Re: Falken Azenis RT615K to Hoosier R6

Post by RallyKeith »

Well, it looks like I just bought a set of R6s. I saw the "make an offer" button on ebay and now I have a set of 60-50% tread tires headed my way... For $200 how can I complain! Jefferson should be interesting. Maybe we'll run saturday on the Falkens and then sunday on the Hoosiers to compare.

Keith
Mark Aubele
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Re: Falken Azenis RT615K to Hoosier R6

Post by Mark Aubele »

Jefferson is hard on everything. The R6 is fine, even for hillclimbs, IMO. I have run them on 3 or 4 different cars (including autocross) and while not quite as fast as an A6, leaps and bounds better than the Falkens.
'97 BMW M3 #53 SMX
RallyKeith
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Re: Falken Azenis RT615K to Hoosier R6

Post by RallyKeith »

Ran the Falkens on saturday and then the Hoosiers on Sunday. Hoosiers were good for 2.1 second before the car broke. (See my post in photos and videos for that story) Seemed to be up to temp after one lap, but even right off the line they were better than the Falkens. I was never lower than 3rd gear with the Hoosiers where as I was down into second for a few corners on the Falkens. All said, a very good investment.
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