Hey Whit,

I forgot that you had the RE-01s on your Z. I'm not so much concerned about "streetable" tires as they won't be my daily drivers. I do need something that I can drive to and from events.

I haven't heard anything about the Kumho XS and I have real reservations about the Toyos.

shinkuu,
Price is somewhat of a consideration but the difference would only be $100 on a set of four. If the RE-01s are a better tires, then it would be worth it. One thing I'm considering is the rotatability. I know I can rotate the Azenis but I can't flip them inside/outside. The RE-01s appear to be symmetric meaning that I could flip them but I suspect they are directional meaning I can rotate them fully.

 

I'd go with the RE-01s for sure. I never liked how our heavy cars did on the Azenis.

 

Go with the RE-01Rs or Advan Neova.

 

At least let me catch up to you first before you go swappin' tires on me Dave

 

i think the directions on the azenis are only for rain. my friend in his miata flipped his azenis and clocked some fast times with them.

Also look into the R1Rs. I get my azenis for a significant discount so the price of RE-01Rs for me is a lot more than 100 dollars difference.

 

Ughh ohh....

 

Looking at the thread pattern of the RE-01, it does look likes its directional.

Thats the problem with Z's due to the staggered set up, directional tires are needed, as assymetrical ones tend to wear out faster as you can't rotate left to right. I had yokohama avan sports before which were great tires but did not last too long and the insides wore with the outsides still looking good.

Am using toyo t1r's now and it is nothing like the yokos.

Have you considered using semi-slicks or R compound(I think thats what you guys call it over in the US) like toyo 888's?

I am going to track my car for the first time in a couple of weeks time and am considering changing to a spare set of R compounds vs going there with my street tires.

 

From what I've found out the RE-01 is directional so I would be able to flip the tires after a while to wear the other edge out. I don't use a staggered setup for AutoX so I can rotate them freely. As long as I'm not anticipating rain, I could rotate the RE-01s and have them turning the wrong direction.

I would love to go with R-comps but the need to be able to drive my car to and from events would prohibit that.

 

R-compund Tires like Toyo RA-1's, R888 . Nitto NT-01 or 555R2's can be easily driven to the track and back... They just need a bit of heat in them before they get really grippy..

 

I have been told the RE-01's are starting to take more market away from the Azenis.
Azenis has the price edge.

IMO, you will probably be happy with either.

I will say that a lot of the other guys in my region run the Azenis but they need to be cooled down on hot runs (80 degree days or warmer) with a water bottle.

 

I am looking at the dunlop direzza z1. I know its not one of your choice tires, but I just got done reading an article in grassroots about the tire being faster on an autox than the re01 and its priced between the two choices above. Its what I will be buying next after I wear through my azenis this season because the azenis and any kind of standing water makes you wish you were wearing a diaper. Also for autox its supposedly grippier cold. I just thought I would throw this information out there, it seems to be a good choice to add to your list. If you buy them please post a review I am curious if they work as advertised.

 

idk about running them in the wrong direction...i tried that on the street and my rear was sliding all over the place if i turned fast and hard enough (no rain)...i couldnt imagine how bad it would be on the track.

 

Actually, I talked to a buddy that owns a tire shop and he told me running them in reverse wouldn't be a problem except in the rain. The tread pattern is all about water evacuation and is tied to the direction of rotation.

 

If I could get the RE-01's in 275-17 40's, I would be running those for sure.

My brother switched from 245/45 17 615's to RE-01's (same size) and cut his times down a lot. (.3-.4 seconds on our 30-ish second test-and-tune course)

I'm in the same boat with my 615's all over the wear-bars. Many here will think I'm crazy, but I didn't want to run 615's again. With the MX's (in my sizes) gone, and the the replacement tire not available yet, I pulled the trigger on some old-school BFGoodrich g-Force K/D's (Not the KDW's)

They were on sale and had the sizes I wanted. (275/40 17 and 255/40 17)

 

At this point I'm pretty much sold on trying the RE-01s. I talked to a couple guys Sunday and I think it will be worth the extra $100-150 over the price of the Azenis. I'm not ready to make the jump to R-comps so I want to try and get the most out of a set of tires.

 

Will you run the 255 size on 17" wheels at all 4 corners in the RE-01s?

 

I believe Dave is going to be running these on 03-05 Track wheels. At least that's what he's running the Azenis on now.

 

+1 to whits post, or Neova AD07's if youve got the extra $$$

 

I've run both, peak grip feel's about the same. IMO the value in the RE-01R lies in better grip when outside temps fall below 70 degree's where the RT615 takes a noise dive. Wear is also better on the RE-01R. I just wish both tires were offered in a greater size range, I'm on RT615's again because of size issues.

 

I'll be running the 265/35/18 on the 18" track model wheels.