Im looking at putting some new tires on my 05 STI. Ive been looking at the Azenis, heard they are great from numerous people and friends. Im looking at getting 245-45-17 and getting a descent alignment to get even better handling out of the car as well. Ive got it dropped on a set Tein Flex coilovers, i have noticed as i go really hard around turns the rear sometimes scrubs the fender, i figured its all from sidewall stiffness as my Kumhos arent holding up for that haha. Anybody have any opinions? I found them for 120 bux a piece for that size and thats the best i can find. Any opinions would be great?
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Bridgestone&model=Potenza+RE-01R You can't really beat this deal with a stick!
I am running the NITTI INVO it has to the best tire I have put on my car... Call GT I am sure they can help you with what you are looking for.
I was under the impression that while good tires when new they don't last very long and once they start wearing are a bit scary in the rain. Personally I'd go for the Re-01rs listed above.
245-45-17 is a very large tire, so if you are lowered at all you might potentially rub in the rear fender area as for the RT615 themselves, they are a good performance tire in the dry. With less than full depth it could get scary due to their overly large contact patches and less than average grooves to fight off water.
eh, I run 255-40-17's on stock ride hide and don't have a problem scrubbing...and I'd go w/ the RE-01r's. I just picked up a set of those, as well
As said above, the Falkens are great on Dry pavement, and good on wet road, but awful with standing water. Even when brand new, I hydroplaned all the time when I hit puddles on the road. I would never use them again as a daily driver tire.
255/40/17 is OEM sized, 245/45/17 is .7inch taller, so take that and a bit of lowering and you are gonna rub
Well it looks like he bought some Re01rs so he made the right decision. I guess I'll tell you what I experienced since I was running 245/45/17 Azenis just prior to getting the Re01r's a couple weeks ago. The Azenis were great for dry driving and I really didn't have problems in the rain (but that was only highway and city driving, never any spirited driving in the rain). The Azenis are louder! Road noise is seriously amplified by these tires. The Re01r's are much quieter. The Azenis do wear out much faster, I think mine lasted about 13k miles, maybe less. The Re01r's are an upgrade from the Azenis in every way possible, including quieter cabin noise from the road. So you made the right choice.
tire width / aspect ratio / rim size 255*40%/25.4 = 4.02" for sidewall height 245*45%/25.4 = 4.34" for sidewall height so .3" taller, in theory (not all tire manufacturer's strictly adhere to this ratio). If you're worried about rubbing on a 1/4" you should probably be running 245/40's (3.85" sidewall height). Or you could always just roll your fenders...
I very much enjoyed my Azenis for all of the same reasons that have been listed...it is a great performance tire for the price. A few times at the limit I was a little nervous because I could feel the tires getting greasy, and loosing grip...but there was not much feedback, like squealing to let me know. Being a novice, that is important to me. I was running 225/40/18. They lasted me about 13k...and are completely finished. My next set is probably going to be something more highway and road friendly. Good choice on the Bridgestones...that was pretty much a no brainer.
I had these during the summer. There good tries for probably a track car, and or autox. But for a DD i wouldnt recommend them, there tread rating is 200, Thus the RT615 wear out quickly
Yea i went with the RE-01R's for my 05 STI. As for the scrubbing goes on the inside of the fender, im probably going to lift it up just a hair and im going to get a performance alignment with cam bolts in the rear. I know ive heard of people saying they will slip but i dont see how unless you just dont tighten them enough and possibly run thread lock on it so they wont back out.