Reply With QuoteHmmm... I think TC has the Hankooks and he is driven on my 615s... perhaps he will chime in.Originally Posted by scmx5driver
I know everyone hates tire questions...But Hankook vs. Azenis
OK I'm ordering tires for Hallett today.
I'm planning on getting the Hankook Ventus RS-2 Z212
Does anyone have any experience with these and the Azenis RT-615?
How do they compare?
Anyway, Thanks for the help!
Skirt
Silver '99, MP62, TDR Intercooler, Tein Flex, Borla Duals, HDHCDD, Oh and chicks dig the kilt!
Hmmm... I think TC has the Hankooks and he is driven on my 615s... perhaps he will chime in.
For autocross, I'd lean toward the Azenis.
For track/street/maybe an autocross, the Hankook is extremely quiet, provides exceptional feedback under braking, and is consistent across a broad temperature range. It should be a lot of fun at Hallet.
Maybe 4 wheels aren't so bad after all... wickett.org
It only goes to show when people can no longer discriminate on the grounds of race, religion, or sexual orientation, they can improvise and still find someone to hate. - Dave Moulton
I've run both (Azeni 215's only though). The Azenis do get greasy when they get hot. I don't think the Kook's are as stiff and ride nicer.
For spirited daily driving - Kook's
For AX - Azeni's
Both of the tires you are considering are direct competitors. You won't be disappointed with either. I just got my rt615's in today.
I've raced on the Kooks for a good number of events and they've been great. I do miss my RT215 though. Sorry, I don't have much experience on the RT615, but have driven a few cars with them and they were very good.
They are both great tires but I think the Kooks would make a better street tire.
Thomas
V-to-the-Dub
Well, Last night I pulled off my Stock '99 15" wheels with 205/50/15 RT615s and put on the Volks with 225/45/16 R212s. The Volk/Hankook combo was only a half pound heavier then the Stock/RT615 combo.
This morning I hit the roundabouts in Flower Mound to get a feel for the kooks.
And I'm very impressed with the grip. Of course the 225/45 kooks have much more rubber on the ground than the 205/50 Azenis So that might affect the results somewhat. I think I'm going to like the R-212s but I guess Hallett will be the real test.
Skirt
Silver '99, MP62, TDR Intercooler, Tein Flex, Borla Duals, HDHCDD, Oh and chicks dig the kilt!
Where and for how much did you get the 225 kooks? Edge has them for $91/each but I was wondering if you found them cheaper.
Thomas
V-to-the-Dub
No, Discount Tire in Flower Mound will match online tires price of $95 IIRC. But after mounting, balancing, and so on it comes to the same price as if you just walked in and ordered them from D.T. $114 per tire.
Skirt
Silver '99, MP62, TDR Intercooler, Tein Flex, Borla Duals, HDHCDD, Oh and chicks dig the kilt!
Sooo...now that you ran them ragged at Hallett, how did you like them? Better/worse than the Azenis 215s?
I really liked the kooks a lot! It's hard to tell how much grip compared to the old or new Azenis if only because it was 45 degrees at Hallett. Plus my memory isn't that good. But if I had to guess I'd say it's about the same maybe a little less grip, but also less snap. I could always feel the kooks as they started to let go so it was easy to catch before I got too far out of line. With the Azenis, I had the occasional understeer to snap oversteer ending with me facing the wrong direction. Also once the Hankooks warmed up, they never started to fade. (could be attributed to the colder track conditions)
All in all, I'd buy them again. But I might go with the 215 size over the 225.
If Gary ever gets his wheels I'd like to see how wide his 215s are when they are mounted.
Skirt
Silver '99, MP62, TDR Intercooler, Tein Flex, Borla Duals, HDHCDD, Oh and chicks dig the kilt!
I've got 215s on stock 16xwhatever 2002 rims if you'd like to compare... I never got my 'kooks hot enough to fade at MSR, and I've frequently had my fastest autocross run on HOT tires.
Maybe 4 wheels aren't so bad after all... wickett.org
It only goes to show when people can no longer discriminate on the grounds of race, religion, or sexual orientation, they can improvise and still find someone to hate. - Dave Moulton
I've run my 615's to dead in about 10-12k miles...so They are not too great now. Been considering the kooks, Glad to see someone is running them and liking them...since We no longer have autox's in Lubbock, I guess that will be my gift to me for xmas or maybe my bday.
Awww
"Racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague longing for something salty" - Peter Egan
Hankook update
I still like the Hankook RS-2 tires on the street, although I'd probably go with the 215x45x16 next time instead of 225x45x16.
But I'm not so sure about them on the track anymore. There are three problems I've run into on the track.
No.1 Sidewall flex. I've now done Hallett, MSR 1.7, MSR 1.3, and MSR 3.1 on them. It's been cold or cool for all of them but if you lower your air pressure to heat them up faster and get more grip you start to get very noticeable flex in the tires. This might be less of a problem with 215x45x16's.
No.2 No or very little audible feedback. At least in cool weather you can lock-up one tire and have no idea it's locked until you see the smoke.
No.3 Very soft rubber. After 4 laps around the 1.7 I still couldn't get any heat into my tires and slid side-ways off the track going into rattlesnake. No big deal, so I thought, but the Hankooks flat-spotted like race tires. One tire lost about 3/16 of an inch, right down to the ware bars.
So if you combine No.2 with No.3 you're looking at a bad situation.
But like I said, I still like them on the street and they might do better on the track once it warms up good.
I'm ordering two more of them today 215x45x16 for the front.
I'll keep you updated as things progress.
Skirt
Silver '99, MP62, TDR Intercooler, Tein Flex, Borla Duals, HDHCDD, Oh and chicks dig the kilt!
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