I was checking www.edgeracing.com, where I got my Toyo T1S's & I noticed that they now have the new Falken RT-615's out. These are supposed to be near Competition/R-Compound tires, but with a treadwear rating of 200. I might check these out for future upgrade. Not bad at $177 for a 245/40/18.

 

http://www.falkentire.com/615micro.htm

If you have 9.5" x 18" you may want to go with 275/35/18's if you haven't lowered the car very much. With an 8" x 18" you are probably best off with a 245/40/18.

 

keep an eye on the new Hankook Ventus R-S2 also, same performance but at great prices, larger 18" should be coming later this year

http://www.hankooktireusa.com/pdf/uploads/Z212.pdf

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...%2FPerformance

 

Probably the 245/40/18 would be the best tire for you. Little more contact patch, and still fit on the stock rim quite nicely.

 

I've never driven a Hankook before. I have driven in cars with the Toyo (mine), Falken, Kumho, Michelin, Pirelli, & Bridgestone.

One caution is that they do not make this tire in a 245/40/18 in that make. If I was to recommend a replacement tire for somebody i would tell them to go with the 245/40/18. The 225/45/18 seems a bit narrow for our 8" rim (some have even put it on a 7.5" rim). Just think that the 245's gives a better advantage (more traction) without much loss/disadvantage.

 

If you are going to switch to 245/40/18's I would suggest you do it all the way around. Increasing to staggered setup will increase understeer a bit. I have a staggered setup on mine, but unless you are going to a 265/275 in the rear (on bigger rims, and to increase traction) I would try to stay with 245/40/18's across all your tires that way you can rotate them, & also the balance is more neutral (see above post on staggered wheelsizes). If you are only swapping out the backs, then you may want to stay with 225/45/18 until the next time you swap out all tires.

 

I have the 615's on my 8 and I am probably the first 8 in the state of Georgia to have them.
They are phenominal the absolute best tire I have ever owned. They have good wet traction, supierior dry traction, little to no noise, and a smooth ride. To get optimum life out of them you MUST rotate once a month if you drive hard or live in a city such as Atlanta were you drive 300 miles a week.

 

J'sgr8t8:

Since Falken RT-615 is relatively new at this point, feedbacks from RX-8 owners with the tire are definitely much sought-after. Do you by chance autocross at all? Specifically, have you autox-ed on these tires? Plan on running probably one of the three choices here for next autox season: Falken RT-615, Hankook RS2 Z212, or Kumho MX before moving onto full-fledged R-compound. Any insights with technical review would be appreciated.

For great reads on racers' first hand experience with those aforementioned tires, check out http://www.sccaforums.com/ubb/ultima...p/topic/22/884.

 

I have autox on the old azenis 215 as well as kumho 710 race tires (both on 96 integra ). I have not autox with the 615 yet. I believe the 615 is supierior to the 215 but a little under the 710.

 

That's mighty interesting since most racers seem to suggest that the old Azenis and the new RT-615 are roughly on par in terms of grip level on the dry. The new model has much better wet traction accordingly and lesser need for spray-down in-between runs. The sidewall is also as stiff as in the past for quick transition.

Can't wait to run max performance summer once I am done burning through those !@#% Pirelli PZero Nero M+S with the Evolution Autox School in August. Had four autox events on them and they look like tornados came to town.

The entertainment factor is definitely there with these low-traction tires. Check out http://www.plaftaphoto.com/gallery/album88/IMG_8575. Thank to bxb40 for digging it out =P

 

Take a look at the link that I provided from Falken. It seems like dry grip iis about the same as the RT-215, but that the tire is more resistant to heat fade, so turns out better lap times around a circuit. Since not many people have experience with the tire as it is so new, I guess the experience will come soon (hopefully) when people start buying the tire.

 

i might buy my 3rd set i was with stock, then KDW2 ( great but after 10,000 miles the tires gave up trying to grip anything.

 

A little under the 710? Comparing the 710 to the 615 is not really a comparison.

 

very interested in these tires (615)- especially in how they age with heat cycles. the stock bridgestone re040 were good when new but now are very hard, slippery and noisy at 17K miles.

having been through three sets of kumho V710, i can assure everyone that there isnt anything short of a true slick or a hoosier that is in the ballpark. it is a miracle tire.

james

 

You are right, to compare these is like apple and oranges. The 615 (which I have) is a street perfomance tire. The 710 is a race tire that is DOT approved for use on the street.

 

Grass roots motorsports just did a roundup of a bunch of these new tires and some old favorites.

Toolman on 6tech scanned the article and posted it. Here's the link.
http://forum.mazda6tech.com/viewtopic.php?t=3525

For those who don't feel like reading, here's out the roundup came out.

1. RT-615 ($154)
2. RT-215 ($106, closeout pricing)
3. Advan Neova ($209)
4. Hankook Z212 ($130)
5. ECSTA MX ($135)
6. BFGoodrich ($167)

 

I was refering to autox use were the 710 is not given enough time to warm up especialy in Atlanta were you wait 10 to15 minutes between runs

 

ive found the 710's are good almost cold. the sweet spot for autox is 90-120 degrees. they should come in part way through the run. then they will rock your world.

the solution i used when i had trouble getting enough heat in victoracers was to run 2 or even 3 drivers. this lets you take your first run on warm tires and brakes, and also reduces the wait time. with 3 drivers you are running as fast as you can even in the 30+ car groups we have here. when i went to the 710's i could not keep them cool enough even with 2 drivers and lots of water spray until i went to a larger tire.

james

 

Just wondering if anyone else has got these tires yet. I'm looking to upgrade my tires the end of the year, beginning of next.

 

I have 255/40's mounted on 18x8.5" wheels. Unfortunately I won't be able to offer any comparisons with other tires because too much else has changed on my car as well.
________
LovelyWendie

 

We must have similar tastes. That was the size I was thinking about going for all around too. After doing some more searching, I found quite a few more reviews. It sounds like these are some pretty good tires.