Tullamore,
Dunlop is adding a few tires sizes to the Star Spec Z1 line in early 2010. They will be adding a 205/50r15. A notable fact about the Star Spec Z1 is it is intended to be a road worthy track tire for guys who drive their cars to DE events than track the car and drive home. While we are doing much longer session than a DE, this is geared more toward our overall use then the Azenis. These are one of the more expensive tire options within our rules.
Hankook HAD a 225/45ish-r15 in the R-S2 line which they discontinued and replaced with the R-S3. The R-S3 is a 140 treadwear and no longer Lemons legal. The Hankook has done well in Lemons and is probably better than the Azenis. They can get hot and a bit greasy during a race. My friend swears his changed colors.
The Falken Azenis is pretty much a staple in Lemons. They are reasonably priced and perform well for some teams. Falken is changing the compound in the RT-615 with the introduction of the RT-615K. We will just have to wait and see how the new compound affects it's track-worthiness.
The Azenis seem to have a love it or hate it opinion within the Lemons community. The tire's strong reputation is from AutoX. Earnign them a high ranking by GRM for AutoX. We are road racing in enduros so our demands on tires are different. The teams that seem to like them are teams with smaller lighter cars. The Taurus SHO puts a beating on it's tires and the Azenis has mixed reviews on the SHO.
The reason I posed the question regarding the 190 treadwear limit was because it is set by the manufacturer not DOT or any other 3rd party. I am not suggesting we all start running slicks but if the limit was 180, we would have better tire options.
There are a few 200 treadwear tires with very limited 14" & 15" sizes. From there they jump to the 300 range. At the 300-400 treadwear range, you do start to see more options in the smaller tires sizes. I currently run the Toyo T1R which is a 280 treadwear. They do okay but I think the Hankook would have been better. I am leaning toward the Star Spec Z1 now, I wish they offered a 225 or wider in a 15. So I am looking to up size my wheels now.
Troy
#35 LRE
1973 Datsun 240Z