"AkursedX" (akursedx)
03/03/2020 at 11:14 • Filed to: None
1
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"AkursedX" (akursedx)
03/03/2020 at 11:14 • Filed to: None | 1
| 25 |
As early as last September, rumors of a new 200-treadwear, autocross-focused tire were pretty much confirmed when the
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were seen being tested at the SCCA Solo Nationals. With Falken having the contract for the popular and competitve
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, they really needed to put forth a new tire as the
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just doesn’t have the grip to compete with the top-performing street-tires, the
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R, the new
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, and the
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.
Say ‘Hi’ to the Falken RE71, I mean the Falken Direzza Z3, wait, I mean the Falken RT660
So last evening, Grassroots Motorsports put forth an !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to see how the new RT660 stacks up. The result? It seems that the RT660 has closed the gap to the top tires and will probably be the most affordable.
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I suggest you click on the link, but the TL/DR of it is that both on their skidpad and autocross course, the RT660 was right on par with the RE-71R. When it came to lapping at a track, the RT660 fell off a tiny bit vs the RE-71R and showed more wear.
Right now, Tirerack only has the RT660 available in the SSC size of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (You need an SCCA membership) but Falken appears to be releasing it in a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and according to the article, other sizes should start being available by the end of the month.
Below is a quick comparison of pricing in 225/45-R17:
For the price, they will certainly be something I would consider. I’m looking forward to some 265/35-R18's to be available as I could use a new set of tires on one of my spare sets of wheels. Falken has made a solid push to get back into the competitive world that is the 200-Treadwear tire.
The author, who goes by Joe in real life, is an avid automotive enthusiast with a particular passion for Mazda rotaries. You can find him at many Western New York SCCA and surrounding area events autocrossing his RX-8. He can be reached at AkursedX@gmail.com (If you are an automotive company and want to give me free stuff to write about, let me know!) More of what I’ve written can be found here: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Tripper
> AkursedX
03/03/2020 at 11:22 |
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Forgestar F14s are TITE
HammerheadFistpunch
> AkursedX
03/03/2020 at 11:24 |
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Falken is killing it lately. They swooped in to take BFG’s lunch on off-road builds and even factory setups. I love mine.
Sovande
> AkursedX
03/03/2020 at 11:27 |
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I had the Bridgestone Rivals on my C30 for a while. They were ridiculously grippy.
Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
> AkursedX
03/03/2020 at 11:29 |
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I’m trying to figure out what I’m gonna run on my Miata this year. A052’s were the hot tire at nats last year for STS, so I might have to give them a shot. I ran RE71Rs last year on the Miata and they were leaps and bounds above the RT615K+ I’d ran on the TA.
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AkursedX
> Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
03/03/2020 at 11:32 |
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I run RE71's on my STX RX-8. My current set only has like 3 events on them and I don’t street drive them anymore so I’ll probably run them the whole season. I plan on switching to the A052's next unless something else better comes out in-between. If you have lots of camber adjustment, it seems the Yokohamas are the new hotness. But after seeing some A052's utterly destroyed on some camber limited street-class cars, I’d probably still drive something else. They are too expensive to replace twice a season.
CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
> AkursedX
03/03/2020 at 11:37 |
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Want so bad.
I have RT615K+ Azenis I bought last summer that need to go back on the ST. Really, really nice tires
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> AkursedX
03/03/2020 at 11:41 |
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TL; DR
It’s a Falken
good tire.
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AkursedX
> CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
03/03/2020 at 11:44 |
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I ran the Falken RT615k+ on my RX-8 my first 1.5 seasons of autocrossing. I really liked the tire. They were much easier to drive and push to the limit than the RE71's I’m on now, but the RE71's are just flat out a grippier tire.
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Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
> AkursedX
03/03/2020 at 11:53 |
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Honestly that’s my fear. I can run quite a bit of camber, but I’m already wearing out the outsides of my RE-71Rs if I don’t flip them mid season.
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AkursedX
> Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
03/03/2020 at 12:05 |
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I run about 3.5* camber up front and about 2* in the rear and I seem to get decent wear rotating front to back for each event. I get the weird wear on the center-block the all Bridgestones seem to get, but that’s about the only abnormal wear.
If I was still wearing out the outer edges of the Bridgestones early, I don’t think I’d buy the Yokohamas. If they were the same price? I might give it a shot, but they are just so expensive.
That’s why these Falkens looks so interesting. If I can get a set in 265/35-R18 for under $800, I’ll pick them up and use them on both my RX-8 and STI and see how they perform on both a highly modded ST car and a camber-limited stock suspension car.
Cash Rewards
> Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
03/03/2020 at 12:35 |
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I want just one season on a legit tire. I run in STR in my 01 and get smoked. But I want one season on good tires to see how close I can get. I was planning re71r, but if this is cheaper...
WRXforScience
> AkursedX
03/03/2020 at 13:18 |
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The RE71r is just as fast as the A052 on asphalt but could be slower on concrete or higher grip surfaces than the A052 versus comparisons in my local STX class with tight competition and consistent drivers (the final version of the Rival S was similar to the A052).
RE71r’s overheat on track after just a couple of hot laps (3-4 and you’re done). For those 3 or so laps they are slightly faster than the RS4 (my favorite 200tw track tire) but after they are on par or marked slower than the RS4 and wear much much faster (I can get nearly 20 track days out of a set of RS4's whereas I’ve ruined a set of RE71r’s in a single day, and even managing them cannot get more than 5-6 days out of a set).
Sounds like the rt660 will make a great budget autox tire but probably won’t hold up to track conditions well enough for anything beyond time trials (where you’d want the absolute fastest tire and I’m not convinced that the rt660 would be it, but could be worth a shot).
I’m local to Whitener and know both him and Andy Hollis and I’ve run at their test course (before Mineral Wells closed). Their info is good and I trust them. Hopefully this either motivates Bridgestone to lower the price of the RE71r or they’ll just bring in the newer version (they’ve got one they’ve been testing in the A sian markets).
Discerning
> AkursedX
03/03/2020 at 13:51 |
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They make a decent tire and then they go and require that you run 18's if you want anything wider than a 245.
I don't understand the lack of 17's support. I get that there isn't a lot of new OEM stuff under 18 these days, but 17's are still my favorite.
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Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
> Cash Rewards
03/03/2020 at 14:32 |
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RE-71Rs are legit, I’m still amazed what my car can do on them. The A052s lack of tread looks cool AF though, and they’re supposedly the fastest tire for us guys with camber.
Arrivederci
> Tripper
03/03/2020 at 15:10 |
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I had a set on my BRZ - nice style but the finish was baaaaaaad. Clear coat was literally flaking off. I’ve also seen them absolutely destroyed by track work.
DasWauto
> AkursedX
03/03/2020 at 15:16 |
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Very interesting. I may try these if I end up putting the 128i into ST class this year, especially if they’re available at Costco as that’s where I’ve gotten my RE71Rs so far. I’m impatiently waiting to see if I can get the suspension I’m looking at (Ohlins just added the non-M 1-series to their R&T lineup).
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WRXforScience
> Discerning
03/03/2020 at 15:36 |
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There are bigger 17", you just have to look at the 40 series sidewalls. Looks like they go up to a 275/40-17 (they also look to run on the wide side).
The 18" go all the way up to 315 which is as wide as the 19" go to as well. I know some people who run wider than 315 but that should satisfy most people.
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Discerning
> WRXforScience
03/03/2020 at 15:49 |
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I missed the 275. That’s not terrible.
T hese could be a good option for the C5Z folks who continue to run 17's front and 18's rear.
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AkursedX
> WRXforScience
03/03/2020 at 15:53 |
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Yeah, i don’t think this would be the tire of choice for HPDE and time trials might even be a bit too much as they look like they will fall off quickly.
I agree with you on the RS4. It really is the way to go for the track if you are staying above 200tw.
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Tripper
> Arrivederci
03/03/2020 at 16:04 |
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Good to know! T hey are were in the top 3 for the Alltrack. Down to Rotiform SPF and HRE FF01. FF01's are way out in front.
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Arrivederci
> Tripper
03/04/2020 at 08:52 |
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FF01 are awesome. They were in my top two for the S3.
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Tripper
> Arrivederci
03/04/2020 at 08:57 |
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I have wanted them for at least 5 cars now, but every time I get close to pulling the trigger the wheels plus whatever sweet-ass tires I’ve picked out are always a little too big of a hit for me to say “fuck it”.
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AkursedX
> DasWauto
03/04/2020 at 09:17 |
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Those Ohlins R&T coilovers seem to be pretty nice and they really seem to focus on proper rates and valving for each individual model of car that they build them for unlike some other brands.
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Arrivederci
> Tripper
03/04/2020 at 10:11 |
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I bought my BBS CHR used off either Audizine or VWVortex. Damn near like new condition for cheap. I actually made about $400 when I resold them. I saw the FF01s on there a few times, always in great shape since they’re a premium wheel. If you’re in no rush, it might be worth waiting to see if a set pops on there that you could scoop.
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DasWauto
> AkursedX
03/04/2020 at 12:55 |
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So I’ve heard, and spent entirely too much time reading about. They apparently also focus on maintaining comfort in their damping characteristics, which I appreciate for w hat will remain primarily a street car.
I’ve thought about putting a set on the WRX as well but I’m not willing to sacrifice ride height or droop travel, because rural Ontario winters . I’ll probably go the opposite direction with some rally/gravel coil overs if I keep that car.