Treadwear Question -- AZENIS RT-615 | Hankook R-S2

[jond]

I've been doing some research and I see some of youguys have bought both the Azenis and Hankooks, and I'm wondering if I can get a 2008 update on tread life of these.

From the numbers, the stock RE010 have a 120 tread rating, and both the Azenis and Hankooks have a 200 tread rating.

So am I correct in assuming this means that the Azenis or Hankooks will last 70% longer? Did they last a lot longer than stock tires for you?



Thanks

 

[nsxtasy]

I've been doing some research and I see some of youguys have bought both the Azenis and Hankooks, and I'm wondering if I can get a 2008 update on tread life of these.

From the numbers, the stock RE010 have a 120 tread rating, and both the Azenis and Hankooks have a 200 tread rating.

So am I correct in assuming this means that the Azenis or Hankooks will last 70% longer?

No, not necessarily. For a couple of reasons.

For one thing, treadwear ratings are not comparable between brands. So if a Bridgestone tire like the RE010 has a treadwear rating of 140 (it's 140, not 120), then another Bridgestone tire with a treadwear rating of 280 should theoretically last twice as long, but that statement does not necessarily apply to, say, a Yokohama tire with a 280 treadwear rating.

For another thing, tire manufacturers have a lot of flexibility when assigning treadwear ratings. It is my firm belief (based on no evidence whatsoever, other than treadwear) that the RT-615 and Z212 have a 200 treadwear rating because that is the minimum required in certain race series, and they want their tires to be eligible for those series. I believe that a realistic treadwear rating for the RT-615 is around 100, rather than 200; I know of another car (and so do you :wink: ) on which the 140-rated RE010 typically lasts about 50 percent longer than the 200-rated RT-615. To give you another example of the flexibility the manufacturers have when assigning ratings, a leading R compound track tire recently had its treadwear rating changed from 60 to 100, without any changes to the tire itself.

 

[jond]

Good deal. Thanks for the insight. I was going to use the higher treadwear rating of the Hankooks or Azenis to justify buying them. I would rather have the RE010 though if they're going to last about the same.

 

[davidg]

Making sure your alignment is at spec will help. I know this first hand. I think you would like the Falken RT-615 tires the best. The wear will be very close to the RE 010 tires. They will grip better on dry and your car will understeer less. They are close in the wet as long as you have at least 50% tread left. Forget about the Hankooks. RT-615 tires have recieved outstanding reviews, rated #1 by Grassroots Motorsports. NO TIRES LAST FOR LONG ON A NSX.

 

[ChopsJazz]

I can tell you that my Azenis (rears) are SHOT after about 2K miles and one track event.

Fronts, however, are still in great shape.

 

[nsxtasy]

RT-615 tires have recieved outstanding reviews, rated #1 by Grassroots Motorsports.

Not exactly. In one autocross test by Grassroots Motorsports, the RT-615 beat five other tires including the R-S2 Z212 and the RT-215 predecessor to the RT-615, but in another test the RT-615 was beaten by the Bridgestone RE-01R.