Story and Photography by Andy Hollis
Our amateur motorsports scene got a bit of a reboot right around the turn of the century: Street-rubber autocross classes had just made their debut, and in 2002 Falken introduced the Azenis RT-215, a tire that packed a punch without a premium. The stars aligned for Falken, upgrading the brand to major player status …
Wow. They stole the Bridgestone's tread pattern. I'm mean STOLE IT.
_ said:Wow. They stole the Bridgestone's tread pattern. I'm mean STOLE IT.
The Dunlop z2 says hi 
aw614 said:_ said:Wow. They stole the Bridgestone's tread pattern. I'm mean STOLE IT.
The Dunlop z2 says hi
Yeah, they all look very similar. I wonder if it's like how car styling will get more and more similar in the pursuit of aerodynamics, is there a certain tread pattern for performance tires that is inherently better and all tires will migrate towards that design.
To see that these perform on par with RE71Rs and come in my 245/40R15 size is very exciting. Maybe I'll make the jump to these after I chew my BFGs up. I know the BFG is a solid performer but I just do not like how they feel.
this makes me happy. Not to get some in the right sizes
In reply to _ :
If you're gonna go there... Dunlop has been using basically the same thing since the Direzza Z1. Bridgestone "stole" that pattern from the ZII. So if you're gonna rag on someone for copying it...
How'd they wear compared to the re71r?
So, the more top-tier options (RE-71r, Rival S 1.5, Yokohama A052), the better. The wear question is a good one after seeing how quickly the A052 wears. Price makes a difference for some of us.
225 45 17 are all I see available through TireRack at the moment. Hoping to get some 245 40 18 VERY soon. Like in a week. Anyone got a line on who may be holding?
In reply to Andy Hollis :
Hey are the drivers in this blind as far as information? Do you guys get to know which tire you are testing Beforehand? Do you think results would change if the study was "blind" so to speak?
I think a wild card placebo would be interesting. Especially if they pranked the drivers with some 400 tread wear turd.
Wonder if they'll come in 996 turbo sizes? I'm running the 615K+ right now...
captainawesome said:225 45 17 are all I see available through TireRack at the moment. Hoping to get some 245 40 18 VERY soon. Like in a week. Anyone got a line on who may be holding?
That size is on the list of sizes supposedly expected to arrive at the end of this month, theoretically at the same time as the 225/17s. What that means for when you can actually order and receive them is a different story, probably not any sooner than those 17s.
I am stoked that the rt-660 will continue carrying the torch for 275/17 users. If Falken can keep pricing in line, there will be many jubilant voices ready to break the shackles of the 255/17 ranks
They have a listing of sizes on their website.
https://www.falkentire.com/tires/passenger-car-tires/azenis-rt660-tire
docwyte said:Wonder if they'll come in 996 turbo sizes? I'm running the 615K+ right now...
Looks like a yes!
They have 315 and 295/18s and 235 and 245/18s so the gt3 may have to try a set as well.....
The A052 has my eye as well for HPDE work versus running dedicated NT01 wheelset.
225/45R15 for the ES crowd.
I can't wait a month for these unfortunately so I'm just going to stick with the tried and true rt615k+ for one more set. Hopefully these 660s hold up as well as the 615s for longevity, or at least somewhere close to it. Looking forward to some more reviews soon.
The 615k was the longest lasting 200TW tire we've used on the racetruck. I wonder how these will hold up to endurance racing.
In reply to buzzboy :
Try the Hankook RS4. Last longer than the 615k+ and have a little more grip.
Based on Andy's testing these wear faster than the re71s do.
In reply to Sonic :
I had the rs2s and loved them but I haven't used any Hankooks since those were released. I'll have to check into those
In reply to Olemiss540 :
Nice! I've decided not to buy a dedicated set of race tires for the turbo, I don't hit the track often enough to use them up in time. So I'll just run the 615k+'s, that way I don't have to swap wheels/tires. I don't care about how long they last, I don't drive the car that many miles since it's not my daily.
I was going to try the Yoko 052's next but maybe I'll try these new 660's instead. I run 245/40/18 front and 315/30/18 rears...
615k is easily one of my favorite 200tw for what I do..... I really hope they wear and have the rain capability that the 615k has.
So if it's on par with the RE-71, is it cheaper to justify switching from the gold standard? The 052s appear pretty awesome but have priced themselves up near Hoosier territory last time I looked.
How is the wear rate on the new RT-660? From the single picture of the 3 tires, it seems like the old RT-615K+ has the least wear, and the RT-660 had the most wear. But it is a single picture, and it is always difficult to see how much wear there is unless I'm looking at the tire in person.
The article mentions the wear rate looks to be more aggressive than the RE71, so I imagine the rt615k+ will still be the clear winner for reduced wear rate. Does anyone know if the 615s will be axed or is the 660 supplemental? Personally I'd like a set of 660s for autocross if price is similar to current 615 price, and a set of the 615s for track days.
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