Falken Azenis RT-615 Tire Review

Read enough tire reviews and it doesn't take long before they all begin to sound alike. Most are sprinkled with colorful engineer-speak like "three-dimensional siping," "circumferential grooves" and "progressivity." Plow through much of this tech talk and pretty soon no tire really stands out. Falken's Azenis RT-615 should.

Falken developed the RT-615 (RT stands for race tuned) as a dedicated sports tire that's not compromised by comfort, longevity or civility concerns, like most flagship tires from other manufacturers.

As an added bonus, it also has better wear characteristics than R-compound tires. And it's inexpensive-the perfect tire if your budget is limited, you want to go fast and you don't care about anything else.

The RT-615 outperforms the tire it replaces, the RT-215, in just about every way. Key improvements are across the board, with increased wet handling and grip, better turn-in and dynamic response, greater heat resistance and even better noise reduction.

Much of this is thanks to the asymmetric tread design, which evacuates more water and uses tread features that generate less noise. The huge outer shoulder tread blocks generate more lateral grip than the RT-215 and offer better steering response.

Our Project 350Z is currently fitted with 275/35R-18 RT-615s at all four corners and recently pulled 1.01g on the skidpad; that's in the same league as the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDs they replaced. On the track, the RT-615 breaks traction predictably and offers smooth, predictable control beyond its adhesion limits, making it a great drift tire. It also holds up well in the extreme heat generated while sliding, with zero chunking or scaling.

On the street, the RT-615's limits are high enough that exceeding them simply isn't an option. It's possible to use the throttle to spin the tires, but breaking loose during neutral cornering isn't smart since the speed and momentum required to do so in the Z are insane. Ride quality is surprisingly compliant-expansion joints and gate railing don't bother the 35-series tire.

Falken rates the RT-615 with a UTQG of 200/A/A, which qualifies it for SCCA Street Tire Class competition. In our experience, the 615 is as competent as any non-R-compound summer tire in terms of traction. It closes the gap between street tires and D.O.T. race tires, and is priced only slightly more than the RT-215, which was known for its low cost. It's available in 23 sizes and in diameters ranging from 14 inches to 18 inches.

This tire tops our list of favorites for its no-nonsense grip, durability and ease on the wallet. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?

Things we like about the Falken Azenis RT-615* g-force grip, Azenis price tag* Massive heat tolerance* Available in 23 sizes

Things we don't like about the Falken Azenis RT-615* Replaces the RT-215* Still needs more sizes