Cheap Semi Slicks

[black200]

Just a heads up to you folks who like these tyres.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Falken-Azenis-RT-215-Semi-Slick-Tyres-215-45-17_W0QQitemZ250070013169QQihZ015QQcategoryZ6782QQs sPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

RT215's in 17" for 180 a piece! Cheap as! I've spoken to the bloke and he says he has about 80 individual tyres in stock so you can probably buy a set

Keeping in mind they are discontinued now and might be a little old, so caveat emptor....

Will probably buy 4 for my stock wheels i think

[supernatural]

sorry to say... but these tyres arent semis... :( they are good street tyres... but good price none the less :)

[black200]

fark, oh well shows what i know :P

[lovesil]

fark, oh well shows what i know :P

You noobs :D btw, do they have 16 inch by any chance? and how much?

[StanTheMan]

fark, oh well shows what i know :P


It Ok black200
you now know more than the guy selling it :lol:

To me personally its only a small technicality. But technicalitys are what they are.
The reason its not a semislick is because it is not an R compound.
Like supernatural said......they are an awsome street tyre. I found they are about 1 sec slower than a proper semislick like the DO1's around wakie......

I had some seriously bad street tyres a few years back & i got a difference of almost 4 secs. on DO'1s http://forum.jdmstyletuning.com/images/icons/icon12.gif


16" you'd have to ask him. if he's got any.

it would be interesting to find out their date of manufacture. & how the've been stored for all these years.

[scathing]

It depends on your definition of "semi slick".

For some people, "semi slick" implies the amount of tread (or lack of it). A slick, regardless of whether its made out of R-Compound rubber, sponge (like RC cars), or plastic, is something that has no tread.

The RT series from Falken is definitely no R-Compound tyre but you could arguably class them as a "semi slick pattern".

[Jing]

good for bling :p

[black200]

yeah to me a semi slick is a tyre that doesn't have regular road tyre tread, but has some sort of tread pattern.

R compounds are R compounds, Semi slicks are just that imo. Semi. Slick. Tyres :D

No 16"s afaik. Have a look yourselves you lazy people :P

[supernatural]

i think alot of ppl tend to "misinterpret" semi slicks as "less thread pattern" as ive got a set of RT215s as well n some would pull up next to me and say nice semis... cos it does look like semis but doesnt act like one... but i guess everyone have their own way of interpretation :)

[StanTheMan]

good for bling :p


ROFLMHO.......do i see a hook.....with a worm attached?


I got bling......whoooohooooo

http://stansmx5.seramayer.com/MX5_stuff/wakefeild%202006/used%20tyres.jpg


black200
its a bit like the sports car debate....is an RX8 a sports car or not.
by definition.....its not.

[scathing]

The RX8 is a sports car. Its just not a coupe.

[StanTheMan]

The RX8 is a sports car. Its just not a coupe.


exactly my point

:lol:

[scathing]

Coupes aren't the only sports cars. :)

People who think that's the case forget about Lotus 7 and their modern day copies (both direct facsimile like the Caterhams, or in ethos like MX5s).

[Brian_J]

ANYYYWAYYYY
these tires....whats peoples experiences with them

black200...group buy? :D does he allow pickups?

[black200]

no pickup. delivery only w/15 per tyre. So 195 per tyre delivered.

My only worry is the age of those. They haven't made them for yonks

[milkman]

factor in fitting costs too...

I wouldn't consider them a semi-slick either. just cos it looks liek doesn't mean it is. Would you call a type-R kitted GSi a Type R?

Nope. It jsut does not have the right substance or in this case compound. But I reckon these are the best compromise b/t semi-slick performance and daily livability.

Tyres have a shelf life of 5years. AFAIK RT215's have only been discontinued early-mid last year.

[StanTheMan]

ANYYYWAYYYY
these tires....whats peoples experiences with them

black200...group buy? :D does he allow pickups?


track experience as compared to a fresh set DO1's

will warm up quicker
will overheat quicker
about 1 second slower aoround wakefiled park
feel a lot more mushy at the limit even when not overheated


They are a great tyre for the occasional track day IMO. If you are constantly going track. Find a set of wheels & fit a set of R compound tyres to it. Use them for your track work.


On the street.
Awsome.......thats it.

:lol:

but really there are compromises.

They do need warming up in winter. Tread carefull in city peak hr traffic. They are slippery when cold. I've taken corners enthusiasically & could feel them starting to go. It takes 2 or 3 corners in short periods of time to get them to operating temp. Then they grip . They need to be taken there with care.

The road noise will increase.

RT215 lasted me 17k km....but that was with a very light car (MX5)

Stiff sidewalls......love it or hate it.

very little warning of impending doom.......when they let go......they let go with very little warning.......I mean very little warning as compared to your normal street tyre. But they just hold on but evetually they have to let go.
would you call that non progressive?


these are the compromises i can think of. The rest of the tyre is just simply awsome.
The way it grips , handles

On The MX5 i run them on around 28psi. PSI will increase on the mountain roads as the warm up.

when i first started driving these tyres i'd be aproaching a corner thinking....Sheeeeeeeet.....to hot.......then just turn the wheel & the car would follow. With the stiff sidewalls they handle extreemly well. But boy they stick for a road tyre. Breaking is fantastic too. stopping distance decreased with these tyres.

The Rt 215 also had a bad reputation in the wet. I didn't find this. I thought they were awsome in the wet. I'd say they would leave most road tyres for dead even in wet conditions. I had them in some serious rain along putty Rd & the Old Pac. Never a problem. But i do drive to the conditions.
Here is also a video of me in the wet at wakefield. I know for a fact the drivers of in this videos have similar experience & capabilety to my own. All cars are more powerfull than my own too . I hope you enjoy them. Most of you have seen them before
http://stansmx5.com/MX5_stuff/Videos/index.html

Tyre fitted were RT215's 205/50x15
I have since cremated those tyres & now run the RT 615's I have not had them on the track or in serious wet conditions


These tyres are not everybodys cup of tea. My experience should not be taken as gospel. I'm sure there ARE PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES WHO WOULD LIKE TO SHARE & discuss my view

[Jing]

are the road noise similar to the semis whine?

[StanTheMan]

yes but not as loud.....nowhere near as loud.

I tend to think tyhe new RT615 are louder than the old RT215's......but maybe i'm just imagineing it......not really sure yet

[mxfly]

I totally agree with StanTheMan,

Tried them before and a real fantastic road tyre in the dry. A little dicey in the wet but what do you expect from such limited tread pattern. ALthough mine lasted only about 12,000kms. But that's probably because my old car had 240rwkw.

[scathing]

factor in fitting costs too...

I wouldn't consider them a semi-slick either. just cos it looks liek doesn't mean it is. Would you call a type-R kitted GSi a Type R?

Nope. It jsut does not have the right substance or in this case compound. But I reckon these are the best compromise b/t semi-slick performance and daily livability.

I know that English isn't my first language, but where in the words "semi" and "slick" does it imply a rubber compound? The only time I see the word "slick", in reference to tyres, is when talking about the tread pattern (or lack of it).

If someone tried to advertise the RT215 as a "racing tyre" then I would concur. The name just doesn't fit; no-one who was actually racing with the intention to win would fit anything but an R-Comp tyre, which these certainly are not.

[scathing]

I ran RT215s on a stock N15 SSS. Loved them in the dry. They pretty much needed no warm up. Stuck like shit to carpet. I was carrying 15km/hr+ more cornering speed on them up the Old Pac Highway compared to its OEM tyres and the Pirelli P5000s I fitted afterwards.

I don't recall any undue noise in them. But then I tended to have the stereo up if I wasn't hammering it, at which point wind and engine noise would overrule it.

My only experiences in the wet were after about 6000kms of hard driving (OPH every second day), at which point they were a little sketchy. The car had a greater tendency to aquaplane and engage the ABS, but then I did come off the P5000s which were a great wet weather tyre. It wasn't as dangerous as driving on R-Comps in the wet (which I also did), so you just drove it like you were carrying 2 passengers. Allow more braking distance, do it earlier, and carry a bit less speed in a turn.

And they were dead by around 12,000km. But, like I said, every second day was race day with those tyres so I wouldn't have expected them to last that long.

[StanTheMan]

I know that English isn't my first language, but where in the words "semi" and "slick" does it imply a rubber compound? The only time I see the word "slick", in reference to tyres, is when talking about the tread pattern (or lack of it).

If someone tried to advertise the RT215 as a "racing tyre" then I would concur. The name just doesn't fit; no-one who was actually racing with the intention to win would fit anything but an R-Comp tyre, which these certainly are not.

well i got courious.......no one seems to have a proper definition for Semi-slicks.

this is the closest i got.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slick_tire its not entirly clear cut either

like i said . To me personally its truly only a small technicalety. However.
Murderes get out of jail on technicalities.

so if we (supernatural & I) were technically right or wrong.....at this stage if i understand .....a slick tyre is a R compound tyre used for racing. Which would make a semi-slick tyre
a R compound slick tyre with groves. To make it Dot Aproved.


in the sceem of things it really doesn't matter what it is......i think we all agree its a great street tyre for occasional use on the track. But certainly not a tyre for purely Track use.

[scathing]

Assuming you trust Wikipedia's content:


this is the closest i got.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slick_tire its not entirly clear cut either

Read the first sentence.


A slick tire (also known as a "racing slick") is a type of tire that has no tread pattern, used mostly in auto racing.

I'm seeing "tread pattern". I'm not seeing "rubber compound" (or a variation). How much clearer did you want it?

If you go through the entire overview, compound is never mentioned. Compound is never mentioned until the "R Compound" subsection, where the context of "sticky rubber" is that they're differentiating from regular street tyres. Arguably, the RT series of tyres could be considered "sticky rubber" too, because they grip a lot harder than your Nangkang or Silverstone.

To pre-empt the obvious reply, while the RTs aren't as sticky as your average R Comp tyre, that's no proof. There are various compounds of R Comps. If you have a look at the Advan A032R tyre specs (http://www.yokohamatire.com/pdf/AO32Rbltn.pdf), you can see it comes in S-Compound and H-Compound. I would guess that its Soft and Hard - does that mean the latter aren't "semi slicks" because they happen to be harder than S-Comps? For all we know, they might be just as grippy as an RT215 (but obviously will be far superior in endurance).


I'm not arguing over common usage among the motorsport fraternity, but purely from an empirical standpoint. Just because something is commonly used, it doesn't mean its right. And so if other people choose to rightly use terminology that everyone else gets wrong, they shouldn't be given shit for it.

[proconcept]

Just to add to this conversation, there is a dot approved semi slick, that resembles a full slick but with 3 or 4 grooves - much like the f1 drys.

Arguable or not, RT215's are not a semi-slick tyre (using the correct terminology). :)

[supernatural]

rofl... sorry... but had to join in the discussion.. :D im taking no sides... LOL cos both of yous make perfect sense... :D but i would like to point out...


Originally Posted by Wikipedia
A slick tire (also known as a "racing slick") is a type of tire that has no tread pattern, used mostly in auto racing.


I'm seeing "tread pattern". I'm not seeing "rubber compound" (or a variation). How much clearer did you want it?

it does say thread pattern... but at the same time... it says "type"... not very specific ay... but we can only assume its talking about rubber compound tyres... :)

peace out... :D

[milkman]

I know that English isn't my first language, but where in the words "semi" and "slick" does it imply a rubber compound? The only time I see the word "slick", in reference to tyres, is when talking about the tread pattern (or lack of it).

If someone tried to advertise the RT215 as a "racing tyre" then I would concur. The name just doesn't fit; no-one who was actually racing with the intention to win would fit anything but an R-Comp tyre, which these certainly are not.

So.. umm if I worn my tyres down til it's pattern is all worn out, I'd have slicks according to your take? kewl.. better go chuck some burnouts then.

[black200]

So.. umm if I worn my tyres down til it's pattern is all worn out, I'd have slicks according to your take? kewl.. better go chuck some burnouts then.

i call them street slicks :D

[lovesil]

So.. umm if I worn my tyres down til it's pattern is all worn out, I'd have slicks according to your take? kewl.. better go chuck some burnouts then.

Your thoery is right, but by the time for you to wear your street tyres into pattern-less (slick looks), most likely the tyre will burst after a few corners, because its gonna be so damn thin till it can't really support your car's weight.

[StanTheMan]

so......is anyone buying these?

[A'PEXi]

bit off topic, but does anyone know a place which sells reasonably priced bridgestones?

[Brian_J]

so......is anyone buying these?

decided against it stefan, the lifespan of these tyres are a bit short for me