Falken Semi Comps As A Drag Tire

[NickR33]

I just purchased some rims that came with new Falken RT 615 semi comps in soft compound on the rear. I was intending them to be circuit rubber but I was also going to make my way down to Calder soon and was wondering how they would go as a drag tire... specifically what psi should I have in them and how long do I need to smoke them for to get the right amount of heat?

I know they are a relatively new tire so nobody may have specific experience with them but any comments/advice would be appreciated.

[R31Nismoid]

circuit tyres dont work at all well as drag tyres.

The sidewalls are hard, and have no flex.

You'd be better off on the street tyres, using 20-24psi in them which will give more traction that a hard walled semi that wont have much play at all.

[NickR33]

hmm okay thought that might be the case but was hoping as they were a soft compound the added grip would offset the stiff sidewall issue... cheers Ash you have saved me from ripping the crap out of my new semi comps!

[NickR33]

*new thread started for this problem*

[benm]

I would take 255/40/17 semi-slick tyres over regular street tyres any day they are practically the same price anyway.

[Robo's]

For traction the Semi comps will kill street tyres in a straight line. Its the soft compound R rubber that eats street tyres for breakfast

[NickR33]

well they have to be better than the Nankangs I just had on there... no grip but they can definately take some punishment!

[VHR32]

RT215 / RT615's are a street tyre not a semi, but have a stiffer sidewall than most road tyres. Their treadwear rating is 180-200.

Semi slick 'R' compound tyres eg Bridgestone RE55s, Toyo RA888, Yoko A032R are 60-80 treadwear.

The Falkens should grip better than most street tyres though.

Edited July 3, 2006 by VHR32

[Morgs]

Whilst I'm no drag racer, I have absolutely no doubt that semis will hook up better than your regular road tyres. My experiences on both (Bridgestones verus Azeni RT215 255/40/17) is that the car is all over the road on the bridgestones, and much more composed on the semis.

Only problem is you don't get an awful lot of KM out of them

[scathing]

I found the RT215s hooked up better than regular street tyres at the strip.

[2rismo]

Just my limited experience but;

Falken ZE326's (shittiest, cheapest POS street tyre ever)

vs.

Pirelli semi race tyre

vs.

Dunlop SP Supersport semi race tyre

=

No difference whatsoever.

[NickR33]

haha geez thanks for all agreeing guys... something to think about I guess... in answer to VHR32 they are definately an 'R' compound semi race tire but yes they have a treadwear rating of 200 which makes them the most streetable of the semis but also I would imagine slower ona track compared to RE55s etc... but thats why I am using them daily rather than keeping them in the shed (I only drive like 2kms to work and back)...

if anyone is interested they are lovely to drive on the street with, nice and quiet, great in the wet, they also tramline less than other tires I have had... only downside so far is they are worse in choppy side streets as they don't soak up the bumps as well but an okay trade off when you go round a corner and they don't try and roll onto the tires shoulder blah blah... anyway I am very happy, might even take a regular tired set to Calder and do a back to back comparison

[hrd-hr30]

There is nothing R compound about a tyre with a treadwear rating of 200! Falken have long been producing tyres that look like R compound tyres but aren't. A proper set of R coumpounds are night and day by comparison to the Falkens.

I have driven on Azenis RT215, Hankook Z2000, Yokohama A032R, Brigestone RE55S, Toyo RA01. The Azenis are not a true R compound tyre. They are only a marginal improvement over a normal street tyre. There is no real improvement in outright grip levels, but they are much more responsive and consistent due to the sidewall construction and larger treadblocks.

but if you want a tyes for the drags, why not get ones designed for that?

[Beer Baron]

yes you are right harry. I think people above are confusing a 'semi slick' with an R-compound (aka S-tyre). the falkens are most certainly a semi-slick. ie they have a semi slick style tread pattern which is completely different to a conventional road tyre. they also have stiff, square sidewalls. however they are not made from an R-compound rubber.

[NickR33]

I didn't get them for drags I got them as an everday/circuit tire... mate has been wanting to go to Calder recently and I was wondering if I should leave them on or trash and old set...

as for outright grip levels I would have to agree they are only marginally better than the Michelin Pilot sports (best tire I have had on to compare with) but as you have stated the feel and sidewall make for a much more predictable drive... I should really reserve judgement tho, as I haven't pushed them on a track yet

[NickR33]

yes you are right harry. I think people above are confusing a 'semi slick' with an R-compound (aka S-tyre). the falkens are most certainly a semi-slick. ie they have a semi slick style tread pattern which is completely different to a conventional road tyre. they also have stiff, square sidewalls. however they are not made from an R-compound rubber.

ah okay, I will cease to refer to them as R compound

[hrd-hr30]

personally, I wouldn't even call them semi slicks. People use the terms semi slick, R compound, etc interchangably when referring to soft compound competition tyres. Semi slick is about more than the tread pattern to most people - its about a tyre halfway between a street tyre and a slick, and that's more than just a flash race looking tread pattern - its about how they perform.

[benm]

Here is a super slow motion video (9,000 fps) of the effictiveness of proper drag tyres.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O0b90G8Yhg

[2rismo]

Here is a super slow motion video (1,000 fps) of the effictiveness of proper drag tyres.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O0b90G8Yhg

Edited.

That's the kewlest shit I've seen in a while!