The Best Choice RT660?

[Rexracer]

Tire warmers (electric heaters) are not allowed in AX. You can do blankets to hold in the heat, but you cant heat them.

And after 1st runs you should be fine, its doing your 1st run on cold tires then driving the next run as if that previous run never happened. This is how Rivals are no matter how hot it is.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Factory re050a tires are sub-200tw so that should answer your question.

True, but their 140 tread wear rating makes the current crop of '200' tread wear gumballs more like a 50 to 80 tread wear full race slick medium compound, by comparison. LOL

 

[Dpro]

I raced in chilly temps this weekend and you definitely will need a co driver or tire warmers if you want RT660s to perform in ~50F or below

Heh I experienced that with the RS Pro’s. I will speak up for the RT660’s they have incredible grip

 

[CSM]

Tire warmers (electric heaters) are not allowed in AX. You can do blankets to hold in the heat, but you cant heat them.

And after 1st runs you should be fine, its doing your 1st run on cold tires then driving the next run as if that previous run never happened. This is how Rivals are no matter how hot it is.

Yeah I changed my wording around. I meant blankets but it was late and I was tired and not thinking.

But we had 7 cars in SSC Sunday and we are all pretty close in skills. The folks using blankets definitely had an advantage in the AM runs for their first 2 of 3

 

[Rexracer]

Yeah I changed my wording around. I meant blankets but it was late and I was tired and not thinking.

But we had 7 cars in SSC Sunday and we are all pretty close in skills. The folks using blankets definitely had an advantage in the AM runs for their first 2 of 3

Ah yeah, our first/last events of the year are almost always sub 50s and often raining, so blankets are standard.. Ryan Otis just gets a roll of the reflective insulator bubble wrap, and goes around the whole car. That locks in some of the engine/exhaust heat as well.

 

[faust]

had my first weekend of events on the RT660s, and was wondering why they don't seem any grippier than the ECSs I ran last year. Maybe temps in the 40s, overcast, and windy explains some of it.

 

[Rexracer]

Under 60 deg ambient is sub optimal.

 

[Capri to ST]

Under 60 deg ambient is sub optimal.

How low can the temperature be to safely allow aggressive street driving on those tires?

 

[Rexracer]

Falken Azenis RT660 (tirerack.com)
Note: Tires exposed to temperatures of 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C) or lower must be permitted to gradually return to temperatures of at least 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) for at least 24 hours before they are flexed in any manner, such as by adjusting inflation pressures, mounting them on wheels, or using them to support, roll or drive a vehicle.

Sounds like they wont "break" under 40 deg.

 

[Pablo Pistoffo]

Falken Azenis RT660 (tirerack.com)
Note: Tires exposed to temperatures of 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C) or lower must be permitted to gradually return to temperatures of at least 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) for at least 24 hours before they are flexed in any manner, such as by adjusting inflation pressures, mounting them on wheels, or using them to support, roll or drive a vehicle.

Sounds like they wont "break" under 40 deg.

Falken recommends that you don't expose them to freezing temps.
It was 36° when I left for the event on Sunday, but I had been garage parked over night, didn't die. YMMV

edit: added screen grab

 

[Capri to ST]

Falken recommends that you don't expose them to freezing temps.
It was 36° when I left for the event on Sunday, but I had been garage parked over night, didn't die. YMMV
View attachment 40134
edit: added screen grab

That screen grab you posted was interesting, where is that from? Here in North Carolina it doesn't snow enough to justify getting winter tires. The few times it does snow I just stay off the road, so what I do is get summer tires and use them year round, I just drive them carefully when it gets below about 45. Clearly the RT660 would not work for me as a year-round tire. I have gone through a couple winters here with the OEM Potenza RE050As, and a couple more with the Firehawk Indy 500s that I replaced them with with no problems with the tires cracking from the cold.

 

[Pablo Pistoffo]

That screen grab you posted was interesting, where is that from? Here in North Carolina it doesn't snow enough justify getting winter tires. The few times it does snow I just stay off the road, so what I do is get summer tires and use them year round, I just drive them carefully when it gets below about 45. Clearly the RT660 would not work for me as a year-round tire. I have gone through a couple winters here with the OEM Potenza RE050As, and a couple more with the Firehawk Indy 500s that I replaced them with with no problems with the tires cracking from the cold.

I just got it from Falken's RT660 page: https://www.falkentire.com/azenis/r...cHyxsbXWXlApZ2k2oJcm5nY5dR9ZcArRoCxA4QAvD_BwE

 

[Capri to ST]

I just got it from Falken's RT660 page: https://www.falkentire.com/azenis/r...cHyxsbXWXlApZ2k2oJcm5nY5dR9ZcArRoCxA4QAvD_BwE

Thanks, I had looked on there once and not seen it but I see it now. I'm getting close to new tires and this helps me in my decision.

 

[SteveS]

You can look in your owner's manual for a discussion of how summer tires are to be handled in cold weather. The OEM Bridgestones have the same warning. The tread cracking happens when the cold tire is forced to flex. This happens below 32 degrees F. In fact, it's at 20 degrees, as Tire Rack says. IF they are exposed to temperatures that low, you can't just wait until it's above 20 degrees to start driving. They have to be warmed up more, above 40 degrees first to decrystallize the compounds in the tread rubber.

That said, there will be temperatures below which traction will suffer, even though the tread is not in danger of cracking. Look at the trouble Formula 1 has had in their early, cold temperature races.

 

[Capri to ST]

You can look in your owner's manual for a discussion of how summer tires are to be handled in cold weather. The OEM Bridgestones have the same warning. The tread cracking happens when the cold tire is forced to flex. This happens below 32 degrees F. In fact, it's at 20 degrees, as Tire Rack says. IF they are exposed to temperatures that low, you can't just wait until it's above 20 degrees to start driving. They have to be warmed up more, above 40 degrees first to decrystallize the compounds in the tread rubber.

That said, there will be temperatures below which traction will suffer, even though the tread is not in danger of cracking. Look at the trouble Formula 1 has had in their early, cold temperature races.

Thanks for the heads up, I will look at that.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Look at the trouble Formula 1 has had in their early, cold temperature races.

And that's even with them fully being allowed to use very hot tire warmers, AND having a 'weaving' warm up lap before the starts.

 

[CSM]

lol. I mean, first race of the season, car was parked outside in 15F weather, drove 90 min to pittsburgh in 15-20F weather, warmed up to 40-50 for the day, and I got 6 runs in at the warmer temps. That was a few weeks back and my tires are fine.