that was some funny shit...

cool story, i was getting concerned for you man...lol, never heared any other version...
RE01R seem to be better than azenis, i may try them in the spring when azenis are done, otherwise, azenis and use sense in the rain, but they do suck when its wet

Forgot about the RE-01...its a monster hybrid tire of amazing performance and lasting durability.

thats funny, azenis for the win

Cost a factor? Is the Miata a daily driver? Where are you located so we know what weather to factor in?

Cost and weather aren't issues - RE-01
Cost is but weather isn't issue - Azenis
Cost and weather are issues - RS2
Cost and weather are BIG issues - khumho spt above freezing/ Ast below

I've tried a bunch of street tires since my affair with the RT-215s, before the RT-615 existed. ES100 had a much longer life but nowhere near as much grip, and these Kumho SPTs are less grippy than the Yoks. The Kumho MX was a great tire that a friend used, but probably not quite as nice as the Azenis.

Cars tend to give better returns than women as far as time investment goes, IMO. Money too.

Poo on the RS-2. They wear fast, melt on a road course (unless you drive like a pussy), and have a sloppy sidewall, and are bouncy on coilovers. They are sticky, and have a great wet pavement reputation, but meh on them.

As far as I'm concerned, it's all about the Kumho Ecsta MX.
- Great grip. Not as good as Azenis, supposedly not as good as RS-2, and not as good as the more expensive Advans and RE01, but still definitely in the "great" category. Certainly better than anything in the T1R/ES100 spectrum
- Great wear. My STI has had agressive camber and screwed up toe for like 5000 miles since I put them on. They're barely showing wear at all, with no signs of tearing off the inside shoulder or anything.
- Cheap. This means they have exceptional bang for the buck.
- Heat Tolerance. They won't melt when you take them on a road course (I haven't verified this personally, but they are the street tire of choice for the Subie track event community, and subies are heavy)
- Good sidewall, at least compared to the RS2.
- Quieter than RE070s.
- Wide. For a given size, they're pretty wide and look really aggressive.

-Mike

I've had a set of them in the 195/15 on the car for a couple of months now, and so far they're fantastic. Definitely going to wear faster than the old T1S, but for the grip (whether stone cold or boiling hot) they're fantastic.

RE-01R FTW!