For sports cars and performance vehicles that put in time on the track for time trials, autocross, drifting competitions, and other events, there’s no substitute for a specialty competition tire. Ultra-high-performance and summer tires deliver crisp steering response, short braking distances, and precise cornering, but they just about always fall short of what a competition tire is capable of on race day. The best kind of competition tire, of course, is one that’s DOT approved for street use so you can at least get to the track and back home with it, rather than having to trailer your car to the event.

Today we’re going to look at the Azenis RT660 from Falken, a race-inspired competition tire that’s designed for enthusiasts with peak performance in mind. It’s the kind of tire that’ll unlock your sports car’s true potential and give you what you need to shave valuable fractions of a second from your lap times. Let’s go in and get a closer look at this Falken Azenis RT660 tire review:

Features and Benefits

Here are some of the innovations and design features that make the Falken Azenis RT660 such a strong performer:

• DOT approved for street use, eliminating the need for tire changes or trailering your vehicle back and forth to the track
• Extra-rigid carcass construction enhances stability, cornering, and steering response
• Soft, extra-sticky tread compound with 4D nano design and silica enhancement delivers excellent grip and keeps the vehicle planted on the road for short braking distances and responsive handling
• Directional racing tread is designed for exceptional traction and helps to even out tire wear by simplifying tire rotations
• Reinforced sidewall is designed to resist tread squirm and deformation
• Upgraded carcass construction provides excellent stability and steering response
• Continuous center rib and optimized footprint are designed to put more rubber on the road for improved handling, braking performance

Pros and Cons

PROS:

• Handling and braking performance are unmatched
• Directional tread aids in tire rotations
• Resists tread deformation and squirm
• DOT approved for street use

CONS:

• Ride quality is firm
• No limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty coverage
• Summer tire compound – not for use when temperatures are below 40-45 degrees F

SimpleTire’s view on Falken Azenis RT660 tires

On race day, tires matter and they matter a lot. A tire that gives up even a little bit of performance can make all the difference at the end of a lap, and all the performance your car is designed for will mean little if you don’t have a consistent way to get that power, torque and handling to the pavement. A drag racing tire just has to go in a straight line for a quarter-mile at a time, but a performance tire like the Azenis RT660 from Falken has to do all of that along with focusing on lateral grip and braking.

With the Azenis RT660, Falken has upgraded their proven RT615 and RT615K+ designs with a revamped tread compound and a couple of other tweaks. One of the upgrades to the RT660 is a 25 percent boost in torsional rigidity; that’s absolutely crucial to getting your steering inputs quickly transmitted to the pavement and also helps with overall handling by evening out the cornering forces of the front and rear axles due to differences in vertical loads.

The wider profile and fatter footprint of the Azenis RT660 puts more rubber in contact with the road which, along with a modified tread pattern, makes a big difference in steering response and braking performance. Along with that newer, softer tread compound, this all pays off with faster turn-in speeds and overall handling accuracy and predictability, which makes a huge difference in events like gymkhanas, slaloms, and autocross.

No, the Falken Azenis RT660 doesn’t have a limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty (did you expect it to?), and yes, the Azenis does have a pretty firm ride. After all, this isn’t the kind of tire you put on your minivan or Buick crossover to get back and forth to work. And yes, like summer or UHP tires, the Azenis RT660 uses a softer, stickier tread formulation that keeps it glued to the road on hot days, but it will stiffen up and dangerously lose traction when it’s colder outside. Like a summer or UHP tire, the Falken Azenis RT660 shouldn’t be used when temperatures are below 40-45 degrees F. But if you really need a tire that’s inspired by motorsports designs and can get you the all-out performance you need at the track, the Falken Azenis RT660 is a great candidate for that job.

Vehicles the Falken Azenis RT660 is a good replacement tire for

The Falken Azenis RT660 would be a great aftermarket performance tire for vehicles like:

• BMW M2
• Ford Mustang
• Chevrolet Corvette
• Chevrolet Camaro
• Toyota GR Supra
• BMW 8
• Audi RS-5
• Lexus LC
• Nissan GT-R
• Porsche Cayman
• Porsche 911
• Dodge Challenger
• Dodge Charger
• Toyota GR86
• Audi TT
• Subaru BRZ
• Subaru WRX
• Aston-Martin DBS
• Mercedes-Benz LS-class
• Cadillac CT4-V
• Hyundai Elantra N
• Maserati Ghibli
• Porsche Panamera
• Audi e-Tron GT