While I was away for a week of work, the Falken Azenis RT-615's showed up along with the Mazdaspeed Springs (for the V-6 Sedan). First of all, the lowering of the car is near perfect for me. The rake is all but gone with the rear wheel gap being a little tighter than the front. Accross the centerline of the wheel, from ground to the arch, the rear measures just about 26" with the front measuring 26 1/2". I don't know if the springs will settle a little or not, we'll see. As far as fitment, they're great and easy to install. For a first timer, the total job took only 2 hours with most of the time consisting of me fighting with my spring compressor. The rear may drop a little more than intended due to the added weight back there, but it's fine by me.
The wheels and tires look great and are very easy to wash, not why I got them, but a major plus. I went to an autocross today and washed the car when I got home, nice and easy with a 1/3 of the spokes and a whole lot more room between them. They look great and fit the 235-40 tires with room to spare. I'm already thinking about 245-40's for the next set.
The moment of truth, how does this stuff work at the track? Obviously I can't race myself before and after at an SCCA autocross that changes every weekend. But my impression is that there's a marked improvement in grip from the tires and the body roll is kept in check by the springs. My times were good although I think I lost my class to a modified and well driven M3. When it comes to autocrossing, my only regret would be not purchasing a true competition tire. The Azenis tires are great all-rounders and will serve me well on the track, but they're not really race tires. After the first 3 laps, the front left started getting hot and giving up early in the turns. They will, however, take me to the track (60 miles), around the track, and home again. Let's see a competition tire do that for 10 weekends a year!!!
As far as the rear fenders are concerned, I did NOT roll them and even with the agressive track driving, I never rubbed at all. Frankly, it looks like the tires would rub if the suspension were compressed enough, but it didn't under dynamic load.
[attachmentid=15848][attachmentid=15847][attachmentid=15849]
The wheels and tires look great and are very easy to wash, not why I got them, but a major plus. I went to an autocross today and washed the car when I got home, nice and easy with a 1/3 of the spokes and a whole lot more room between them. They look great and fit the 235-40 tires with room to spare. I'm already thinking about 245-40's for the next set.
The moment of truth, how does this stuff work at the track? Obviously I can't race myself before and after at an SCCA autocross that changes every weekend. But my impression is that there's a marked improvement in grip from the tires and the body roll is kept in check by the springs. My times were good although I think I lost my class to a modified and well driven M3. When it comes to autocrossing, my only regret would be not purchasing a true competition tire. The Azenis tires are great all-rounders and will serve me well on the track, but they're not really race tires. After the first 3 laps, the front left started getting hot and giving up early in the turns. They will, however, take me to the track (60 miles), around the track, and home again. Let's see a competition tire do that for 10 weekends a year!!!
As far as the rear fenders are concerned, I did NOT roll them and even with the agressive track driving, I never rubbed at all. Frankly, it looks like the tires would rub if the suspension were compressed enough, but it didn't under dynamic load.
[attachmentid=15848][attachmentid=15847][attachmentid=15849]