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Originally Posted by Dean
I would expect ST-115s to be an OK to good autocross "Street Tire", but not great. The Azenis Sports are the "Street Tire" for Autocross classes requiring them, followed by the MXs, S0-3s, and other Max performance Summer tires. Of course other options exist for the DOT Race tire classes.
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I've got a set of Azenis ST-115
and Azenis Sports in 225/45/17. I race on the sports and drive on the street on the ST-115s. In direct comparison, the ST-115s can't hold a torch to the Sports for handling, and the Sports haven't got anything on the ST-115's for street/touring.
The Sports are pretty much a race tire.... very agressive compound, very stiff sidewalls, and a slick-like tread pattern that doesn't handle water all that well. The Sports are made with one thing in mind: tons of dry grip on smooth pavement... everything else is out the window. They're harsh, noisey and will wear out very quickly. My last set lasted for about 100 track miles and 15 autoX events. They would have lasted longer but I ran that 100 track miles with *way* too much toe-out on the car, and really scrubbed the bejesus out of 'em.
The ST-115's are *awesome* street tires. They're made with special "micro-bubbles" in the rubber to help absorbe noise. They've got huge water channels to give them great wet traction. However, they have soft side walls (part of what makes them so quiet) and the compound isn't that agressive. (I'd still consider them a "high performance" tire, and won't expect to get 100,000 miles out of 'em, but at the same time they've got plenty of grip for the street.) I don't know how they'd handle snow since I've got dedicated snow tires. Bottom line: the ST-115's are very quiet and smooth, seem like they'll last a long time, and have more than adiquate grip on the street and in the wet.
The best part of owning both of these tires: they're cheap! At about $100/tire (give or take) these tires will save you money compared to the equivalent tires made by other manufactureres. For example a set of Bridgestone S03's which handle on the track almost as good as the Sports, and just about as well behaved on the street as the ST-115s cost $80/tire *more*... and won't last nearly as long as a set of ST-115's for the street paired with some Sports for the track.
So if you're looking for a good "high performance" street tire, and are willing to give up on the ultimate traction you'd get from a "track/race" tire, I don't think you can go wrong with the ST-115's. For the price, you can't get a quieter, more comfortable tire that handles as well in the dry and the wet.
FYI: My roommate's got a set of these on his BMW in 235/45/17, I've got a set on my Prodrive P1's in 225/45/17, Matt's running some 235/45/18's on his STi and Khail's running 225/45/17's on his Suby too.