a good winter tire
10-11-2005, 09:37 AM
#2
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Falken Ziex-512 All Season
Hey, not sure if you want specifically a winter tire, or an all-season performance tire. I just had the Falken Ziex-512 (215/50R17 91V) from April 04 to now (Oct 05), and it was great in the winter and rain. Not much you can do about ice, but I never had a problem. I drive in the DC area, which gets ice from time to time, as well as drive to central PA (Johnstown, Altoona, State College) and the tires were excellent in the snow and slush there.
The only problem I had with the Ziex were the outer tread wear. NTB said it was out of alignment, but when I got the alignment printout, it really wasn't that far off. Also, I just got it aligned 6 months ago. I read on another post here (I think) that the rubber on the outer tread was softer on the Falkens than inside. Maybe that's true. So maybe keep them inflated to 34 or 35 psi rather than the 32psi minimum. They max out at 51psi, so you'll still be fine.
I'm switching right now to Yokohama AS430 (Tire Kingdom-only model), which is pretty much the same as the AVID V4S (http://www.yokohamatire.com/TireFeatures.asp?TireID=48). I got NTB to give them to me for the Falken price (109.99) rather than the 125.99 listed price. You can get the AVID V4S on TireRack for about 110 after shipping, so that helped push the deal through. Also, I got NTB to do the basic install (10.99/tire) rather than the "performance tire" install (17.99/tire) because that's what they did for my Falkens. The manager said it's fine anyway cause the AS430's aren't that hard to install anyway, compared to the next series up (or down, not sure).
Finally, I got them to throw in 4 new chrome valve stems for free.
Final cost was $483.92 (before tax and disposal fees) compared to original $575.92. I couldn't pass that up, especially since the Yokohamas have a 60,000 mile warranty, and the Falkens supposedly don't have a tread warranty (NTB has given mixed information on that though).
Good luck. Hope that info helped!
Oh yeah, the NTB tire guy (his professional opinion) said that Michelins and Goodyears are overpriced junk. I can't say that's NTB's official stance, since they sell those brands, but I agree with this guy. The original Michelin MXM4 were HORRIBLE! Flimsy sidewall (2 bubbles), soft tread (only got 20k miles), and no traction in rain or snow (or even dry ground!).
The only problem I had with the Ziex were the outer tread wear. NTB said it was out of alignment, but when I got the alignment printout, it really wasn't that far off. Also, I just got it aligned 6 months ago. I read on another post here (I think) that the rubber on the outer tread was softer on the Falkens than inside. Maybe that's true. So maybe keep them inflated to 34 or 35 psi rather than the 32psi minimum. They max out at 51psi, so you'll still be fine.
I'm switching right now to Yokohama AS430 (Tire Kingdom-only model), which is pretty much the same as the AVID V4S (http://www.yokohamatire.com/TireFeatures.asp?TireID=48). I got NTB to give them to me for the Falken price (109.99) rather than the 125.99 listed price. You can get the AVID V4S on TireRack for about 110 after shipping, so that helped push the deal through. Also, I got NTB to do the basic install (10.99/tire) rather than the "performance tire" install (17.99/tire) because that's what they did for my Falkens. The manager said it's fine anyway cause the AS430's aren't that hard to install anyway, compared to the next series up (or down, not sure).
Finally, I got them to throw in 4 new chrome valve stems for free.
Final cost was $483.92 (before tax and disposal fees) compared to original $575.92. I couldn't pass that up, especially since the Yokohamas have a 60,000 mile warranty, and the Falkens supposedly don't have a tread warranty (NTB has given mixed information on that though).
Good luck. Hope that info helped!
Oh yeah, the NTB tire guy (his professional opinion) said that Michelins and Goodyears are overpriced junk. I can't say that's NTB's official stance, since they sell those brands, but I agree with this guy. The original Michelin MXM4 were HORRIBLE! Flimsy sidewall (2 bubbles), soft tread (only got 20k miles), and no traction in rain or snow (or even dry ground!).
10-11-2005, 01:42 PM
#3
Senior Moderator
Do you want a dedicated Winter tire or a allseason. The best winter tire i have driven (which has been most of them) is the Dunlop wintersport M3. the Nokian is a great tire also
Read this thread.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98283
and visit the tirerack. look at the winter tires and reviews.
Read this thread.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98283
and visit the tirerack. look at the winter tires and reviews.
10-11-2005, 09:36 PM
#4
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Falken Ziex-512
Just a followup to my post. I talked to some pretty knowledgeable guys at NTB (used to be Merchants until last week). Turns out Acura recommends an alignment slightly on the negative scale, which allows for more grip, but causes faster interior tread wear.
The normal alignment you think of looks like this (tires and axle):
|---|
but, the alignment Acura recommends looks a little more like this (not nearly as slanted, but I don't have much to work with):
/---\
This alignment gives the tires more grip area, bit as you can see, it will wear the interior tread much faster than the rest of the tread. So maybe it wasn't the Falken's problem after all.
Either way, I got my Yokohama AS430s tonight. Thank goodness because I couldn't wait to get the 2 spare Michelins back off! The Yokos don't look as sporty and cool on the car as the Falkens, but they're definitely a quieter ride.
I also got my front rotors machined. I'm still on the original rotors at 88000 miles on my 2002 TL-S. The brake guy was amazed, but I explained it's 90% highway miles, and I'm pretty conscious of my brake usage. Heck, I've only replaced the brake pads once, and they still have 1/3 left! I also still have a good chunk of my rotors left.
Lastly, I got my brake fluid replaced. After reading the brake posts on this site, I decided I should go for the drain. It cost $80 for the machining (front axle rotors only) and $60 for the brake fluid flush. I know I probably could have gotten it a little cheaper, but hey, I had the tires off at the same time.
Sorry, that was more than my
but maybe some of the extras will help you.
The normal alignment you think of looks like this (tires and axle):
|---|
but, the alignment Acura recommends looks a little more like this (not nearly as slanted, but I don't have much to work with):
/---\
This alignment gives the tires more grip area, bit as you can see, it will wear the interior tread much faster than the rest of the tread. So maybe it wasn't the Falken's problem after all.
Either way, I got my Yokohama AS430s tonight. Thank goodness because I couldn't wait to get the 2 spare Michelins back off! The Yokos don't look as sporty and cool on the car as the Falkens, but they're definitely a quieter ride.
I also got my front rotors machined. I'm still on the original rotors at 88000 miles on my 2002 TL-S. The brake guy was amazed, but I explained it's 90% highway miles, and I'm pretty conscious of my brake usage. Heck, I've only replaced the brake pads once, and they still have 1/3 left! I also still have a good chunk of my rotors left.
Lastly, I got my brake fluid replaced. After reading the brake posts on this site, I decided I should go for the drain. It cost $80 for the machining (front axle rotors only) and $60 for the brake fluid flush. I know I probably could have gotten it a little cheaper, but hey, I had the tires off at the same time.
Sorry, that was more than my
but maybe some of the extras will help you.
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