Tire Replacements
 

I am currently in the process of buying new tires for my car, and I was just looking for reliable information (reviews/ratings) of the different tires out there. I bought a used car a little while ago, and it came with Falken Ziex 512 - 205/45ZR17 W88 tires. One of the tires has burst, so I am looking for a replacement tire, if not a whole set.

I have looked through a few websites, but some don't have the Falken brand or they don't really offer much of a review.

If anybody also has experience with Falken 512 tires please feel free to comment on your experience with them.

You're probably gonna need to replace all 4 - if one burst (unless it's 'cause you ran over something) then they're all probably old. At the VERY least replace the bad tire and the one on the opposite side of the car - otherwise you can have serious traction issues that can cause wrecks.

As to what tire you want, it all depends on the mission of your car. Are you looking for the ultimate in cornering ability in a street legal tire? (Falken Azenis) Are you looking for almost as good in the corners without sacrificing wet performance (Yokohama AVS ES100) or are you looking for a tire with good grip, but that will last kinda long? (Yokohama AVID).

The 512's you asked about have gotten good reviews, but you need to keep in mind that it's an all season tire. That means it delivers OK performance no matter what the weather, and that's why I don't have any personal experience with them - I run summer and winter tires. You won't get stunning grip out of 'em, and you won't get stunning snow handling out of 'em, but as an all around tire it seems pretty good.

Go to tirerack.com. They will have user ratings for every tire they carry (just about everything) for your vehicle, and will have the one's you choose for cheaper then anyone...even dropped shipped to an installer near you, plus you probably won't pay tax.

If nothing else the user ratings are great for sizing up what your looking for.

-bear

What kind of car are we talking about?

What weather does it get driven in?

Highway miles, in town, are you an aggressive driver, etc?


All of those are important factors in considering any tire. :)

Falkien is a decent cheap tire but pretty unremarkable. I agree w/ the first respondant in that at a minimum, you should replace two tires. If you have the means to do all four, I've heard very good things in terms of performance about the Kumho MX.

Actually, the Falken Ziex ZE-512 is a price/performance leader. Some reviews complain about ride harshness and/or wet traction, but most people who own the tires swear by them.

Whether you buy the same tires depends on your intended use.

Whether you replace two or four depends upon the car, and the condition of the other tires.

I drive a 2001 Honda Civic LX and live in Orange County, CA. In that sense, there isn't too much to worry about weather/road wise. I mostly drive on the highway and I do make five or six trips a year to the Berkeley/San Francisco area each year, but that's really about it. I consider myself a safe driver with aggressive tendencies.

I guess one of the problems is that I'm not sure how long the Falken tires have been on my car. Since I got the car used, I really don't know the mileage of the Falken tires, the car only had 24,000 miles when I got it and it's at 35,000 now. The worst case scenario is that the tires are 34,990 miles old, but then I think I would have noticed it while driving.

Thanks for all the responses.

tirerack.com is THE place to shopfor tires, IMO.

I buy all of my tires from there.

michelin = best tire on the market

but usually a little more expensive

No reason to get the Falkens for a Civic, IMO. Nothing against the Civic, but it's not a sports car, and I would only put those tires on a sports car. Get a nice Yokohama touring tire, or similar. On a stock Civic, you can spend about $400 or less for a set, and get 80,000 mile tires. You may never have to buy tires for that car again.

I also think it's a waste of money to buy tires online. It's great for doing research, but shipping fees almost always offset any potential savings. Then you have to get the tires mounted and balanced, and installed. The last set of tires I bought, i saved quite a bit by buying locally, rather than buying from tirerack.com or similar places.

YMMV.

Well, look at the size; he's obviously got some kind of aftermarket wheels on the car. I don't think he'll find anything really cheap for it.

Good point.

[to the thread starter] Get a set of OEM wheels, or wheels in the OEM size. Really, it's a Civic. It's a great car, but unless it's been modified to have some real teeth, it's not a sports car.

I visit / recomend this site to people I know who are looking to buy tires .... Here ya go!!


http://www.safercars.gov/Tires/pages/TireRatings.cfm

tires are the only thing connecting the car to the road. its one of the most important parts on a car. if you want falkens, then go ahead and get falkens. the 512 is an outstanding tire. you wont find many complaints about it.
and when talking about buying online, it depends where you're shopping.
i bought my last set of tires online for $450 shipped from tirerack.com (Bridgestone Fuzions 225/45/17 -including roadhazard insurance). then got them mounted and balanced locally for $35.
so i spent less than $500 for a decent set of tires.
i got them mainly because of the price.
i had Goodyear Eagle GSD's before these. the fuzions aren't as good but its hell of alot cheaper.