Jump to content

Tyre Query


SiriusProjects

Recommended Posts

Probably depends on how you drive / want to drive?

I had a set on my 370Z GT Edition and was happy enough but then I am a fairly conservative driver, don't push to the limits and am captain slow in the wet.

Have just put a new set on my 350Z - early days yet but appear fine to me.

 

There is obviously the argument that if you can afford a Nismo then you should fit the best tyres money can buy. But then I had a Mk2 Nismo with factory fit tyres and can't say I was that impressed with them. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I went to buy a second hand Nismo and it was sitting on Falkens I would be thinking that if the previous owner can't afford decent tyres then has he also skimped on proper servicing????

 

Also, the difference between Falkens and a premium tyre is night and day.

 

Do you really want to be constantly on edge with budget tyres or completely relaxed with a premium tyre?

 

If you go the budget route remember and inform your insurance.

 

Might be a plan to review your budget.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ran Falkens on the 350 and at the time thought they were great......

 

But then I found out on the 370 just how good a premium tyre - MPSS were in comparison - it was really night and day and that was also compared to the Bridgestones that were supplied new  on the 370. The reason I bought the 350's and the 370 are because they were (and still are) one of the best drivers cars, but to enjoy their full potential the most important factor are the tyres, period. 

 

OK, if you are not someone who likes to get the most out of their car then why buy a performance car in the first place? 

Edited by Ebized
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was in the same boat a year ago when I needed some new tyres for the 350. After some research and thought I decided to go with the Falken Azenis and I couldn't recommend them enough - I think they're a great tyre for much less money. I don't regret my decision at all, premium tyres would always be my preference if money was no option but on a budget, I think the Falkens are the best money can buy.

 

I was a bit conscious of having the cheaper mid range tyres at first but that worry soon went. Okay i don't absolutely rag the 350, but i do have a few 'spirited' drives and they certainly hold the car well. Id never throw it around in the wet so i couldn't comment on that but in the dry they're more than adequate in my opinion. One of my mates also runs them on his TTRS and he also speaks very highly of them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Ebized said:

 

 

OK, if you are not someone who likes to get the most out of their car then why buy a performance car in the first place? 

Guilty as charged. One reason I sold the RS3 and banked the cash instead. It's performance and road holding were way beyond my bravery levels : )

Now happy to potter around in my 350Z which is a GT car not a performance car - but looks great, sounds great (with my new exhaust) and is just one of those cars you fall in love with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, SiriusProjects said:

They may be for 1.8 diesel Astra's, but I am working to a budget and can't really afford to be that fussy.

In that case, why ask the question? If it's all you can afford then it's all you can afford, doesn't really matter if they're any good or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the comments.

 

For clarity, the reason I am on a budget is because I have had a little windfall, nothing fantastic, but enough that I can get a few things done on my car. Yes I would like premium tyres, but if I go down that route I won't have a lot left of my windfall to do much else. 

 

I did check out reviews online about the Falken tyres and there are a few sites that rate them 4 to 4.5 out of 5. On blackcircles.com someone with a 370z has rated them 4 out of 5. Okay, they probably aren't the best tyres in the world, but for my needs they are perfectly adequate. I don't rant my car, sure I like to give it a bit of a blast sometimes, who doesn't, but the way I drive paying out a lot more money for performance tyres would be more of a waste anyway.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would you prefer to believe the on line reviews that you refer to or the informed views of your fellow forum members?

 

Premium branded tyres are not classed as performance tyres.

 

There are loads of benefits of premium tyres,

 

To name a few:

 

Improved wet and dry performance.

Braking distance reduced.

Road noise reduced.

Less chance of delamination.

Improved mileage longevity.

 

Just gather all the facts and make your informed decision and choose the tyres which suit you best.

 

However, I think that you had your mind made up before you posted this topic, which makes this thread rather pointless.

 

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would say your decision boils down to what you want the car to be to you. As someone who is more performance minded than asthetics I would blow your money on the best tyres. They are the single most “performance” upgrade you can do for the money. If you care more looks or functionality and don’t intend to stretch the car than get the cheaper tyres and whatever else you have your eye on. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's your car and your hard earned money, do what you want. 

 

I'd love MPS4S but I can't afford them. I've kept the money to service my car with Horsham and maintain the schedule and to get the best service parts possible. 

 

Always remember you need to afford one extra tyre, god forbid you puncture it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tyres are one of those things where I find people's opinions are mostly useless*. You just get a bunch of biased views from people with minimal experience. It's not that anybody is wrong per se, they just haven't conducted sufficient testing to be in a position to give an informed recommendation.

 

It's the same with oil and fuel. People swear by a certain type, but have next to no experience of another, and certainly not in the manner of a controlled test. 

 

Personally, I leave it to the experts and make my own conclusions.

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2018-Auto-Bild-19-inch-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm

 

image.png.5183030e8c4eefbf8dc82202126a0e7f.png

 

image.png.5800ff52a1e230eca6f2e853a82586fe.png

 

image.png.819f0e844df79fea9f9a728a973d4e06.png

 

*Sidewall stiffness and feel would be the exception as they aren't heavily documented in tests, but that tends to be personal preference.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't want this coming across as a sob story, but I was going through a really hard time a few years back which led me to have to sell my 350Z GT4. Since then I've clawed my way back and have been saving a lot too. I still had to take out a bit of finance to get my 370Z Nismo, but to me it is my dream car and I love it. I haven't got a large pot of money and normally I'd have to save for a few months to be able to afford an upgrade of some kind. As It is, I've got this little windfall which is enabling me to get some things done. I'm also currently looking around for a company to refurb the wheels. 

 

I do get what everyone is saying and if you know me, you know I do take a lot of advice on board and have often made purchases based on recommendations from the forum. I wish I had a lot more money available, believe me, then sure I would be buying the best tyres going.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, SiriusProjects said:

I don't want this coming across as a sob story, but I was going through a really hard time a few years back which led me to have to sell my 350Z GT4. Since then I've clawed my way back and have been saving a lot too. I still had to take out a bit of finance to get my 370Z Nismo, but to me it is my dream car and I love it. I haven't got a large pot of money and normally I'd have to save for a few months to be able to afford an upgrade of some kind. As It is, I've got this little windfall which is enabling me to get some things done. I'm also currently looking around for a company to refurb the wheels. 

 

I do get what everyone is saying and if you know me, you know I do take a lot of advice on board and have often made purchases based on recommendations from the forum. I wish I had a lot more money available, believe me, then sure I would be buying the best tyres going.

Sorry but this story is ridiculous. It's like you're trying to go for sympathy when you have a 370z which is a much nicer car than most people can afford. Having come from very humble beginnings/upbringing, this statement really annoys me. Yes on this forum we all love cars, and that's why we choose to spend our time and money on them. But live within your means and budget realistically.

 

The fact is that you've asked for advice, why would you ask when you have no other options available. Also, if I went to see a 370z in the future and it had falkens on I would question how well its been looked after. Having had similar tyres to the falkens (kumhos) after following forum advice on an old BMW diesel (certainly not as performance orientated as a 350z), I would not repeat this. The difference compared to the michelin I had both before and after was night and day. I lost confidence in the cars ability and couldn't wait to switch back to performance tyres.

 

You have a performance car and you're asking on a forum for that car which tyres other members would recommend. I'm not sure what you were really expecting the answer to be.

 

Long story short, the falkens are definitely not going to kill you (unless you drive outside of their/your ability). However, they will definitely not be as enjoyable as a performance tyre (if you are a 'driver').

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although concerning reviews, depends on which site you look at, these two do not rate the Falkens above Michelin or the other performance brands for instance. 

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/91870/tyre-test-2018-results-by-category

https://www.evo.co.uk/features/18309/best-car-tyres-evo-performance-tyre-test/page/0/6

 

They seem to perform well in dry brake tests but drop way down the list into the other mid-budget tyre range for many other measures. I suspect the Auto Bild is something of an anomaly and shows the importance of looking at a number of tests as the weight of the car, set up, test environment etc will all have an effect on the results. I am also on a number of car forums and I haven't seen revelations that the Falken 510s are better or as good as Michelins or the like, I am sure if they were car enthusiasts would be all over them. 

 

Without wanting to jump on the bandwagon, I am surprised that you have borrowed heavily to buy a car then find yourself struggling to put what I think everyone would agree the MOST important thing on it, the bit that keeps you on the road. The Falkens will be fine, ditchfinders are the drivers that don't know their limits rather than the tyres, but you have borrowed money to get a performance car which by getting mid-range tyres means you cannot actually use the performance you have paid a big premium for - it seems like you should have possibly saved yourself £10k and got a standard one and enjoyed the car without the pressure of the financial outlays?

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And just to be the boring sensible one, given how the MPSS lasted and how my current MPS4 are lasting, it actually works out cheaper to buy the performance tyres as they wear much less than the cheaper ones. The extra grip/feel is just an added bonus ;) 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, coldel said:

ditchfinders are the drivers that don't know their limits rather than the tyres

^^^ This

 

I have to say i have never known a car forum for such a hysteria around tyres and if you choose anything but Michelin you are going to end up in a ditch/field on the roof and on fire :lol: of course they have their merits and advantages i am definitely not saying all are equal before anyone gets excited.

 

I had Nankang NS2R's on my supercharged 350 (preferred to spend the money on sticky track tyres were it was warranted) and i am here to tell the tale, i never suffered with lack of grip so long as they were warmed up and wet grip was adequate enough to quite comfortably travel at the speed limit on pretty much any road and they were predictable enough to let you know you were reaching the limit without anything untoward happening.

 

I would bet my left nut 96.5% of people on here wouldnt know what was underneath them if they got into the car on the road without looking :thumbs:

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, Jetpilot said:

^^^ This

 

I have to say i have never known a car forum for such a hysteria around tyres and if you choose anything but Michelin you are going to end up in a ditch/field on the roof and on fire :lol: of course they have their merits and advantages i am definitely not saying all are equal before anyone gets excited.

 

I had Nankang NS2R's on my supercharged 350 (preferred to spend the money on sticky track tyres were it was warranted) and i am here to tell the tale, i never suffered with lack of grip so long as they were warmed up and wet grip was adequate enough to quite comfortably travel at the speed limit on pretty much any road and they were predictable enough to let you know you were reaching the limit without anything untoward happening.

 

I would bet my left nut 96.5% of people on here wouldnt know what was underneath them if they got into the car on the road without looking :thumbs:

Couldn't agree more.

 

I've done 3 track day on Falken FK510s now and cannot fault them at all. Plenty of grip, progressive when you are on the limit, can take the heat involved very well, good straight line braking especially with a bit of heat in them and VERY VERY good in the wet. great value for money. Dont get me wrong their are better out there but its very subjective (car, usage and driver dependent). I think people can judge based on some of the other Falken tyres about which I've also used and are a bit poo when pushing on with them but are perfectly safe.

 

I've also run Michelins previously and although they are great in all conditions, they outer shoulders are just too soft for me and they wear out in no time which makes the price tag hard to swallow. I'm going to go for AD08R's next for this very reason, though as I've now got a POS daily for winter/bad conditions. 

 

This is of course just my 2p worth, but having experience with both the falkens and michelins (amongst many others) on road and track i thought I'd let you know what i think

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...