Falken Zeix Ze-512 Review
05-07-2004, 03:25 AM
#42
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: state of confusion
Posts: 1,341
Originally Posted by RaTgoesMaX
There aren`t many available for the 04`s either in a 245/45-18 .
It looks like Falken has stepped up to the plate again with their ZE-512 series, with that size already posted on Vulcantire's site with late May availablility given. As are a couple of 255/xx-18 sizes . . .
. . . but I'll bet money that the 255's will be half an inch or so out of spec on the OE 18" rims just like the 235/45's are on the 17 x 7's. [/rant]
Norm
05-07-2004, 04:23 AM
#43
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Join Date: Jul 2001
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Back to topic . . .
I've got a few thousand miles on the 225/50-17's, so I've got a better basis for opinion now. Here goes:
Dry: Grip is quite good, and they are predictable. Turn-in could be sharper (one of my other cars currently wears 225-width tires on 8.5" wide rims, so I'm used to a somewhat more extreme tire:wheel combination). But it's entirely adequate for any street driving. On the highway I think the car moves around a little more in the vortices shed off 18-wheelers with these tires. I can't blame that all on the tires, however, as I was driving solo with stuff in the trunk when I first noticed this, and the rear springs have settled slightly (read: I'm running with a little positive rake, so more air was probably getting underneath the car and lightening the front tire load).
Wet: Again, good grip and predictability. Hydroplaning is still possible, of course, but it comes at a substantially higher speed and/or water depth than it did with 35kmile RE-92's. It's nice to have your driving limited by visibility instead of grip.
Snow: They will handle at least a little snow; I've driven in up to four or maybe five inches without undue difficulty. They're not as good as dedicated snow tires, but handle this acceptably well for a tire that's billed first as 'performance' and then 'all-season'. Hint: when braking under these conditions, try to stay just barely out of anti-lock.
Ice, crowned road, and crosswind: Scary. But no more so than with anything short of studded snow tires or chains.
Wear is quite even all around, though the fronts are wearing a little faster (haven't rotated them yet). Based on something like 4000 miles, I expect life in the high 20k's if I don't rotate, low 30k's assuming that I do. Which is as much as I ever expect from a set of tires, BTW
Norm
Dry: Grip is quite good, and they are predictable. Turn-in could be sharper (one of my other cars currently wears 225-width tires on 8.5" wide rims, so I'm used to a somewhat more extreme tire:wheel combination). But it's entirely adequate for any street driving. On the highway I think the car moves around a little more in the vortices shed off 18-wheelers with these tires. I can't blame that all on the tires, however, as I was driving solo with stuff in the trunk when I first noticed this, and the rear springs have settled slightly (read: I'm running with a little positive rake, so more air was probably getting underneath the car and lightening the front tire load).
Wet: Again, good grip and predictability. Hydroplaning is still possible, of course, but it comes at a substantially higher speed and/or water depth than it did with 35kmile RE-92's. It's nice to have your driving limited by visibility instead of grip.
Snow: They will handle at least a little snow; I've driven in up to four or maybe five inches without undue difficulty. They're not as good as dedicated snow tires, but handle this acceptably well for a tire that's billed first as 'performance' and then 'all-season'. Hint: when braking under these conditions, try to stay just barely out of anti-lock.
Ice, crowned road, and crosswind: Scary. But no more so than with anything short of studded snow tires or chains.
Wear is quite even all around, though the fronts are wearing a little faster (haven't rotated them yet). Based on something like 4000 miles, I expect life in the high 20k's if I don't rotate, low 30k's assuming that I do. Which is as much as I ever expect from a set of tires, BTW
Norm
05-08-2004, 07:36 AM
#44
Just ordered 4 512's at sears. They match any price and give you 10% on top of the match. I showed them discount tires 106 shipped price and they gave me the tires at $94 each (225/50/17) mounted balanced and 12.90 a tire road hazard came to total of $542. Takes them like 3-4 days to get them. They have to be better than the craptenza 92's. Those were scary in the wet.
06-23-2004, 09:22 AM
#48
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 10
Originally Posted by RaTgoesMaX
Have you any experience with Falken Azenis ST-115 Z rated.
I am looking at this tire and a Yokohama AVS ES100. There is some write up on the Yoko`s but nothing on the Falkens. Any thoughts would be appreciated..
I am looking at this tire and a Yokohama AVS ES100. There is some write up on the Yoko`s but nothing on the Falkens. Any thoughts would be appreciated..
DON'T by the Yoko's the noise they generate is like being in a four-wheel
drive with Muddin Tires. I have 245/17s on my 2003 Max with 18000 miles
and they are just absolutely noisey. They handle great dry and only ok in
the rain.. BTW I live in florida so I don't know how they are in the snow.
06-24-2004, 03:01 AM
#49
Member
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 70
I tried to find the Zeis and Sears, but they were out of stock, and said it would be a 2 to 3 mo. wait from Falken. i have had bad luck lately with picking up nails in sidewalls and was concerned that if I damaged one of the tires, I would have to wait months for a replacement. Ended up buying the Pilots at Costco, and used their coupon for $80 off 4 tires.
06-25-2004, 09:30 AM
#51
Donating Maxima.org Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 149
================================================== =========
Quote:
Snow: They will handle at least a little snow; I've driven in up to four or maybe five inches without undue difficulty. They're not as good as dedicated snow tires, but handle this acceptably well for a tire that's billed first as 'performance' and then 'all-season'. Hint: when braking under these conditions, try to stay just barely out of anti-lock.
================================================== =========
This is a good opinion to read here! I've been considering these tires as well, and need a good 4 season tire in Colorado.
As far as the advice on braking...that's good advice regardless of whatever tire you're running. I figure if the anti-lock has to kick in, I've probably pushed things a little too far over the edge for conditions... ;o)
Quote:
Snow: They will handle at least a little snow; I've driven in up to four or maybe five inches without undue difficulty. They're not as good as dedicated snow tires, but handle this acceptably well for a tire that's billed first as 'performance' and then 'all-season'. Hint: when braking under these conditions, try to stay just barely out of anti-lock.
================================================== =========
This is a good opinion to read here! I've been considering these tires as well, and need a good 4 season tire in Colorado.
As far as the advice on braking...that's good advice regardless of whatever tire you're running. I figure if the anti-lock has to kick in, I've probably pushed things a little too far over the edge for conditions... ;o)
06-28-2004, 04:17 PM
#53
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 441
For those who live in Cali and have 215/55/16 tires
Here's a list of prices (shipping included) from Edgeracing.com, Discounttiredirect.com(tires.com), 1010tires.com and Vulcantire.com.
Edge $357.32
Discount $348.00
Vulcan $360.00
1010tires $473.44
Here's a list of prices (shipping included) from Edgeracing.com, Discounttiredirect.com(tires.com), 1010tires.com and Vulcantire.com.
Edge $357.32
Discount $348.00
Vulcan $360.00
1010tires $473.44
07-23-2004, 08:48 AM
#56
i just bought these 3 weeks and so far so good..excellent in wet traction i have the psi at 32psi up front and 33psi in the back and the front does look deflated so im gonna put some more air in later up to 37 like some have recommended
07-23-2004, 10:32 AM
#57
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Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 702
I've had them for about 2,000 miles, i like them, i like then alot compared to stock tires , but do i like them enough to be impressed, no, i am not impressed, good tires, but i will be looking at another set of tires down the road when the tread is finished off these, but for the price, these tires are awesome.
07-24-2004, 07:36 AM
#61
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 392
Originally Posted by SKYRockerr
34psi cold on all 4? how is the gas mileage with that? i may try that tommrow... thanks 
07-24-2004, 08:07 AM
#62
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: state of confusion
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Gas mileage tends to increase with increasing inflation pressure in any given tire. Rolling resistance is reduced (given that the Tour de France is winding down this weekend, if you're a road cyclist at any level beyond casual neighborhood riding you probably have some direct experience with this phenomenon).
Really wet-condition braking also tends to improve, as it's more important to get some rubber through standing water than have a more uniform unit load distribution over the contact patch.
Meanwhile, I'm sort of wondering how many psi are given up from the best overall performance levels (including fuel mileage) out of NVH and ride concerns.
Norm
Really wet-condition braking also tends to improve, as it's more important to get some rubber through standing water than have a more uniform unit load distribution over the contact patch.
Meanwhile, I'm sort of wondering how many psi are given up from the best overall performance levels (including fuel mileage) out of NVH and ride concerns.
Norm
07-26-2004, 05:31 AM
#63
Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 42
I have the 512 and I am having a problem with balancing. I have taken it to be balanced 5 times and it still has a slight shake to the wheel which wasn't there with the stock tires. I took it to the dealer and still has a shake so I am taking it back to them. The tires handle great but disappointed with the shaking issue.
07-26-2004, 06:14 AM
#64
Originally Posted by 02GLEMax
I have the 512 and I am having a problem with balancing. I have taken it to be balanced 5 times and it still has a slight shake to the wheel which wasn't there with the stock tires. I took it to the dealer and still has a shake so I am taking it back to them. The tires handle great but disappointed with the shaking issue.
07-26-2004, 09:53 AM
#65
same issue here - having them balanced on Roadforce balancer helped a bit but the vibration is still there - the tech said that 2 tires was out of round sine those are directional tires i can't rotate them so i've put the bad ones in the back -
bought them online from edgeracing and now i'm pretty much stuck - all the local Falken palces are giving me run around.
running those tires at higher pressures in needed to attain decent feel from them. I'm running 36psi front and 32 rear cold.
decent tires but i'm not buying them again.
Nick.
bought them online from edgeracing and now i'm pretty much stuck - all the local Falken palces are giving me run around.
running those tires at higher pressures in needed to attain decent feel from them. I'm running 36psi front and 32 rear cold.
decent tires but i'm not buying them again.
Nick.
07-26-2004, 11:18 AM
#66
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: state of confusion
Posts: 1,341
Originally Posted by Virus
I ditto this. I'm having the same exact problem. I've taken it 6 times to be balanced and I'm still having the problem. It appears to be 1 tire.
Norm
10-08-2004, 10:19 AM
#70
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: state of confusion
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Since that review, I've started to notice a small amount of nonuniform tire noise under some conditions, but there's no tactile vibration. And there's still some vortex shedding response, though it's not nearly as noticeable with a front seat passenger rather than a similar-weight trunk load.
I never had balancing problems, and I did do the mounting and dynamic balancing myself as I had access to professional tire equipment at the time. I did pay attention to lining up the dots on the tires with those on the wheels, though. The only *issue* I did have was mostly my own fault - I threw one small stick-on weight because I had forgotten to bring along some tape to make sure the weights stayed stuck down. Rebalancing the next day called for the same weight in the same location, and adding the tape did not throw any non-zero readouts for any of the four on re-checking them. Been fine since.
On balance (pun not intended) they'll most likely still be on the short list for next time if I stay with 225/50's.
Norm
I never had balancing problems, and I did do the mounting and dynamic balancing myself as I had access to professional tire equipment at the time. I did pay attention to lining up the dots on the tires with those on the wheels, though. The only *issue* I did have was mostly my own fault - I threw one small stick-on weight because I had forgotten to bring along some tape to make sure the weights stayed stuck down. Rebalancing the next day called for the same weight in the same location, and adding the tape did not throw any non-zero readouts for any of the four on re-checking them. Been fine since.
On balance (pun not intended) they'll most likely still be on the short list for next time if I stay with 225/50's.
Norm
10-16-2004, 12:25 PM
#73
First impressions
Just had Sears put on ($104 after taxes) the set of 512s I got from Discount Tire Direct ($424 shipped). My first impressions are:
The turn in vagueness seemed less today, but I am willing to bet it's just me getting used to the soft sidewalls. As picked the car last night, the steering felt like it had just developed a lot of play, just followed by the turn in half a second later. Let's see how they do in the rain and snow, but I won't be entering any autocrosses with these tires.
For $528 not a bad deal, but they will take getting used to.
- Turn in is really vague (I was wondering if they inflated to 38 psi as I had instructed; they didn't, I was 40 psi. I cannot imagine how vague it would feel at the 29 psi Sears wanted to inflate them).
- At 40 psi, the Falkens still ride more comfortably than the crapenzas at 35 psi. Not surprising given the soft sidewalls.
- I hit some tire ruts on the road and the car just went along. Again, the product of the soft sidewalls.
- Road noise isn't more noticeable than on the old crapenzas.
- The grip on damp/wet surfaces was pretty good. I haven't gotten anywhewere near their limit at speeds the crapenzas would begin to start breaking grip (the 512's rubber seems very soft as they picked up a lot grit left on the road by construction traffic near my house. The crapenzas never did that)
- no vibrations so far, but in the 20 or so miles I've driven on the Falkens, I've only gotten to 55-60.
The turn in vagueness seemed less today, but I am willing to bet it's just me getting used to the soft sidewalls. As picked the car last night, the steering felt like it had just developed a lot of play, just followed by the turn in half a second later. Let's see how they do in the rain and snow, but I won't be entering any autocrosses with these tires.
For $528 not a bad deal, but they will take getting used to.
03-07-2006, 01:54 PM
#76
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 554
I've got them in 215/60/15. They sucked from day 1. always had a vibration till now that they're almost worn out. Now wet traction sucks at highway speeds. i've spent lots of time getting them roadforce balanced, balanced, etc. I don't know if it has to do with the 15" size since the good reviews were on 17"s here. But I'll never buy them again. No more Ziex 512s for me.
03-26-2006, 07:30 PM
#78
I've had the 512s in 235/45/17 for 15k miles now and they are good for the price, IMO. I'd buy em again if there are good deals around.
Traction is good in the wet, light snow, and dry. Sidewalls are relatively soft, but firm enough for my daily driving (I'm running em 36 psi all round). Road noise was pretty noticeable after about 5k, but it hasn't gotten much worse in the past 10k. No excessive vibration and no issues balancing. The rate of tread wear seems extremely reasonable so far too.
Traction is good in the wet, light snow, and dry. Sidewalls are relatively soft, but firm enough for my daily driving (I'm running em 36 psi all round). Road noise was pretty noticeable after about 5k, but it hasn't gotten much worse in the past 10k. No excessive vibration and no issues balancing. The rate of tread wear seems extremely reasonable so far too.
04-05-2006, 03:39 PM
#80
Honda
Just got the 512s 185/65/15 for my GF Honda and had them installed today. The mounting and balancing only took a few minutes at a Local Shop here in Whitby (VanHammen Tire). I felt a smal vibration at 100kph but as soon as I set the pressure to 35lbs they seemed to even out.
Will post update to wear after 1K kms.
Peace,
Kam
Will post update to wear after 1K kms.
Peace,
Kam