From The Falken 512's to the Kumho ASX...
06-01-2006, 11:43 AM
#1
From The Falken 512's to the Kumho ASX...
Got new tires installed today 
I had been riding on 245/40/18 Falken Ziex ZE-512s for about 32k miles and they were pretty much bald from the center. Not only that, they had developed a horrible humming noise that made itself apparant from 35mph and up. It kind of went away after hitting 60mph, but the entire car resonated with this hum around 40mph. It was such a bad noise that I initially suspected that the wheel bearings were shot. I checked several times for worn out bearings, loose tie rod ends, CV joint issues, but the front end was completely tight. No play whatsoever. Anyhow, I had figured that I'd get new tires first and then try to tackle fixing this noise.
As it turns out, it was the tires
. I got Kumho ASX tires in the same size and had those put on as well as getting an alignment. It turned out that the toe was out on my front wheels. I've only driven 20 miles or so on them so far, but the humming noise is completely gone and the car is soooo quiet now. I'd never have suspected that it was the tires, but I guess so. I am hoping that the ASX stay quiet unlike the Falkens. The Falkens started off quiet but towards the end, they were unbearable. Plus the center tread was gone on them. They never hydroplaned or lost the road grip though... overall, a decent tire for the money, but they did have a rather soft sidewall...
I had been riding on 245/40/18 Falken Ziex ZE-512s for about 32k miles and they were pretty much bald from the center. Not only that, they had developed a horrible humming noise that made itself apparant from 35mph and up. It kind of went away after hitting 60mph, but the entire car resonated with this hum around 40mph. It was such a bad noise that I initially suspected that the wheel bearings were shot. I checked several times for worn out bearings, loose tie rod ends, CV joint issues, but the front end was completely tight. No play whatsoever. Anyhow, I had figured that I'd get new tires first and then try to tackle fixing this noise.
As it turns out, it was the tires
. I got Kumho ASX tires in the same size and had those put on as well as getting an alignment. It turned out that the toe was out on my front wheels. I've only driven 20 miles or so on them so far, but the humming noise is completely gone and the car is soooo quiet now. I'd never have suspected that it was the tires, but I guess so. I am hoping that the ASX stay quiet unlike the Falkens. The Falkens started off quiet but towards the end, they were unbearable. Plus the center tread was gone on them. They never hydroplaned or lost the road grip though... overall, a decent tire for the money, but they did have a rather soft sidewall...
06-01-2006, 06:17 PM
#2
sounds similar to my experiences with the 512's....decent tire, great wet grip, cheap price. But they did get pretty damn loud with higher mileage...I also thought it was bad wheel bearings for quite a while...
Proxes4, FTW, here...
Proxes4, FTW, here...
06-02-2006, 04:44 AM
#3
In my limited driving with the Kumhos, I have noticed that the sidewall is much much stiffer on them compared to the Falkens. This makes handling better, but also gives a slightly more rigid ride. You can feel the bumps in the road a bit more, but I have no problem with that. 
06-02-2006, 04:46 AM
#4
I bought my tire/wheel combo used & the seller told me the Pirellis on them were "a little noisy". I put them on my car & they were unbelievably loud even at slow speeds. Turned out they were cupped, most likely from bad toe alignment. I got rid of them asap & grabbed the Kumho AST. These are brand new all-season H-rated tires, but they have a nice tire tread & very quiet. I don't think they're very grippy in the wet, but my control arms are bad so I can't really blame the tires (as yet).
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