Falken Tires - Good, Bad, Ugly ?
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From: In my garage
E55, GLS450, GL63, GLE350
The results were from Tire Rack surverys of the Gs-D3's. People either loved these tires or really hated them. More loved them than not but there were some very strong negative reviews.
That is a very ignorant comment. Just because a tire is made by a certain manufacturer does not make it better than another. I have used the Goodyear GS-D3's and the Kuhmo's and I can honestly say that I would never buy the Goodyear's but would buy the Kumho's again. My company pays for my tires so cost is not an issue. There is a lot of psychology in buyers opinions and it is greatly affected by marketing. There are many weak minded individuals that fall for a companies marketing as fact. What's that saying....perception is reality? I have the opposite view. Perception is the lazy mans reality! If you have never tried a tire, you can not form an objective opinion on the tires. I am very objective in my review.
I remember how Hundai was always viewed as a POS. Look at the company now. They have ranked higher than Mercedes in quality for the last few years. I would guess using your logic that Hyundai could never build a higher quality car than Mercedes? Yep, there were many ignorant people that thought the same thing about Honda's and Toyota's twenty years ago.
On the perfomance tire line, comparing Michellin or Goodyear to Kumo is like comparing a BMW M3 to a Civic with dual 8-inches mufflers !!
I remember how Hundai was always viewed as a POS. Look at the company now. They have ranked higher than Mercedes in quality for the last few years. I would guess using your logic that Hyundai could never build a higher quality car than Mercedes? Yep, there were many ignorant people that thought the same thing about Honda's and Toyota's twenty years ago.
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E55, GLS450, GL63, GLE350
This is interesting. Wow, the Kuhmo's are actually performing better than the Yokohama's and BF Goodrich tires in many tests. I guess this blows your theory out of the water:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/max_perf_charts.jsp
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/max_perf_charts.jsp
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From: SF Bay Area, CA
2006 E55 and 2002 E320
I have the BF Goodrich 235/45 R17 G Force T/A KDWS tire on the E320. These tires are cheap at Costco, very decent in the handling, very long life (30k miles i'd say), and very firm ride.
The actual design of the tire isn't a pretty one. They don't have curb protectors or anything like that.
But they definitely do a good job, and for $130 a piece, they're a steal.
I've heard mixed reviews about the Kumhos. Personally, since tires are so important and such a safety issue, I think that I would personally just put on tires from bigger and more experienced companies.
The actual design of the tire isn't a pretty one. They don't have curb protectors or anything like that.
But they definitely do a good job, and for $130 a piece, they're a steal.
I've heard mixed reviews about the Kumhos. Personally, since tires are so important and such a safety issue, I think that I would personally just put on tires from bigger and more experienced companies.
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From: Churchville, Md
2014 E550 & some other stuff too...
Go with these. You will not be disappointed. I have put them on 3 of my 6 cars thus far and they are great. Click here...
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From: Richardson, TX
'04 Cobra & '04 S430
I've had Falken tires on my Mustang. They were not the 512 though. The ones I had actually handled real nicely for the price. Goodyear GS-D3s are tires I would put on my Mustang - have heard nothing but good things about them. But the way I see it, they are too expensive compared to the others out there.
Consumer Reviews rated the Falken 512 #1 for touring cars. Another web page that might help is epinions.com (purely reviews of different products). Tirerack does not carry Falken tires, so there is really no fair way to compare one with the next.
For what it's worth, the Falken 512 and the GoodYear GS-D3 are in two different category tires. The Falken is desinged to be quiet and smooth and have a long tread life. The GoodYear is designed as a performance tire with no regard to road noise or harshness or longevity of tread life.
Consumer Reviews rated the Falken 512 #1 for touring cars. Another web page that might help is epinions.com (purely reviews of different products). Tirerack does not carry Falken tires, so there is really no fair way to compare one with the next.
For what it's worth, the Falken 512 and the GoodYear GS-D3 are in two different category tires. The Falken is desinged to be quiet and smooth and have a long tread life. The GoodYear is designed as a performance tire with no regard to road noise or harshness or longevity of tread life.
Last edited by Huachipato; May 4, 2006 at 09:29 AM.
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From: Richardson, TX
'04 Cobra & '04 S430
Originally Posted by patrick_y
I've heard mixed reviews about the Kumhos. Personally, since tires are so important and such a safety issue, I think that I would personally just put on tires from bigger and more experienced companies.
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1989 Toyota Tercel EZ - dyno'd @ 70whp/77wtq
Back to original topic...
I put these tires on my beater car.... IMO, so-so as compared to Bridgestone Potenza RE950 (previous tires). Pros: Falken is A LOT quieter... slightly better hydroplanning.... Cons: Not good for cornering AT ALL... the rubber the walls are too soft. Don't feel confident at all when cornering.
I put these tires on my beater car.... IMO, so-so as compared to Bridgestone Potenza RE950 (previous tires). Pros: Falken is A LOT quieter... slightly better hydroplanning.... Cons: Not good for cornering AT ALL... the rubber the walls are too soft. Don't feel confident at all when cornering.
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Wow, this was brought back from the dead. Since posting anything on this topic, I've gone from Kuhmo's 712's to Michelin Pilot Sports to Avon Tech M500's. I have a new favorite for my E55 and it's the Avon's. Great tire and, IMHO, they handle just as good if not better than the Michelins and they are half the price.
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Falken Tyres
The Falken Fk452 Is Their New Flagship Tyre And Is Excelent.
It Is Keenly Priced, Has Good Grip, Sidewall Strength Has Been Increased For Better Cornering.
The Big Bonus Is That It Looks Good As Well Due Too It's Square Edge Profile.
Dont Know How Good They Are For Wear Long Term As They Have Only Been On The Car Two Weeks.
It Is Keenly Priced, Has Good Grip, Sidewall Strength Has Been Increased For Better Cornering.
The Big Bonus Is That It Looks Good As Well Due Too It's Square Edge Profile.
Dont Know How Good They Are For Wear Long Term As They Have Only Been On The Car Two Weeks.
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From: SF Bay Area, CA
2006 E55 and 2002 E320
Originally Posted by Huachipato
I have some Kumhos ASX tires on my Cobra now. They are decent - the only part that I really hate is that they seem to get out of balance after about 500 miles of use. Decent in most regards, but end up going to the tire shop often for a balancing. It could be the tire size too. All I know is that it is annoying as heck and don't care to purchase these tires again after they wear out.
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I've been running Falken Ziex's for years on several cars. I think it's the best bang for the buck tire I've ever used. I just replaced the loud POS Dunlops on my wife's 2k E430 with Falken Ziex-512's and absolutely LOVE them!
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From: Churchville, Md
2014 E550 & some other stuff too...
Originally Posted by bglz42
I've been running Falken Ziex's for years on several cars. I think it's the best bang for the buck tire I've ever used. I just replaced the loud POS Dunlops on my wife's 2k E430 with Falken Ziex-512's and absolutely LOVE them!
Keep running all those expensive tires people! Waste your $$$!
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From: Columbia, SC
E300
I haven't run Falken tires for many many years but I liked them when I had them on my car.
I completely disagree with the F1 GS-D3's. You must be a Goodyear guy if you like those tires. They were so damn loud on my car that I couldn't stand it. I actually pulled over one time going across a concrete bridge because I thought I blew a tire. Turns out, on uneven pavement or pavement that has been scored for drainage, the tires sound like they are flat. Handling was OK but that's all I would give the Goodyear GS-D3's. I'd say the GS-D3's were the second worst tires I've run, by cost, and Nitto NT555 extreme ZR's were the worst.
I completely disagree with the F1 GS-D3's. You must be a Goodyear guy if you like those tires. They were so damn loud on my car that I couldn't stand it. I actually pulled over one time going across a concrete bridge because I thought I blew a tire. Turns out, on uneven pavement or pavement that has been scored for drainage, the tires sound like they are flat. Handling was OK but that's all I would give the Goodyear GS-D3's. I'd say the GS-D3's were the second worst tires I've run, by cost, and Nitto NT555 extreme ZR's were the worst.
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From: Clifton, NJ
96 and 08 911 turbos
I think a lot of it comes down to buying the right type of tire for your car.
A non AMG 210 does not need GS-D3s. If you have modded the suspension out the wazoo and are some sort of handling freak, then maybe (but id say that you bought the wrong car).
These are touring cars, and really don't need high performance tires. And as you notice, hi-po tires are noisy, ride stiffer, and wear faster.
A non AMG 210 does not need GS-D3s. If you have modded the suspension out the wazoo and are some sort of handling freak, then maybe (but id say that you bought the wrong car).
These are touring cars, and really don't need high performance tires. And as you notice, hi-po tires are noisy, ride stiffer, and wear faster.
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From: Los Angeles
1997 E420
Touring? Hah! You have not driven with me in my 420. Sometimes I tour, but often I do not. Like the drive back to SoCal from SEMA. I got some respect from a few folks. I agree with you on the wear -- my BFG g-force sport TA NT2's are being eaten up the way I drive. But it's so fun! And I'm a "good" driver not a bad idiot.
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From: Clifton, NJ
96 and 08 911 turbos
Touring? Hah! You have not driven with me in my 420. Sometimes I tour, but often I do not. Like the drive back to SoCal from SEMA. I got some respect from a few folks. I agree with you on the wear -- my BFG g-force sport TA NT2's are being eaten up the way I drive. But it's so fun! And I'm a "good" driver not a bad idiot.
The standard E-class is not a performance oriented vehicle.
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From: SoCal OC
S, GL, Escalade ESV, my shoes
The Falken Fk452 Is Their New Flagship Tyre And Is Excelent.
It Is Keenly Priced, Has Good Grip, Sidewall Strength Has Been Increased For Better Cornering.
The Big Bonus Is That It Looks Good As Well Due Too It's Square Edge Profile.
Dont Know How Good They Are For Wear Long Term As They Have Only Been On The Car Two Weeks.
It Is Keenly Priced, Has Good Grip, Sidewall Strength Has Been Increased For Better Cornering.
The Big Bonus Is That It Looks Good As Well Due Too It's Square Edge Profile.
Dont Know How Good They Are For Wear Long Term As They Have Only Been On The Car Two Weeks.
With my W220, with 18" staggered wheels, there isn't much choice on wheel. I opted to for the Falken 452 series. I have always buy tire from tirerack, they don't carry Falken. After much reading of reviews on the discountiredirect, I gave it a shot.
To my surprise, the handle and look as nice as the Goodyear and Michelin, cost 1/2-1/3 as much, and is much more QUIEETTTTTTT and the ride is more SMOOOOOTHHHHH. I've put 10K mile on it so far, and it's still quiet as new, and there're plenty of thread left, probably for another 20-30K mile. Both the goodyear and michelin never got me pass 25K mile.
I've been kicking myself since. Had I knew earlier, I would have used the Falken on my W210, saved tons of money, and got much better ride
I like the Falken so much, when discounttiredirect have it on sale couple weeks ago ($100-200 discount each set, free shipping as always), I bought two extra set as spare !!!. I am avg 4K mile /month, so it won't be long before I use them up
Last edited by zam2000; Nov 8, 2007 at 03:11 PM.
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2001 E430 4Matic
Falken Tires
I have Falken 912s on my E430 bought from Discount tires direct for $93, more recent model than the 512s. They're fine. Consumer Reports rated them #1 last month. You can also get them at Sears for $127.
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e63 p30 estate
also running 912s right now (tho not on a W210). Got 'em for $200 mounted all around from a local shop. no shipping, no tax. 
GREAT tires for the money. 4 months and 6K mi later, almost zilch wear. better overall traction than the 512s (Which they replaced) and ALMOST as quiet.
GREAT tires for the money. 4 months and 6K mi later, almost zilch wear. better overall traction than the 512s (Which they replaced) and ALMOST as quiet.
