Falken Ziex 512 Mistake!

pearlwhite97ES · January 31, 2006

Hi. I have a 97 es300 with 130000 on the clock

and wanted to buy moma a new pair of shoes.

( the car being moma) I checked threads, and

found a few talking about how good the falkens were,

and what a good price they were. So long story

short, I bought'em 205 65 15 I do believe. They

seem like they would be ok for like a 67-69 camaro

but not my baby. I will bite the bullet on this matter,

and just want to let others know, these tires are not a

smooth ride like us lexus owners have become accustomed to. :cries: .

wife is *BLEEP*ed lol :)

SW03ES · January 31, 2006

I've *always* said that, for the record.

They're a sporty low profile tire for midsize and economy cars, not a tire suited for a Lexus.

blake918 · January 31, 2006

I've always been afraid of the Falkens because of your type of complaint, plus I've seen them wear out rather quickly. What kind of tires are you going with next?

91L3xus · January 31, 2006

They're not too bad on my car, noise is kinda high with them, but offer a superior level of grip compared to my Goodyears. I can't say anything about comfort levels, since the suspension on my car is pretty much shot, bottoming out over everything, causing a ton of lean into corners, etc. I feel safer taking a rapm at 45 MPH in my 4Runner than the same ramp at 30 MPH in my ES. :blink:

pearlwhite97ES · January 31, 2006

I'm thinking of going with super stars. they are made by goodyear I believe.

I have a set on my 94 maxima and I'll be at 90 mph and think it's 65. $250 for

all four and mounted. them falken falkens will be for sell soon!

Lexusfreak · January 31, 2006

Hi. I have a 97 es300 with 130000 on the clock

and wanted to buy moma a new pair of shoes.

( the car being moma) I checked threads, and

found a few talking about how good the falkens were,

and what a good price they were. So long story

short, I bought'em 205 65 15 I do believe. They

seem like they would be ok for like a 67-69 camaro

but not my baby. I will bite the bullet on this matter,

and just want to let others know, these tires are not a

smooth ride like us lexus owners have become accustomed to. :cries: .

wife is *BLEEP*ed lol :)

The Falkens are considered a 'High performance all season' tire.....nobody describing them ever shied away from that fact. Let me ask the question pearl......what speed rating did you buy & what tire pressure did you have them set at? :unsure:

sw, how can you say they are a 'low profile' tire? :blink: :huh: a '65' sidewall is hardly low profile....and would have been the same size if they were the Falkens, Michelins or Goodyear Triple Treads. They are in fact offered in 'lower' profile sizes.....but this isn't one of em. ;)

:cheers:

I'm thinking of going with super stars. they are made by goodyear I believe.

I have a set on my 94 maxima and I'll be at 90 mph and think it's 65. $250 for

all four and mounted. them falken falkens will be for sell soon!

I suggest Goodyear Triple Treads.....it's what I got on my 01 ES.......came first overall in a recent CR test of 18 premium all season tires as well. B)

Here's some more info:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...ance+TripleTred

:cheers:

SW03ES · January 31, 2006

sw, how can you say they are a 'low profile' tire? a '65' sidewall is hardly low profile....and would have been the same size if they were the Falkens, Michelins or Goodyear Triple Treads. They are in fact offered in 'lower' profile sizes.....but this isn't one of em. ;)

I'm saying the tires were designed as a low profile performance tire, simply because they come in higher profile sidewall sizes is beside the point. The tire just isn't designed with the kind of road noise cancelling and ride characteristics you need to get the best ride out of a car like a Lexus.

Lexusfreak · January 31, 2006

I'm saying the tires were designed as a low profile performance tire, simply because they come in higher profile sidewall sizes is beside the point. The tire just isn't designed with the kind of road noise cancelling and ride characteristics you need to get the best ride out of a car like a Lexus.

That is why I asked pearl what speed rating he got on the Falkens & air pressure settings he is running with.

Awaiting a reply. ;) B)

:cheers:

Poppi · January 31, 2006

I checked threads, and found a few talking about how good the Falkens were,

and what a good price they were, so I bit the bullet on this matter,

and just want to let others know, these tires are not a

smooth ride like us lexus owners have become accustomed to.

You mean your '97 ES actually rode smooth prior to installing the Falkens?

My wife drives a 2003 ES and that thing has never rode smooth. Came with GOODYEAR INVICTA's on it and I just replaced them with Michelin MXV4's and I thought for sure the Michelin's would make the car ride smoother but it doesn't ride one bit smoother with the M's on it. I have had MXVV4's on other cars and they made the cars ride smoother but not this one. If my wife did not like the thing so much, I would get rid of it today. Never want another ES. Maybe an LS some day.

Poppi

SW03ES · January 31, 2006

Thats odd, I have an 03 ES and while the LS is smoother (my dad has had two) its not that much smoother than the ES. I think my ES rides great and I always get compliments on how it rides.

Did you buy the car new? I ask because Goodyear Invictas are not OEM tires for this car. Have you ever had the suspension inspected? What PSI do you run in your tires?

pearlwhite97ES · January 31, 2006

I'm saying the tires were designed as a low profile performance tire, simply because they come in higher profile sidewall sizes is beside the point. The tire just isn't designed with the kind of road noise cancelling and ride characteristics you need to get the best ride out of a car like a Lexus.

That is why I asked pearl what speed rating he got on the Falkens & air pressure settings he is running with.

Awaiting a reply. ;) B)

Yes, it did ride smooth b-4 the falkens with tiger paws,

made by uniroyal. They also do make the car feel lower to the

ground. The tires remind me of these 32 inch tires my truck had.

You can hear the tire on the road bad. Wish I had a camaro

these would rock on a 1st gen. Falkens will be for sale soon

Tax money will buy me new tires.

:whistles:

pearlwhite97ES · January 31, 2006

Oh ya, Lexusfreak forgot you want a reply.

The tires say 105/65/15 94H theres also a

V on the tire. the pressure at this moment is

40 in front and 38 in rear. Let me know what you

think of these #'s thanks d.w.

Lexusfreak · February 1, 2006

Oh ya, Lexusfreak forgot you want a reply.

The tires say 105/65/15 94H theres also a

V on the tire. the pressure at this moment is

40 in front and 38 in rear. Let me know what you

think of these #'s thanks d.w.

The H speed rating I agree with, but the tire pressures are too high bud.......40 psi for the front? No wonder it's riding so harsh. Drop that to at the most 35 all around (I have my TT's are 34.5) for several days & then let us know what you think. ;) But I think the high pressure might be part of the issue here.

:cheers:

SW03ES · February 1, 2006

I agree, the pressure needs to be much closer to 30 all around. And am I reading right that the tires are 105s? Those are way too narrow for an ES, did you mean 195 or 205?

Lexusfreak · February 1, 2006

I agree, the pressure needs to be much closer to 30 all around. And am I reading right that the tires are 105s? Those are way too narrow for an ES, did you mean 195 or 205?

They must be 205. ;)

:cheers:

98es · February 1, 2006

I just put two new falken 512's on the 02 camry se i just bought. I'm really amazed at the grip. It's a manual transmission so having these tires on the front really keeps the wheel's from spinning even in wet weather. The grip is a lot better than the MXV4+ on my es, but of course the ride isn't as smooth. But I'm not really too worried about a smooth ride on the camry. I had to get H rated because they don't make V rated falkens for 16" wheel on the camry. Hopefully lowering your tire pressure will help out some, I haven't noticed any tire noise since I put them on.

pearlwhite97ES · February 1, 2006

lol, yes it is 205 65 15.... think what 105's would look like... lol

it would be nutz.... I let the air down to 34 in front ,and 32 in rear.

Seems to ride a little different, but im still going to research, and find

a better tire that gives the car a more of a smooth ride.Kinda like the

cream puff it should be.

d.w.

SW03ES · February 2, 2006

Yeah I don't think thats the right tire for a car like this.

Lexusfreak · February 2, 2006

lol, yes it is 205 65 15.... think what 105's would look like... lol

it would be nutz.... I let the air down to 34 in front ,and 32 in rear.

Seems to ride a little different, but im still going to research, and find

a better tire that gives the car a more of a smooth ride.Kinda like the

cream puff it should be.

d.w.

How did you find the grip overall pearl? Just curious. B)

98es, what tires do you have on the rear of your 'new' Camry? For best traction it's wise to have all 4 tires the same. B)

:cheers:

98es · February 2, 2006

98es, what tires do you have on the rear of your 'new' Camry? For best traction it's wise to have all 4 tires the same. B)

I completely agree. I just purchased the car and the owner had put brand new continental's on the rear for some odd reason.... If i had the funds I would have replaced all 4 but I couldn't bring myself to do it considering they were new and i'm about to get married ($$$ is kinda tight and i just dropped $600 for MXV4+'s on the ES about a month ago).

Lexusfreak · February 2, 2006

If i had the funds I would have replaced all 4 but I couldn't bring myself to do it considering they were new and i'm about to get married ($$$ is kinda tight and i just dropped $600 for MXV4+'s on the ES about a month ago).

I hear ya! B)

:cheers:

98es · February 2, 2006

Yeah I don't think thats the right tire for a car like this.

agreed. If you have the $$$ to get something like the MXV4+'s or something comparable I'd do it (sounds like the triplethreads are good tires as well). If not the Falken's are a decent tire for an excellent price.

Lexusfreak · February 2, 2006

Yeah I don't think thats the right tire for a car like this.

agreed. If you have the $$$ to get something like the MXV4+'s or something comparable I'd do it (sounds like the triplethreads are good tires as well). If not the Falken's are a decent tire for an excellent price.

Yup, Falkens are excellent overall value & the grip with the TT's are phenomenal. B)

:cheers:

SW03ES · February 2, 2006

Yeah I don't think thats the right tire for a car like this.

agreed. If you have the $$$ to get something like the MXV4+'s or something comparable I'd do it (sounds like the triplethreads are good tires as well). If not the Falken's are a decent tire for an excellent price.

I think there are other tires similar in price that are better matches to the ES though, the Dunlop SP Sport 4000s for instance or even the 5000s, about $80 a tire.

Lexusfreak · February 2, 2006

I think there are other tires similar in price that are better matches to the ES though, the Dunlop SP Sport 4000s for instance or even the 5000s, about $80 a tire.

Both of those tires are considered 'ultra high performance all season' tires sw (at least that is how tirerack classifies them).......a not exactly a necessity for a car like the ES in the stock size. The 5000 would have better overall traction however (depending on if one chooses the asymmetrical or symmetrical type). ;) The 4000's I'd pass on if winter weather is an issue.....as you would need a set of winter rubber.

:cheers: