That looks like Monaco Grand Prix in winter.Quote:
Originally Posted by donKey jote
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That looks like Monaco Grand Prix in winter.Quote:
Originally Posted by donKey jote
Right. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Eki
Avon Ice Touring
Kumho I'zen KW23
Lassa Snoways
Hankook W440 Ice Bear
Hankook Winter I'cept Evo
Time to drag one of the winter tyre discussions back to front page. :D
Swapped to winter tyres yesterday, not a real need at this time but I was going to store one set of tyres to my parents storage building so might as well put away the summer tyres. I'm bit nervous to be honest, the new car had studless Contisomethingsomethings instead of studded tyres I've used for 14 winters. I guess I'll just have to be more careful and hope for suitable winter conditions.
I've had Kumho Ecsta ultra high performance all season tires for over two years. They have been the worst tires (as far as dry weather cornering, especially off camber turns with slight bumps) that I have ever owned. The sidewall flex was horribly extreme and made my car (modified WRX) dangerously unpredictable in certain corners! I will NEVER buy this brand again! If someone gave me a brand new set, I would sell or give them away - preferably to someone I really didn't like.
In a few weeks I'll be going back to my old, reliable Falken ZE-512's or ZE-612's that I had been buying every couple of years. The treadwear and longevity is not that great. But the handling characteristics and sidewall flex are a world better than the Kumhos. I should have never switched brands!
A better plan would have been to buy another set of wheels when the car was new and swap summer tires for all season tires as the seasons changed. But the car is older now and I'm not going to invest in wheels for a car that I might not be driving for that much longer.
IMO, for the price, Falkens are hard to beat.
The tests i have read have had:
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 och Continental ContiIceContact as either 1st or 2nd when it comes to studded tires.
With Continental ContiVikingContact 5 & Nokian Hakkapeliitta R in top for unstudded tires.
The tests I have read have the Falken 512's down as a big no-no in the wet :eek:
Quote:
Originally Posted by donKey jote
I've had two (soon to be three) sets of them and I've found their wet weather handling to be solid, and most importantly, predictable - that's the biggie for me. I don't care for sudden, unexpected moves. But my car is AWD, so maybe their structure is better suited to my car than a RWD or FWD car. Not sure. And in the snow, the only thing that stops me on those tires is if the snow starts scraping the bottom of the spoiler. I actually went up a snow and ice covered hill that a 4WD SUV couldn't go up - and that's when the Falkens were almost worn out.
It could be the AWD thing. Several of the guys who I met doing auto-x had Falkens on their WRX's, STI's and Evos. That's where I found out about them back in 2005 or so. I'd never heard of Falkens before that.
I had (and still have, actually) Falken 612s on a set of seventeen inch wheels, but when they wore out I was tired of the large wheels and started using Continentals on a sixteen inch set I had lying around from my first Impreza from 2000. The 612s were pretty good, even when it was wet. I had some Kumho MXs when I bought my current car in 2004 and they were loud, hard, and sloppy in the rain. The Contis have been very nice for the last two years, though since it will be in the 70s this week (lower 20s for the metric minded) the winter wheels are staying in storage a little longer.
ah I think I get it now... the tests were of course European tests. The "acceptable" wet grip levels here are different to what you're generally used to over the pond.
As a trade-off you do tend to get better mileage though :)