Alright... many of the phoenix people know I cut up a few sets of tires from the fenders. I think I've got that figured out and will be mounting Falken Azenis on the 14x6 inch Exim wheels. But these tires aren't suited to everyday driving, so I need a decent set of medium performance tires for the 15x7 inch MiM wheels. Here's what I've come up with so far... any other options are welcome.

Falken Ziex 512
http://www.falkentire.com/images/nonflash/products/ziex/512/512cutaway.gif
Good price = 51 bucks
Good treadwear = 320

Kuhmo Exsta MX
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/kumho/ku_ecsta_mx_ci2_l.jpg
Decent price = 79 dollars
I can't find treadware specs

BFGoodrich Comp T/A ZR
http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/images/catalog/tires/comp_ta_zr_large.jpg
Price = I'm sure it's alot
tread = 220 (low, but a bad ass tire)
-- But I might as well go with the g-force serires at that point.

Any other options on Good tires? All prices I qouted are just for the rubber... no mounting or balancing.

i run 204/40/17 kumho ecsta 712's and i absolutely love them, very sticky, good treadware and great wet traction, and a great price from tirerack i highly recomend them

What size are you gonna run, 205/50's?

I say Yokohama ES100's. :clap:

if you can find the Yokohama AVS intermdiate, if not try the Kuhmo ecsta 712, i've them too. great grip and ride quality. good terad wear too

-if u don't care about tire wear, get the g-force (i hear a lot of good things about 'em)......altho some of the kumho tires look pretty nice :)

-or....if u want cheap (50 bucks each), yet pretty good & grippy tires, look into the sumitomo HTR 200's (i saw ray has 'em too)

Originally posted by M10-POWER
Kumho Escta MX would be my choice from the ones you listed. I run the A-032R's on my car all the time, no issues in my mind, they last a few good years include a bunch of track use.
Why would the Falken Azenis be not suited for everyday use?

If you say you got a few years out of A032R's then I assume that you didn't use them all the time.

I don't know why you would think DOT approved R compound tires in general would be suitable for daily use... unless you like driving around town on noisy tires and buying new ones every 6 months.

Whatever you do, don't get the Kumho Ecsta 712's.

I like my Kuhmo's....
other tires to consider: Michelin, pirelli, continental. Bridgestone Potenza are pretty good too. Goodyear Eagle F1 are very good

i only get about 12 months (at the most) out of any tire I use so far which is Kuhmo's 712's, Nankang Sports(really suck), and my favorite so far the Yokohoma AVS ES100

If you want the best I suggest the S03's but then again Im biased. If money is a concern I like the Kuhmo MX's

Sorry I've been gone so long. I hate it when I post something and then don't come back for a while.

I think the Azenis tires are a little much for street use because Jake uses them on the M3 and gets 10000+ miles (I think) out of them. This means they'd last maybe a year if I'm lucky. I'd like to have the Azenis for the track days and the occasional spirited mountain run. These tires would be for highway use and late night use on speedway.

So far no one likes the other Falken's , the Ziex 512's. Anyone ever tried them? I'll be the guinea pig for that price.

Otherwise I might be looking around a little more. I'd like to come in under 75 a piece for the rubber (205/50/15)

Hey Nic my dad is a Falken man, thats all he uses on his e24's, not sure the model name but if you post a pix I can tell u if they are them, but proly wont be he pays like $160 a piece, but he swears by them...

I love my 712's. James, what didn't you like about them? They aren't the best tire out on the market, but they are a very decent all-around tire, with more bias towards performance. I was running 205/50/15's on my 15x7's on the 320i and had more grip then suspension (factory worn out stuff). The car is so light I didn't hardly make a dent in the tread wear for a good 6 months.

BTW, where are you going to be able to find the Comp TA/ZR's in 15's? I used to run those on my M3 and they lasted for quite some time. Burnouts didn't seem to scrub any rubber off...you gotta love tires designed for muscle cars! Last I checked on TireRack they were NLA in smaller sizes, since BFG has been pushing the g-Force linee.

Originally posted by uberpanzer
I love my 712's. James, what didn't you like about them? They aren't the best tire out on the market, but they are a very decent all-around tire, with more bias towards performance. I was running 205/50/15's on my 15x7's on the 320i and had more grip then suspension (factory worn out stuff). The car is so light I didn't hardly make a dent in the tread wear for a good 6 months.

Well... I havent run them myself. I work at Discount tire though so I get to see how many come back with factory defects. Sure they arent the worst tire out there, but I think theres better for the money.

Keep in mind that Falken Tires in the same model and size come in several speed ratings treadlife is affected by them.

IE. My cars 225/50R16 tires come in load of 92
with speed ratings.

H = 130mph
V = 149mph

Where 92H has a treadlife of 340(A)(A) while 92V has a treadlife of 300(A)(A). Falken is made on the same plants as Goodyear in Japan. The same factory can have different production lines with different tolerances. QA can also be an issue, as can with most
"Famous" or "infamous" tires be the marketing budget of the firm.

However the H rated tire was chosen by consumer reports in 03 as a tire of the year, although it does not tout quiet ride or super performance in its marketing hype. Keep in mind that tests were conducted on a Honda with 15 in. rims.

Ultimately, tire selection should depend on your personal situation, including vehicle condition, driving style (touring, tracking, drag or stop-n-go), weather, budget, available storage space (in the case with winter and summer tires), road conditions in surrounding area, vehicle weight (if tuned aftermarket), tire weight (if you need a extra weight bonus) and a whole box of other temporal factors such as discounts, promotions, current recalls and OE suggestions.

Just my opinion.

Thanks.

Thanks for the input DJDecay. I went with the Ziex 512's in a 205 50 15.... should be here by friday. And the Falken Azenis in 195 60 14 should be on the other set of rims by the end of the day. The Ziex tires are a tid bit more exspencive than the Azenis because of their size. So now I'll have my track / mountain run set with the 14x6 Exim's wrapped in the Azenis, and the road going MiM's with the Ziex 512's. I'm pretty excited to see how the car performs. Jake was WICKEDLY fast on sunday at the Auto-x with his Azenis and new sway bars. He really has sold me on those Falken tires. Anyway... hope this thread helps some people out with tires. Falken really does make some nice shoes.

Any update on this, How do you like the Falken 512's?

I am looking for some treet tires in 14's and those are my most logical choice.

check out the "falke azenis and 14x6 inch exim" thread... I snuck it in there at the end.

They are pretty high performance for street tires with rain tread. Can't beat them for the price.