Falken ZIEX ZE914 Tyres... Bad fit ?... Sorted !

[Number5]

I had a full set of these put on 2 weeks ago as all 4 previous tyres were on the limit. They were previously a mix of Milanza and Trazano tyres that came with the car. (Budget tyres I believe, but I had no complaints with them). Now I do have a set of M6 Wheels that are all 8.5J and all previous tyres were 225/40/R18 and not staggered front/rears as per usual.

I understand that the Falken's are a good balance between budget and your top-end tyres and as myself and the 'Bristol boys' have a spirited drive on regular Sundays, I didnt want to go too cheap. I was offered budget at £65, but at £78 each I thought these Falken's were a good compromise.

However.... The falkens are the same size as the previous tyres, but just dont look right... They look stretched !
The kerb protector doesnt sit near the rim and doesn't even protrude beyond the face of the rim. Ive done 1000 miles on them and they seem 'ok' but either the car doesn't feel as stable as it did in corners or I am too sensitive and have some doubt in my mind !

I queried them at the time of fitting and the garage agreed they looked stretched, but checked they were correct for 8.5J rims and carried on. See what you think from these photo's and let me have your opinions on the fit please ?





Here you can just see the silver rim proud of the tyre and the tread seems to start about 1 inch in from the actual wheel's width, as though the tyre wall slopes in too much.




Ive emailed Falken UK but not had a reply yet !

 

[AlienZed]

I used falken last time, on my 8j and 8.5 j tyres are 225 front an 255 rear , wot size u got on.
M

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk

 

[Number5]

I used falken last time, on my 8j and 8.5 j tyres are 225 front an 255 rear , wot size u got on.

225/40/R18's all round, (same as the tyres that came off, which looked and handled fine )

 

[mr wilks]

If you have 8.5j widths then 225 is the very least & really only if you need the space against the arch .
8.5j is the rear of a staggered set & would normally run 255 but that wouldn't be ideal as a square set up for you
4 x 245 would be the best route forward & your current problem should have been the same with any brand tyre

 

[AlienZed]

Sorry if I missed it but wot width of wheel r u on. For 8.5 j. 255s r best

 

[cj10jeeper]

As an aside the size you have also fitted the wrong Falken tyres. The one recommended by forum users is the FK452 (which I've run a few sets) and now replaced with the FK 453, which are their premium sports tyres.

The ZE 914 is a summer touring tyre for saloons :thumbsdown:

I'd go back and get them swapped.

 

[Number5]

As an aside the size you have also fitted the wrong Falken tyres. The one recommended by forum users is the FK452 (which I've run a few sets) and now replaced with the FK 453, which are their premium tyres.

Maybe your right. I asked them for 225/40/18s as that was what was on before and then asked about Falkens . I didnt specify 453's which maybe have a different profile. I feel like i could easily have another 30-50mm of tread width on the road and be square off the rim. I just dont understand why the last set of 225/40/18s looked correct unless its the tyre shape..

I'll pop it back but i dont think ill get any refund on the existing set... :x

 

[cj10jeeper]

Either your rims are wider than you think or your tyres are narrower.
I'd do some measuring. Whatever you've ended up with fitted just looks plain wrong and certainly not how I'd want to leave it.

 

[Number5]

It wont be coming out much during winter, so if I get no joy at the Tyre bay, maybe I'll keep an eye out on e-bay and see if I can break even on selling mine for a better fitting set !

Addendum: Ive just had a reply from Falken who have asked for photos, but say 225/40 is well within the range for 8.5J wheels.

 

[mr wilks]

Bummer , you know this will annoy the hell out of you every time you walk up to the car
How about slamming it Marius style then they will need to be like that

 

[srhutch]

As CJ said you have the wrong Falkens, 453 is what you want now. I have 452's on mine as that what came with the wheels. My rears are similar to yours so think the Falkens might come out slightly narrower even though they are quoted at the correct size.

I've just looked at mine and think yours is also more pronounced as the rim seems quite thick.

As above though if you are concerned get them changed for 453's and get 245 wide as Mr Wilks says.

 

[Number5]

Thanks Chaps.

I've just emailed Falken the photo's as per their request, so I'll see what develops this week.

 

[ben g]

I remember a few years back on another forum, people we saying that falkens have the narrowest width out of all brands of tyres.

I know they say 225, but may be a bit less than that in width.

Wherther thats internet myth or not, I have no clue.

 

[paulgs1000]

Hi No.5,

I had the same Falken tyres fitted to my rears, 255s though as they are staggered wheels. I did not specify the 453s like you and ended up with the Z1Bs fitted instead (in replacement of my 452s). They've been ok but I haven't been totally confident with them - they have managed on forum runs. I have Goodyear F2s on the front and am looking to have them on the back too - watching the wear so that I can make the change.

It makes sense to have the best Falken sports tyres fitted but if you want to know what's possible on the road with economy tyres follow sk93 on a forum run. He set an 'impressive' pace on the Skye run despite having what many would feel were questionable tyres! :lol:

:driving:

 

[Spikey]

Alan do you have any pics with your old tyres on?

I would also go back to the garage - it's not as if you rolled up with the wheels in the boot of another vehicle - they knew they were going on a sports car so why did they fit that type of Falken - probably coz that's all they had in stock

Worth a try I would say, if it's bugging you now it isn't going to go away, sooner you get your grumpy hat on and go back to the garage the better

PM me if you decide to self fund a change I may be able to help a little from Spikey's majic messy garage stock!

 

[Number5]

Cheers Spikey,

Let me know what you've got and once Falken come back to me later this week, I'll know what direction I'm going, but I've decided they are definitely not staying on. At approx 4,000 miles per year, I can't see me ever buying a new set for this Zed, so I had may aswell get it right now, otherwise it's going to haunt me every time I approach the car.

I'm hoping Falken will come back and tell me to go to a local dealer who will sort it at a token cost. Fingers crossed.

 

[hopz121]

Any news on this OP?

 

[Number5]

Any news on this OP?

Not yet. The UK falken guy who replied to my email said he would send my photos to Germany and get back to me...

 

[Number5]

UPDATE;

I had a call from the Guy at MichelDever (UK Falken Distributors I think ) yesterday who've been liaising with Falken Germany for me. They said that the Falken Rep was astonished at the difference in width between a 914 and a 453 (both being 225/40/18 ) when put alongside each other.

Falken's statement was that the 914's are a more economical tyre as its designed to reduce rolling resistance and road noise (I assume by having less footprint on the road?) The 453 is a more 'sports' designed trye giving less MPG but more grip. (Probably what we would all want on a sports car!) However Falken state that the 914 in 225/40/18 is safe to fit on a 8.5J wheel even though it looks stretched.

A few emails went back and forward but the upshot is that they will swap all four of my new 914 tyres to Falken 453's at no additional cost .

I'm chuffed with the common sense attitude they've taken and the efforts the guy at Michel Dever has made to uphold the Falken reputation and the resolution they've proposed.

I'm going in Friday to get them all swapped over, so will confirm the final outcome once it's all done satisfactorily.

Result... - Hopefully

 

[hopz121]

That's excellent news that's pretty decent of them