need help Falken FK452s or ZE912s
- Thread starter k3ab
- Start date
While on a conference call (and just listening) I emailed Falken UK technical centre and they replied very quickly:
To put into context I asked which is correct for the Z4, is one a later design, replacement or better tyre, etc.:
Thank you for your email, in the size 255/35R18 it is available in both patterns. The ZE912 is the later tyre however FK452 is still Falkens flagship ultra high performance tyre.
If you have been happy with the FK452 I would stick with them.
The FK452 will be better on grip and handling over the ZE912, the ZE912 will give you more mileage but on a Z4 I would go for the FK452.
I hope this is of use.
Regards Mike
To put into context I asked which is correct for the Z4, is one a later design, replacement or better tyre, etc.:
Thank you for your email, in the size 255/35R18 it is available in both patterns. The ZE912 is the later tyre however FK452 is still Falkens flagship ultra high performance tyre.
If you have been happy with the FK452 I would stick with them.
The FK452 will be better on grip and handling over the ZE912, the ZE912 will give you more mileage but on a Z4 I would go for the FK452.
I hope this is of use.
Regards Mike
cj10jeeper said:
Thanks for that now i know i have picked the right tyres to suit the car
Redzedfour said:cj10jeeper said:
Thanks for that now i know i have picked the right tyres to suit the car
Always best to go to the horse's mouth so to speak rather than guess
Thanks for all the input.
Interestingly enough, it was the guy at the garage that suggested 912's would be a better fit for the car - guess he was wrong!
Now that I've driven back on different road types, I can report the following improvements over the original bridgestone RFTs:
1) No more tramlining - this was mostly noticable on poorly maintainted motorways - the slow lane which sometimes has tracks from heavy trucks. This no longer happens with the 912s
2) Substantial reducion in road noise! - this is probably the most obvious change - wow what a difference. It is almost as quiet as my A4 saloon.
3) Much softer ride - No more ducking potholes and slowing down to 2 mph for speed bumps.
4) No decrease in cornering ability. Don't know if there's an imrovement as I have not had a chance to properly test this out during rush hour traffic.
Observations
1) Smaller rim guards than on original Bridgestone RFTs. Not a huge issue as there are a number of marks on the wheels as it is but will need to be a bit more careful fro now on
2) Steering feels a TINY bit heavier. This is probably the least noticable change so far but worth highlighting
3) fast driving (and I mean fast) - steering feels a little less sure. Not tested this out properly yet
In summary, so far I am not at all dissapointed with the 912 however I'll always have a thingy in the back of my mind wondering what it would have been like if I had gone for 452s. Given the fact that the tyre is "long life" and is warrantied up to 60,000 miles I guess I am stuck with 912's now!
Will post again if I discover anything else.
For now I'd say the 912 has my seal of approval for all its worth.
Interestingly enough, it was the guy at the garage that suggested 912's would be a better fit for the car - guess he was wrong!
Now that I've driven back on different road types, I can report the following improvements over the original bridgestone RFTs:
1) No more tramlining - this was mostly noticable on poorly maintainted motorways - the slow lane which sometimes has tracks from heavy trucks. This no longer happens with the 912s
2) Substantial reducion in road noise! - this is probably the most obvious change - wow what a difference. It is almost as quiet as my A4 saloon.
3) Much softer ride - No more ducking potholes and slowing down to 2 mph for speed bumps.
4) No decrease in cornering ability. Don't know if there's an imrovement as I have not had a chance to properly test this out during rush hour traffic.
Observations
1) Smaller rim guards than on original Bridgestone RFTs. Not a huge issue as there are a number of marks on the wheels as it is but will need to be a bit more careful fro now on
2) Steering feels a TINY bit heavier. This is probably the least noticable change so far but worth highlighting
3) fast driving (and I mean fast) - steering feels a little less sure. Not tested this out properly yet
In summary, so far I am not at all dissapointed with the 912 however I'll always have a thingy in the back of my mind wondering what it would have been like if I had gone for 452s. Given the fact that the tyre is "long life" and is warrantied up to 60,000 miles I guess I am stuck with 912's now!
Will post again if I discover anything else.
For now I'd say the 912 has my seal of approval for all its worth.
You may find the dealer could get hold of the 912's easier so was trying to secure the business.
Why do I say this, well my local BMW dealer fitted a 912 on my Z4 instead of the 452 I asked for (Insurance Job), when I tackled them they said they were discontinued. I pointed out that only 2 days before I had ordered a 452 from a compnay just 100 metres down the road, you can imagine the response. So I ran round on the 912 until they got the 452 in and swapped it over.
Why do I say this, well my local BMW dealer fitted a 912 on my Z4 instead of the 452 I asked for (Insurance Job), when I tackled them they said they were discontinued. I pointed out that only 2 days before I had ordered a 452 from a compnay just 100 metres down the road, you can imagine the response. So I ran round on the 912 until they got the 452 in and swapped it over.
k3ab
I'm sure you'll be happy with the change from RFT's. As for the recommendation of a garage guy (I assume tyre fitter) That to me is just one up from a market traders reference.
You're a braver man than me 'fast driving' on brand new tyres. The less secure feeling is likely mould release agent coming out. Be wary of ditches for the first hundred miles or so
I'm sure you'll be happy with the change from RFT's. As for the recommendation of a garage guy (I assume tyre fitter) That to me is just one up from a market traders reference.
You're a braver man than me 'fast driving' on brand new tyres. The less secure feeling is likely mould release agent coming out. Be wary of ditches for the first hundred miles or so
k3ab said:
My car had 3 x 452's and 1 x 912 on the rear, to be fair I took it easy whilst it was on for obvious reasons.
Still recall the conversation the service receptionist had with her colleague over the phone. "Mr. X isnt happy about having odd tyres on his car". Bloody right I wasnt odd tyres on the driven axle not good.
AHahahahahah I'm going to get the FK452s in the end!
The garage made a mistake - they disposed of two of my original RFT tyres which I specifically instrcted them to keep overnight as I'd be collecting them the next day (today).
So they've offered me to refund the wheel allignment fee (about 80 pounds). I said we can forget about it if they fit the tyres I originally wanted - FK452s.
So I'm bringing the z4 over tomorrow and they'll swap the 912s for 452s.
Will let you guys know if I notice any difference.
The garage made a mistake - they disposed of two of my original RFT tyres which I specifically instrcted them to keep overnight as I'd be collecting them the next day (today).
So they've offered me to refund the wheel allignment fee (about 80 pounds). I said we can forget about it if they fit the tyres I originally wanted - FK452s.
So I'm bringing the z4 over tomorrow and they'll swap the 912s for 452s.
Will let you guys know if I notice any difference.
Result for sure
I've always been led to believe that you should only really trust peoples experiences who've had the same tyre on the same car. The logic being that the weight and handling characteristics of a given car affect the tyre in the same way the tyre affects the car - it's not always valid to draw comparisons between a tyre on different vehicles, regardless if they happen to share the same rim size.
Don't suppose that adds an awful lot to the thread but if you're googling for info on a specific tyre, but not directly related to the right model of vehicle then I'd be wary...
Don't suppose that adds an awful lot to the thread but if you're googling for info on a specific tyre, but not directly related to the right model of vehicle then I'd be wary...
Its done.
4 new FK452s fitted.
So far only noticed that they are a tiny bit stiffer and a tiny bit louder (road noise).
Plus they may have identified the source of the air leak - the inner edges around the rims were corroded and top layer peeling. They've scubbed it down and applied some substance whish should help seal.
4 new FK452s fitted.
So far only noticed that they are a tiny bit stiffer and a tiny bit louder (road noise).
Plus they may have identified the source of the air leak - the inner edges around the rims were corroded and top layer peeling. They've scubbed it down and applied some substance whish should help seal.
Well you have swapped from a 'comfort' tyre to a 'performance' tyre (within their range) so I'd expect what you note.
Play with the pressures until comfortable but generally not as high as the RFT's. 33 rear 31 front is common, but others vary up and down from there.
Play with the pressures until comfortable but generally not as high as the RFT's. 33 rear 31 front is common, but others vary up and down from there.
They put it to 35 rear and 33 front but to be honest that felt a little too much like the old RFTs so I deflated it to 30/30 - will see how that feels.
Despite the fact that they cleaned off the corrosion and applied some agent to help it seal, I noticed the front driver's side tyre was down 1 bar after the drive home. Hoping that was just the way the filled it. Otherwise I'm back to square one.
Steering feels much sturdier at high speeds.
Despite the fact that they cleaned off the corrosion and applied some agent to help it seal, I noticed the front driver's side tyre was down 1 bar after the drive home. Hoping that was just the way the filled it. Otherwise I'm back to square one.
Steering feels much sturdier at high speeds.
I think the general feeling will be that 30/30 is a little too low, more so on the rears.
Dropping a bar in the day is a good leak - needs tyre off and sorting.
You are working your way to the most complex and traumatic tyre change on the forum
Dropping a bar in the day is a good leak - needs tyre off and sorting.
You are working your way to the most complex and traumatic tyre change on the forum