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MG MGF Technical - FALKEN ZE-326 Tyres

Has anyone used these tyres on their F?
If so, what are your comments with these?
Good , bad, ratsh*t, etc?

I have put on a new set of these in size 195/50/15 on my F. all round.
Maybe they need to "bed in", but I get the feeling that they may not be great tyres. Just OK.
They don't seem to hold as well as what was on. (Semperit)

http://www.blackcircles.com/tyres/falken


Cheers,
Branko
Branko

Branko
Falken tyres in the UK are regarded as a budget tyre - I am unaware of anyone who has tried these BUT there may be someone along in a moment who counters this view.

David
David stonehouse

Branko,

given the score that the Falken has on the linked website I would suggest that they aren't in the same class at Toyo's or PZero's.

I have Toyo TPG's on my car (recommended by Ian Edgar - MG Racing member and tyrepower operator as the best handling tyre for the price) and I find them excellent in all conditions. I you call Ian at Edgars Tyrepower he can probably give you the low down on your tyre as well as comparisons with others.
Phil Stafford

David,
unfortunately I am on a budget but I think I should have stretched it to accomodate a better tyre. Live and learn...

Phil,
Thanks for the contact. I'll give Notting Hill branch a call.

Branko

The problem is not the Falken brand, but rather the model... The ZE326 is apparently a mid-range tyre, more "quiet touring" than "hyper-sport"...
Fabrice

I had the ZE512's fitted on the rear for the last set around 18 months ago. Scary to start with although that may have been more to do with incorrect tyre pressures. Did ~27k miles before they needed replacing.

I now have ZE512's fitted all round and they've been absolutely fine from the start. The front NCT3s which they replaced were hardly a benchmark for performance but they did last 70k miles just squeaking through the MoT in December as an advisory. Says a lot for maintaining the ride height. And driving mostly on m-ways.

BTW, in the last couple of weeks I've completed 100k miles in this F under my ownership. Now nudging 134k miles, the last two services have just been routine. The big bulge of cost (HGF, replacement radiator, underbody pipes, cambelt & tensioner) between 90-110k seem almost forgotten. With hardly any depreciation left in the car it gets cheaper to drive by the day. Touch wood.
Trevor Hobden

Falken are considered budget ytres here too but some of their models are really good. I used FK-451 on an Audi S3 a few years back and was pleased with them. They were low profile though and had a sporty profile, dunno of ZE-326 are touring type tyres. Also the Audi is not as sensitive to tyres as the F.

Remember they need a good 200 miles or so to run in so you may find they improve over time.
Anthony

Fabrice, the Falken tyres are made in Japan. I thought just for that reason alone that they should be OK.

Trevor, the ZE512's have almost identical specs with the ZE326's. I have the tyre broucher which shows me this. What tyre pressure's are you running?

Anthony, Looks like I'll have to drive more miles for these tyres to bed in properly.
I suppose someones got to do the dirty work..... may as well be me :-)


Looks like they are budget priced in the UK as well.

http://www.falkentyres.co.uk/product.asp?numPageStartPosition=8&strPageHistory=&strKeywords=&strSearchCriteria=&PT_ID=50&P_ID=135



(Sorry for late replys, but just got back from several days away jetskiing at Lake Eildon here in Victoria. Great fun, but now my arms are sore due to too many tight turns I did. That'll teach me..)

Cheers,
Branko




Branko

Branko, I put these tyres ZE 326 195/50x15 on my daughters Peugeot 405 and find them an excellent for this type of car. I never considered them suitable for the F.
Andrew Regens

Branko,
The Falken ZE512 seems to be counted as an equivelent to the likes of the Goodyear GSD3, Toyo Proxes T1-S and the Yokohama AVS Sport.
While the ZE326 seeems to be counted as equivelent to tyres like the Pirelli P6000.
Whilist I still have Goodyears on my Trophy, I am running 195/55-15 Falken RT215 Azenis on my MGB and find that they have exceptional grip, not quite as good as Yokey Advans but close, cheaper too.
I had 195/60-15 Falken ST115 Azenis on the "B" before the 215's and was pleased with there performance on both the road and track.
I have had friends who have fitted cheaper version of the Falken tyre and were not impressed with them.
So with the Falken tyre it seems like the more you pay the more you get, like most things I guess
Leigh
Leigh Taylor

Andrew & Leigh, thanks for your comments.

As I've only done under 100kms in these tyres I will see how they go with a little more bedding in.

I'm about to put lowering knuckles on on. Hopefully that will also improve things a little.

Cheers,
Branko
Branko

> Trevor, the ZE512's have almost identical specs with the ZE326's. I have the tyre broucher which shows me this. What tyre pressure's are you running?

Branko, they may have similar ratings but the tread patterns are totally different. ZE512's are directional, for starters. IIRC, the rears went up to around 30-32psi and, yes, they did wear more centrally than at the edges.

We have the same tyres all round on our BMW 523 and it completely eliminated the wheel wobble that seem to afflict the 5 series so much.
Trevor Hobden

This thread was discussed between 08/03/2006 and 14/03/2006

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