I did a little research and found that the falkens have a 30K warranty. Good news. As far as ride or handling I don't know..but am interested in anyone elses input as I am thinking of buying the same tire.

 

Go w/ the Falken Azenis! Better dry grip than even the Bridgstone S-03's, P-Zero's, etc, and you can prob get a 195/50/15 tire for around $63!

 

I think he wants to keep his stock tire diameter tho... I would personally not put the azenis's on a daily driving tires, while they do have EXCELENT grip they are much too lound for daily driving and are crap in wet.

and if the 15 " 512s are anything like the 19" versions of them I'de go with a different tire.... IMO

 

Reviews on most Falkens don't seem to be that positive. I believe the Azenis RS (competition tire mostly) and ST115 (supposedly-quiet, A/S I think?) are the only models I've really seen positive feedback on. But of course it always depends on needs and which car it's going on.

Do some Googling on the models you're thinking about, such as "Falken 512 tire review". Usually comes up with a few review sort of sites that you can check out and see what others' experiences have been.

Though can't always believe them, I've been perfectly happy with my stock MXV4s (not even to 30K and they're nearly bald, though!), but others hate them with a passion. At least Falkens are fairly inexpensive, so it's not like dropping the money on a set of Pilot Sport A/Ses or S-03s and finding out they aren't working for you.

 

why would anyone put an 195/50-15 on a passat??????????????? that's about three sizes too small. :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

 

Thanks for all the input.

I have done some Googling on the 512's, and saw mixed reviews. Just doing a search on these forums is where I probably saw the most negative feedback on them, which is what concerns me. If only you could test drive them...

Oh, and I have a GLX so my tire size is 205/60-16, and I don't think I want to push the size too much, would going to 225/55 mess up the traction control or ABS at all?

 

I think he wants to keep his stock tire diameter tho... I would personally not put the azenis's on a daily driving tires, while they do have EXCELENT grip they are much too lound for daily driving and are crap in wet.

and if the 15 " 512s are anything like the 19" versions of them I'de go with a different tire.... IMO

i would see if they have the falken GRB 451's in the size you want.. those now are the only tires i would run from falken...

 

FWIW, stock size for a GLX should be 205/55-16 -- you can run those, 215/55-16 or 225/50-16 without any issues. Don't worry about ABS or ASR -- as long as all four tires are the same size, you're golden.

Andy

 

Yup you're right (205/55-16)...I was getting my cars mixed up.

Anywho, I guess no one here actually has the 512's (or won't admit to it ). The Big-O tire guys was trying to sell me a set of 502's, but I know I've heard bad things about those. The quest continues...

-Mike

 

I have the ST-115's and I find them to be quiter than the stock Michelins were and grip heck of a lot better. Of course they are 225 vs. the 195's on my old 15's. I'm happy with the falkens and you can't beat them for the price. I think the handling in the rain is great, but it doesn't rain here much.

 

I just put some Falken 512s on a Volvo. I like them a lot, better than the Michelin Pilot XGT H4s they replaced. Quiet, smooth, and good dry and wet grip.

Big-O stocks 502s but must get 512s from the Falken warehouse...they can get what you want, but what they want is to sell from their inventory. Also check Sears for the Falkens, then dicker with both stores about price.


Ken

 

Okay, I used to have Toyo T1-S and now I have Falken Z512. If you ask me the different? Well, quite a bit. First let's talk about pricing, Toyo T1-S is about 3 hundred bucks Canadian more than Falken Z512 PER TIRE. Which means that you purchase two sets of Falken's for one set of Toyo T1-S. As for handling, Falken cannot compare to T1-S. I can turn corners anyway I want with the T1-S without skitting, but Falkens I am a little scared to do it. However, the Falken tires are All Season so it is logical that they don't turn as well. Morever, Falkens are far more quiet than the T1-S and I believe straight road wise, it's pretty damn smooth too. I don't know how long my Falkens will last, but so far, they're great. Even in the heavy rain in Vancouver, BC, they're surviving like any quality tires would do. Bottom line, Value and Performance, Falkens are well worth it!!! : )

 

start talking low profiles, like 235/45 17, 18, or 19's please... That way I can join the conversation...

 

So I finally found a place that had Falken 512's in stock, and only by coincidence: a Sears up in Redmond had my size because someone had special ordered them and then didn't buy them. I had them put on last Sunday, and after driving about 300 miles in both dry and wet conditions, I can say I'm quite satisfied!

They are very sticky in turns, and I'm happy with how they handled in the rain that we had this week. I think they're a bit quieter than the Energy's that came with the Passat, and the ride is a little smoother too. One drawback is that my mileage seems to suffer by maybe 1 or 2 MPG, but I think that's a fair trade off for the increased handling.

The warranty isn't as good as some other tires; only 30k for the 50/55 series, but 60k for 60/65 series. Even so, the total bill with road hazard insurance was $440. Not too bad considering how much Les Schwab wanted (TPT's were $750 there).