TIRES

[Canopus]

I need 4 new tires for my NA mark 2 version 1 (so 14" wheels) (195/60/14 & 205/60/14)

Have been quoted £230 all in for four Nexen CP641.

Ideally I was looking for the same make all round and this was the only option the dealer could offer me. Have reviewed the web for comments and they seem to go for terrible to quite good. Currently I have four Nankings and they have always been ok in the dry but iffy in the wet.

Does anyone have any experience of these Nexen tires of have any other reasonable suggestions?

Thanks

Geoff

[JayUK91]

Front:
http://www.camskill.co.uk/m4b0s400p1287 ... 14_86H_TL_

Rear:
http://www.camskill.co.uk/m4b0s402p1287 ... 14_88H_TL_

I had Falkens on my original 15" wheels and they were fine.

Camskill are great for tyres too, try having a browse and see what you find.

[JohnnyC]

I ended up putting Falkens on as Toyos became a bit rare shortly after the earthquake in Japan. Been quite pleased with them

PS. They're called tyres unless you're American, which you're not

[vishpish]

second the falkens...always found them predictable and better in the wet than nexens nankangs etc...

[riot68]

PS. They're called tyres unless you're American, which you're not

[Kinsy]

Hes running the original 14"s guys - You cant buy Falken FK452s in any size smaller than 16!

Unfortunately tyres for your original 14s are going to be hard to find - 15"s are getting even rarer. If you want more grip, especially in the wet, look at upgrading to a set of 16s, as it gives a much wider tyre option.

[Ren0W]

ZE 912, not FK 452

[Drifter]

Have the tires prices rocketed or something? i got 4 Toyo T1R at my local garage for £250 last year fitted. Rears alone are £115 each

Need new tyres now myself, Are the Falkens better than the Toyo?

[Canopus]

Don't know about the Falkens yet as they are due to be fitted on saturday. Went to Blackcircle tyres on the web total cost £277 approx fitted.

I found the front tyres 195/60/14 at £55 each but the rears were much more expensive 205/60/14 at £83 each.

I will report back when I get a sense of how they perform but bearing in mind my car has 14" wheels and came with Nankang tyres I'm hoping for some considerable improvement particularly in the wet, but not sure how relevant this will be for those with lower profile tyres.

Geoff

[samdale]

Two things you should never skimp on. Tyres and brakes.

Nankang et al I wouldn't consider buying for car like this.

Something that's just a box for transporting people and stuff then maybe. But a car you want to enjoy driving, get some decent rubber.

[JohnnyC]

Have the tires prices rocketed or something? i got 4 Toyo T1R at my local garage for £250 last year fitted. Rears alone are £115 each

Need new tyres now myself, Are the Falkens better than the Toyo?

Yeah, I remember paying £240 for a full set of T1Rs for the MR2 a while back.

I now have Falken 912 on the rear (due to T1Rs being completely unavailable shortly after the tsunami last year). They seem pretty good to me

[Super_red]

I have used falkens for years ad currently have them on 2 of my cars. I could not get them for the 14's when I had a rev1, they were available but the 2 different widths resulted in 2 different tread paterns which I didnt want so I ended p with Bridgestones and they were very good, much better than the Dark Horse (diyoung ditchfinders) the previous owner had fitted.

[Canopus]

I had the Falkens fitten fine via Blackcircle tyres and the service was perfect.

There seemed to be an immediate difference in stability and just the feel of the car but in view of the snow I haven't driven her so can't really provide any subjective feedback at this time. I will revert later once I get back on the road.

Geoff

[danielmotegi]

i used to use the goodyear eagle f1 until they stopped making them, loved the handling in dry and wet, made the world of difference, completely stable in any conditions and last surprisingly well for the type of tyre,

since the eagle f1 became almost impossible to find i switched to falken 452 and i also really like them, not quite as good wet performance as the eagle f1 but amazing in the dry, not too sure about tyre life yet. i suggest switching to a 16 inch wheel for tyre choice as not many good tyres even come in 14 inch any more, go for a staggered setup something like 205front and 225 rear.

i run staggered 225 front and 235 rear with a bigger offset on the rear than the front and the handling has completely changed.

hope this helps