Falken FK 452 or Avon ZZ3?

[rhencullen1989]

Hi, i need 2 new front tyres for my A4 1.8T, i was gonna buy some Avon zz3's that i have used before and were happy with (apart from quick wear) but upon reading some reviews they seem good in the dry but cr*p in the wet. The falken fk452's seem a good tyre wet or dry, does anyone know how they wear, i have got a price from Tyre Traders online for £58.63 each fitted drive in drive out price (205/55/16). Can get them done 1 mile from where i live! Any advice on wear/grip/price. Thanks in advance rhencullen1989. P.s i have dunlop 2000 at the moment on all corners, i have read that falkens are actually made by dunlop?

[Spudrig]

I'm using FK452 on my B6 1.9TDi Passat. They are 225/40/18 and the ware rate has been better than expected. I've done 10000 miles and the fronts still have 3mm tread left. Rears look unworn! I got mine for 62 quid on camskill.co.uk and all in all I think they are very good value. I will definitely use them again in the future. And I also heard they were made by Dunlop in Japan, so they must be good quality!

[rhencullen1989]

Thanks for the reply, i had a look at camskill's website but even though they offer free delivery i think i will find it hard to find someone to fit and balance tyres that you did not buy from. I think camskill quoted £47.90 per tyre delivered, where as Tyre Trader can do £58.63 fitted and balanced. I think most places would charge at least £10 per tyre to fit and balance, so i shall carry on and get them from Tyre Trader and have them fitted locally.:approve:

[euroslap]

I've gone through two sets of Avon ZZ3's on the front of my VR6 (in approx. 10,000 miles), they hold the road really well but are mega soft and don't last well at all. Hope this helps. ;)

[webchem]

Having 452's stuck on the front tomorrow morning...

They were brilliant on my Volvo 850, hoping they will perform similarly to on the A6. Not sure about the P6000s currently on there, okay they have lasted 20k, but the last 7k or so they have been noisy and poor grip in wet. Maybe I should have changed sooner...

[rhencullen1989]

O.K, keep us posted as to what you think of them, to be honest there are so many good reviews about the 452's that i don't think there will be a problem. Also getting mine fitted tomorrow, down to the tread bars so time to open the wallet!!!!!!!!!!!!

[webchem]

Okay even though they are not properly bedded in, the difference is astonishing. The whole car feels far more sure-footed than it ever did with P6000s on - and I have only changed the front.

There is significantly less noise and far more response already, so I am looking forward to the tyres settling down.

Maybe I should have changed all four?

[euroslap]

Okay even though they are not properly bedded in, the difference is astonishing. The whole car feels far more sure-footed than it ever did with P6000s on - and I have only changed the front.

There is significantly less noise and far more response already, so I am looking forward to the tyres settling down.

Maybe I should have changed all four?

Go and get the other two fitted if you're that impressed, somebody will buy your P6000 part worns on Ebay almost definately.

[webchem]

I don't think anyone would want them - they are nearly down to the 1.6mm mark (sadly).

Give it 6 weeks I will be replacing the rear!

:-)

[euroslap]

Yeeerp! Get em done. ;)

[rhencullen1989]

Had 2 front Falcon FK 452's fitted this morning, first impressions are good, a good looking tyre with meaningfull tread pattern and just as good rim protection as the dunlops they replaced. First road trip was good, i have heard they take a few hundred miles to bed in so we will see how they go!:D

[wingers1982]

hi im not being rude but where are you lot taking you're cars? sounds like cowboys to me as they are putting people at risk new tyres on front wheel drive vehicles should be fitted to the rear of a vehicle if you have new tyre fitted to the front you're rear tyres are hardly wearing thats how blow outs happen older tyres start braking down and i've seen it i've been in the trade 6 years and its not always from the outside plus think about the grip problems, you've just had you're front tyres changed back tyres only have 2-3 mm left you hit that round about alittle fast and next thing well you know. i always change my tyres at 3mm thats when the tyres water dispersal gets bad. o and as i always say talk to the guy at the garage just to see if he knows what he's doing ask him how old the back tyres are if he cant tell you or look blankly at you go somewhere else if he knows what he's doing ask his opinion

[webchem]

hi im not being rude but where are you lot taking you're cars? sounds like cowboys to me as they are putting people at risk new tyres on front wheel drive vehicles should be fitted to the rear of a vehicle if you have new tyre fitted to the front you're rear tyres are hardly wearing thats how blow outs happen older tyres start braking down and i've seen it i've been in the trade 6 years and its not always from the outside plus think about the grip problems, you've just had you're front tyres changed back tyres only have 2-3 mm left you hit that round about alittle fast and next thing well you know. i always change my tyres at 3mm thats when the tyres water dispersal gets bad. o and as i always say talk to the guy at the garage just to see if he knows what he's doing ask him how old the back tyres are if he cant tell you or look blankly at you go somewhere else if he knows what he's doing ask his opinion

This is an interesting argument and one I have heard before. As the car is not front-wheel drive I suspect it doesn't quite wash. The only literature I can find on this is from the lovely boys at Michelin. Isn't it in their interests to get you to stick new tyres on the rear, then wear the older ones at the front a little quicker?

As a relatively non-talented driver, I spend most of my life trying not to get myself into a situation where I reach the limit (at which point some of this stuff starts to kick in). On the one occasion I have managed to reach the limit of the car (a quattro - and yes I know in theory I should change all four tyres at once), it behaved so unlike a front wheel drive car (or rear-wheel drive cars that I have owned) that to be honest it wouldn't have mattered where the traction was coming from. I just simply wasn't talented enough - I have no intention of deliberately getting to that point again, and lets face it on today's roads the opportunity to get to the limit is pretty limited...

Driving through the floods in East Devon on thursday, I was very very glad to have two new bits of rubber on the front - some hairy moments...

I plan to change the rear's in about 6 weeks or so.

Seriously though I would love to hear other people's opinions about where the best place to put new tyres is if you are only changing 2 out of the four, is it simply the propaganda of the people mentioned above, or is there some real hard-core research that suggests its the best thing to do?

[JohnWithAGolf]

Youve made the right choice with the Falkens, they are indeed made by Dunlop in Japan.
Just a word of advice. You should alwas fit new tyres to the REAR of a car, it's the fixed, non-steering axle that keeps a car on the straight and narrow, with the bias of grip shifted to the front the back can get a bit lively so get the rears changed as soon as you can!

[JohnWithAGolf]

Didn't see the second page of responses before I posted that! Wingers is right with the new tyres on the rear, not all fitters / garages are cowboys, some do care! A dead / crashed motorist won't be a repeat customer.

[zollaf]

i was always a firm believer in fitting the new tyre to the front, but then read an article somewhere that they should go on the back, since an understeer is usually better than an oversteer situation. but when braking you want the best tread on the front? i do see a lot of rear tyres that have been on a car for too long with plenty of tread left, but with perished sidewalls and cracks in the tread that can lead to blowouts, which is not good. totally agree that 3mm is a good time to change as well.