Deciding between: Falken Ziex 912, General Exclaim UHP, Kuhmo Ecsta ASX

From everthing I can see, people seem to rate these tires very similarly (though it's hard to tell as Tirerack doesn't carry the Falkens).

On my wife's car when I went to order the General's the person at Tirerack actaully recommended the Kuhmo Ecsta ASX instead.

16" wheels, so tire sizes of 195/55/16, 205/50/16 or 205/55/16

Importance to me: (1=not, 5=must have)
1. Cornering 3 (I like spirited driving, but I'm not going to push it on public roads)
2. Treadlife 3 (I'm going to be commuting soon)
3. Noise 4 (I'd like to be comfortable during long trips)
4. Comfort 4 (I'm saying this in comparison the the Dunlop 5000 run flats!, and with Michigan frost heaves run flats are painful!)
5. Feel 5 (I would like to retain a nice turn-in feel)
6. Snow/ice 3 (though in MI, I plan on snow tires)
7. Price 3 (I'm willing to pay, but only for quality)

What I have documented:
Kuhmo Ecsta ASX W rated 420 AA A $71
Falken Ziex 912 V rated 360 A A $69
Pirelli PZero Nero M&S W rated 400 AA A $112 (I'm thinking no, simply due to cost vs. reward)
General Exclaim UHP W rated 380 AA A $60

 

I have 205/50/16 Kuhmo ASTs. Speedo is 2 mph off (reading high). I love the tires!!! If you want a more accurate speedo get the 205/55/16s. They are great in wet and dry. I do not drive Hendrix in snow so I can not comment on this. They are extremely quiet. I chose the ASTs over the ASXs because I liked the tread pattern better and mine is "Just a Cooper". I got mine monuted and balanced for $280!!!

 

Falken 912's are extremely quiet. They give really good wet/dry traction and are asymmetrical for easy rotating. They are also good for light snow traction. The stiffer side walls make the tire more reliable in cornering. They were also rated #1 by Consumer reports, http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...e-tires-ov.htm. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Leo Barrios
leo@edgeracing.com
800-489-5353 x211
http://www.edgeracing.com

 

no experience with the 912's but i have their predecessor the 512's and they are a pretty dang good tire considering what they cost. They are predictable, handle well in the wet/dry, ride smooth and are quiet.

I've heard the 912's are better because of a bit stiffer side wall. I think these 512's could benefit from a bit of stiffening but i'm running them in a 40 series on a 17" wheel so i'd bet they feel similar to a 45 on a 17 in the 912's. At any rate, if the 912's are as good as the 512's or better at all, i would have no qualms about recommending them as a low price jack of all trades.

 

I have been very happy with the General UHP Exclaims on my MCS. Not the ultimate track or auto-x tire, but it provides plenty of grip in the wet or dry for aggressive street driving, anything within the bounds of sanity. Excellent tread life, very lightweight tire. Comfortable ride, very quiet on asphalt surfaces, somewhat noisier on concrete (true of nearly every tire). The Exclaims are not a cold-weather tire - they become a bit hard and less grippy when the temperature dips to freezing or below. This is when you need to mount real winter tires. All in all, a fine tire, a very good value for money.

 

just mounted a new set of 205/50/16 912's yesterday on my '03 MCS, replacing the oem Dunlop run-flats; I am never going back! The Falkens grip much better, are just slightly softer ride-wise (pressure set at 40 psi), and generally make the car feel much more predictable than before.

The very direct feeling initial steering response that it had with the run-flats is softer, though, but it is just that initial feel that has changed; putting the car into a F1-style warm up serpentine revealed a truer sense of what the car was doing, or at least that what it felt like to me.

2 cents from a non-pro regular driver.

cheers

gv

edit: a week later, and I'm not so happy with the overall handling; the car has gotten sloppy around corners compared to the run-flats. The Falkens still feel great at lower speeds, its just at higher speeds where the softer sidewall shows itself.

 

Well I ordered up the Falken ZE-912s tonight in the 195/55/16 size!

As a side note, Discounttiredirect.com will price match . I was going to check with edgeracing.com, but as I'm in MI it's faster to order from DT with their warehouse in OH.


If you need to know the best price I found, PM me. This is mainly for my own pride as I'm sure someone else knows of a better price. I'm just sad I missed the $100 of 4 tires sale with DT.

Too bad Tirerack doesn't carry this tire, I've worked with them before. Maybe next time!

 

I think the falken tires will be better than either general or kumho. From personal experience, falken tires are tougher and last longer than kumho and I'm not certain how general tires are, but I have heard some bad things about them.