Unfortunately I had a tire destroyed last night from a pot hole. I went to try and get a single replacement (continental extreme contact) but they are on national backorder and getting a single tire will take too long....

So... Discount Tire is giving me a credit for my 3 good tires and I ordered 4 new Falken z912 tires. Now for NAMers opinions...

I have some team dynamics wheels that I have changed colors to graphite gray and I was planning on running summer tires in a few months but I still have to have a set of all season tires as the climate here is cold and can be snowy 4 or more months of the year.

After plopping down $430 for new tires installed I really don't think I want to get another summer set in a couple of months. The falkens will be in on thursday and I will have to decide which rim to put them on.

Any opinions on whether I mount the Falkens on the team dynamics and run those, or should I mount them back on the S-lites and hope to be able to run summer tires on the team dynamics...

Will the team dynamics wheels be easier to damage (bent wheel etc...) than the S-lites? Last thing I want to do is screw up the rim on winter pot hole roads...

 

im running 912's on my other car's wheels. they are stiff like performance
tires and been gripping pretty well.

yah, i do remember saying they suck-*** on another thread, but after a
VERY LONG break-in of 500miles they started to grip quite well.
i would NOT consider these comfy tires though.

so, if you only intend to do spirited driving, i'd probably mount those on
your "good" set of wheels and run that all year long.

 

Your asking for opinions and here's mine:

Your concerned about tweaking a TD rim on a pothole that you can't see because of the snow is a valid concern.
I had a set of TD Pro Race 1's and they are good rims but logic says S-lights.

They're, the S-lights, hell for stout, weigh too much, most likely won't bend as easy and will do just fine in the winter.

Besides if you bend one they are readily available here on NAM.

Hope this helps...

 

I am okay with it not being comfy... The continentals were very comfortable but you could feel the soft side wall in spirited turns. I can only imagine that the soft side wall contributed to the tire getting damaged and pinched between the road and the rim.

The S-lite rim actually got very very slightly (very slightly) bent but the shop did not think it would be a problem. Only the lip of the rim got ever so slightly malformed. I would hate to see what a lighter alloy would have looked like.

 

team dynamic wheels are tough, but my teams on my cav were bent hard when I took a pothole on them. I can guarantee that the S-Lite is a stronger wheel.

I would mount them on the S-Lite and run them that way for awhile. I say a good summer tire for summer wheels should be exactly that, a "sumer tire" Falken 912 is cool but UHPAS and just not the best choice for maximum grip.

 

I use the S-not-so-lites for winter duty, and my Enkei rims for summer tires.

 

I was just about to say, you told me those tires are crap!

Glad to hear they're performing much better now. Very surprised to hear you say they aren't comfortable. Most claim them to be amongst the most comfortable and quiet A/S tires out there.

I'm still back and forth between them and the F1 A/S. I know the F1's are in an entirely different league. Just trying to figure out for my purposes (absolutely no track or auto x), if they're worth over double the price though...

 

well on my commuters ive been running a/s tires and i have a certain
level of experience with a/s tires from shitty RE92's to PilotSport A/S
tires. these 912's took forever to break-in.

you'd expect tires to break-in about 100miles max with normal driving
but these took 500miles. by that time most people will conclude
that their tires are crap.

my summer tires (S03's, 050 pole positions, pilots, GS-D3's) all break-in within
50miles of normal/spirited driving.

as far as comfy a/s tires, Sumi's HTR+ has been the most comfortable.
Avid's are much more comfy than the 912's but the noise level is about
the same. HTR+'s are quiet and comfy...thus on my MCS right now.

 

Damn, you do have a lot of experience with tires!

That does seem like an unusually long break-in. This is going to be a very busy semester, so I want tires that will get to optimal performance ASAP as I won't be putting very many miles on my MINI.

I actually considered the HTR+'s. Good to hear they're quiet and comfortable. Both of those are huge factors for me. Any comments on their performance (wet/dry/snow grip)???