me neither. you will be amazed how much LONGER the breakin period
is for the Ziex912's.


btw who is mayumi?

 

If this is the case - return them, bottom line you will never be happy w/ them.

I'm presently trying to buy tires and driving myself insane. Most don't think about tires much but tire selection is sooooo key.

 

snyper -
I just checked my 2 week old UHPs (less than 100 miles). They don't feel nearly as bad as you describe. The are ~ 31 psi and it really doesn't feel soft when i push on the tread as you describe - maybe you got a bad batch or they don't do well in your size config.

 

Don't confuse the' tire breaking in', with 'you just getting used to them'.

I too drive myself nuts with what tire to get when the RFs wore out. I didn't want to loose that go-kart steering feel. I guess I just lucked out with getting Goodyear F1 A/S. I am very pleased with the turn in, noise, ride, everything. Handle very much like my RFs except the noise is much lower and the ride is a little bit better over those road to bridge mismatches.

YD

 

Don't feel bad I have a new set of Spec 2 that I hate. Performance is good but loud as hell.

 

You may have to move up a level. Some NAM'ers have been singing praises about the Dunlop Z1 Star Spec. $125 tire rack. Anybody with first hand experience?

IMHO I think in the under 100 category you are going to swap one issue for another. Lifespan of tire being one major issue.

I looked at the following before buying the Exclaim UHP:

Dunlop Direzza DZ 101
Kumho SPT
Sumitomo hrtz II and III
Falken 452

Bought the Generals because of the high rating in wet conditions so I could leave on longer in the fall and spring seasons.

If you do choose to change tires let us know what you replace with and how they feel!

 

My car's name, heh heh.

 

naruhodo...

 

Spoke to the manager at NTB. He told me that I have 30 day guarantee. However, he also told me that its their policy not to cover anything that is purchased that is not OEM size. Luckily he said he wouldn't do that to me and will allow me to replace them. I just have to pay to have new tires mounted and balanced again.

His opinion about the General UHPs was not good. He basically told me that the tread depth was too deep for a car like a MINI and that the feeling I'm experiencing is more or less the tread buckling or flexing as I turn. He said to keep them on for a week, see if they "break in" Also told me to go to a secluded road and "scuff them up" a little.

At this point I'm not sure if I'll keep them or not. I drove 100 mile trip today on a two lane road, and came back during a downpour doing 80mph on an interstate. I really like the wet traction on them. I'll keep everyone update on how they do come Friday, and what tires I opt for if I don't keep these.

 

Well, if it's just "tread squirm" like the manager says, at least it will get better as the tires wear...

 

follow your gut - swap them out for something else.

 

I noticed that the tread on my Kumho ASXs seemed pretty deep when I got them and I was having your same concerns. I guess this another thing to look at if we're considering tires that don't have universal approval. They are getting better (13K) so I suspect their issues are a combination of sidewall flex AND tread squirm. Thanks for the additional info, guys. Good ole NAM.

 

名前があるそう、これは変だか？

I hope that showed up for you.


Anyway, tread squirm is a real problem on a lot of tires.

 

Everything issue you describe can easily be explained by your statement that "...the 35psi was measured after i got home from work, about a 15mile trip doing 80mph...plus its about 80degrees here."

You are probably running round 27-28 lbs, when measured cold, the usual way of measuring tire pressure, which would account for all the symptoms you describe.

Try setting them at 35lbs. when they are cold in the morning - no tire works well when it is several pounds under the recommended pressure...

 

My friend used to run his tires at 20psi in his '90 mustang. The thing handled like a boat. When I bought it from him for $200 while my car was in the shop for months, I put the tire pressure up to 36psi and the car handled remarkably well. He didn't care for performance and wanted a smooth ride, so he never listened to suggestions to raise the psi.

 

As I've stated before, I gotten great service out of mine. BUT, after reading your posts, I think you should trade them in for something you are more comfortabe with. I don't think at this point you'll ever be happy with the Generals. If all you have to pay is for remounting and balancing, plus the price difference in tires, thats a cheap way to happiness.

 

The General Exclaim UHP, in my experience, is an outstanding street tire. They have never been promoted as a track, competition or ultra-performance tire. Rather the UHP is a comfortable, quiet, long-wearing tire with plenty of wet and dry grip for spirited street driving. Everything being a trade-ff the long tread life reflects a compound which is harder than that of the grippiest performance tires: ie, maximum grip comes at the expense of tread life, while tread life comes at the cost of some grip. In choosing a tire you have to decide where your priorities lie.

That said, I have been very happy with my General UHP's for nearly a year, and have experienced absolutely none of the handling anomalies you describe. For me the tires have proven secure, crisp handling and issue-free. I have over 10K on them now and treadwear is quite modest. I tend to drive in a rather exuberant manner (I do have an MCS, after all), and the UHP's are frequently subjected to high loads from cornering, stopping and accelerating. Never a problem to date. As much as I appreciate the Exclaim as a street tire, if I were into tracking or other high-performance competition this would not be my tire of choice. How to explain the strange handling you describe is a mystery - underinflation would seem to me the most likely cause. All I can say is that many MINI owners, including myself, have used the General Exclaim UHP with great success. For my kind of driving they are excellent.

 

If you don't mind quick wear why not Falken Azenis

 

They're not, have a set of those.

 

I just mounted a set of GY Eagle F1 A/S's on my Mini this weekend, and I was surprised at how close they are to the run flat's in overall sportiness. I went from 16" runflats to 17" F1 A/S's (205/45/17), and I was expecting a much plusher ride. In fact the A/S's ride very similar to the runflats, and have great turn in. They do seem to be just a bit quieter and a tiny bit softer riding. Overall, I'm very pleased with the way they handle. I'm sure that 17" runflats would be a LOT harsher.

 

Wow, reading about people commenting on how "Sporty" the OEM Runflats are just makes me realize just how extreme I really am when it comes to overall handling and performance.

I'm seriously considering running R-Compounds on the street because I haven't found any other tires that meet my performance needs.

 

R-compounds? heh heh, and you can do it too, living in southern california.

 

Yea, well, I'm not sure I can afford $2500 a year in tires.

And contrary to popular belief, we do get rain here!

 

Rang true, sure rang true.

 

so I had mine (General's at the same 215/45/17 size) installed on Monday. Asked the tire shop to inflate them all the way up to 40 psi. Drove to the airport and back today (1-day biz trip) - they are absolutely fine, great handling, actually know I'm reconsidering installing the JCW suspension on my R56