Discussion
Had Falken ZE912 195/55/16 fitted to my car today (£240 fitted & balanced for all 4 
).
I need to bed them in a bit before I can give a full update but initial impression is that they are a fair bit smoother and a lot quieter. Hopefully the wet weather performance will be a lot better too.
That's comparing to Goodyear NCT5 run flats which are a better ride than the Pirelli Euphoria most of you (and my Mrs on her MCS Conv) are lumbered with but still not great and with terrible wet and cold weather performance.
Looks like I need to get the front lower wishbone bushes replaced though as the current ones are very worn. Anyone know if that's a big/expensive job?
).I need to bed them in a bit before I can give a full update but initial impression is that they are a fair bit smoother and a lot quieter. Hopefully the wet weather performance will be a lot better too.
That's comparing to Goodyear NCT5 run flats which are a better ride than the Pirelli Euphoria most of you (and my Mrs on her MCS Conv) are lumbered with but still not great and with terrible wet and cold weather performance.
Looks like I need to get the front lower wishbone bushes replaced though as the current ones are very worn. Anyone know if that's a big/expensive job?
So far my impression of the Falken ZE912 on my Cooper are really good. The ride is a lot smoother and quieter and the wet grip is massively improved. Today on damp/greasy roads it felt fine whereas before I'd have had to drive carefully.
It has introduced a small amount of roll as you'd expect with softer sidewall non run-flat tyres but the turn-in is still sharp and the improved ride and bump absorption means that it's actually easier to hustle along a b-road at speed than it was before.
I was originally going to go for Toyo T1R but I have them on my MX5 so I know that while they do work very well on wet & dry roads, they lose a lot of grip once the road temperatures drop nearer to 0C and I need my car to get me to work all year round.
It has introduced a small amount of roll as you'd expect with softer sidewall non run-flat tyres but the turn-in is still sharp and the improved ride and bump absorption means that it's actually easier to hustle along a b-road at speed than it was before.
I was originally going to go for Toyo T1R but I have them on my MX5 so I know that while they do work very well on wet & dry roads, they lose a lot of grip once the road temperatures drop nearer to 0C and I need my car to get me to work all year round.
MX-5 Lazza said:
So far my impression of the Falken ZE912 on my Cooper are really good. The ride is a lot smoother and quieter and the wet grip is massively improved. Today on damp/greasy roads it felt fine whereas before I'd have had to drive carefully.
It has introduced a small amount of roll as you'd expect with softer sidewall non run-flat tyres but the turn-in is still sharp and the improved ride and bump absorption means that it's actually easier to hustle along a b-road at speed than it was before.
I switched from RFTs to Contis - echo all the above ( not surprising with a 2.5kg weight saving per corner in unsprung weight ).It has introduced a small amount of roll as you'd expect with softer sidewall non run-flat tyres but the turn-in is still sharp and the improved ride and bump absorption means that it's actually easier to hustle along a b-road at speed than it was before.
Welcome increase in mpg as well for me
One other thing I've noticed is that the car seems to roll with more momentum now. The old run flat GY NCT5 are supposed to be efficient "low rolling resistance" tyres but the new ones seem to be lower while still having more grip/traction. I assume it's this that will help to improve the mpg.
The lower wishbone bushes are going to cost me £200 at a local garage assuming that's all it needs (and not ball-joints and/or uprights).
The lower wishbone bushes are going to cost me £200 at a local garage assuming that's all it needs (and not ball-joints and/or uprights).
MX-5 Lazza said:
One other thing I've noticed is that the car seems to roll with more momentum now. The old run flat GY NCT5 are supposed to be efficient "low rolling resistance" tyres but the new ones seem to be lower while still having more grip/traction.
Interesting you say that - I noticed exactly the same thing and posted on another forum about a year ago. If I needed to push the car out the garage to get at stuff it was much easier. The mpg gain has held up too - it does about 2 -> 3mpg more on non-RFTs
My tyres are nicely bedded in now and I can confirm that they are perfect for my Cooper. Replacing the wishbone bushes tightened up the steering giving the turning back it's sharpness and further improving the ride quality. It's now a much better car than it was with the run flats.
Today I also had the run flats on my Mrs MCS Convertible replaced too. She has the 17" wheels so I went for the Hankook V12 Evo as recommended on here. It was done at a garage just down the road from where I work. The drive there in the rain was as usual - I had to keep my wits about me as it dives all over the place due to the stupid amount of tram-lining and the wet grip from the Euphoria tyres is terrible. The ride on the 22 miles of terrible b-roads I have to drive on was noisy, crashy and rough to say the least. The drive home was a revelation. It now has very good wet grip, there isn't a hint of tram-lining, the ride is massively improved and as a bonus, it now seems like many of the trim squeaks & rattles have gone!
If there is anyone out there who still isn't sure about the decision to ditch their run-flats - DO IT!
Today I also had the run flats on my Mrs MCS Convertible replaced too. She has the 17" wheels so I went for the Hankook V12 Evo as recommended on here. It was done at a garage just down the road from where I work. The drive there in the rain was as usual - I had to keep my wits about me as it dives all over the place due to the stupid amount of tram-lining and the wet grip from the Euphoria tyres is terrible. The ride on the 22 miles of terrible b-roads I have to drive on was noisy, crashy and rough to say the least. The drive home was a revelation. It now has very good wet grip, there isn't a hint of tram-lining, the ride is massively improved and as a bonus, it now seems like many of the trim squeaks & rattles have gone!
If there is anyone out there who still isn't sure about the decision to ditch their run-flats - DO IT!
Gassing Station | New MINIs | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff