X-type on Falken 452s is pants

[Barreti]

Fellow X-type owners I need your help.

I recently swapped my cheapo Avon tyres for Falken 452s after reading lots of recommendations for them.
Now I find I can barely drive the car in the snow and noticed immediately the lack of front end grip when I try to make a rapid exit from a junction.
I'm not talking about the 3.0 v6 x-type here either. I have the 2.0d Sport.

You get used to the level of grip you have when you want a quick getaway, so the wheelspinning simpleton I now appear to be can only be down to the Falkens.

What is so great about them? Can I expect great things in the dry only?
Right now I'm considering shelving the front pair and putting something a bit more winter biased on.

Anyone else got Falkens on and what do you think of them in comparison with other tyres you've used.

[stuartmmcfc]

just a thought......
How long have you had them and what sort of mileage/conditions have you used them for??

[andyps]

I can't comment on the use on an X-type but I have FK452s all round on my Fiat Coupe and the front of my XK8 as summer tyres. For summer use they are great, handling well, gripping very well in wet and dry conditions and I have had good life out of them on the Fiat. But, I don't use them in the winter as they are not designed for snow, they are summer tyres. Wait until the weather improves and they should be fine!

[croyde]

I have the cheaper for smaller rims 912s on my BMW 323i and I have to say that they have been brilliant wet and dry, Summer and Winter. Crap in the snow but I still managed to get about apart from getting stuck on a steep cambered parking space

Still got it out by relentless wheel spinning after I gave up on all that start in 2nd business

[stuartmmcfc]

stuartmmcfc said:

just a thought......
How long have you had them and what sort of mileage/conditions have you used them for??

if they are "new' new then is it possible that the tyres still have a residue of release compound from the mould on them and the snowy conditions haven't created the friction that "normal" tarmac would have worn off in a matter of a few miles?


ps- I have no problem in the wet in my xkr although I wouldn't go out in the snow in this car- regardless of what was on the rims.

Edited by stuartmmcfc on Sunday 27th January 19:22

[fatboy69]

I bought a set of Fox alloy wheels shod with a set of Falkens a few weeks ago, cost me almost £1k!, & I am more than happy with them on my 3 litre V6.

Transformed the handling - had Kumho's on before. The difference is like night & day. Better grip in the dry, tracks better & wet weather handling is superb.

Grip levels are so much better - in the snow last week & the week before I was one of the few who got into work. My boss drives drives an X5 & couldn't get it up the gradient to the car park.

The Jag? Sailed up effortlessly wit no loss of traction at all. Unless I hit the loud pedal to see if I could unstick the back end!!

Extremely happy with the Falkens on my car.

[Barreti]

Thanks for the replies chaps.
To answer your questions, I've had the tyres on about a month and have therefore done about a thousand miles.

I've checked they are on correct to the Rotation marks on the tyre wall and had them at both 33 and 31 psi with no improvement in the bad weather. I've never seen the traction control light on so much in 3 years as I have in the last month.

In the snow I have little control of the car at all and am honestly surprised the car is still in one piece after recent low speed excursions. It wheel spins under light acceleration and locks under braking.

Ive done 50k miles and it' has been no problem at all until I fitted these ruddy Falken tyres

[Six Fiend]

Those of us with the AWD have a 60:40 split, rear bias for drive whereas you've got 100% through the front. I have 452s too.

Now, in the wet and snowy conditions I can spin up one or both of the rears quite well (in the wet the viscous coupling takes a second or two to catch up). They will let go in cold damp conditions if pushed but nothing too startling, juts a hint not to be a berk

In short, yes 452s are fine on the AWD cars but I can see how on a FWD you might find them a little less grippy this time of year.

[tr7v8]

I always found the 452 rubbish in snow & cold temps <7 Deg C Great everywhere else though. They also take a long time 500+mile to run in.

[Fat Albert]

I had 452s on my Porsche 944 Turbo and they were very good, but they had to be warmed up to work properly

[w824gb3]

I had 452's on my 2.2d estate & thought they were poor in snow - that is until i switched to Vredestein's. These are in a different league of badness & it's a wonder I am still alive to write this after last weekend!! I will be switching back when they wear out.

[Barreti]

Thanks for the feedback guys. It looks like I should give these a bit longer to bed in and warm up.
Keep your fingers crossed I don't end up in a ditch before the spring arrives then

Cheers.

[Domf]

Spent last weekend in the Yorkshire Dales above Reeth, plenty of snow, Bridgestone Potenza saw 2.5 AWD never miss a beat up steep snowy roads. Only road that stopped us had 2 deep grooves and 4 to 5 inches of packed snow in the middle, would have grounded Jaguar and any non high clearance 4x4. Only problem with Bridgestones is getting to stop in them, I wish ABS could be switched off in snow, the computers can't cope with the feedback. Bridgestones are far superior to Pirelli P zero nero, they were as good in snow as it appears the Falkens are. I found with the Pirelli's the car would push from the rear bias at a 90 degree corner straight on and the locked front wheels driving didn't pull around the corner.A few years ago some Canadian X type owners sent photos of their cars in deep snow on proper winter tyres 175/16 and said the car would go and stop with the best.