Falken or Kumho?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jan 16, 2008
Messages
546
Location
Richmond, BC, Canada
Looking at two different tires for my Mustang's 225/60R15

Falken Ziex ZE-912
falken_ze912_lg.jpg

or
Kumho Ecsta ASX (KU21)
kumho_asx_lg.jpg


Anyone use these tires? Falkens are H rated, Kumho's are V rated. Kumho is $10 more then the Falken. I'm leaning towards the Kumho's, because V rated tires are usually stickier.
 
Last edited:
I had Kumho Ecsta ASX on my E430 some years ago, it was an okay tire, nothing bad nor excellent about the tires.

Your size 225/60-15 is very limited, only 6 shown on Tirerack. Of those 6 available I think Kumho Ecsta ASX is a better buy than others.

If you can upgrade your wheels to 16", from later Mustang, then you can use 225/55-16 and there are about 10 times more tires to choose from.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I had Kumho Ecsta ASX on my E430 some years ago, it was an okay tire, nothing bad nor excellent about the tires.

Your size 225/60-15 is very limited, only 6 shown on Tirerack. Of those 6 available I think Kumho Ecsta ASX is a better buy than others.

If you can upgrade your wheels to 16", from later Mustang, then you can use 225/55-16 and there are about 10 times more tires to choose from.


I have thought about upgrading, but not at the moment. I would have to change the front hub/spindle in order for a 16 to work. 1986 was a weird year. I also just restored my turbine wheels, so I'd like to keep it 15's one more time.

I'm getting my tires from 1010tires.com (a canadian tirerack!)
Free local pickup since their retail location/warehouse is in the same city I live in, and installation is included in the price.
 
Last edited:
Hi,
mechjames - I replaced the original Michelins on my (now sold) CLK Benz with ZE912s. They were quieter than the Michelins and (for me) a better all round tyre

I used two sets of Falken FK451s on my Porsche 928S4. Great grip, noisy and the last set lasted for 50kkms

I've used Kumhos on Subarus and others with great results
 
I have the Ziex 912. While there are probably worse tires, they aren't great. Got really noisy towards ~4-5/32nds left of tread. One of the front two that just got replaced became extremely out of round. My steering wheel would literally vibrate at higher speeds and oscillate left and right <45mph. Would I buy them again? Probably, if I were tight on money since they are cheap for my size. FWIW, people complain that they're terrible in snow. Keep that in mind if it snows where you live.
 
To the OP:

Have you thought about getting a different size?

If you were able to go with a 205/65-15 or 215/60-15 you'd have a lot more choices. There are a couple other sizes around your size that may work. I didn't crunch the numbers to see what would be the closest other size. If this was possible would depend on your rim/tire clearance etc.

Also, is that size the original tire size or did someone change to that tire size?
 
I vote for the Kumhos. I'm on my second set on my 06 Mustang GT. Your size was the original when I owned an 85 Mustang GT. I would stay with that size in the Kumho.
 
Originally Posted By: mikered30
Falkens wear way too fast. Haven't used the Kumhos.


My Falken Ze512 tires wore like iron. I put them on around 75k and pulled them at 135k at well over 50% tread.

The sidewalls were rotting though...

The hydroplaning resistance was like night and day, with my Michelin Pilot Exaltos that are currently on so superior it is amazing.

My falkens were made by Ohtsu in Japan. I think they are now made in China though...
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2

My falkens were made by Ohtsu in Japan. I think they are now made in China though...



Mine are by Sumitomo in Thailand...
 
Seems like Kumho is the better choice.

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
To the OP:

Have you thought about getting a different size?

If you were able to go with a 205/65-15 or 215/60-15 you'd have a lot more choices. There are a couple other sizes around your size that may work. I didn't crunch the numbers to see what would be the closest other size. If this was possible would depend on your rim/tire clearance etc.

Also, is that size the original tire size or did someone change to that tire size?


I would rather go bigger then smaller
 
For me, the choice will be Kumho. Besides V rated, it is also AA traction rated. ZE912 is an improved compared to 512, but the aquaplanning resistance is still not good.
 
I like the ZE-912's on my car but I admit my expectations were low when I got them cheap. I was pleasantly surprised how well they work on both dry and wet roads and they evacuate standing water pretty well, and they are quiet. They got me through 'Snowmageddon' last year but I have an AWD Subaru. I've had them for a year and they are wearing okay, but the 'fast-wearing' complaints are probably true. Not sure I'll buy another set but they were the right choice at the time.

That said, the ASX is supposed to be a good low-cost all-season sporty tire. It was pretty highly rated a few years ago.
 
I went through this SAME debate in November. I chose the Kumho Ecsta ASX for my Malibu. While not a performance car by any means, these tires changed the handling from my OEM tires like night and day. Even making a simple left turn at an intersection, I could feel a significant difference in the traction and sidewall stiffness because of the S speed to V speed rating. They are also EXTREMELY smooth.

That said, 95% of the reviews seem to indicate that you will get around 20k miles out of them (they are rated for 30k). In my case though, that's fine since I drive 4k miles a year. Also the fact that I only paid $290 for the set from a promotion made it better.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: mikered30
Falkens wear way too fast. Haven't used the Kumhos.


My Falken Ze512 tires wore like iron. I put them on around 75k and pulled them at 135k at well over 50% tread.

The sidewalls were rotting though...

The hydroplaning resistance was like night and day, with my Michelin Pilot Exaltos that are currently on so superior it is amazing.

My falkens were made by Ohtsu in Japan. I think they are now made in China though...


The set of ZE-512s that I received last week were made in thailand.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top