Opinions Please...
 

I'm looking to get new tires soon. I currently have Falken ZE-512's and was thinking of driving down to the states to get a new set from Discount Tire just like Captain Picard did before. However, I've read others mentioning Continental DWS....

My question is... which do you recommend? And an estimate on how much for 215/40/17 if both tires are available locally...

Thanks in advance!

Also, if there are other tires you recommend.. please let me know!

I did quite a bit of research and dws is prob the best tire you can get right now.
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If I am not mistaken, the falken ZE-512's were discontinued a couple of years ago. They were replaced with the 912's, but those new tires weren't as good as the 512's. What's your budget?

from what i saw on discount tire's website, they still have the 512's. and its around 620ish usd.
i dont wanna go absolutely crazy on tires but we all know that we get what we pay for, so i dont mind spending that extra bit.. so around 600 or so is my budget i suppose.

I dont think they make the cont. DWS in your tire size unless you want to step up to a 45 series tire. Even then, the DWS is $15-20 more per tire, so $70-100 more after taxes.

I would suggest the general exclaim UHP. Similar performance to the falken 512 but with better wear characteristics.

Comparing the DWS vs 512:
***DWS***
+ treadlife
+ stiffer sidewall
+ overall grip

***512***
+++ numerous channels to reduce hydroplaning
++ lateral grip (wet & dry)
-- soft sidewall (delayed turn-in response)
--- treadlife
- off the line grip (wet)

I found the 512s to be a love/hate kind of tire; some major positives but also big negatives.
The UHPs are.... well, general; overall decent, well balanced tires with no real drawbacks.

I have no experience with the general UHPs in the snow. I got around town with the 512s ok, but it felt just like any other A/S tire.

Thanks for that!

Just wondering tho... what exactly is the difference between 40 and 45? I could never really understand tire codes...

Only reason i'm looking at the 512's again is because my car came with those tires mounted when I bought it so I figured why not get them again.. Definately open to other opinions and will look into the exclaim UHP.

Thanks!

The difference between a 45 and 40 series tire is the sidewall, being that the 45 is %5 taller that the 40. Essentially, tire label format is:

Tire Width (in millimeters) / Sidewall Height (% of Tire Width) / Wheel Diameter (inches)
.............215................./ .................40........................./ ...........17

so in other words... its the thickness of the tire around the rim?
so for example... at 40... it'd be 20mm thick all the way around the rim...
then 45 would be something more like 30mm?
^(not exact numbers but just so i get the idea..)

For your tire size, the difference is ~10mm (86mm vs 96.XX mm). Wouldn't effect your speedometer too much. Essentially, the same difference as running new tires vs running bald tires.

Unless you're slammed, you shouldn't have rubbing issues with the tire size difference.

Awesome. Thank you so much for the info.

Was looking at Discount Tire again..
so
Falkens 512's are at 126USD a piece..
Continentals DWS are at 128USD a piece.
General UHP at 118USD

one last question tho.. (and thank you boibuddha for all of your help)
-In terms of threadlife... the higher the number... the better the life right?

-Edit: wrong size for falkens so posted wrong price lol

Yes, the higher the number, the longer a life it will have. However, be aware that by creating a higher thread life, it's essentially taking something away from both rolling resistance and physical traction with the road. There's a reason why R-compounds and many high performance summer tires only last a short period of time.

Got the new tires today. sadly, found out one of my rims were cracked slightly, so they refused to mount it on that rim, so got myself a new rim (other 3 ordered for next week)
only time i've rubbed so far was from a sharp turn, or a sudden bump in the road =\

is there anywhere i can bring my rim to, to see if it's repairable? might wanna sell them to offset the cost of the new rims (match my little civic a little better than my adr's)