Experiences with Falken FK-452 tires? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

NAT · 19th April 2007, 17:01

Its that time again and my steed needs 4 new shoes. I would like to have your oppinions on the Falken FK-452 please. Its listed as the ultra High performance tyre from Falken . However tyre dealers here tell me its a budget tyre , which i dont really believe ( just because the better known manufacturers spend loads on advertising so their tyres are more expensive ) and to be honest those japanesse are fiendishly clever too , and i cant imagine they put out any old crap. I have had cheaper tyres before , but the back end felt loose , like it was riding on jelly/oil. obviously i dont want to replicate that . There is a good cost advantage with Falken ................to give you an idea Michelin PS2 = £ 240 per tyre...................Falken = £ 119........so its like buy one get one free............! Your honest opinions please.........even if its about some other tyre.

Thanks for your time

Regards

Nat.

MGZ · 19th April 2007, 17:23

My dealer told me to switch from the Falken FK-452 I had on my BBS LM's when I had those restored.
Said they were no good for the M5. Furthermore they were not as wide as other tyres of the same dimension (the rim was wider than the tyre!) which meant it was fairly easy to get curb rashes if unlucky. Bought Dunlop SportMaxxx's instead.

Ashok Arora · 19th April 2007, 18:33

The Falken tyres to get are the Azenis RT615 model. These are a newer version of their RT215. Consistently rated as one of the best and excellent value.

ALPINE_M5 · 19th April 2007, 19:04

MGZ - tell your dealer they need to have a set on hand before they speak.

They are wider than most for the same size. I know this first hand coming from Bridgestones SO3's which were wide and tall compared to a lot of tires in the same size.

I had the Bridgestone RE960's and the F452 is wider by 12mm in the same size 245 and the 275's were about 5mm wider.

I switched to these on my M3 and M5 and I like them a lot. They handle very well. The response is much quicker than the Toyo T1S which I had as well. I returned them for the Falkens 452's. The reviews are very good for the tires. I was not a fan of the 451(Junk) but the 452's are far superior overall.

You won't be disappointed. The PS2's is a great tire no question but will you push it to the limits everytime in order to get the money out of them? That is why I went with the Falkens. The Michelins are not double the performance. Maybe 10% better. Many of us can afford the Michelins and some do and some don't. I don't drive my car enough to worry about replacing my tires that often so it wouldn't hurt me to get Michelins but I still didn't.

MGZ · 19th April 2007, 19:59

Alpine M5:
Sorry Alpine but the rims were fitted with the Falkens which definitely were too narrow for that rim. If you put the wheels on top of each other you could clearly hear the metal scraping against each rim. The Dunlops are wider (and most other quality tyres). AND the tyres are of the same dimension as the Falkens. SO the Falkens were definitely too narrow at the rim! And that anybody could see.
I use 19" tyres on BBS-LM rims.

ALPINE_M5 · 19th April 2007, 20:54

No apologies. I didn't know they were mounted. But I ran into the opposite - i had Toyo, Bridgestones and they were not as wide.

I run 19" HRE 540R's and 20" Rial Daytona's.

Good thing for choices

vitiokas95 · 19th April 2007, 21:05

I have falkens for almos 5000 miles now and I'm happy about it.

Jasper · 19th April 2007, 21:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ashok Arora

The Falken tyres to get are the Azenis RT615 model. These are a newer version of their RT215. Consistently rated as one of the best and excellent value.

I've been singing the praises of these tires for a while now.

I switched from PS2's to Azenis and will never go back. I doubt I'll ever run another tire on my M5. The RT615's are the closest you can get to an r-compound tire on the street and bring a whole new life to the car.

They're quiet, grippy in wet and dry and $782 shipped from Discount Tire Direct....what more could you want????

Kin Mak · 19th April 2007, 23:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by MGZ

My dealer told me to switch from the Falken FK-452 I had on my BBS LM's when I had those restored. Bought Dunlop SportMaxxx's instead.

Those poor Falken FK452, they had only 2k miles on them.

MGZ · 19th April 2007, 23:34

They were not poor. I sold them to a guy and he was very happy. Looked brand new.
The only thing wrong with them was that they were a little too narrow at the rim which made the rim go outside the tyre. I think that the new tyres offer a little protection against curb rashes but I will not take any chances.
BTW the ride on these BBS LM's is super (to put a little salt in your wounds...)Would post some photos if I only knew how to do it.