Excellent replacement choice for Honda Accord
Written: Mar 22 '06
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Handling and Control: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Handling, wet weather performance, value / price
Cons: Slightly noisier, unknown tread life
The Bottom Line: Great value for a tire that's better than the original equipment tire (Honda Accord)
|
|
|
| markvaia's Full Review: Falken Ziex ZE-512 Performance Tire |
I’ll direct my remarks about this tire to my specific situation. I was looking for a replacement to the Michelin MXV4 Plus Energy tires that came as original equipment on my 2002 Honda Accord EX 4 cylinder. About my car and the way it is driven; This car is used for three purposes; 5 passenger family sedan on the weekends, urban commuter car on the weekdays and highway cruiser for work related trips (about 1,500 miles a month). I’ve owned two Accords and I’ve gone through 4 sets of the same Michelins between the two. The Michelins were quite and provided good fuel economy. But, they were terrible in wet weather and I felt more like I was water skiing on the highway then driving. Their snow traction was not much better, although snow is only an issue for me about 4-5 times a year.
In the past, I’ve always just replaced tires with like tires as I figured that the car manufacturer knew best. But of late, I’ve learned that better choices can be found through research. The replacement Michelins were going to run $125 plus this time around. Through research (thanks Epinons) and Consumer reports, I found the Falkens. They cost less than $400 dollars mounted, with a front end alignment and road hazard warranty; easily 2/3 the cost of the Michelins.
About the tire:
Ride- I haven’t noticed any difference in the quality of the ride other than the car feels much more secure about the center of steering. The steering response seems to me to be more precise.
Handling – As noted above, this car is not driven as a sports sedan, jut a car. As listed above, the cornering seems more secure than the Michelins and I feel more comfortable taking a turn or highway ramp faster than I did with the Michelins
Tire Noise – The tire is slightly noisier than the Michelins on dry pavement. The increased road noise is more pronounced on concrete pavement than asphalt. The road noise seems to increase on wet pavement.
Wet Weather performance – Superior! I no longer feel like I’m in danger of imminent death when I’m on the highway in the rain! I can also start up from a stop in city traffic without spinning the tires. I’m no longer the guy at the front holding up everyone who’s running late to work because of the weather.
Snow Performance – We just had six inches of snow yesterday. My wife didn’t like the way the car handled in the snow. She felt the traction was sorely lacking. But then, she drives a Suburban with an aggressive mud and snow tire. Of course, the Accord didn’t perform as well as a 4 wheel drive SUV. I found the tires to acceptable for snow. Its not a snow tire or off road tire, but I was able to start and stop within reason given the road conditions. The car was slippery, but it was 6 inches of snow.
Conclusion- The tire is not the perfect tire for every occasion, but it does seem to strike a good balance for the regular driver. Given its low cost, the tire is an excellent value for the money.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 225
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
markvaia
|
|
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Architect, Dad
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.