[highrisk]

Has anyone tried either the Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S or the Toyo Versado Noir? I am trying to find a less expensive tire that is as good as the big name brand tires but at a fraction of the cost. The Falken is a W rated Ultra High Performance All Season tire with a 600A-A rating. The Toyo is a V rated Ultra Touring tire with a 620A-A rating. They both have pretty good reviews on the tire sights but they are not carried on TireRack so it is hard to get a side by side comparison with the bigger name brand tires.

My goal is to increase ride quality and handling. I am not interested in a super sticky summer tire but a well rounded tire that will help improve the ride and handling of my 65 GTO. My problem is that my size selection limits what I can get. I am looking at a 215/55r17 front and 245/50r17 rear. Both 215/55s are 26.3" tall and section width 8.9". The 245/50s are 26.7" tall and section width 10".

My other choice in the Ultra High Performance area is the Continental Extremecontact DWS06 that just came out. It is a W rated tire with a 560AA-A rating and the 215/55 is 26.3" tall and 9.2 wide. The 245/50 is 26.6" tall and 10" wide. Tirerack rates this tire very high but it has the price to match.

My other choice in the Ultra Touring is the Continental Purecontact with ECO Plus. which is a V Rated tire with a 700A-A rating. The 215/55 is 26.3" tall and 8.9 wide while the 245/50 is 26.6" tall and 10" wide.
I was also looking at the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus which is a V rated tire with a 700A-A rating. The 215/55 is 26.5" tall and 9.1" wide while the 245/50 is 26.9" tall and 10.2" wide. The Pirelli is higher rated in ride than the Purecontact but the Purecontact handles better.
Both of these tires get great reviews on Tirerack but don't have the handling as the Extremecontact but have a lot better ride quality.

So if anyone has real world experience with the Falken or Toyo tires, or has another tire that they love and handles and rides well, let me know. I would greatly appreciate the input.

I don't mind spending the money for the name brand tires if they are really that much better.

Thanks,
Dale

[HWYSTR455]

I've run the Falken tires several times, and they are a deal for the money. Things that I noticed with them is that they are a little bit hard compound, and they can lose balance as they wear. Also, as they wear, they start getting louder. But both those traits are pretty normal for less expensive tires.

Traction is good all around, except for snow & ice. When it comes to snow, anything more than a dusting, adjust your speed. A lot. An ice, forget it.

I recently put a set of Generals on the 442 and really like them. Those are the G-Max all season, they quiet, balanced well, and have great traction dry and wet. No snow driving on them yet. Those I think I paid less than $150ea for, and those are like 255/275s. 18s.

.

[HWYSTR455]

Ok, they are called the G-Max AS-03:

http://generaltire.com/tires/performance/g-max-as-03

And they come in a bunch of sizes:

215/55ZR17
225/55ZR17
235/55ZR17
205/50ZR17
215/50ZR17
225/50ZR17
235/50ZR17
245/50ZR17
205/45ZR17
215/45ZR17
225/45ZR17
235/45ZR17
245/45ZR17
205/40ZR17
245/40ZR17
255/40ZR17

Why are you running/wanting such a tall tire?

.

[highrisk]

Thanks for the information. It is good to hear from people that have actually used the tires. I have actually looked at the General G-Max tires I just haven't made up my mind yet. The car should be out of paint and body work soon so I will have to decide what tires I am going to use.
Thanks for the information,
Dale

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

I've run the Falken tires several times, and they are a deal for the money. Things that I noticed with them is that they are a little bit hard compound, and they can lose balance as they wear. Also, as they wear, they start getting louder. But both those traits are pretty normal for less expensive tires.

Traction is good all around, except for snow & ice. When it comes to snow, anything more than a dusting, adjust your speed. A lot. An ice, forget it.

I recently put a set of Generals on the 442 and really like them. Those are the G-Max all season, they quiet, balanced well, and have great traction dry and wet. No snow driving on them yet. Those I think I paid less than $150ea for, and those are like 255/275s. 18s.

.

[highrisk]

The tires I am looking at are 26.3" for the front and 26.6" for the rear. I am wanting a tire that will still have a sidewall to it because I don't like the really low profile tires on these cars. I also have the 5 speed set up to work off of a tire that is 26.5" tall so the speedometer should be fairly close. I wanted a back tire that would fairly well fill the back wheelwell and a front tire that looked the same from the side so the height of the tires matched.The tires I had on my 66 were 25.9" and I always thought they looked a little too small in the back.
Dale

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

Ok, they are called the G-Max AS-03:

http://generaltire.com/tires/performance/g-max-as-03

And they come in a bunch of sizes:

215/55ZR17
225/55ZR17
235/55ZR17
205/50ZR17
215/50ZR17
225/50ZR17
235/50ZR17
245/50ZR17
205/45ZR17
215/45ZR17
225/45ZR17
235/45ZR17
245/45ZR17
205/40ZR17
245/40ZR17
255/40ZR17

Why are you running/wanting such a tall tire?

.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

Why are you running/wanting such a tall tire?

The OE tires were around 27" tall. The tires he's looking at are shorter than that at 26.3 and 26.6.

How short a tire do you think he should run - 25 inchers?