Mk3 .............. Ls400 tyres

[Malc]

Hi everyone ......  just for info if anyone's interested

needing to shortly replace my front tyres  225/60/16 and have plumped for the Falkens again after many years of them not being available ( to me ) and successfully using Maxxis

found the Falkens from OPONEO which I believe is a long standing supplier to a shortlist of fitters ( or to my home, so no point in that tbh  ) .

My local one is about 15 miles away so I'm ok with that, and pay the fitters directly at point of fitting and their price seems ok, about £15 all-up, VAT valve and balance per tyre

Anyway, there seemed to be a choice of my size so I ordered the cheaper ones at £66 per tyre incl vat ....  the ZE 914A rather than the later mark at about £6 dearer

I'm assuming they are within a sensible date ( being the old stock ) and as I'll be through them in 2 years or so 20/30k miles that should be fine

I remember I always used these Falkens for many many years before they became unavailable and was very happy with them

The Maxxis have always been a stop-gap tyre, seems a bit harder ride and no more lifespan it seems then the Falkens

My spare is a Falken with 4mm still

Malc

[Cotswold Pete]

In the past found Falkens to be good, expereience of Maxxis -  a little harder ride, and wear worse than Falkens.

Now running with all 4 corners with Khumo Ecsta Hs51 and grip and noise seem to be same as Falkens, cannot recall cost, (I think £380 fitted for the lot - at Chris Mullins in Glos)

Too early to tell about wear, but with UK roads being more pothole than flat tarmac, who knows whether I should be getting teh tracking checked out every weekend!!!

[Malc]

On 2/21/2020 at 8:14 AM, Malc said:

I'm assuming they are within a sensible date ( being the old stock )

just had the 2 new front Falkens fitted and the date on them is 

                    week 13 in 2019 .................  so a brand new pressing 

Oponeo £66 each plus their dedicated fitter at £12 to incl valve balance plus tyre disposal @£2 each all plus VAT total £33.60 for the two

..............so that's £ 82.80 each wheel all-up

I'll go get the fronts re-laser aligned quite soon to be on the safe side .........  they feel more comfy a drive than the Maxxis All Seasons they replace

Malc

[Malc]

not entirely relevant BUT guys, just tried ordering Falken tyres for the Honda Legend, 2 for the rear to match the 2 new fronts put on a few months back 

AND

bugger this, ......................... nearly unavailable due to supplies from Asia becoming scarce

getting them sorted at the local Halfords on Tuesday afternoon, they assure me they have them ok  ( and I would never usually use Halfords, just that my local indy just cannot source them at this time )

so if you need tyres be aware of a potential shortage appearing any day soon

Malc

[scudney]

Looks like the  effects of the corona virus are beginning to affect various areas of the motoring industry ☹

[Malc]

good on Halfords for having my Falken tyres 

BUT

Oh my, such a laid back laissez-faire attitude ......  almost too much for any of the 3 guys at reception to want to attend to me

Now I know why I prefer my usual tyre people ( or indeed anyone else )

where did service and attention to customers needs ever vanish too !

Malc

Rant over

[ambermarine]

Malcolm

I agree with you, they are very poor in customer care and will think nothing of talking to someone else on another subject at the same time they are  dealing with you they treat the customer as though they are doing them a favour ,Curry's are also poor .

Also the stuff is not exactly cheap,I only go in if I can't get it elsewhere.

[scudney]

Lol good customer service?(don't get me wrong there are some/minority that do take it seriously and do their best) but on the whole customer service seems to be way down the list of most,more interested in taking your money at all costs 

[Malc]

21 hours ago, ambermarine said:

Also the stuff is not exactly cheap,I only go in if I can't get it elsewhere.

they were actually the same price as anyone else I tried too, incl my usual suppliers 

The final bill was as expected but the twist on the invoice was that the price charged to me was lowered due to their PRICE MATCH  locally ....  but not available locally from anyone else.

Malc

[Howplum]

I have to replace all 4 tyres on my recently acquired 1996 LS400, the previous owner having put CCR (cheap chinese rubbish) tyres on a few years ago. Two don't even have a date code on and are starting to perish.

Anyway, the specification calls for 97W rated tyres, which I thought might limit my choice.  I therefore rang Adrian Flux, through whom the car is insured, and they confirmed there was no need to let them know if I fitted differently rated tyres and that it would not invalidate the policy if I did.

[Malc]

just be ultra careful not to do over 155mph 

Malc

[Malc]

On 2/21/2020 at 11:07 AM, Cotswold Pete said:

Now running with all 4 corners with Khumo

my usual garage has so so apologised for not being able to get Falkens at this time and my having to source elsewhere .......  Halfords 😲

They said that they are having real issues with remaining a Falken branded supplier due to their impossible requirements at this time  ......  the whole place is covered in Falken promotional stuff

SO

they are supplying Khumo which they tell me are just as good as Falken .....  without the grief ................ and next time I need tyres they still might be able to source Falken then BUT said 

  "  Kumho are an Original Equipment (OE) supplier to the likes of BMW, Mercedes Benz, Chevrolet, Dacia, Fiat, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Mini, Renault, Skoda, Smart, SsangYong and Volkswagen.  This basically means that some of the models produced by these manufacturers leave the factory, brand new, with Kumho tyres fitted. " 

Looks like you made a good choice here

 

Malc

[Vlady]

I had Kumho on my BMW, can;t fault them, I think they are very good!

[Howplum]

That's good to to hear. I have just ordered 4 Kumho Ecowing ES01 KH27 tyres for my LS400. Reasonably priced and with good reviews.