I give up after searching around i just don't really understand what to do. i think i have a fair idea but i don't know if i am right or not

i just bought the car and the tires are in the following condition

Front Driver - Falken 225/45/ZR18 - 70% Front Passenger - Falken 225/45/ZR18 - 50%
Rear Driver - Falken 245/45/ZR18 - Bald Rear Passenger - Falken 245/45/ZR18 - 60%

So i pretty much need just the Rear driver tire but after reading on tire reviews here, i have found falken tires suck. Should I stick with falken or get atleast 2 good brand tires? or just replace the one bald one with a used tire that may necessarily be not the same brand?

Also does anyone have any experience with firestones lifetime alignment?
is it worth it?

I am located in socal so if anyone knows any good place for alignment/tires?

thank you

Btw i see alot of g35's around diamond bar. any of them a member here?

 

I would just get a used one that has similar life to the other one, then swap them both out with brand new tires when the time comes. I run Yokohama S-drives and love em. Great tread life and handles well.

 

Let me begin by letting you know facts about alignment, if it's done correctly you can go years without needing to have it done again. Go to our coupe section and check out recommended shops for alignment in your area. Say NFW, to Firestone!! Tires....winter is upon us and the roads/freeways are going to be slick, having mismatched tires may not be the best choice. If you're short on cash you might check our MARKETPLACE for someone in SoCal having a pair of used 245s for sale. Or you could check with www.thetirerack.com for a new pair. Make sure the wear rating UTQG is between 240 & 300 and they don't have Falken stamped on the sidewalls!
Gary

 

^^ always good advice from gary

Right about alignment.... Also firestone can't do aftermarket work if u ever get coilovers or something.
Having different brands doesn't matter much, just as long as they are the same type like all seasons or summer etc. if ur interested im selling 4 all season kumho ecsta asx 245/45/18 with less than 1000 miles on them for $500 . Id have to check shipping but lmk. I'm posting them on the forum this weekend if u want pics or first crack at them.

 

Falken FK452? i think thats the right numbers. anyway, yea, i've had those tires before.. 275/30/20.. and they suck.. not only are they smaller than other tire manufacturers of the same size, but the traction was not great at all.. in the rain, my rear end would squirm uncomfortably.. felt like i could lose traction at any moment and hydroplane. wasnt a big fan of the tire myself.. Im runnig Yokohama S.Drive's right now, and i am definitely happier with these than the Falken's. Traction is much better with these, and it doesnt squirm at highway speeds in wet conditions.

 

ok so i went out and checked again ...

its falken Z1EX ZE912 m+s
Tread 360 Traction AA Temp A

i really doubt i am going to find just one tire thats the same but i hate to sacrifice the tire on the other side which is sitting at atleast 50-60%

so my question is that do i have to find one thats the same brand/rating? or just the size is what matters?

also if i do look for used tires in the area or 2 new rear ones what sizes can i get? because if i get them new i can stick to 245/45/18 but used i might not have that much options.

Also is there any performance advantage to running 245/50/18? like better grip or traction?

 

Dam those have a high utqg rating which is compromising your traction badly. I'd rather have the cheap *** nexen n3000 compared to those! Don't get 50's either.

 

Tires with that high a tread wear aren't soft enough and will get squarely in damp/wet weather, another reason I dislike falkens. So keep the one tire for emergencies that has some tread left. If you can find a set of used tires in 245/45X18 they'll work fine out back or on the front too....245s work great in front.
Gary

 

run 245 all the way round... youll be able to rotate them and add to their longevity. +1 for the no 50s and just stick with the same category of tire, dont mix and match all season with performance summer or winter.... run the same type. personally Yokohama, Kumho, and hankook all make great bang for ur buck tires in all season or summer.

 

Buy my Nismo styled rims w/ Nitto NT555's

The Falkens are definitely terrible, spend a little bit more and get a better brand. I definitely enjoyed the difference when I switched to Nittos and 19s

 

If you want great tires that will give you the handling you need I'd go for Michelin PS2 or PS3 (currently I've been running PS3) and I love them.

I doubt I'd change them to anything else as I've tried several other brands which don't even come close to the Michelin.

 

G I respectfully disagree with you here. Many things can occur during daily driving that will throw off an alignment; banging a curb, hitting a pothole hard, or just everyday driving on your crappy Socal roads on a daily basis. I was amazed at how bad the roads/freeways were while I was there. Our freeways are smooth as a baby's bottom.

 

That might explain why my SLIP light blinks fairly often on turns, my Continental ExtremeContact DWS have a thread wear rating of 540

But it's my only car, so I'm stuck with all-season tires.

 

Why do you recommend between 240-300 for UTQG? Isn't it the manufacturers themselves that come up with these numbers? So each seperate manufacturer could theoretically make their numbers to "sound" better then they really are. I know theres no government regulation on UTQG ratings so I was just wondering how one could be so sure? ..not trying to bash you or say you're wrong. I think my tires have a UTQG of 340 which would be high in comparison to your general recommendation but I seem to have extremely good traction in any weather. Maybe not snow, but I live in the south

 

quick question please

what if i run this setup?

front driver - 225-45-zr18 front passenger - 225-45-zr18

rear driver - 245-40-zr18 rear passenger - 245-40-zr18

basically is it ok to have a lower aspect ratio in the back than the front?

or should i just go 255-35-18 in the rear?

tires are really confusing