Them Tarz

["Al Powell" <APOWELL@agcom.tamu.edu>]

I find that I and my esteemed list-colleague Huw are in 
disagreement.....

From: human <human@nh.ultranet.com>

> My favorite tires of all time...Falken 06C's   (205-60-15)

> They were great!  I think they were a copy of some Pirelli, who knows? 
> *never* hydroplaned and I drive like a fool (Audis save my life)  Great
> traction in rain, snow (drive over 15" high plowings, pass salt & sand
> trucks at 50 mph) and *on ice*.  

Mr. Huw, how interesting.  I bought a set of Falkens for my 280ZXT 
and found them to be exceedingly average.  Dry traction (tested in 
about four autocrosses) was in fact good, and wet traction was 
adequate.  However, my total mileage from these tires was about 19K.  
For the last 4K, they drove AWFUL.  When their tread got low, the 
car was yanked across the driving lane by any ruts or grooves in the 
road.  It was really difficult to drive smoothly.  What's more, for 
the last 6K miles, it was totally IMPOSSIBLE to balance the Falkens.  
They just refused to take a balance for more than 24 hours.

I will note in fairness to Falkens that my 280 ZXT seems very 
sensitive to tires when the tread gets thin - I recall that the 
previous set of tires also exhibited some of the tendency to follow 
ruts or grooves in pavement when they got worn.

But I was NOT pleased with the overall mileage and performance, 
especially when the ride was awful for the last 25% of tire life.

Many of the local sports car club here at Texas A&M run Falkens, 
mainly because their dry traction is good and they're CHEEEEP at 
Western Auto....

> [snippage] Had some Dunlops,...
> they were all soft and rolly, corners almost were scary.  and they squealed.
>  some Yokos, were ok but only 90% of the falkens, and some remingtons (these
> were all at times tire rack was out of what I wanted) which, like the yoko's
> , just felt generic - good, not inferior, but not *special* and I the reason
> I drive an Audi is that it feels *special* most of the time.

I replaced the Falkens with Dunlops (for the same money) and like them 
much better.  They are a smoother tire, but dry traction is better 
then the Falkens.  I grant they have softer sidewalls, and they are a 
36 psi/max tire as opposed to a 44 psi/max time, which the Falkens 
were, so they should be expected to ride softer.  I have not yet 
aired them up for an autocross, so I can't report on their 
performance in that venue.

For the Audi, I personally like the BFG Comp/TA in the H-series.  
These are rated to 130 mph, which - let's face it - is FAR more than 
we actually need.  They have much superior traction to the OEM Eagle 
GA's or NCT's which we inherited on both our Audis; they ride 
smoother; and they last MUCH longer.  They also have the great virtue 
of being available for about $80 per corner!!

We can still be friends, right, Huw????

Al Powell                           Voice:  409/845-2807
107 Reed McDonald Bldg.             Fax:    409/862-1202
College Station, TX 77843           Email:  a-powell1@tamu.edu 
W3 page - http://agcomwww.tamu.edu/agcom/satellit/alpage.htm
"Baseball is 90 percent mental.  The other half is physical"...
...Yogi Berra.