Falken Tires and general tire questions

[Andrew_Chang@providian.com]

Does anyone have experience with Falken Tires? I was looking at
high-performance all-seasons (Pirelli 7000ss, Dunlop 4000 a/s, etc.) to
replace the Dunlop SP8000Es that came with the A4 sport package and the guy
at the tire store recommended the Falken Ziex ZE-502.

The salesperson has them on his car and says he used to have the pirellis.
He thought they performed similarly. Can anyone corroborate this?

They are V (does this mean rated < 150 mph max?) rated tires as opposed to
the Z (> 150 mph max. this seems very ambiguous. there is a large range >
150) rating of the pirelli and dunlop.

Don't think I'll ever drive that fast so...what are the benefits of having
the higher speed rating? Better road feel? Stiffer sidewalls? Better
cornering traction/greater tire wear/more frequent replacement? Is there
that much difference between a V and Z rating?