Tire Life

[Black03]

I have had 2 blowouts in the last couple weeks, and a 3rd was worn down to the steel. Had to replace all the tires. They were Falken Fk452's. Been on less than a year, maybe 15k miles on them. Fairly normal driving, maybe slightly on the aggressive side but not too badly. Car is dropped 1.5"

Does this sound normal? seemed awfully quick in my mind...

 

[NateRW21]

sounds like a combination of things... perhaps suspension needs to be adjusted (aka, alignment), and... they are Falken tires.....

Also, make sure your tires are inflated to the correct pressure (on the CAR, not the max on the sidewall)

And, might not be bad to take a look at the weight rating of your tires; if they have too low of a rating, the weight of the car is causing excess heat buildup in the tire, softening the tread, causing increased wear...and.... blow-outs!

 

[Black03]

I haven't noticed any alignment problems, other than them leaning in from the drop. The load rating on them is 97, 1600+ pounds each. Temp rating is A according to the website.

 

[NateRW21]

I haven't noticed any alignment problems, other than them leaning in from the drop. The load rating on them is 97, 1600+ pounds each. Temp rating is A according to the website.

"OTHER THAN THEM LEANING IN FROM THE DROP"


Tell me you are not serious... that IS an alignment problem. I hope you do realize the result from improper Camber (your situation, excess negative camber) is as follows:

Accelerated tire wear
Excessive over-steer
Uneven tread wear
Heat build-up in tires (blow out)
Unpredictable handling

Did you take your car in after you installed the springs to get it aligned? If not, you need to, ASAP... and if you did, and they still did not get you set-up correctly, take it else where. A good shop will safely modify your mounting points to ensure you've got the correct suspension geometry if the factory adjustments are maxed out.

 

[02V8Sport]

Also, make sure your tires are inflated to the correct pressure (on the CAR, not the max on the sidewall)

You can not inflate the tires to the pressure stated on the car with a 1.5" drop. That is taking into consideration that the car has proper camber. With a 1.5" drop you rear camber will NEVER be in spec. You need to run 28-30PSI in the rear tires so your angled tire will see better tread distribution on the road. A overinflated tire with bad camber will only ride on the insides of the tires and cause accelerated wear. Trust me, I went through this a lot being lowered 1.75" on my LS even after a alignment. I put the tires down to 28PSI and no more issues.

 

[NateRW21]

You can not inflate the tires to the pressure stated on the car with a 1.5" drop. That is taking into consideration that the car has proper camber. With a 1.5" drop you rear camber will NEVER be in spec. You need to run 28-30PSI in the rear tires so your angled tire will see better tread distribution on the road. A overinflated tire with bad camber will only ride on the insides of the tires and cause accelerated wear. Trust me, I went through this a lot being lowered 1.75" on my LS even after a alignment. I put the tires down to 28PSI and no more issues.

Understandable... However, as I stated, a good alignment shop is able to modifying the suspension mounting points to pull the extra camber needed. It's really a simple modification; the slots in the mounts are lengthened and then reinforcements welded in. My shop charges around $200 fr/back, or obviously, $100 either front or back.

 

[Husker Z]

I got about 15K out of my Falkens too, if that.

 

[97stscaddy]

Ive heard good things about Falken tires, about everything except wear. The tires are made of relatively soft rubber. They're made to be sporty tires that hold the road well, not last a long time. Its a trade-off you make with any tire you buy. Choosing grip over longevity will always result in a short tire life.

 

[darkhaven]

have to say with me driving from indy to detroit every week i wont be buying any of those, the pirelli P6s on my car i just changed out at the 78k mark

 

[scjmc]

I got 25K on some Michelins I got USED with my rins, and they still look like they are at about 40%.

 

[99 KOBRA]

My wife's '04 has 30,000 miles on the OEM Michelins. Still not down to the wear bars, but I'm going to replace them with Goodyear GS-D3s soon.