Gotcha. Well I'm in PA so we definitely do get pretty cold winters. Nothing overly bad but the temperature does get below freezing. GAH, it seems that's always the problem with going for one tire year-round (which I have to do). You either get ones that perform well in the winter but not quite so well the rest of the year or ones that perform well in anything but winter. I know there's going to be obvious compromises, just trying to balance which I'm willing to live with...

One question, did you mean the 912's gripped better than just about any a/s tire? There was a bit of a typo up there.

 

the 912's in above freezing but cold temps (34-38F) gripped just
as good as any a/s tire.

i did not feel that they were superior to the other a/s tires that
i mentioned earlier (AvidH4, Sumi HTR+). Ive ran those year round
and have been pretty happy with its grip. none of them were that
great in snow though, obviously. it has to be light snow max...unless
ofcourse, you got AWD.

 

Yea, see that's the main thing I'm thinking about. No all season tire is going to be that great in snow, which is obviously why there are dedicated snow tires. I mean I'm not gonna be dumb enough to try and run a summer tire year round, but knowing that the 912's don't perform flawlessly in the snow is almost a given to me. For my purposes the stock run-flats actually perform well enough (both in snow and overall), so I can't imagine the 912's are any worse. Also they're supposed to be a great tire ride and noise wise. We'll see... Thanks again for all your input.

Right now I'm pretty much set on the 17x7" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 wheels in gloss black with the machined lip and 215/45R17 Falken Ziex Ze 912 tires. Any other opinions, should I pull the trigger!?! Where's minihune???

 

I noticed that too! Still wondering how the matte black 1.2's look on an AB mini though..

 

GAH, always the problem of color! I see so many wheels that look awesome on X color MINI, but there's no telling how they'd look on my gorgeous PW... So I feel your frustration. Especially since, here on NAM at least, it doesn't seem that many PW owners go for aftermarket wheels. And the few that do go for black, which I'm sure would like nice, but also wanna see other options.

That said, as of now it's pretty much decided that I'll be getting the TD's. The Enkei's look absolutely amazing on MidniteCoop's AB MINI. But no telling how they'd look on mine, while the TD's I'm sure will tie in very nicely. Perhaps you should go for the Enkei's as well.

Thanks a bunch to everyone for their input and anything more is highly appreciated. Happy holidays!!!

 

Does anyone have and/or wish to comment on the Privat Netz by Konig??? They're the only competition against the TD's right now... $200 less for the set, a pound lighter, cool (to me at least) mesh design and a very nice lip.


They can also be seen on a MINI here (credit to Optimum CableGuy).

I'm 100% decided on the Falken Ziex Ze 912 in 215/45R17 for tires and the TD's are still my top pick. I just wanna make sure I'm really getting the best wheel for the money. Of course looks are very subjective, but what about quality or other more objective aspects of one versus the other?

Here are the TD's again to refresh the memory of anyone who may need it:


On a MINI (credit to OutMotoring).

Thank you to all once again

 

Looks good.... Do they come with 4 lug nut holes? Otherwise, too many holes...

retroom

 

Yep, they're both available with 4 lug nut holes. Essential, as although I know it doesn't bother many, having too many holes really kills the look of a wheel for me. Limits my options pretty significantly, especially in this price range, but for me it's worth it.

 

i was running my car in the rain yesterday in 50F (yes, it was 50F in
chicago yesterday! ) but the 912 did not grip enough to impress.
they are mediocre tires. they actually ride pretty stiff vs other a/s tires
even with 50 profile...noise... that i was pretty good on.

if you're looking at mesh wheels (later post) make sure to check out
the Drag brand too. they are budget knock-off wheels but have a nice
looking mesh. imho, team dynamics and other knock-offs including rota
are about the same quality level.

 

the Falken 912's are somewhat noisy? no snow in Los Angeles, wanted something fairly quiet tho. same size - 205/45-17.

 

Hey, somehow I just came across your post now, thanks!

GAH, I'm going back and forth so much it's actually insane. Finally decided to commit to the wheels I was originally going with, Enkei RPM2's, but now I'm starting to worry about the tires... :impatient

Gonna do some more research and I'll be sure to check out Drag as well. Thanks!

 

Hokays, so after much thought and reading, I'm considering going a different route with the tires. Still don't know how in the heck I'm gonna find the space to store a second set of wheels/tires, but my thought now is to go for straight UHP instead of UHPAS tires. Seems that I'll be rewarded with much better grip/handling in anything but snow, similar road noise/comfort, they're lighter, and the ones in question are only $50 more for the set. $1349 with wheels vs $1299. My only reservation is tread wear as I know they don't last as long.

So opinions on Falken Fk452 tires? Great reviews from everything I've read thus far, but I know that only tells half the story. I'll be getting them in 215/35/18 to go on 18x7.5" Enkei rpm2's. Considered 225/35/18 as well but they're almost 2 lbs heavier and over 50 bucks more per tire. Not to mention I'd be a bit worried about rubbing. Also pondered 215/40/18 as they're lighter and cheaper, but I'm still worried about rubbing. Especially since my plan is to lower on either H&R or Mach V springs.

Thoughts, suggestions, general comments???
THANKS.

 

not noisy. they are pretty quiet. never mind my typing on the above post.


msteadman- falken are just mediocre tires imho.

 

What would be a better 205/45-17 tire? 40k a year so not too soft. Thinking Toyo Proxes 4 maybe.

 

no idea on those toyo's.

the world's split in half almost.... one half uses nitto, falken, toyo, hankook or watever they're called.

the other half uses major brands like bridgestone, michellin, pirelli, etc.
i personally prefer the latter.

 

k, here's a follow up on the 912's after 700+ miles...

at about 500miles it started to grip better, even in 20F i was able to
take a corner pretty fast (not fast like summer tires gripping in 85F fast)
but spirited fast.

at 700miles it appears to be consistently holding the level of grip which is
about as good as other a/s high perf. tires. i can safely say that these
tires are gripping tremendously better than it did the first 500 miles.

Falken must dip these tires in WD40 or something when they make their
molds... most tires ive used were broken in well within its first
100miles.

so if you guys decide to run Falken, go easy the first 500miles.

 

I'm running the same setup you are thinking about getting (RPM2 with 18" falken fk452). I highly recommend them but I live in Texas so I dont have to worry about having two sets of tires...