Finals words on Ziex 512 vs. Yoko ES100?

[DaveInLA]

I'm getting new tires for my stock 14" baskets very soon, and I've basically narrowed it down to these two. I've found a lot of opinions on these two tires, but very few compared them directly, and most were from a year ago. I think the 512 is relatively new, so I was wondering if people's opinions have changed now that they've got some miles on them. I know that people's views of the Yoko aren't as positive now as they were 2 years ago when the tire was new...

Anyway, I live in LA, CA, with NO snow and very occasional rain (which isn't a big factor at all since I usually drive another car-- FWD-- in "bad" weather). Dry performance is far and away my #1 priority. I sometimes drive pretty aggressively on the street and like taking corners and fwy offramps as hard as I can. I might go to the track on rare occasions (aiming for 1x/year).

That said, I can get the 512s for $50/each, Yokos for $75/each. $$$ is a slight factor, but since I don't put a lot of miles on my E30 (3K/year), it's not a huge one. I hear the ES100s wear fast (again, 10K miles will last me 3+ years) and can get noisy, but unless it's so loud I can't hear the radio or talk to the passengers, it's not a big deal). On the other hand, since the 512 is an all-season tire and only "performance" (vs. "ultra high performance summer" in the Yoko), I'm wondering if it can even handle a single track event, or will the tires explode or melt on the track?

Bottom line-- how do they compare with regards to dry traction on the street and on the track? If the ES100 is only slightly better, I'll probably go for that. If they're close, I'll take the Falken.

[e30sd]

i've owned both. 225/50R15 falkens and 205/50R16 es100s. the falkens have a decent tread compound but the sidewalls are SOOOOOO SQUISHY they suck for anything but daily driving. fyi i'm in so cal too. the es100 has a nice stiff sidewall, but my rears are bald around 8000 miles (1 track event, 2 autox's, a handful of canyon runs, and the rest street mileage). the yokos have been pretty good to me. i was looking to buy new, but will actually be picking up some new 225/45R16 es100's this weekend from a friend.

[StereoInstaller1]

I too have had both, but nomo yoko fo this foo.

[DaveInLA]

I too have had both, but nomo yoko fo this foo.

?Por que, senor?

Care to elaborate on why you don't want no mo Yokos?

[MR 325]

es100's are better than the ziex for sure

[StereoInstaller1]

NOISY as hell, 8,000 miles of mostly freeway plus some "spirited" daily driving, rough, nasty in the rain (I do live in Oregon) and they are shot. '87 325is, 265,000 miles on stock M20 is no tire shredder, lemme tellya.

Worst tire I have driven over RR tracks. Slip and slide on wet roads, especially on the paint.

Sexy looking and cheap, I had high hopes. I ran Yoko for years, including a set of A-008's, waaa-aa-aay back in the day, like 1984.

I am gonna try another set of 512's, at least they seemed OK in the rain. I am willing to bet I end up buying a set of $150 each tires instead of $100 each.

HTH,
Luke

BTW, thass funny you spoke spanish at me. I grew up in the ghetto. I learned to count "uno, dos, tres, fo".

JK. Luke

[DaveInLA]

Luke, I grew up in the ghetto, too, in LA. There probably wasn't another Chinese kid within 5 miles. :P


Anyway, do the 512s grip even close to the ES100s in dry conditions?

[Gr00v3]

es100 > 512

but you're better off trying to source some falken azenis st 215. try L&T in el monte. i got a set of azenis mounted and balanced on my caps for 250.

[MikesJo]

The 512s are great in the rain. When I had them on the 318is I just sold w/ 14" weaves, I could drive just as fast and corner just as fast in the rain as well as dry.

I know you don't get a lot of rain but here just north of washington we do :(. ES100s are great tires if it's dry, my dad has em on his other car.

[fretburnr]

if im not mistaken, the falken 512s are all seasons, right? i'm curious as i just found a place near me that carries falken and i dont know much about them, but my summer wheels need new rubber.

[StereoInstaller1]

Luke, I grew up in the ghetto, too, in LA. There probably wasn't another Chinese kid within 5 miles. :P


Anyway, do the 512s grip even close to the ES100s in dry conditions?

Shit Dave, I thought I was chinese too...they kept callin me "Hey Foo".

My 512's were on a FWD Turbo Sunbird, then a Quad4 GrandAm. Either would easily outrun 99% of the E30's here, (in a straight line, don't get yer panties in a wad) neither were stock.The 512's were adequate for any traction needs I had, even with pretty serious driving.

I really wish I weren't poor. The 512's worry me, because in the 215/40/17 I use, that is a tiny sidewall. Soft+tiny+old man eyes= curb rash. Poopie. Must drive careful...easy in a BMW!

Luke

[Charlie]

Just to throw this into the mix, anyone running the old Sumitomo HTR 200's?

Not much out there in 14 inch tires, I need something to use as a street tire, I have R's for real driving. 44 bucks for these vs 75 for the ES100's is tempting.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Sumitomo&tireModel=HTR+200&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=06HR4HTR200&fromCompare1=yes&place=1

-Charlie

[Digitalwave]

Charlie, Stu used to have those tires.

As for Ziex vs. ES100, in 14" I think both are going to suck on the track so I'd say aim for the one that suites your daily driving better. I've owned ES100s but not Ziex. I like the Yokos alot for their first half of the thread life. After that, they hydroplaned a lot, traction went downhill, and they got really loud.

[DaveInLA]

The Sumitomo HTR 200s have been discontinued. Some shops might still have leftovers, but they're pretty hard to find overall. I actually wanted to get the HTRs because Tirerack calls them a "high performance summer" tire, and they're cheap, but I just couldn't find them.

I'm going with the Yokos. When I was walking on the street today, I saw a parked Taurus with the 512s. I've never seen a Taurus with Yokos. Case closed.

[Mystikal]

Good question, I'll try to field it as concisely as I can.

The ZE-512's main strengths (ignoring cost) are dry traction, wet traction, noise, and ride quality. It's main weaknesses are sidewall strength (poor response, feel), and treadwear.

The ES100's main strengths are dry traction, sidewall strength (one of the best tires for response and steering feel), and heat capabilities. It's main weaknesses are wet traction, noise, ride quality, and they seem to be a dual-compound tire (only the first compound has the good qualities).

So, as you can see, they are essentially VERY different tires. From the sounds of what you're looking for, the ZE-512's would not be a good choice. You really want good feedback and feel while you're pushing hard, the the Falkens just won't be happy with that. They are excellent tires for people who don't go past 8/10ths very often.

I also really don't see the ES100 as an ideal fit for you, either. What I'd suggest is taking a look at the Hankook R-S2 Z212 and Falken RT-615. Both are only available in 195/60/14, but it will throw your speedo off by a very insignificant amount. Both tires have EXCELLENT feedback and temperature capabilities, and each one can outgrip the ES100/ZE-512 in the dry OR wet. The are both also right in your budget (R-S2: $61 and RT-615: $64 at Edgeracing.com).

If there's anything else, let me know.