My "good" car is the Ibiza but we've run Fiat Pandas as second cars for many years, current one being a 2010 1.2 Dynamic Eco. (with, ooooh, a glass sunroof! Which hasn't leaked - so far.) Anyway it's O/S/R tyre (a Barum Brillantis 2 - a make I like a lot) started loosing pressure very slowly which proved to be a leaky valve - between the valve body and rim, not the core itself - but, with only about 2.5 mil of tread on it I decided to just go for a new tyre at the same time. It's a 155/80x13 and I couldn't believe it when none of my local suppliers had one, although there appeared to be plenty of on line options, which I didn't try because the wee independent tyre supplier near where I live - https://www.edinburghtyrescentre.co.uk/ - who I find very good for tyres so have no reservation about recommending them to you (hope it's OK to do this?) I don't use them for mechanical services so can't comment on that side of their business but they have been here for a very long time - very much an "old style" slightly dingy, dirty floor, etc - Just the sort of "honest" place I like.
Anyway, back to my Panda tyre. He had just one tyre in that size - He, and a couple of others I've spoken with - tell me that there is a bit of a problem with supply just now. In their opinion as a result of both Brexit and the problems caused by that ship which blocked the canal. The tyre was a Falken Sincera. I had heard of the make before but have no experience of them, however beggars can't be choosers and he was offering me a good price, with balance and a new valve thrown in, so I went for it. After all, this Panda spends most of it's life going shopping with SWMBO and the occasional trip out to one of my boys south of the city so we don't need a premium brand product - I actually really like driving it with it's N/A engine and lack of turbo lag around town (a feature about the Ibiza which has always annoyed me).
So now, a couple of weeks on from buying the Falken I took the rear wheels off it yesterday to check out the rear drum brake linings - part of my "rolling maintenance program" (and, damn it, find I've got a slightly damp wheel cylinder!) but the tyre itself is a good looking piece of kit. Very nicely made, not at all crude like some of the cheaper options and with a nice "soft" feeling tread rubber (Falkens seem to rate highly on wet grip) If you want to explore tread "hardness" without any special equipment try pushing your thumb nail into the tread rubber. The difference between this Falken and the Bridgestones on my Ibiza is chalk and cheese with the Bridgestone Ecopias on my Ibiza being not far off the "concrete" scale. Probably the Falkens will wear more quickly but I'll gladly sacrifice some longevity for grip and I think I'll go for another one when the N/S/R will need to be replaced later in the year - I like to keep tyres matched on the same axle and the N/S/R just now is a VERY "cheap and nasty" which was on it when we bought the car and is now showing signs of cracking.
I mentioned to him that I was thinking of a set of Avons for the Ibiza later in the year, I've not been impressed by the Bridgestones and find them quite poor in the wet especially and I typically buy a "mid range" brand. He said he could get them for me at a good price and with balance and valves thrown in but he felt I might actually like to try a set of the Falkens instead on which he could do me an even better deal. I pulled his leg about him being a major stocker/agent of the Falkens and we had a bit of a laugh about that but he said that he thought I might be a bit disappointed in the Avons (I liked the idea because of their, Avon's, connections with motor sport) but he came back with the fact that Falken are a very big name in the world of Drifting (not a sport I follow) so, considering the diabolical stress the drifters subject their tyres to, he just might know what he's talking about?
Anyone on here run on Falkens? If so what did you think of them?
Anyway, back to my Panda tyre. He had just one tyre in that size - He, and a couple of others I've spoken with - tell me that there is a bit of a problem with supply just now. In their opinion as a result of both Brexit and the problems caused by that ship which blocked the canal. The tyre was a Falken Sincera. I had heard of the make before but have no experience of them, however beggars can't be choosers and he was offering me a good price, with balance and a new valve thrown in, so I went for it. After all, this Panda spends most of it's life going shopping with SWMBO and the occasional trip out to one of my boys south of the city so we don't need a premium brand product - I actually really like driving it with it's N/A engine and lack of turbo lag around town (a feature about the Ibiza which has always annoyed me).
So now, a couple of weeks on from buying the Falken I took the rear wheels off it yesterday to check out the rear drum brake linings - part of my "rolling maintenance program" (and, damn it, find I've got a slightly damp wheel cylinder!) but the tyre itself is a good looking piece of kit. Very nicely made, not at all crude like some of the cheaper options and with a nice "soft" feeling tread rubber (Falkens seem to rate highly on wet grip) If you want to explore tread "hardness" without any special equipment try pushing your thumb nail into the tread rubber. The difference between this Falken and the Bridgestones on my Ibiza is chalk and cheese with the Bridgestone Ecopias on my Ibiza being not far off the "concrete" scale. Probably the Falkens will wear more quickly but I'll gladly sacrifice some longevity for grip and I think I'll go for another one when the N/S/R will need to be replaced later in the year - I like to keep tyres matched on the same axle and the N/S/R just now is a VERY "cheap and nasty" which was on it when we bought the car and is now showing signs of cracking.
I mentioned to him that I was thinking of a set of Avons for the Ibiza later in the year, I've not been impressed by the Bridgestones and find them quite poor in the wet especially and I typically buy a "mid range" brand. He said he could get them for me at a good price and with balance and valves thrown in but he felt I might actually like to try a set of the Falkens instead on which he could do me an even better deal. I pulled his leg about him being a major stocker/agent of the Falkens and we had a bit of a laugh about that but he said that he thought I might be a bit disappointed in the Avons (I liked the idea because of their, Avon's, connections with motor sport) but he came back with the fact that Falken are a very big name in the world of Drifting (not a sport I follow) so, considering the diabolical stress the drifters subject their tyres to, he just might know what he's talking about?
Anyone on here run on Falkens? If so what did you think of them?
