[ottomaticjack]

Hey I was wondering if anyone has HX wheels (or something similarly stock width, 6.5") with falken ziex tires....in the 195/60/14 size range that has noticed quite a bit of squirm with them. Changing lanes and such is a little unnerving with the amount of squirming from the back end when I turn or change lanes. If anyone else has experienced this I would like to know. Trying to find out if it's normal with these tires or if I got a some tires with really soft sidewalls. That and they are absolutely the tallest 6 series tires I've ever seen....lol. Thanks in advance.

 

[4drmadness]

what's the tire pressure in them? I know I normally feel that when low as the car seems to sway when shanging lanes etc...
I have some rims like the HX but they are off of a Mazda or something and I have 196/60/14's and they ride just as nice and handle well at high speeds on the interstate. not sure if this helps at all...

 

[ottomaticjack]

well right now they are at 33.5 lbs....I know max on them is 40 to 44 so maybe I'll throw more air in them and see if it helps.....

 

[4drmadness]

worth a try..

 

[OniFactor]

also, how's the alignment on your rear?

 

[Steve-O]

i think the hx wheels should be a 14x5 or 14x5.5 size if im not mistaken. the size will be on the backside of the wheel either on the spokes or the hub.

ive read too that the ziex 512s have soft sidewalls but then again its a 60 series all-season wet and dry rated tire so thats to be expected. the suspension on my eg is very tight and when the car is parked and i try to shake it, the only movement of the car comes from the sidewalls on my tires flexing. the only way you are going to get a stiff sidewall is if you went up to a premium high-performance summer-only tires like the falken azenis rt, yokohama avs es100 or a032r, etc. i had a set of the avs es100s on my car before in a 195/60/14 and the sidewalls were stiffer than the tires i have now.

most sidewalls on 60 series tires of the same performance level and rating as the ziex 512s will be somewhat soft.

p.s. want a REALLY stiff sidewall in a street-friendly tire? http://www.falkentire.com/615micro.htm

 

[ottomaticjack]

ok, fresh alignment done yesterday afternoon, the rear is slightly off camber due to needing to replace the trailing arm. (however, the last set of tires on it were 60 series as well and didn't flex that much and hadn't experienced much problem from the pos camber)

I know that the HX's are 14x5.5, just wondering if anyone else had put them on and had them look like truck tires....<shrug>

I know that all season are going to have more sidewall flex than performance, hell the only reason that I didn't just get azeni's in the first place was that I drive a lot and didn't want to have to replace the damned things in 6 or 8 months. I've had a number of different all season tires and none of them have squirmed as much as these do.

I'll probably add some air today and see what it feels like though. Thanks for the responses so far, and keep them coming.

 

[Steve-O]

ok, fresh alignment done yesterday afternoon, the rear is slightly off camber due to needing to replace the trailing arm. (however, the last set of tires on it were 60 series as well and didn't flex that much and hadn't experienced much problem from the pos camber)

I know that the HX's are 14x5.5, just wondering if anyone else had put them on and had them look like truck tires....<shrug>

I know that all season are going to have more sidewall flex than performance, hell the only reason that I didn't just get azeni's in the first place was that I drive a lot and didn't want to have to replace the damned things in 6 or 8 months. I've had a number of different all season tires and none of them have squirmed as much as these do.

I'll probably add some air today and see what it feels like though. Thanks for the responses so far, and keep them coming.

this is what my del sol si wheels (also 14x5.5) with 195/60/14 tires

i know some tire companies have stiffer sidewalls on their 60 series tires than others. ive installed michelins and bfgs at work and the sidewall differences on them were noticeable right when i put them on the wheel. also, different companies have different sidewall profiles as well. in the above pic the fronts are bfg and the rear tire is a generic company (trying to stretch all of them until end of season when i take the eg off the road); both are 195/60/14 but you can see the fronts look more ballooned than the rear.

ya i know the azenis are a high-wearing tire. i was jus kiddin around about getting them . granted they are stiff as hell and are an insance performer for both street and track but if you do any sort of daily commuting over any considerable distance they would go on you way too quick, especially for the price.

if you're wondering, i loved my avs es100s and the grip from them was amazing :TU:. they are a little pricy for a 195/60/14 tire but if you want performance, you gotta pay for it. only problem was i went thru them in less than 2 months because i forgot to get my car aligned :hammer:. word to the wise...excessive toe eats tires for breakfast, lunch and supper

 

[ottomaticjack]

Tell me about it...lol I've eaten a number of tires due to toe...lol

 

[ottomaticjack]

Well I upped the back tires to 37 lbs and still no change in the squirm....damnit. Maybe I can find someone that needs some good daily driver tires and I can find something with a little stiffer sidewall.....

 

[rotory20]

Mmm white hatch..
i cant wait till i get mine..

 

[9295EJ-t]

a friend of mine had some tires mounted (professionally) on his hx wheels, and they were put on backwards... have you checked the direction of rotaion of the tires? something sooooo stupid could be your problem.... also your allignment in the rear.. have you curb checked the back end? something could be bent??

 

[Steve-O]

Well I upped the back tires to 37 lbs and still no change in the squirm....damnit. Maybe I can find someone that needs some good daily driver tires and I can find something with a little stiffer sidewall.....

id check everything in your suspension man like 9295EJ-t said. its free and once you are 100% positive your bolts and everything are tight and torqued to spec, then you can rule out your suspension as the source of the problem since you've already had an alignment.

i know ive read that they 512s are a bit squirmy. however, ive had some SOOOOFFFFTTTTTT sidewalled tires on my eg and running around 32-34 psi per tire all the way around with my suspension the way it is i could still throw it into corners like nuts and they'd hold.

here's to you getting this problem sorted out quickly otto :beer:

 

[ottomaticjack]

Well I have checked. Yes there is something bent, but it's been that way for a couple years and has yet to give me problems on any of the other tires that I've had on since, so I know that's not it. Aside from the fact that if I move the steering wheel back and forth a couple of times and feel the back end sway and hesitate equally on both sides, I would say that it's not a suspension problem, not to mention that it didn't do it with the other wheels on either. Oh, and no they aren't mounted backward as a buddy of mine mounted them while I balanced them...so I know they're on right...besides the only major problem with mounting a directional tire backwards is the rain resistance gained from a directional tread....but I digress...lol. I'm sure they would be great daily driver tires, or just great overall if you aren't used to something stiffer, but these make me very uneasy driving and that's no bueno. So, if anyone needs a set of daily drive tires with about 30 miles or so on them I'll sell em. And I go back to researching to get the best for my needs...pretty good grip, pretty stiff sidewall, decent treadwear rating (above the 200's preferably)..lol...good night all.

 

[Steve-O]

Well I have checked. Yes there is something bent, but it's been that way for a couple years and has yet to give me problems on any of the other tires that I've had on since, so I know that's not it. Aside from the fact that if I move the steering wheel back and forth a couple of times and feel the back end sway and hesitate equally on both sides, I would say that it's not a suspension problem, not to mention that it didn't do it with the other wheels on either. Oh, and no they aren't mounted backward as a buddy of mine mounted them while I balanced them...so I know they're on right...besides the only major problem with mounting a directional tire backwards is the rain resistance gained from a directional tread....but I digress...lol. I'm sure they would be great daily driver tires, or just great overall if you aren't used to something stiffer, but these make me very uneasy driving and that's no bueno. So, if anyone needs a set of daily drive tires with about 30 miles or so on them I'll sell em. And I go back to researching to get the best for my needs...pretty good grip, pretty stiff sidewall, decent treadwear rating (above the 200's preferably)..lol...good night all.

if it helps man, my avs es100s were awesome tires and if i had the money to spend on another set id get them again for sure :TU:. i'd like a set of azenis but i need something that lasts a bit longer and holds up to highway use. i need new tires for next season (trying to make the ghetton ones i have now last) thus im considering saving up this winter for a set of avs' again.

the grip was awesome, the wet traction impressed me and overall they're a great tire which can be expected from yokohama. i believe the treadwear is like 260-280 or something like that so with proper rotation and no driving them hard 24/7 you should get good use out of them. they're directional as well and i know these are not a concern so much as an added bonus but the sidewall profile is pretty flat (no balloony 4x4 tire look) with very little raised detail so tire shine holds and looks great on them. as well, the tread pattern looks mean and does its job well :TU:.

depending on the condition of your chequing account (they're not as affordable as falkens) they might be worth looking into. just make sure your toe is in check .