Falken FK452 vs Potenza RE050a

[nitteo]

I need to replace my 19x8.5 Factory Sport Tires and am looking for a nice smooth ride with less noise as possible!

I have narrowed it down to these 2 but I am open to suggestions....

Anyone have experiences on tread life / handling quality / road noise of these 2 tires?
Modified by nitteo at 1:30 PM 10/23/2008

[maxnix]

I would note that Bridgestone is a top tier manufacturer and Falken is not.

Read the TR tests very carefully. But I guess they don't sell Falken?

[paperfootball]

I had a set of RE960AS on my car up until a few weeks ago. I ran over a piece of metal and had to replace a rear--could not source another bridgestone in that size(national backorder), so I bought a full set of the 452's.

Now this is on a 2003 M45 with staggered 20's on it--also note that I have only logged about 1k on them. The bridgestones had about 10K on them, so perhaps this isn't a fair comparison, but.....the Falkens are *much* quiter and ride a lot better for me. I could report back to you, but I only drive the car about 5K a year.

[bryansna]

I have found Toyo's to be a good tire. I think the Proxes T1R to be a good fit.

[nitteo]

Ive been reading around forums and reviews and it seems most people who want a "soft" ride are trading down or purchasing the factory 18's of non-sport!

I am seriously considering going 18+"taller" tires. I drive ALOT and at the end of the day I want to have a smoother ride.

Good Idea? Thoughts?

[NBP45]

i kept my 19's and replaced my stock 245/40/19 tires with 255/40/19 yokohoma advan s.4 tires...these tires are taller and still plenty of room left...i could have prob gone with 245/45/19's which are taller....but these are excellent tires, very quiet and smooth and lots of grip so far....

[jshardin]

Ok, being new to low profile tires here... I have a '06 M5 Sport with stock 19" rims. Standard tire size is 245/40/19 - question is, can I put on 245/45/19's without rubbing? Or should you go 255/40/19 to get a little taller tire?

I would be grateful for any guidance

Scott

[nordy]

I bought 4 x RE050's RFT for my 19's and they are excellent!!

My old RE050's sounded like thunder roar as they were very worn down. The RFT's from Ebay were extremely cheap thanks to a couple of BMW Drivers who had them taken off when new and provides some great peace of mind incase I do get a flat.

Overall I would rate the Toyo's as I have had them on other cars too and they are probably the cheapest set compared with OEM and Michelin.

[nitteo]

Ok, being new to low profile tires here... I have a '06 M5 Sport with stock 19" rims. Standard tire size is 245/40/19 - question is, can I put on 245/45/19's without rubbing? Or should you go 255/40/19 to get a little taller tire?

I would be grateful for any guidance

Scott

I thought that the 45 in 245/45/19 is for width? so a 45 will not fit on a 40 rim?

@NBP45:

So the best thing to do to get a smoother ride is 255/40/19s? does it look nice having a "taller" tire? can you post a pic of a 255 on a Sport 19? thanks!

[NBP45]

245/45 fits a 19x8.5 rim...at least thats what I was told....but you can double-check on that...the 45 is the sidewall height of the tires....to figure out the sidewall height just multiply 245x.45 and that gives you the height in mm of the sidewall....i have the 255/40 and its slightly taller and it bulges out slightly more than the stocks...not too much of a difference....i think the 245/45 might have been better but not sure....but to me it looks a little more aggressive and appropriate for a car of this size...not sure if the tire size or the tire itself is contributing to the improvement in smoothness and quietness....but whatever it is...its better than the stock.....i wouldnt worry about rubbing bc there is plenty of room between the tire and fenders and also the rim isnt flush with the fender especially in the front

[nitteo]

I purchased 4 new Toyo Proxes T1R 245/40R19. So far (1k miles) I am impressed at the road noise @ 80mph+, the handling, and the ride is very smooth.

Very, very happy with Toyo.

[saeedakobiakov]

summer/rain tire only.i got them on my M45.the best tires on the marcket for the money.