Falken ST115 or Pirelli PZero Nero M&S

[Evoking]

So my NSX has gone through 2 sets of rear Kuhmo MX's in like 4500 miles. The car is lowered on H&R's and has like 2.7 of negative camber but this still seems excessive.

So I'm looking for a high wear tire that still handles decently and isn't super loud either. The falken has a 360 wear rating but is a Z tire so I'm sure it won't last as long as the Pirelli with a 400 rating and its a W rating. They are about the same price with the Pirelli coming from Tirerack and I have to go and have discount install vs having the Falkens come from discount. I hear the Falken is very quiet which is nice becasue the MX's were very loud. But I also want something to last longer than the MX.

Does anyone have any experience or feedback on these two?

 

[Malibu Rapper]

I had the ST115s on my SSR wheels. They were very quiet. They gave very little feedback when the rear would spin out which I thought was odd. The wear on them was so so, I never got to wear them out completely but I did have one go flat on me and got it replaced under road hazard warranty. After about 6k miles, it had about 70% tread left.

Wear ratings I've been told are misleading and you cannot trust them going from one manufacturer to another. Z or W rating doesn't affect the wear so much as the compound that is used. Z vs W vs V etc determine the construction of the tire if I'm not mistaken, stiffer for higher speed rated tires. I forget what brand but I had a set of Vs before that were stickier than Z tires but the difference I was told was that the V rated tire did not have a nylon cap.

I bought the Falken's from America's Tire. They had the best price. One other thing about Falken's is that their tires are skinnier than the same sizes from other manufacturers. I compared the 275 Falken width to a 255 from another manufacturer on same width rim and they were equal.

I have Hankook K104s (275x30x19) now and I like them a lot better. You didn't say what size you were running but they have a 420 rated tire (V4ES H105). Checkout www.hankooktire.com

 

[Evoking]

Thanks. BTW, America's Tire is now Discount Tire. I guess discount bought them.

 

[NSX-Racer]

Are you really talking about Pirelli M&S tires? M&S is the sign for winter tires on this side of the pond and they are usualy not high speed tires.

As NSXtasy pointed out multiple times you can't really compare wear ratings between different brands. It has some sense indeed for tires of the same brand.

And you may have some wear differences between V, W and ZR tires. You can't use a very soft compound on a real high speed tire because the temperature of the rubber goes up very high when you drive near NSX top speed (and I've done that very often on german autobahn). You could even experience that rubber parts come loose from the tread if the tire's not designed for such speeds. So my guess is that a tire with a higher speed rate has a slightly harder rubber and may last a bit longer - but that's just an estimation.

 

[nsxtasy]

Are you really talking about Pirelli M&S tires? M&S is the sign for winter tires on this side of the pond and they are usualy not high speed tires.

Here, M&S stands for "mud and snow". The P Zero Nero M+S is an all-season tire - a tire that is designed to be used in a variety of temperatures (from frigid winter temperatures to warm summer temperatures) and with occasional use on snow. It's designed for those willing to sacrifice performance in order to have a tire that is marginally okay in winter conditions. Totally inappropriate for an NSX in Texas, IMHO.

If you're looking for a high-performing, long-lasting tire, the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 is an excellent choice. Some folks have found that it lasts as long as 10K miles or longer. Whether that will be the case for a substantially lowered car like yours, well... if you are really concerned about tire wear, you might be better off returning your car to stock ride height (or choosing some other car than an NSX).

 

[NSX-Racer]

Here, M&S stands for "mud and snow". The P Zero Nero M+S is an all-season tire - a tire that is designed to be used in a variety of temperatures (from frigid winter temperatures to warm summer temperatures) and with occasional use on snow.

Nearly no day without some new and surprising information for me. M&S stands here for the same (Matsch & Schnee), is used for winter tires but you will not find any PZero Nero here with M&S sign. Pirelli U.S. website lists them as a special product for the USA (don't know about other countries).

Leads me to the estimation that the market for all season tires may be bigger in America than in Europe. Of course I'm with Ken that all season tires are no good choice for the NSX.

 

[Evoking]

I went with the Falkens ST115. I can see that as nsxtasy mentioned in another post, they are a smidge narrower than the MX. With a 10.5 inch rear and 8.5 inch front perhaps I need 285 and 225 series...

 

[Meeyatch1]

I have the Pirelli PZero Nero M&S tires on my NSX and let me clear one thing up...they are NOT to be mistaken for having any real snow compatibility. The M&S rating is rather easy to get, and these tires will almost get you killed in the snow. Just ask the guy who got stuck in a Canadian snow storm with his...YIKES!!

My car is lowered with the most conservative factory alignment possible, and even with highway driving I only get about 6,000 miles to a set of rear tires.

 

[Hapa88]

Thanks. BTW, America's Tire is now Discount Tire. I guess discount bought them.

I believe they are the same company. In the San Diego area and many other areas they have "Discount Tire Company". In the Los Angeles area, they have "America's Tire Company" because there is a different tire chain called "Discount Tire Center". I think the owners didn't want people to think they were the same store, hince the name change.