Falken ZE512 on ice and light snow.. Great! (Seattle)

N

nobody >

We Falenized both Soobs with 512s before the Consumer Reports test that
put them in the top 3 at #3. Ones a '00 Legacy OB (235/60-16), the other
is a '97 Imprezza OBS (205/60-15).

I read Grolsh's earlier posts on the TripleTreds; would have bought them
except for price. The ZE512 went over the counter for a considerable
amount less, a little less than half. $66 vs $146 for a 205/60-15.

November went out with a nasty bashing of about 2-15 inches of snow on
top of already wet pavement here in the greater Seattle area. There were
"weather and traffic altercations" all over the place. Vancouver BC
caught the same storm system but some of it looped in from the north and
caught them worse in some ways. Areas between Seattle and Vancouver
probably got the worst of it. All of November was a record 15.5 inches
of moisture here!

I had areas of "crispy" 6"snow and ice on fairly steep hills, with 9
miles of pack ice and glare ice. All went fine. I even made it up one
hill that I could only do with chains (on a Toyota pickup) before in
similar conditions. That one required some noticeable tire-spinning,
none of the other areas did. There were a few times that I did feel
either/both the center or rear differentials 'kick in' but that's why I
bought the Soob.

Braking on ice was surprisingly good. The Legacy OB is more 'sedate' and
barely slides, the Imprezza OBS does want to move around a little more,
probably due to the weight difference.

Parking lot brodies are so-so with the Legacy but the Imprezza is an
absolute ball-- let it all hang out!

If I lived in the mountains/deepsnow country or was spending much time
out in deeper snow, I'd say save your money towards the TripleTred or
better yet some Blizzaks or Winterforces. But if you are living down
from the mountains, Falken ZE512s are a decent all weather compromise.
Summer handling and rain grip are outstanding.
 

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