What do you guys think about Toyo Proxes FZ4 tires? I heard that they suck. What can you compare them to other than Nitto NT-450s? I just need some decent street tires. I've heard that they can pop and my friend had experience with them and he said that he likes them but I know 2 people who had them and popped on them? Is it worth it? What's the real deal?

 

I have been running Toyo FZ4s for as long as I can remember for just a street tire.. though they can be quite expensive if u don't look around pricing..but there are better and cheaper tires to be had..I just g owith them since the place I get them from will fix a puncture and rotate and balance and do an alignment for free as long as I purchase the tires from them..there not to shabby for the Rainy days of Cali.. but what it rains like 2 days out of the year here..and they last me about a good 35k-40k each time I get a set

 

They wear like iron, but at the price of grip. Comparing Nitto and Toyo is like comparing a Geo Metro and a Yugo. Only thing good from Toyo is the T1S and the RA1s.

There are much better tires out there for better prices.

 

nice and lightweight, thats whats really good about these....
sidewalls are very soft, it tends to squil like a pig on a hard turns (autox)

I would stay away from these invest few more $$$ and get some real tires

 

yes that is what i have heard also

 

I have them on my car right now. They are good for an all season tire. Dont expect them to be killer drag or auto-x tires, b/c there are much better tires for that. But they do pretty well in the snow here in minnesota, and they have goood dry and wet handling.

Kind of the jack of all trades, master of nothing, tire.

 

toyo fz4 =
i had some of these before and the sidewalls are soft i had 2 go bad because the sidewalls would blister..

for the money get pirelli p700, dunlop fm901, falken azenis or kumho's blah

 

My FZ4 set was mounted November 1999, and was on my car until the first week of May 2002. There was some tread left, but I bought a set of T1-S for Hybrid Track Day at Buttonwillow.

Overall, the FZ4 is about the same as the Nitto NT450 (the tires I had before the FZ4s) in most everything...dry grip, wet grip, hydroplane resistance. The Nittos felt a bit steadier on the freeway, but the FZ4s were marginally better than the NT450s under wet braking.

I bought the set for about $250 from Ken's Tire in Montebello, CA. I had a hookup there, as well as a $50 off coupon from Hondaclub.

My FZ4s went through one autocross event, and one hotlapping event at Streets of Willow during Hybrid Track Day #1. At Streets, I did an informal tire comparison test between the FZ4s, Falken Ziex 502s, and Bridgestone Potenza RE730. I ranked them in this order...RE730, FZ4, Ziex 502. All three tires were 195/50-15, and have a 300UTGQ rating. Keep in mind that UTGQ ratings are relative ratings within a manufacturer's line...ie an RE730 would last 3 times longer than a Bridgestone tire rated at 100, and not 3 times longer than a Toyo tire that's rated 100.

The Falkens were the worst of the three. They squealed the loudest, and had the least grip. From experience in wet daily driving, they have the least grip of the three. Hydroplane resistance was about the same as the others. It was easier to power understeer with these tires. Also, in steady state corners, lifting off the throttle in midcorner unsettled the rears. I could tell that they wanted to break loose.

The Toyos were a tad bit better. In daily driving, there's no real difference between all three tires. You can only tell by driving to the limits. The Toyos were slightly quieter and grippier. It performed very similarly to the previous NT450s I had. The Toyos actually did not wear as fast as the NT450s. In terms of feel, I actually like them better than the 195/50-15 T1-S I currently have. The T1-S are a bit squirmier, especially at 32psi. At Buttonwillow last May, I had them at 42psi front/40psi rear, which made them a bit better, but I was still disappointed. Turning in would result in a nanosecond lag before they actually turned, but it was enough to feel it happen. The T1-S has better total grip, but in terms of road communication, I liked the FZ4 better. Now, I feel that maybe I was still used to the FZ4, and my driving style is still based on the FZ4, so keep in mind that this is my opinion.

In Solo2, the FZ4s just did not get hot enough, and did not grip enough. I ran them 40/40psi and I just had too much understeer. The only other tire I've Solo2'd on was the Falkens, and they were about the same performance as the FZ4.

The Bridgestone Potenza RE730 is the best 300UTGQ tire I've ever driven on (I've driven on NT450s, FZ4s, Falken 502s, and a Dunlop brand that I forgot...). High speed steady state corners (Turn 2 at Streets, freeway onramps, etc) were consistently 2-3mph faster than the FZ4s according to the speedometer. They have higher grip, and slightly better wet cornering than the others. Considering that these go for less than a $100 at Tire Rack (195/50-15), and that the same sized FZ4s cost $120 at Goodyear Express/other commercial tire chains or about $95 at independent tire shops, the RE730 would be a better choice.

One thing to think about, the FZ4 does not have a rim protector unless it's 16" or bigger. The RE730, T1-S, Falken Ziex 502, and the Nitto NT450 all have rim guards.

Overall, I think the FZ4 is a decent tire for daily driving in most weather conditions and some hard driving (hotlapping/autocross). They have a relatively long tread life compared to other more performance-oriented tires and are somewhat cheap (less than $100ea for 195/50-15). However, there are other tires that are grippier (ie RE730) and cost about the same or a tad cheaper.

If you want an overall tire that is competent on the track, has decent wet pe