I have driven on all three "real" option for 12"s. Had the Falkens, the Yokohama streets and now the Yoko A048Rs. I was not a fan of the Falkens but was only going off others cooments as they were all I had driven. Most said the Yoko streets (cant remember the number) were better in the wet then the Falkens were in the dry. Talk to some real tires guys on here and they say something different. I was doinging a lot of AutoX events and these are actually really good for that, ie, they are sticky. They might not last as long as others but like some have said, it depends on your needs. Most get dry rotted before they are worn out.

The Yoko streets are great all-rounder though. I will say that. If I was using my Mini as a daily, they would be my choice for sure. Their grip in the rain is much better when I did a side by side. Its all a give and take, much like performance. You might have to give a little to get something else, like price.

I had the FK 60's for  5 years, slipperry when wet, but they lasted.  The yokos A539 are harder to balance but ride well and grip wet or dry, already have 5,000 on them.

Almost no wear!?  You need to start burning rubber Mike!..lol

I think those are discontinued now and replaced a couple of years ago with the 912 tyre.

TO add a different brand comparison - My daily Driver - I installed Yoko 539 12's in May of last year ... Never rotated them. From last May to Today I have about 11K miles - 17.7Km... In Feb I did a rotate because of wear on the insides of the front... Now working to perfect the alignment to get a little more life out of these fronts. Already planning on when to buy another set to have on hand when ready. Yokos will go on again. Very Happy with the grip wet and cold. No road noise. Good tires.

I do run lowered suspension- and drive a spirited 2 mile drive daily to work (fun roads). Other road trips were highway - 50 - 65 MPH over time. With plenty of miles to gather this mileage over the year . I think with some rear end extra loading- the front end was lighter (including hitch mount bike rack on long trips to the beach X2) SO some front wear was premature. When rotated the rears however were 80% good... I'm satisfied with the 11K so far, miles as being Good for a year -- if i can get 16 - 18K miles out of this set I will be happy - With improved alignment - next set 20K hopefully!

Not much of a compare- but my other car with Falken 10's , Seems bouncy and they are wearing faster...with fewer miles.. As said- this car sits 90% of the year and these tires have been on for 3 years- So by the time they are worn out - will be 5 Years installed- and worthy to replace.

I am also running 12" FALKENS....I think they are model # FK60 or FK70's (does that number make sense?)  I also got them from Talon in QC and have had them on for the past 6 or so years. They show almost no wear in probably 12-14k kms. (a guess)

(I have no odometer)

I know the earlier ones were not good in the wet....but I think these newer Z series ( think that's the letter)...912....are better than the last series.

They don't last very long and  are very slippery in the wet.

You summed it up with the last sentance in your first post Rick. From what i have seen most Mini owners tires dry rot and crack before they ever wear out especially in hot climates. I have also noticed that Mini owners who use their cars for daily drivers usually get around two years out of a set of 12's so what you experienced in Aus considering the conditions was probably what most people would consider normal wear and tear.

I run a set of those Falkens also. ( 912 ).  I have no issues with them at all.....although I don't put a tonne kms on them.
They're only $109 at Talon, and no duties.  $20 more will get you the Yoko A539 ( or $125 from Craig near you 

That is a pretty good run for tires on a mini.

I hit 114 kmh on the Stuart Hwy. in the Northern Territory, while passing a Road Train, and that one day headed to Alice Springs we ran steady 105 or so kmh (60-65 mph).  Every mile to that point had been on dry roads and in warmish weather.  The hottest travel came later crossing the Kimberley in Western Australia.

I suppose, if we had seen more moisture this would have helped tire life (to say nothiong about the humans - wifey had wet towel over her head/shoulders at 45C).

But we saw little moisture on the highways until crossing from Norseman to the Nularbor on the Eyre Hwy.

I see our host has 165x60 12" Falken tires.  Listing price is comparable, sale price is even better.  However, in my experience these tires have similar wear life to Yokie A008s I've run...not long lived.

Example, prior to setting out on our Mini travels in Australia, I bought 6 new 165x60x12 Falkens (intending to carry 2 spares).  After prologue Brisbane-Sydney return and the Mini50 week on the Sunshine Coast, after getting around to Denham on the Indian Ocean coast, the tires were swapped front/rear with visible wear, more wear on the fronts.

By the time we swung around to Adelaide, I put two new Falkens on the front and on getting back to Brisbane installed another 2 new tires.  In sum, 4 of the original Falkens were used up in not more than 29,000 kms. or 17,500 miles (less with the 1st pair scrapped in Adelaide).

Use was primarily steady state highway travel at 90-105 kmh/55-60 odd mph.  Little stop go city traffic, no hard braking, no sporty driving...and tire pressure checked regularly.  My top speed GPS indicated was 114 kmh but briefly.

On the other hand if a Mini is only going to be driven 2-3,000 miles (up to 5,000 kms) annually, 5 or 6 years use would be okay.

Anyone else used these tires?