Updated 4/2/2021
Falken Tires are known for their high performance and racing tires. The Falken Tire company is owned by Japanese giant Sumitomo Tires, and only came to the U.S. in 1985. Falken has many sponsorships and involvement in motor racing. From the beginning, they produced tires for all forms of auto racing including rally, drift, and now, off-road racing. They are also the official tire of Major League Baseball (MLB).
We have driven the Falken Ziex ZE-512 for all-season performance, and Azenis RT215 (which has since evolved to the Azenis RT615K) tires (for both street and high performance HPDE track events). We would gladly buy another set of the Ziex again based on its excellent value and street performance, but would only use the Azenis as a dedicated track tire due to its wear rating and poor winter performance.
Consumer Reports also rated the Ziex ZE-912 as a #1 Ultra High Performance (UHP) All-Season tire.
Passenger All-Season
The Ziex ZE329 tire appears to be exclusively offered by Pep Boys. The tire has a mileage warranty between 30K and 60K miles, depending on the size and speed rating. It is somewhat pricey for its rating, unless Pep Boys is offering a deal. We would compare it to some the Solus TA11 Touring All-Season tire by Kumho.
4.7 Kumho Solus TA11 (75k mile warranty)
Read reviews for the Falken Ziex ZE329 and check prices at PepBoys.comTouring All-Season
Verdict: Top tier brand Touring tires such as Michelin Premier and Goodyear Assurance Touring tires score higher, but they do so at a much price per tire. The Sincera SN-828 is a good choice if you do not see much snow, or live in an area where snow is quickly removed. Here are our favorites in the Touring All-Season category:
4.7 General Altimax RT43 (65-75k mile warranty)
4.7 Kumho Solus TA11 (75k mile warranty)
Falken considers the SN250 a Performance Touring tire. It has a class leading 80,000-90,000 mile warranty and is
very reasonably priced considering its UTQG treadwear rating of 720. Even though this is not a winter tire,
Falken rated it highly for snow performance.
Here are Falken's own ratings for the SN250:
- Dry Handling: 3.5/5
- Wet Handling: 3.5/5
- Tread Life: 5/10
- Comfort: 5/5
- Noise: 4/5
- Snow Performance: 4.5/5
4.7 General Altimax RT43 (65-75k mile warranty)
4.7 Kumho Solus TA11 (75k mile warranty)
Performance and High Performance All-Season
The Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S have some great reviews, and are specifically marketed for all-season weather. Early reviews from drivers show that it does provide some grip in light snow conditions. We ranked the ZE950 #1 on our Best Tires by Category list for High Performance All-Season tires.
Update: Falken is replacing the ZE950 A/S with the new ZE960 A/S. Stay tuned for an updated review rating. We would still buy the ZE950, if available, due to its known performance. Here's the ZE950's description from Falken:
The ZIEX ZE950 All-Season incorporates the latest in technology and design from Falken to create an excellent choice for drivers of today’s sedans, sports cars and crossover vehicles where mileage, all-season and high-performance handling are a priority. Using the Falken-exclusive Dynamic Range Technology (DRT) in the all-new silica tread compound and asymmetric tread design, the ZE950 A/S provides optimum levels of dry, wet, ice and snow grip as well as delivering some of the longest mileage of any Falken high-performance tire. With over 100 sizes from 15 to 20-inch and speed ratings of H, V, and W, the ZIEX ZE950 A/S covers a wide range of fitments, from family sedans to crossover vehicles.Read Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S Reviews at TireBuyer Read Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S Reviews at TireBuyer
Consumer Reports rates the Ziex ZE-912 as a #1 Ultra High Performance (UHP) All-Season tire.
Read all Ziex ZE-912 Reviews at Discount TireUpdated 1/7/17: Over 20 new reviews have been added for the Pro G4 A/S, bumping up the average rating from 4.0 to 4.6, with 97% of drivers saying they would buy the tire again. This is a good choice for a Performance All-Season tire that has a 65K mile warranty for H- and V-speed rated sizes, and 45K on W-speed rated sizes. It has a UTQG treadwear rating of 600. The tire appears to be sold exclusively by Discount / America's Tire in the U.S. Some competing tires are listed below:
4.9 Kumho Ecsta 4X II
4.6 Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval A/S
4.4 Goodyear Eagle Sport
4.1 Sumitomo HTR A/S P02
Max Performance Summer
SUV / Light Truck Touring All-Season
The S/TZ-05 is a dependable SUV or Pick-up All-Season tire, with a 50k mile warranty. It scores above average vs. competitors at a competitive price. However, we prefer the General Grabber HTS60, which has a 4.8 review rating and is in the same price range. See how the Ziex S/TZ-05 ranks vs. competitors at Discount Tire
SUV / Light Truck All-Terrain
The Falken Wildpeak H/T has excellent ratings, with a 60k mile limited warranty. We would compare it against other well rated A/T tires such as the 4.8 rated General Grabber AT2 and the 4.9 rated Dick Cepek Fun Country. Read all Wildpeak H/T HT01A tire reviews at Pep Boys
Pictured below is the Falken Pro G4 A/S tire on a Chevy Volt:
ZIEX CT50 A/S - Read Reviews at TireRack.com
ZIEX ZE001 A/S - Read Reviews at TireRack.com
