Founded in 1983 as a subsidiary of the Japanese company Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Falken Tire is a brand of passenger car, light truck and medium truck tires. Just two years after the company was launched, it was introduced to the North American market, and two years later to the European market. Today, Falken is considered as one of the best ultra-high performance tire brands that often participates (and wins!) in motorsport activities. In fact, in 1988, Falken Motorsports team won the international Mirage Cup and since then the company has participated in a number of motorsports events, including Tudor United Sports Car Championship IMSA, Formula Drift Series and 24 hours of Nürburgring.
But is Falken the right tire brand for you? If you’re thinking about purchasing Falken tires for your vehicle, we have good news: we’ve reviewed 3 of their most popular models, plus put together a short buying guide to help you make the right purchasing decision.
Best Selling Falken Tires
WildPeak A/T3W is Falken’s most popular all-terrain, all-season tire. Developed for light trucks and SUVs and drivers who want a combination of both on-road pleasant manners and off-road capabilities with all weather versatility, the WildPeak A/T3W offers it all.
This model boasts quite a few innovative tire technologies which allow it to deliver a fantastic all-around performance. Although specifically engineered for adventure and as a result rugged terrains, the WildPeak A/T3W provides really pleasant highway performance as well. Stable, comfortable, responsive and pretty quiet, this tire really does offer the best of both worlds: it’s perfectly safe on rough roads and in severe weather, yet offers above average on-road manners. This is not that surprising, considering the impressive technologies and features it boasts, including:
- Outer apex sidewall + Aggressive upper sidewall: acting as a heat shield, this construction protects the internal tire components, ensuring durability, safety and good traction even when driving on extremely rough roads
- Heat Diffuser technology: provides additional heat protection, keeping the critical areas of the tire cool and stable even when carrying heavy cargo
- 3D Canyon Sipe technology: provides protection from wear from high torque, plus improves handling stability
- Rugged and rigid tread blocks: rigidity in the contact patch promotes stability and handling while keeping stones out of the grooves
- Silica tread compound: for extended wear life and enhanced all-season performance, especially wet traction.
- Brand Falken
- Model Wildpeak AT3W
- Weight 47.8 pounds
The Ziex ZE950 tire is one of the Falken’s best-selling A/S high performance tires. It’s developed for drivers of sedans, sports cars and crossover vehicles who want the best in the following three aspects: solid all-season performance, good mileage and stable handling.
The Ziex ZE950 utilizes Falken’s Dynamic Range Technology (DRT) along with silica tread compound and asymmetric tread design to provide a firm grip in all weather conditions. As a result of this technology, the tire has great traction in both dry and wet conditions, and even light snow doesn’t represent much of a challenge. But what really stands out about the Ziex ZE950 is its mileage – using several of Falken’s innovative technologies, including the DRT, this model boasts some of the longest mileage of any Falken high-performance tires. The features that ensure durability, stability and solid A/S traction include:
- Dynamic Range Technology: as mentioned, DRT uses Falken’s all-new silica tread compound to allow the rubber to remain pliable at low temperatures. This greatly enhances grip in wet, snow and ice conditions
- 3D Canyon Sipe Technology: for improved ice braking, better handling and enhanced wear
- Wide angled tread slot: provides firm snow grip, by forcing it into the center of the tread
- Sculptured groove wall: significantly reduces rain groove wander, plus provides biting edges for snow traction
- Wide circumferential grooves: fast water evacuation significantly reduces hydroplaning resistance and allows for greater wet traction.
- Brand Falken
- Model Ziex ZE-950 A/S
- Weight 19.6 pounds
Designed for drivers of coupes, sedans and other cars, Sincera SN250 is one of the Falken’s longest lasting all-season tires. Using a wide range of Falken’s exclusive tire technologies, this model is intended for folks who want class-leading durability, solid all-season performance and superior ride comfort.
The Sincera SN250 is designed to hit all the right buttons: it provides outstanding traction in all weather situations, including light snow, it delivers smooth and quiet rides and it has an exceptional tread life warranty. How is Sincera SN250 able to do all this? First things first – it’s made using several Falken’s technologies that allow it to shine in all weather conditions, but especially (and perhaps surprisingly) on wet and snowy roads. The tire also boasts a unique design and tough internal structure, so it’s stable and responsive no matter no weather or road conditions. Notable features include:
- Tension Control Technology: special casing mold shape provides more flexible middle sidewall to absorb vibration and sound, while providing enhanced handling capability
- Dynamic Range Technology: DRT allows the rubber to remain pliable at cold temperatures, improving wet and snow grip
- 3D Canyon Sipe Technology + High sipe density: improves ice braking and dry traction while promoting even wear
- Angled tread grooves + four circumferential grooves: provide biting edges for better snow traction. Also promote faster water evacuation for enhanced hydroplaning resistance
- Symmetrical rib design + solid center rib: for even wear and minimized effects of road wander.
- Brand Falken
- Model Sincera
Falken Tires Buying Guide
Although not the oldest tire manufacturing company on the market, Falken stands out for their quality and durability. All Falken tires we ever laid our eyes on are made of quality materials, with various innovative technologies and features, promising safe, comfortable and quiet rides. The company produces both ultra-high performance and off-road tires so there are a number of options to choose from. If you’re still unsure whether this is a good fit for your needs, we cover the reasons why it may be a good idea to give Falken tires a try. We also talk about the brand’s major design features, so stay tuned until the end!
Why Choose Falken Tires?
The Japanese brand Falken (the Falken Tires is based in Rancho Cucamonga, California) is well-known for producing long-lasting, great performing car and light truck tires. Although the company manufactures tires for a number of vehicles and specific needs, they don’t over-produce products. What do we mean by this? While having lots of different options sounds good in theory, in reality, a sea of different but very similar products tends to overwhelm consumers. That’s why Falken has a few tires available in every category (sedans, SUVs, light trucks, all-season, summer, ultra high-performance tires etc.), offering what we believe is just the right number of products. Besides satisfying various needs of consumers without overwhelming them with countless choices, Falken has other important things working for it: experience in motorsports and consistent product quality.
Motorsports Experience
Falken has extensive experience in motorsports, making it one of the most well-known brands of high-performance tires for race cars. In fact, the Falken Motorsports team was created in 1985 and just three years later, it won the international Mirage Cup. It’s no wonder then that today, Falken has become the No.1 choice for many consumers who want quality ultra-high performance tires.
Having motorsports experience has also allowed Falken to gain valuable insight iton new design technologies that can be incorporated into their very own designs.
Uncompromising Quality
With more than three decades of experience in designing and manufacturing tires, as well as in the motorsports industry, Falken understands what uncompromising quality means: every single tire model must satisfy consumers’ needs and wants. And indeed, all Falken tires seem to do just that. Using quality materials, state-of-the-art technologies and innovative features, the company produces high-quality tires no matter the model. In fact, Falken uses a next-generation manufacturing system to produce tires – NEO-T01. This production process is highly precise and computer controlled, resulting in high-quality tires that do not vary in shape or size, and that last longer than most competitive products.
Design Features
To consistently produce quality, long-lasting tires, Falken uses a number of innovative technologies and designs. Their all-season tires, for example, offer above-average performance in all weather situations, including light snow and ice. High-performance tires, on the other hand, are incredibly responsive and stable at high speeds. Overall, it’s safe to say that if you need durability, stability and comfort but don’t want to pay a fortune to get it, Falken is the way to go. The most important design features that ensure tire quality are:
- Stable Handling: no matter which model you purchase, handling stability is pretty much guaranteed with a Falken tire. Using great designs and cutting-edge technologies, including design elements like a sturdy rib center or wide shoulder block, Falken manufactures tires that provide exceptional stability no matter the road or weather conditions. All models also have tough internal structures, providing additional safety and handling stability.
- Long Tread Life: all Falken tires have excellent tread life and typically last as much or longer than warranted. This is a result of good tire design, plus various technologies and features that promote even wear and overall tire durability. For example, Falken’s Dynamic Range Technology not only allows the tire to remain pliable at cold temperatures and therefore have good wet and snow grip, but also promotes rubber durability. Symmetrical rib design that can be found on Sincera is specifically created to optimize even wear.
- Comfort and Low Noise: incorporating a number of smart design elements that reduce road vibrations and noise, Falken produces tires that lead to very pleasant and quiet rides. Silent Core technology is one of the big ones – to minimize noise levels and road vibrations, Falken tires have a polyurethane foam layer that acts as internal protection, slashing the noise levels by up to 10 decibels.
Sources:
- Falken Tyres – Tyre Reviews
- SPEED RATINGS: FALKEN WARNS CONSUMERS NOT TO DOWNGRADE SAFETY WHEN REPLACING TIRES – Falken Tires