Falken Azenis FK520

The 205/40/18 Tire size is notorious for being very rare and lower in demand. This means that the michelin/continental options are pushing nearly £200 a corner fitted and balanced. At £117 through ATS the FK520 was a great alternative at a much lower price. My fiesta ST came with Michelin Super Sports and I'd had a set of PS4s subsequent to that and have had a set of Nankangs AS rubbish rubbers as well. Having done a couple track days and lots of miles, I've been very impressed with the FK520s.

after 12,500 miles.

Dry Grip - Exceptional - Couple track days and hill climbs during the summer and in the warmth these tires were great! Even managing to get a better time than another fiesta friend rocking the wider and higher profile 225/40/18 Michelin cups on a different set up with more un-sprung mass. (That was very likely just due to bravery/stupidity on the day though). The reason these have only gotten a 9/10 is because 10/10 in my humble opinion is reserved for slicks.

Wet Grip - Exceptional - The aquaplaning recovery is the FK520s key strength. Wet handling is not as well levelled as the PS4s. So, if you wanted to drift in the wet then go ahead. However, for the price point. You absolutely MUST purchase the FK520. Blows the nankang sportnex out the water. The next tire I'm keen to try in this category is the Nexen NFera sport. But for wet weather driving and some considerably treacherous motorway monsoon type conditions the FK520 has felt incredibly safe and dependable.

Wear - As expected - 12,500 miles and the tires have gone from 7.5mm to 4mm on the front 7.5mm to 6mm on the rear. So, on course for a set of fronts to last approx 20-25k miles if I replace at 3mm and maybe up to 30k miles if I ran them all the way down to 1.6mm. But incredibly impressed with wear overall. These are on a level with michelin PS4 and based on Falken's quality and manufacturing I would expect this.

Buy Again - Maybe - The reason I was so impressed and keen on these tires is because they were £117 fitted at ATS last year. That's a bargain in the fiesta tire size. However, now with them creeping up to £140-150. It make sense to spend a bit more per corner and get the continental or michelin options. If the tire is less than 120. Absolutely will buy again.

OEM Fitment Tire on the FL5 Type R is Michelin PS4S (superb tire , i got 25,000km out of a set inclusive of 3 track days. i would of been able to do another 5000km on regular roads had i not copped an unfixable puncture which was sheer bad luck)

Onto the Falkens , after the PS4S i swapped wheel fitments and went to 18s for comfort + tire longevity + increased tire choices. After ALOT of research the UTQG rating for the Falken FK510 was 300 treadwear , A traction / A Temp. Considering the PS4S is AA traction A temp with 300 treadwear also on paper it seemed the Falkens were on-point so my first fray into the Falken brand was with a set of FK510's.

The FK510s were great in terms of traction and overall grip in the dry , even better then the PS4S which would just cause the front wheels to lose traction in 1st/2nd and sometimes early in 3rd. With the FK510 the only way for me to wheelspin was if i was just a little too eager in first but if i had traction in first i would ultimately have traction in 2nd and 3rd without much issue , that to me sold me on the Falken brand given the cost difference between the 2 tires. Even though the Falken FK510 and Subsequentially FK520L are rated as a UHP tire it comes very close to the UUHP segment tire for a fraction of the cost.

Unfortunately the FK510s didn't last as long as i had hoped , about 9 months / 15,000km of driving with no track days with 0.5mm before the wear limit, but regularly checked pressures and tire rotations. i am a bit of an aggressive driver so it doesn't help but i didn't have the wear issue with the PS4S but it did provide me with equivalent levels of grip. So in the tire world its always choose 3 - Grip / Comfort / Wear / Cost / Handling , you will never get all 5.

The FK510 gives Comfort / Grip / Cost at the sacrifice of Handling/Wear , in terms of handling it felt like the Michelin PS4 (very vague and slow in slalom and S bends at speed) but the grip was always there you just had to back off a little to let the car settle to find out where it was and then you could load it up confidently in the corners and hold it no problems.

This brings me now to the FK520L , Falkens newest model and successor to the FK510. I have only had them on for about 4000km / 2500 miles at the moment but considering my experience with the FK510 i can confidently say that this tire is a genuine improvement in the right direction. The tire feels more comfortable due to its more solid construction , the less mass on the tire is also correct because my fuel economy increased so paying for less fuel is a bonus , handling wise it definitely is a slight notch better because of the stiffer shoulders but the tire is still pretty soft in my opinion.

I have taken the tire on a few spirted runs already and can say Falken have done well with this newer model , i was able to get them fitted after price matching for about $225 AUD a corner so when the Michelin PS5 and PS4S is still $400 / $500 AUD a corner respectively it makes the Falkens seem like a huge bargain , and that they are. They are also visually appealing now with the nano black sidewall design and i feel the tire is a lot more premium , would i recommend this tire to anyone thinking about buying a set , absolutely but with 1 caveat , if you plan on doing a track day spend a little bit more and get a UUHP tire. If however you just want a decent street sport tire without lighting your wallet on fire that is the equivalent of a Michelin PS4/PS5 then the Falken FK520L will keep you safe.

Bottom line i was a bit hesitant at first to try Falken on my expensive sportscar but i am glad i did as they perform as expected , this tire won't be for everyone as the handling isn't as sharp and precise as other tire models but the grip and confidence is there and is progressive when pushing it to the limit.

Next set i am hoping to try the new Continental Max Contact 7 when they become available as they are 360 Treadwear rated with AA Traction and A temp and would like a tire that lasts a little longer without sacrificing on grip/safety , otherwise i might just fit a set of Max Contact 6 and see how it goes , worse-case scenario i always have Falken to fall back on should they not perform as-expected.

Very good peak grip in both wet and dry. They are comfier than the fk510s and quieter as well. The handling is very nice and the grip is very progressive you can very easily feel it beginning to slip before there are any problems. Fantastic value for money would certainly buy again.

Context: I have been driving these Falken tires on a 2018 Reg Honda Civic Sport (Hatch), for their entire lifetime. I bought the car at only 1 year old (10,000 Miles) and it was shod all-round, with Michelin PilotSport's which I understand are factory standard on this car; so likely originals. Those were fine, but during covid "stay@home" period one of the rear tires developed a slow puncture and needed changing (which broke my heart as was still plenty tread left! :(

Life: I opted for the Falken's as the fitter rated them and said comparable to "premier brands" without the inflated price associated. I swapped the Michelins to the back and fitted new rubber to the front (being a FWD car). They are now at the end of their life, running out at the same time more-or-less as the rears, having just completed 32K miles. My driving style is very steady & careful, I avoid over accelerating or braking wherever possible, preferring to make full use the engine braking/natural deceleration instead. I am very happy with the wear on these, and consider 30,000 to be pretty standard with the condition of UK roads currently!

Performance-wise: I would say that these tires are absolutely as good, if not better, than the Michelins they replaced. The wet & dry braking is fine, nothing exceptional, but that said my driving style and not having an accident would support that. Where I have had to stop quickly I was never concerned. They do however wheelspin excessively under hard acceleration, especially from standing start (even more so in the wet), which I put down to the car rather than the tire, being high torque/FWD arrangement. Feedback is better than Michelin but still quite poor compared to high-end, cornering the same, wear; slightly worse than PS's as I have evidenced above. The one area I would say these Falken's really let the side down, would be the road noise. On poor quality road surface they are really not pleasant, and even on standard roads they are noisy, my little one moans every time how noisy it is inside the car!

All-in I would say: Better than I originally expected TBH, but in no way a "Premium tire", so if you're expecting that, look elsewhere & spend more money. This is a very decent, reasonably priced mid-tier tire for a family car. If you place grip, reliability & wear utmost in the list when buying, these will suit you perfectly. If you plan on taking every corner (wet or dry) as fast as possible and don't mind changing after 7-10K miles...don't bother!

I have barely covered 100km on these so the review is based on initial impressions. Mounted on a Tesla model 3, I immediately notices how silent the tires are especially above 100kmh. Also they seem to be very comfortable despite the low profile. Handling seem compliant too. As a negative, maybe the fact that it comes at 7mm tread depth as new which is low. I also expect short lifespan.

In the dry these are good tires, in the wet they are mediocre. This makes sense as they are classed as summer tires however everywhere that lists these tires has them rated as A for wet weather.
In the wet they grip still and handle well enough however they perform the best when it comes to aquaplaning. When it comes to dispercing water they sre absolutely terrible. They feel like if someone were to spill there coffee then you wouldn't stand a chance! Good for the summer however if it rains hard your better off walking.

Very playful, safe and good value

I previously had Uniroyal Rainsport 5's all round on stock wheels (225x45x18, 245x45x18) they weren't the best dynamically but not too bad, of course exceptional in the wet; however a B-Road here and a track day there the wall edges couldn't handle the strain of my driving along with the shocks being completely gone.

On went new wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asy 6's in the front and the Falken Azenis FK520 on the rear (255x35x19, 265x35x19)

Dry grip in the rear is fantastic and pairs well with the Goodyear. The car used to be lazy in corners and you felt in sweepers the sidewall evidently flexing a lot; however the new set up provides much sharper turn in, mid corner is planted with much better rotation and less flex. In other words, dynamically the tires have awoken the car giving exceptional relative grip while being playful and pliable. Stopping power is fantastic, I've heard great things about wear although I haven't yet experienced that (only done 650miles or so).

The car is more stable at speed on 'long private roads in mexico', motorway driving is also greatly improved. I haven't taken it on track yet with this set up but I'm sure would be more agile especially once I get working shocks.
Considering a smaller and stiffer sidewall to my Rainsports before, the car is seemingly on par or more comfortable than before with slightly less road noise making day to day unexpectedly really very good.
Wet grip is fantastic, almost on par with the Uniroyals however I've experienced aquaplaning on the motorway in less harsh conditions at similar speeds than the previous set up. Something to keep in mind when the conditions arise.

As a UK driver it's important to have comfort due to the shocking roads 60% of the journey, to be safe in the wet as it mostly is, and to be fun on the backroads. The Falkens despite only living with them briefly and with this the Goodyears as a paring provide great value while excelling in the above parameters I hold most important for me when I bought my tires. Really impressed with the Falkens, would buy again if nothing better comes on market by then, considering the wear that will be a long way away.

As a tire 7.5/10
For my needs 9/10

Tested on a Peugeot 308SW, the tire offers truly excellent lateral grip on dry surfaces, on roundabouts and in curves. It's progressive to the limit, yet always composed and comfortable. The only downside is that it tends to deform a little when braking on dry surfaces, but nothing too serious. On wet surfaces, it provides exceptional braking and starts from a standing start without any slippage, all with outside temperatures around 28 degrees.

Poor wear but good otherwise

Excellent dry grip, as good as the Premium brands. Wet grip is very good as expected. Steering feel is positive and sharp without vagueness. Feedback through the wheel is informative

First time trying the Falken brand based on the many good reviews and tests that this tire has earned. I can say that the tire doesn't dissapoint. It is great for day to day use on a mid sized sedan with the occasional spirited rides. Dry grip is good from cold and it gets better when tires get warmed up, which doesn't take too long. Wet grip is also good although I have not pushed it to the limit.
What I can say with confidence is that both wet and dry braking is exceptional, with many instances of emergency heavy braking (due to animals crossing the road, cars cutting lanes etc) the car felt planted and stopped safely, most of the time with little to no ABS interference even under full braking.
It is very soon to comment on wear but after more than 10k km they seem to wear normally. Sidewalls are thick but not too hard so the tire feels comfortable over potholes and road imperfections. This also means that the steering feedback is kinda numb (mostly related to audi's setup), but it still got some sporty character and good steering response. In comparrison the Goodyear F1 Asy 5 that I had before were a bit more informative and precise.
The FK520 also looks good on the rims and has good rim protection.

Overall I'd strongly recomend this tire due to it's characteristics, grip, comfort and most importantly it's price!

Good tires, strong sidewalls, good grip in Wet and dry.

First season on my MX-5 ND. Dry grip is pretty good, comparable to the Michelin PS5 I am using on my other car. Wet grip is not bad, but there is room for improvement. It's easy to control the car. My overall experience is very good. Wear is really good on this light roadster. Will buy them again.

I bought FK520 tires because I had FK510 before them. I have 225/40/19 front and 255/35/19 rear.
1. Dry Grip - never been driving agressively but tires hold really hood just like FK510 were.
2. Wet Grip - just as good as FK510, no issues and real good performance.
3. Road Feedback and Comfort - you can quite feel road below and I have issues with vibrations in highways above 100 km/h. On FK510 never had this issues. This is the most annoying part that they are not comfortable and would definately not recommend them for someone driving on highways a lot.
4. Wear - did not see any drastic wear after 5000 kilometers, which is good. I think wear is much better in FK520 because I had issues with uneven wear on FK510.
5. Buy Again - from performance point of view yes, but since I like to drive smooth and comfortable, I would not buy them again. When I change tires to winter Hankooks on same wheels, I have no vibrations anymore.

I replaced the Pirelli P-Zeros that came on my car with these after I had the rear end step out at very low speed on a wet roundabout with the Pirellis.

Straight away I felt more confident in wet conditions. The MX-5 being a light, rear wheel drive car, I don't go too crazy when there's standing water but I was at least comfortable to drive in bad conditions compared to the old Pirellis.

In the dry my feelings were similar. I could throw the car into corners without so much as a squeak from the tires. Everything feels very assured.

I primarily daily drive the car but I took it to a track day and they held up remarkably well. The car would bite down into corners and you could feel a natural drop off in grip as you nearest the limit. At that point the tires had already done about 18,000 miles and after the partly melted tread had come unstuck, it seems that they have a lot more life left to give!