Snow traction is the strongest owner theme for the Falken Eurowinter HS449, praised in 22 of 31 written reviews, with wet and dry grip also regularly receiving favorable comments. Ice grip and value attract further praise, and 26 reviews are positive overall, averaging 84.9%. Longer-term accounts generally support good tread life, although three reviews, around one in ten, report disappointing wear. Noise is more often praised than criticised, but three reviews find it intrusive and another three mention a fuel-economy penalty. The two repeat reviewers had different experiences over time, so there is no consistent pattern of improvement or decline as it ages.
What owners mention most counted across 30 reviews
I couldn't fault these winter tires, they're proper cold rubber, quiet, very good grip and at the same time safe on wet, dry and snow covered roads. On the downside I found them not great on fuel economy probably due to quite soft rubber compound but nothing drastic here. I've just ordered a new set for a 3rd winter in a row. I would recommend them to anyone.
I bought this tires for my wifes New beetle. I definitely say that the price / performance ratio is excellent. We had the opportunity to drive on snow and ice. The grip was more than I expected. I totally recommend.
I bought these tires from Tireleader in Germany/Poland and to be honest I was really pleased with them. Last winter I drove over 4k miles throughout Europe in middle of the winter, going through snow without issues but I was most impressed when driving in heavy rain, they dispersed the water extremely well, no aquaplaning at all even on high speeds and I felt safe at any time. I personally don't see much wisdom to spend £600 for a set of Continentals when I can have the same level of comfort and safety spending less than a half. The only downsides I could find is that they wear down a bit quicker than Pirelli sottozero which I had a winter before and secondly they felt a bit soft when cornering but not unsafe. All in all, it's a good deal £65 per corner as of 2015 ( 225 45/17) and I'm sure my next set of tires would be of the same brand.
Have these tires on my C30 and they have been the best winter tires I've ever had and I've had a far few sets on different cars over the 5 years we have been living up in the north Pennines of England. I've run these in every condition including a good few inches of snow in town and in the countryside and they are great with no problems at all, in fact you have more trouble standing up when you get out the car on the frozen compacted snow to get in the car than you do driving ! I've still got them on now and should really swap back to my summer tires but if honest I've no reason to as the grip is ace and there no real noise difference just the softer rubber is likely to wear more I guess, but otherwise I'd just run them all the time. If you are here on this site checking what to buy for winter use then first I'd say get winter tires they change the whole experience of winter driving and you owe it to everyone you take in your car to be as safe as possible and with that in mind buy these tires, they might not have the price tag of the premium brands but they do have the more important performance to out class those premium brands
Had never felt the need for winter tires in the past,decided to give it a go. Tires were fitted on monday morning,woke up wednesday morning behold lots of snow [Northern Ireland] Baptism by fire I thought, totally un-believable no loss of traction, sliding or braking fears. Travelled through fresh snow 5 inches deep no lateral movement at all, through 3-4 inches of slush/snow no traction problems. These tires are phenomenal and very well worth a go. Front wheel drive, no traction control and tuned stayed true on course of 20 miles of above conditions. Next outing special stage rally in snow ye ha !!!
100%
Member
BMW
225/45 R17
1,600 miles
A Combination of Roads
Average
I have Falken Eurowinter 225/45/17 run flats on my BMW 320d auto.
Got them fitted beginning of November 2014 and have done just over 1600 miles.
Excellent in both dry and wet although I don't thrash my cars.
Earlier this week drove on frozen compacted snow for the first time (I live on an estate built on a steep hillside that causes horrendous problems every winter it snows)and had no problems whatsoever. Stopped half way up bank at steepest point and just pulled away normally.
These tires also have rim protection.
Excellent tire at very reasonable price.
Not tested on snow yet, but they're great on icy road with sub-zero temperature. Also great on wet road and rainy conditions. On mountain roads, with ice, it seems to run on railways!
Can't tell anything about the tire's behavior in snow, as here in my area of Germany there was no snow at all this season. But what I can tell is that these tires are exceptional in wet and especially dry conditions. They grip like hell! In the dry, I don't even come close to their limit and in the wet, where you should drive more safly anyway, it is much the same. Moreover, the HS449 is quiet and comfortable as well.
I've driven around 6000 km since I fitted them to my little MX-3 and I just can't tell whether there has been any wear; despite the dry conditions this winter, tread is still plenty. I assume, the HS449 are good for another 10000 kilometers.
My conclusion: There is really no need to throw money down the drain for a so called "premium tire". What makes them "premium" is just their brand name and the prices they make you pay. I will recommend the Falken HS449 to anyone who is about to buy a new set of winter-tires!
I used Firestone and Uniroyal winters before, but I will stick to the Falken HS449 as long as they produce it.
Among all winter tires even from top brands in the European market, the new generation of falken are exceptional, especially on snow, then if you consume before, no matter safty drive is the most important.
