The Falken ZE912 is most consistently praised for dry grip, quiet running, comfort and value, with wet grip also receiving more praise than criticism. Wet-road confidence is not universal, with concerns in around one in nine of the 173 reviews. Tread life attracts more praise than complaints overall, but short-life concerns appear in nearly one in five reviews and both end-of-life accounts are critical of wear. Almost all reviews lack a stage of use, which limits any typical-mileage or grip-retention claim. Repeat accounts range from continued satisfaction to reduced confidence, without a common ageing pattern.
What owners mention most counted across 171 reviews
A pair of these replaced the factory supplied Bridgestone RE050 on the front of my Golf TDI. The bridgestones lasted 16k miles and were pretty hopeless in the last 4-5k miles, especially in the wet where noise was as much an issue as wet grip. The Falkens have now done 15k miles and have worn at the same rate as the Bridgestones. Overall they've been excellent - better wet weather grip than the RE050s throughout their life, good dry weather grip and enough feedback to please all but the most sensitive 3% of drivers. I still have the original Bridgestones on the rear and comparing the sidewalls there is no more protection on those than the Falkens, and both are typical low profile tire walls that will not protect the rim if you bash a kerb. Wear rate has been even across the tire width, 50p inner tread blocks are a sympton of poor suspension geometry (excess camber , often caused by straddling speed humps, or excessive toe-in). In summary, as good as the Bridgestones in all areas, better in some. Great tires especially at 25% lower price than the RE050s. Would buy again without hesitation.
Have these on my BMW 328I, good grip all round, wet grip allows enough slip to have a bit of fun but never lets you get out of control. Dry grip good. Recommend for RWD cars these on the rears but Falken 452's on the fronts. Can see why drifters love these tires so much, good feedback and progressiveness, would buy again. Wear is very good as also. Even with spirited driving they seem to have very little wear considering.
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Went from the Advan Sports to these, there was so much noise I thought I had a wheel bearing on the way out until I changed to these, one of the best all round tires I've ever used.
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I have reviewed these tires at various mileages my last one being in October 2011 after having done 10K as these are fitted to the rears.
They are still on the rears and have now done 17k and are down to 5mm all round and wearing pretty evenly. The grip levels over time and getting used to the tires I would say are good in the dry however on a few fast corners the ESP does kick in and they can slide a little. In the wet they have been again good but when pushed to the limit the ESP is on overtime and they do slide around a lot more but you will know when they are about to let go.
In terms of comfort doing a 74 mile commute 3-4 times a week on mixed motorway and country lanes they are very comfortable and excellent cruising tire and absorb the bumps well, they are very quiet also. I am anticipating about 25K before they are down to the wear markers.
In terms of sidewall protection, there is none, and I have kerbed my rear alloys when parking with the slightest of touches. I inflate them to 36 PSI and they feel solid however the sidewalls are not very stiff hence why they absorb the bumps very well.
For 112 quid fitted you cant go wrong but comparing them now to the premium brands Michelin PS2, Conti CSC2 & CSC3, Eagle F1A and also Potenza Re050A although the premium tires are much more in price they are a lot better tires and you get what you pay for imho.
Look, you get what you pay for. These are fairly cheap and they are not billed as a high performance tire. I bought these not expecting masses of grip, and I was right. But that's fine as I was looking for something pretty hard wearing so that I was not having to change tires every 5-6 months. There is always going to be a compromise between grip and greater resistance to wear. With a tread wear rating of 380, this translates to a harder compound which will mean grip will not be as good as a softer tire. I disagree strongly with peoples comments on poor wear. I have these on the back of a 320d with 184bhp and 380Nm of torque. OE fit REO5A's would be illegal in 5000miles, now that is poor wear but they are a 140 wear rating. The Falken's are up to 8000miles with 5mm tread still left. On a high torque diesel that is pretty good in my opinion.
Absolutely gutted I put these on my Galaxy again. 5000 miles and having to swap the front to the back. The rears on the inner edge have worn like 50p pieces.
Strangely enough my work car (Vauxhall Vectra 1.9cdti) came with the same tires on and hey presto , the rears are like 50p pieces too . My weekend car (Vauxhall Monaro VXR) has the Falken FK452's on and although wear quickly they also wear down evenly. In my opinion these are budget tire at midrange prices and not worth the money . When the Galaxy finishes these ZE912's in another couple of thousand miles I'll be fittin some Hooyarfuka's cheepy tires because I'm sure they will be better. Rant over
Good tires for the first 2000 miles or so.. Then they're as useless are remoulds. Didnt last long on my car, Fitted 7000 miles ago and i have already had to replace one as it is illegal. Wouldnt recommend to anyone due to the shocking wear rate and the fact that T1R's are better than these and that is saying something
They are okay in my opinion, but using them, i have already damaged a rim, I know this is my fault etc. but the protection on the Bridgestone RE050's that were on it last would have saved them.
Grip from a standstill isnt great - they regularly set the TC light going when starting on even slight hills. similarly accelerating hard into 2nd (40-ish) mph the light can still be flashing.
if the road is even a little damp they let go quite freely
They are quiet though which is nice, and i feel confident braking hard with them, they also dont feel like the side wall moves as much as the bridgestones i had on last but because i know how slippy they are while accelerating i dont feel confident to take some bends as quick as i would have on the old bridgestones
Great tire for a run-around vehicle or everyday use (Not a high performance tire).
Tires have lasted 2 years (40,000kms) with daily use & long road trip use.
Were fitted on my car (215/45/18) when I bought it.
Not the best tire once you start pushing it's limits. Aquaplanes badly & although offers good grip in the wet under normal driving, it offers little grip in the wet when pushed hard (so take care).
Offers no rim protection.
Little to no road noise on asphalt roads, high road noise on chip-seal roads.
Used in New Zealand.
Been an advocate of Falken for a few years having had 502's 512's then 912's. Not impressed with the 912's. Even so that I had my mate put it up on the ramp and then put the car into gear on a jack to see the results. Tires wobble out of round and side to side. Contacted Falken who don't agree even though production has gone from Japan to an other not so good production place. Won't buy Falkens again.
I had these fitted to the rear of the car not too long ago and when new I thought they look ok apart from the overly narrow shoulders and the not too deep tread depth. the dry grip as mentioned by others is very good likewise the wet grip, but the ride is a bit harsh...but they hold their pressures well and the side wall is what i'd call firm. But where these tires fall down is the wear rate my car is light in the back but they are going down very fast and for these reason I will not have these again unless I am really stuck for tires I will be putting on Uniroyal Rainexperts when they are gone like I have on the fronts now they are a good tire.
Cheers
