Falken ZE512

The Falken ZE512 is a Touring Summer tyre designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

This tyre replaced the Falken ZE502 and this tyre has been replaced by the Falken ZE912.

Dry Grip 67%
Wet Grip 47%
Road Feedback 52%
Handling 50%
Wear 45%
Comfort 55%
Buy again 33%

Tyre review data from 27 tyre reviews averaging 50% over 242,782 miles driven.

The ZE512 is ranked 195th of 230 Summer Touring tyres.

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Top 3 Falken ZE512 Reviews

Given 87% while driving a Nissan almera 1.5 (195/55 R16 V) on a combination of roads for 0 spirited miles
I used to have the recommended Michelins until they no longer produced they tyre model i wanted

I was recommended these Falkens (ZE514) and with a heavy heart fitted them

The heavy heart soon went when I realised just how much better these tyres were in every dept compared to Michelin

There is a little more road noise but none that you would notice much if at all in the average modern car now

What surprised me though is how these tyres transformed the car...The handling is far better and i am a spirited to average in driving style and also at times tow a heavy trailer

Coming off the M53 by me are two very bad long sweeping 'S' shaped bends ...Inspired by the grip and handling, I tried these corners faster each time I used them in the dry and the confidence these tyres give are incredable .... Let's just say at 70mph the car is very grippy and stable ... Each time now that i approach these bends I look forward to keeping the speed up and passing the bigger more expensive cars that should really out perform me with ease on the bends ..You can see them trying and backing odd ...and of course knowing your car makes a difference ...

In the wet, these tyres have astonished me. Yes of course in the wet most tyres will require longer stopping distances etc... But in the wet with these Falkens is very impressive. But, I have to say when they do finally let loose, you get a little notice it is going to happen so be ready

For general every day driving to spirited driving, these tyres are fab, but they are not racing tyres by any means.. Push them and the tyre wear is noticeable but the grip is so worth it. You would have to pay a lot more more for this grip in other brands!!

Being that I notice most things, I have noticed a little more in road noise but not that most people I think would notice and the comfort level is no better or worse than other tyres I've had

I do about 15,000 miles or more a year and usually end up putting a new set of tyres on each MOT time (just about now)... Remember that I drive more spirited than the average driver (though I do not mistreat my car) and so I cna't say exactly how long these tyres should last ...I get over 15,000 miles a set with spirited driving and they are still all above the legal limit of 1.6mm ..I just change all four every year as they are near due and have worked hard

Cost of new tyres too are amazing at £208 off Ebay for four delivered ....ATS want £74 each = £296 plus fitting !!!!!

I've had two full sets of these tyres now and highly recommend them to anyone

Just for a change I am looking at the dearer Goodyear Grip ones just to see the difference between these and Falken ...My money is that I''ll regret this as I know how good Falkens are





Helpful 24 - tyre reviewed on January 17, 2017
Given 50% while driving a Toyota Vios (205/50 R16 V) on mostly town for 8,000 average miles
Wearing this tyre since 2015. On dry road, the tyre grip well but the noise is lousy. Can hear echo from cabin. I once drive on rainy day and got emergency brake. Unfortunately, the tyre not performing well and I hit front car. The tyre dragged about 3 meters from the point I hit emergency break. Not recommend this tyre as it's not grip on wet road. But dry road okay.
Helpful 20 - tyre reviewed on June 22, 2017
Given 99% while driving a Mercedes Benz Mercedes 300SD (225/50 R16) on mostly country roads for 25,000 average miles
The best tires I've ever got. Used it all around a two years. Before i used Continental CP, Michelin, GoodYear, Fulda Quantum Elite. I'm looking Falken again, but it don't distribute in Ukraine now.
Helpful 27 - tyre reviewed on October 21, 2010
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Latest Falken ZE512 Reviews

Given 46% while driving a Mazda 6 (225/40 R18) on mostly town for 8,000 average miles
lasted ~20k km on a mazda 6. was good when new, but as it wears, performance dropped sharply.
Helpful 20 - tyre reviewed on May 8, 2013
Given 31% while driving a BMW E60 520D Automatic (215/50 R17) on mostly town for 200 easy going miles
Very bad tyres for premium class cars.
Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on April 6, 2013
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Given 74% while driving a Mercedes Benz E Class (225/50 R17 V) on mostly town for 19 average miles
I've finally replaced these Falkens after more than 30,000 km. over some 16 months of driving on the roads of Malaysia which are either dry and hot or wet. Often, one would have both road conditions in a single day.

One thing I like about these tyres is that they are quiet enough and comfortable. I'm therefore surprised that some writers here had mentioned them to be "noisy". Maybe it's because my car's insulation is better, which means that it would be the same with any tyre(?) Performance-wise, they did their job although to be fair I didn't really push them too hard. That's because I don't expect them to be high performance tyres, which they aren't. I would rate these as "budget tyres with mid-range performance".

One thing though - I should have replaced them sooner i.e. immediately upon reaching the thread-wear indicator inside the grooves. After that, performance was significantly lower and I somehow didn't feel too confident with the sharp corners and when driving on wet roads.

Overall I'm pleased enough with these. So, when replacing these worn tures, I decided to stick with the devil I know in Falken, but went for the better (and more expensive) ZE 912.
Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on February 24, 2013
Given 37% while driving a Honda Civic Type S (215/45 R17 W) on mostly country roads for 10,000 average miles
I've just swapped from these to BF Goodrich Profilers and I can honestly say it's the best move I've ever made. The Falkans suffered from bad understeer, especially in the wet (which could be hair raising on country road!), in fact the overall grip was generally not great (especially pulling out from junctions). I really expect tyres to last longer than 10k considering I don't really drive that hard.

At least they were'nt that noisy.
Helpful 23 - tyre reviewed on April 27, 2010
Given 43% while driving a Toyota MK2 MR2 NA (225/50 R15 V) on a combination of roads for 4,000 spirited miles
The only tyre I have spun a car with and I wasn't even driving that hard. Not very progressive and they feel quite soft as if they need damping more. Nothing special at all, even the Halford's own brand performed better which is quite awful for a top tyre brand.
Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on February 24, 2010
Given 39% while driving a Lexus IS200 (215/45 R17 V) on a combination of roads for 10,000 average miles
Absolute rubbish tyres wore way too quick and are way too soft, and I drive like a grandad too!
Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on September 30, 2009
Given 46% while driving a Lexus LS400 (225/60 R16 W) on mostly motorways for 6,000 average miles
I purchased a set of 4 of these tyres as Yokohama UK couldn't get stock of the usual and excellent AVS dB550 I use, and I needed to get my car through its MOT. I wanted to stick to Japanese tyres with a symmetrical pattern, as assymetric patterns don't suit the LS400. (I speak from experience; a few years ago I had bought a set of P7s but they were so unbearably noisy, albeit grippy, that I had to change them within 2,000 miles). The Falken 512s give a quiet and smooth ride on straight motorways. But they are poor round corners, and on wet roads I am so glad my car has traction control as the grip accelerating from rest on wet roads is poor. They are also wearing out quickly, which is not necessarily a bad thing as this means I can soon switch to some better tyres! I love the engineering on Japanese-made products, but am very disappointed with Falken 512 tyres.
Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on April 12, 2009
Given 22% while driving a Audi S6 (255/35 R18 W) on a combination of roads for 0 average miles
Worst tyre I ever used. Disposed them after 2 months. No grip when wet (in a quattro), very sensitive on bad roads, noiselevel is ridiculous. Wouldn?t recommend this tyre to anyone, even if it?s for free....!
Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on March 11, 2009
Given 32% while driving a Mercedes Benz (225/45 R17 W) on a combination of roads for 8,000 average miles
What a rubbish tyre. I bought these because I wanted a reasonable budget tyre. The tyre dealer I bought them from recommended them as good value and when I checked the internet the reports seemed good. I had two fitted to the rear. However after 8000 miles of average driving they are worn out. Not scuffed or damaged but the tread is just plain worn out. I couldn't believe it. From what I've read on this site I'm not the only one to have had this problem. I wish I had looked at this site before I bought them.

Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on November 15, 2008
Given 40% while driving a Nissan 1995 240sx (200sx, or Silvia in other regions) (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 10,000 spirited miles
These tires came on a set of wheels I purchased from a friend of mine, and only the rear tires were the Falken ZE512's. On dry pavement, the tires did a pretty good job of holding the road, except for on rough surfaces where the rear of the car would tend to slide out randomly. In the rain, I had to take off in second gear to keep from spinning these poor tires, and when I would shift from second to third gear, the tires would break loose again. The tires were new when I got them, and 12k miles later, one is bald, the other popped right where the tread meets the sidewall. They ride terribly, though they are quiet.

I would NEVER buy these tires again.
Helpful 30 - tyre reviewed on August 27, 2008
Given 40% while driving a Citroën Saxo VTR (185/55 R14) on a combination of roads for 8,000 spirited miles
Right I drive a Saxo VTR, good tyres are hard to come by these days so I got the fk512s and well not very good. Dry grip is ok but on twisty damp roads they just slide with no warning, so you may be staring into the wrong side of a ditch. Even at slow speeds in the wet 10mph they slide with a ? turn of the steering wheel with acceleration not good. They wore out after 8000 miles that's very fast far faster than any other tyres I've used. The fk921 are so much better just had them put on and they handle like theses should of
Helpful 25 - tyre reviewed on July 8, 2008
Given 57% while driving a Audi A6 (235/45 R17 W) on mostly motorways for 0 average miles
Budget price but you get what you pay for. Average in all aspects apart but wear is poor. 12k and the tyres have had it. Mainly motorway miles in 7 months! Previous tyres were Pirelli P Zero Rosso - 16K not much more milage but the overall performance of tyre was alot better. Prior to these even, Continental sport contact 2 lasted 18K and were on par with the Pirelli's.
Having looked at the reviews I going to try the Falken 452 's as the reviews have been quite good for an affordable tyre.
Helpful 20 - tyre reviewed on June 7, 2008