Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S Tire Review

Hello and welcome to my Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S review.

If you like a tire that’s sporty, comfortable, and has long wear characteristics, you can’t go wrong with the Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S. This is a proper high-performance all-season tire designed for sporty sedans, sports coupes, and crossover vehicles. But since Falken is also promising a comfortable and quiet ride, the Ziex ZE950 A/S can also be considered a hybrid touring high-performance tire. 

Does this sound confusing? Hopefully not! Tires have evolved over the years and technology has enabled tire makers to combine the merits of different tires into a single product. You have seen it in the Falken Sincera SN250 A/S and even the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W. The Sincera SN250 is a performance all-season touring tire while the Wild peak A/T3W is an all-terrain tire with the attributes of a highway-terrain tire. Evidently, it’s the same story with Falken’s interpretation of the Ziex ZE950 A/S.

The tire is equipped with an asymmetric tread design. The unique feature in the treads is the wide-angled tread slot. It not only gives the tire a more sporting and hardcore look, but it actually diverts road elements to the center of the tire to offer better grip, such as dirt, mud, or snow.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I’m buying tires, I want it to look good in my car. In this regard, the Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S will cater to your whims without leaving you bankrupt. With that being said, the Ziex ZE950 A/S is also a cost-effective alternative to expensive performance rubber. 

Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S Review: Performance Tread

Every single feature of the Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S is specifically intended to add sportiness to your drive. The extra-wide circumferential grooves are responsible for channeling water away from the face of the tread to offer superior handling and grip over demanding or slippery surfaces. The sculptured groove wall is designed to improve grip on snowy roads as well. There are even 3D-designed canyon sipes that increase the biting edges of the rubber for stronger braking, better handling, and enhanced tread wear.

The tire is constructed using Falken’s exclusive dynamic range technology. The tread compound is enhanced with a mixture of silica to change the behavior of the rubber on a molecular level. This unique compound remains pliable in freezing temperatures to offer relentless traction. But in extreme hot weather, the chemical bonds in the rubber remain strong to offer higher levels of dry grip.

From the looks of it alone, it seems the Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S has got all the bases covered. This tire is available in over 100 sizes with H, V, and W speed ratings. This tire will essentially cover all the needs and fitments required by sedans, sports coupes, and high-performance crossover vehicles.

Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S Review: Tire review in different conditions

In this review, you’ll find out how the Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S performs in varying driving conditions.

Dry

The Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S gets a high score on dry roads. It offered relentless and unnerving levels of traction and grip in high speed driving. The tires enabled me to drive more aggressively on a narrow stretch of backroad without raising any alarms. The drive felt confident and smooth, and even the braking felt strong and consistent. However, the steering felt a bit numb at slow speeds but I’m just nitpicking here. In truth, whether fast or slow, the Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S will further enhance the sporty feel of your vehicle.

Wet

I was expecting the Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S to behave properly on wet roads, and I’m right all along. It felt as capable on wet roads as it is in the dry, and that’s high praise indeed. I never felt the tires hunting or scrambling for traction as I cornered aggressively in the wet, although I did feel the back slide a bit as a result of my ham-fisted and lead-footed inputs. In this regard, it seems the wide-angled tread slots and sculptured groove wall are doing their absolute best to maintain high levels of grip in the wet.

Snow

Is it possible for a high-performance all-season tire to tackle snow as well? Of course! The Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S is well-equipped to handle more than just light snow. The tires were confident enough over icy roads as well, although don’t expect much if travelling over packed snow. For mild winter driving, you don’t need snow tires if you have a set of Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S in your vehicle. In fact, Falken rates this tire a perfect 5 out of 5 in terms of snow performance, which is no small feat for a sporty tire.

Comfort

I don’t know how Falken managed to give the Ziex ZE950 A/S the long-distance comfort of a touring tire, but they did! This tire is not primarily designed for luxury vehicles, but the comfort levels on smooth highways is simply top notch. I can’t remember the last time a proper set of high-performance tires felt this smooth in the open road. Most of the time, sporty tires are great for handling but are a bane in terms of comfort and road noise. Thankfully, this is not the case with the Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S.

Handling and Noise

Handling is above average while road noise is just about average. The Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S will give your vehicle tighter handling and better cornering. Traction and grip are always there no matter if you’re driving on dry, wet, or snowy roads. However, the steering at low speeds can be an issue if you’re sensitive about this sort of thing. This probably has something to do with the absence of a solid center rib to improve the stability and feel of the steering.

In terms of road noise, the Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S is a bit louder than a touring tire, although it’s not as obtrusive or harsh to merit a poor score. The road noise will only heighten at high speeds, but the tires will tone down traveling below the speed limit.

You can see more Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S Review here: videos created by Falken Tire

The Bottom Line

The Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S is more than just a capable performer. It will shatter your expectations when it comes to all-season handling and long-distance touring comfort. For the price, the Falken Ziex ZE950 A/S offers solid value for sporty cars, coupes, and crossovers.