Protyre News
Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun comes 3rd in testing of the world’s most purchased tyre size
By Julia Freeman
In a summer 2020 test carried out by Tyre Reviews to find the best tyre for every day and real-world driving the Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun came 3rd in the 205 / 55 R16 size category.
Carried out at Goodyear’s testing facility in the south of France over the course of a week, Tyre Reviews co-founder, Jonathan Benson, pitted 12 of the most popular tyre models from the world’s most purchased size against each other to find the “ultimate tyre” for every day driving – including 6 premium tyres, 5 of the most popular mid-range tyres, and 1 budget tyre.
The tyres undergoing testing were:
Pirelli Cinturato P7 C2 94v
BFGoodrich Advantage 91h
Maxxis Premitra HP5 91v
Nokian Wetproof 91v
Uniroyal RainSport 5 91v
Goodride RP28 91v
Benson looked at some of the more technical aspects such as braking, handling, and grip (under both wet and dry conditions), as well as consumer-friendly elements like noise and comfort.
Lap times and stopping distances weren’t the only considerations for the overall scoring, and instead scores were weighted as 35% dry (35% lap time, 10% subjective, 55% braking), 50% wet (35% lap time, 5% subjective, 55% braking, 5% aquaplaning), 7.5% NVH (50% internal noise, 50% comfort), and 7.5% value (80% rolling resistance, 20% price).
The dry grip test saw the Falken tyre come in 4th, narrowly beating the Bridgestone tyre’s lap by two tenths of a second. The Falken then came 5th in the wet handling, where the top 5 tyres’ lap times were split by just 0.23 seconds. It had minimal issues with aquaplaning and was easy to drive.
With over 10m separating first and last in the wet braking conditions, the Falken ZIEX ZE310 came out on top with a distance of just 35.7m – beating second place by 0.4m. In fact, the top 3 tyres in this category beat the next best performer by over 2m.
Many motoring magazines rate tyre noise using various renditions of “drive-by noise” scores – which is all good and well for pedestrians but doesn’t give a lot of information about the sound within the cabin itself. Tyre Reviews have tried to change this and, using science and a series of microphones around the cabin, have been able to rate the internal noise generated by the tyres. There was less than half a decibel between the top 7 tyres, and the Falken tyre came 5th in this category.
All in all, the Falken had a well-deserved 3rd place finish as it gave some excellent and balanced results in the dry, had the shortest wet braking distances and good aquaplaning resistance, and produced low levels of noise – all with a good price tag.
The final results were:
1st: Continental Premium Contact 6
2nd: Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2
3rd: Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun
4th: Uniroyal Rainsport 5
5th: Nokian WetProof
6th: Bridgestone Turanza T005
7th: Michelin Primacy 4
8th: Maxxis Premitra HP5
9th: BFGoodrich Advantage
10th: Pirelli Cinturato P7 C2
11th: Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
12th: Goodride RP28
The Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun range features the latest technologies which help provide increased levels of safety, control, and water evacuation. Falken’s innovative Advanced 4D Nano Design Technology means these tyres are made from a compound that offers maximum mileage, and the new tread has improved the wear life by 30% compared to its predecessor, the Falken ZIEX ZE914.
The Falken ZIEX ZE310 range is available now; with over 113 tyres sizes available and same day fitting in many of our centres, contact your local Protyre to find out more or order your Falken tyres online now via our easy-to-use tyre guide.
Full details of the Tyre Reviews test, including a video of the breakdown of the results, can be found here:
https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2020-Tyre-Reviews-Ultimate-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm
