Falken’s AZENIS FK510 high performance tyre has racked up more awards in Germany’s prestigious 2018 summer tests. Alongside receiving a ‘Highly Recommended’ rating in Auto Zeitung’s 225/45/17 summer tyre test, the pattern also scooped the top spot in German motoring magazine ACE Lenkrad’s trial.
Key to the success has been the Advanced 4D NANO design process that has revolutionised Falken’s approach and enabled its tyres to now challenge the performance of the premium brands. Developed by Falken’s parent company Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), the world’s sixth largest tyre manufacturer, Advanced 4D NANO Design technology enables engineers to perform accurate predictions of rubber material properties for simultaneous improvements across all three of the major contradictory performance traits: grip, fuel efficiency and wear resistance.
Underlining this capability, ACE Lenkrad’s test revealed the 235/45 ZR18 FK510 fitted to a VW Passat delivered the fastest time against ten competitors around the dry handling course, a wet braking distance of less than 41 metres, extremely low drive-by noise and low rolling resistance to claim the top spot.
In Auto Zeitung’s test, using a SEAT Leon SC 1.4 TSI ACT, in full braking from 100 km/h on a wet track, the AZENIS FK510 came to a standstill in only 50 metres, just 0.6m behind the highest-scoring tyre, leading the respected magazine to state “In the wet, Michelin, Continental and Falken drive in a league of their own.”
Performance wasn’t just restricted to the wet; in the dry Auto Zeitung claimed “The FK510’s cornering was very swift and stable, even during rapid lane changes.” In ACE Lenkrad’s “Environment/Economy” test category, the outstanding technical characteristics of the Falken AZENIS FK510 helped it to score 137 points out of a possible 170 to scoop the top place. As the fourth lowest priced tyre in the tests, the Falken AZENIS FK510 also demonstrated consumers choosing mid-range tyres need not compromise on performance and safety.
The AZENIS FK510’s success isn’t just restricted to Germany; it also was selected by the UK’s Tyre Review’s ’11 of the best summer tyres for 2018′.