Falken ZE 914 195/45 R14 77 V MFS

Bought 4 Falken ZE914 215/55 R16 97W tyres for a VW Sharan 1.9 TDI. Existing tyres were Dunlop SP Sport 2020E and had around 2-3mm tread on the back tyres and 2mm left on the front tyres. I've driven on Firestones and Dunlop SP Sport 9000 on previous cars. Dunlop advised changing to SP Sport 01 as they had stiffer shoulders so better road holding, because the VW Sharan has higher center of gravity. However I took a risk and went for an untried brand Falken Ziex 914 due to £20 price difference per tyre. I definitely made the CORRECT choice. Tyre pressures were kept the same as on the old tyres according to VW recommendations on the fuel cap. I ran in the tyres for 250 miles on local trips and on a motorway journey at 55 mph as advised. I''ve driven over 800 miles on motorway and local roads now and in comparison to the Dunlop SP Sport 2020e I got the following results in order of benefit. 1. Lighter steering, makes driving and parking much much easier, the tyres are somehow very light, even after running in. 2. Fuel MPG improved considerably by 4 + mpg as shown on the vw dash meter average. The MPG has gone up by at least 6 mpg on the motorway speeds of 55 to 75 mph 3. Comfort has improved, car is smoother over minor bumps, and slightly better over bigger bumps than the Dunlops. I've kept tyre pressures the same as the Dunlops. 4. Dry grip has improved slightly. I've noticed that the car no longer understeers or oversteers at 30mph - 40 mph on dual carriageway and motorway slip road bends. 5. Wet grip has considerably improved and I can feel control of the car at speed in the rain and can change lanes on a motorway feeling in control when I need to quickly move the car left or right when lane changing. 6. Noise is not noticeable locally but has slightly improved on the motorway. 7. Tyre Wear - Still too early even after 800 miles, will try to leave another review after 10K miles Overall Verdict. After lots of research and nearly buying the SP Sport 01 or the SP Sport Blueresponse after reading reviews, I'm happy I made the right choice and saved money by choosing the Falken Ziex ZE914. I feel performance and comfort has increased. Previously only bought the bigger brands but now MUST consider mid price brands like Falken. Read more Collapse

I was wondering for a long time over which tyres to choose. I decided to go for Falken. I admit that I was guided by the price and the opinions of others. The car that I drive has maximum speed 180km and rear-wheel drive, I might add, that this is a diesel, and these Falken ZE 914 are perfect!! :) Whether it’s in wet or dry conditions or even when I drive into a puddle nothing unexpected happens. Literally as if on rails. As for the noise I had 16inch Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D and the level is the same - none. I do not know whether it’s my car soundproof or the tyres are really that quiet, but I can’t hear them. I drive very fast and sometimes I can hear when the front tyres literally bite into the road without compromising on controllability. At 150m/H the car still behaves normally. Speaking of the wear, I do not know. I have done around 1000 miles and after washing they still look like new. I recommend them and I know that my next purchase will also be Falken but probably 19inch :) Read more Collapse

I highly recommend Falken ZE 914. I had a lot of different tyres before, always from the top shelf. In my opinion, Falken beats Michelin, Goodyear and Dunlop. I tested them with emergency braking on dry and wet roads. The car stops immediately in place. Even in the mud they managed nicely. They are very durable and resistant to abrasion. Fuel consumption in general hasn’t changed so as for me they are very economical. My Mazda at an average speed of 87m/h burns around 6l. On the highways at speeds up to 150m/h it feels like the car is flying, and in the event of a fast braking doesn’t lose control but instantly stops. From April to September 2014 I did well over 20 thousand miles using them. I haven’t noticed any significant tread wear. I drive in the city and on international routes. The only slight minus is that the tyre noise is noticeable. As for me, this is not a problem because a moderately loud music eliminates this drawback. Read more Collapse

Falken ZE 914 pleasantly surprised me, compared to summer predecessors - Bridgestone Potenza Re 50 205/50R16, now I have Falken 215/40R17 and they are much better than Bridgestone; although they had larger profile I could feel every unevenness on the road. They are also much harder than Falken. In wet conditions even with the wet track I haven’t sensed any disturbance. Potenza was able to spin the wheels on the wet. The only minus I found in Falken is that during the hot weather they warm up and you can smell the burnt rubber while approaching them. They are still new and not used a lot, but I don’t think it’s something serious. The smell is perceptible only as auto stands in a garage after driving :) NOISE -> as for wider tyres than the previous ones are quieter, even than Nexen (much louder hum) IN GENERAL - I recommend 100%, no damage despite few accidents with curbs :) Read more Collapse

Due to the low profile tyres do not judge the suppression of inequality. On dry roads at least they behave properly. On wet as well. These are my first low profile tyres so driving for me is great. It is possible that it is because of the AWD drive - also a first for me. I’ve read that there are problems with balancing these tyres but for me not a problem. What’s interesting is that in the event of a pressure drop (due to the significant cooling) the steering wheel started to vibrate at speeds above 60m/h. After adapting the inflation level for the required use the problem disappeared. After driving 14k miles consumption is very low. Overall, I am satisfied with Falken ZE 914. Usually I bought tyres of manufacturers such as Dunlop and Goodyear, however, in this case due to grip on the wet roads they can be compared to Dunlop FastResponse that I had in the other car. Read more Collapse