Falken vs Yokohama Tires
When it comes to safety, a car is only as good as the tires on which it sits. As such, it makes a lot of sense to always go for the best tires on the market, but these premium tires will cost you a fortune. Thanks to modern advancements in technology and manufacturing, premium tires have become luxury products that do offer the best possible experience but aren’t always necessary.
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The focus of today’s article is to compare Falken vs Yokohama and tell you what you get if you decide to go through the more affordable route. Both of these brands focus on making tires most people can afford, but how does that affect quality?
Falken History
Many tire companies we all know and love date back more than 100 years which is partly why they are so successful. However, some companies like Falken were founded not all that long ago (1983) while also managing to expand to the US from Japan only two years after being founded. This is certainly an impressive pace and it shows only the tip of the iceberg of why Falken tires are so impressive.
By the end of the 1980s, Falken also expanded to further global markers including most parts of Europe and the UK. The company made sure to be noticed as it was and still is sponsoring and supplying tires to many of the world’s most prominent motorsport and car lifestyle events. Falken also tries to cater to smaller groups of people such as drift enthusiasts and drag race enthusiasts by actively participating in various events around the US.
If you combine that with the fact that Falken runs their own racing division which takes part in races such as 24h of Le Mans or 24h of Nurburgring. What makes Falken stand out is its performance and off-road tires which are a common sight across many sports cars, drag cars, off-road cars, and trucks all around the country.
Falken tries to invest as many resources as it can to always push the boundaries forward which means that Falken tires are becoming better and better with each new iteration.
Falken Tire Families
Long gone are the days when Falken only focused on making dedicated performance and off-roading tires which is why they offer many touring, winter, and all-season tires these days. This means that you can find a Falken tire for all types of vehicles and all types of customers.
Falken AZENIS
As mentioned in the introduction, Falken is a brand for really capable performance tires which means that the AZENIS family is partly the reason why Falken is as successful as it is. This family of tires offers a few different models that can fit various types of cars such as sports cars, sedans, wagons, hatchbacks, coupes, and crossovers/SUVs.
The Falken AZENIS FK510 is one of the most popular tires in this family and it comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Snow performance is where these tires aren’t the best while also not being the most comfortable tires Falken makes.
Falken ESPIA
If you live in a region where the weather tends to change unpredictably and you never know if it’s raining or shiny outside, going for a set of all-weather tires is a good idea. Thankfully, Falken also offers a line of all-weather tires called the Falken ESPIA family of tires. These are limited to just two models, one is designed for passenger cars while the other one is designed for SUVs.
Both of these are immensely capable in both wet and dry while also being adequate for mild to moderate snow use. However, they can’t match the performance of a true summer tire during the hot summer months.
Falken EUROWINTER
In their efforts to further cater to the European market, the Falken company came out with a tire designed specifically to tackle European winter tire driving conditions called the Falken EUROWINTER. At the moment, the only tire in this family is the EUROWINTER HS01. These are really similar to Falken ESPIA tires, but Falken says these are much more aggressive and are better suited for spirited driving.
Falken PRO
The Falken PRO family of tires is likely the one most people are interested in as this is a dedicated all-season tire lineup that consists of five separate models. The two most popular ones are the Falken PRO G4 AS and the Falken PRO G5 CSV. The GS5 is a bit more refined and quieter, more of a touring option while the G4 AS is much better when it comes to wet traction.
You can buy Falken PRO tires for all types of vehicles including trucks and SUVs. One of the main benefits that these tires have over some of their counterparts is the price which manages to be slightly below its competition.
Falken SINCERA
Be that as it may, Falken does not make tires for those who want to save money which is why they also offer the Falken SINCERA lineup which is designed to offer competitive touring tires. These tires aren’t as affordable as regular all-season Falken tires. For example, the Falken SINCERA SN250 is a tire that can easily tackle dry, wet, snow, slush, or standing water.
It is also a decently comfortable tire with really good warranty coverage. It may not be as responsive as a more dedicated performance tire, but that really isn’t what most people are after.
Falken WINTERPEAK
If you are in the market for a serious winter tire, the Falken WINTERPEAK family of tires should be on your radar. These are designed to tackle deep snow, ice, and anything in between which makes them perfect for those who often tend to go on ski trips. Moreover, these can also be studded and are available for a wide variety of cars.
Falken WILDPEAK
The Falken WILDPEAK family of tires is one of the best-known tire families Falken makes as these are dedicated off-road tires that can often be seen on countless Jeep Wranglers on most off-road trails. Falken did a number on these tires because the Falken WILDPEAK M/T is both a capable off-road tire and a really comfortable commuter tire.
Be that as it may, many people will agree that the Falken WILDPEAK A/T3W is the best dedicated off-road tire Falken makes.
Falken RUBITREK
The RUBITREK family of tires is similar to the WILDPEAK family of tires, but in a more all-terrain fashion as opposed to dedicated off-road tires. These tend to be a bit more versatile compared to the RUBITREK line which is why many causal off-roaders buy these for their commuter SUVs/trucks.
Falken ZIEX
To round up our list of Falken tire families, we also ought to mention the Falken ZIEX line of tires which is a great representation that Falken is keen on widening its market and trying to cater to a higher pay grade. This is where tires such as the Falken ZIEX ZE960 come in as these try to offer an experience similar to those you get with the SINCERA line, but focusing on performance a bit more.
Yokohama History
While introducing Falken, we said that it is one of the youngest tire companies in the world as it was founded in 1983. For a spot of context, the Yokohama tire company was founded in 1917 while WW1 was nearing its end. Yokohama is also a Japanese company and it came to be when BFGoodrich and the Yokohama Electric Cable Company joined forces to manufacture tires.
Before this came to be, the Yokohama company was in the business of making cables, but as companies started pumping cars, there was a huge demand for car tires. The rest of the timeline for Yokohama was nothing short of impressive as Yokohama was the very first tire manufacturer that made both a snow tire and a corded tire.
When WW2 came around, Yokohama started making tires for Japanese fighter jets and other airplanes which opened the door for more R&D money and more innovations. Yokohama also likes to take part in various motorsport events which is why they ran their own team in Formula 3 and various rally and off-roading championships.
Long after, Yokohama became one the most prominent and best-known tire makers in the world which often puts them side by side with the very leaders of the global tire industry.
Yokohama Tire Families
Yokohama’s vision of a good tire lineup does not necessarily include a large number of different families, but rather a few selected families which focus on quality as opposed to quantity. This is why most of Yokohama’s tire catalog consists of these six tire families.
Yokohama ADVAN
Yokohama knows a thing or two about making good performance tires which is why they took part in many racing events all around the world. The company then used its findings to develop the ADVAN family of tires which consists of dedicated performance tires which prioritize traction, responsiveness, and feedback.
Most models (Neova, Sport, Fleva) are summer tires while the Sport A/S+ and the A82A are the two all-season options. All of these are designed for passenger cars while SUVs and trucks will do with the S.T. model which is a summer tire only.
Yokohama AVID
Touring tires are also what makes Yokohama special as their AVID line of tires prioritizes refinement, longevity, quietness, and efficiency. These tires are designed for daily drivers and are constantly being used for both city driving and highway driving which is why all options within this family are limited to all-season tires.
The most popular models are the TOURING-S, and the ASCEND GT which are slightly performance-oriented, but with a clear emphasis on refinement. Yokohama also offers an ENVigor ZPS model which is a bridge point between a dedicated performance tire and a dedicated touring tire.
Yokohama iceGUARD
Yokohama also offers a dedicated winter tire family called the iceGUARD which consists of a large number of sub-models, all of which do something differently. For example, the iG52c or the iG53 are designed for passenger cars while the G075 is designed for SUVs and trucks. You find also find a choice between regular winter tires and studable tires with the very best ice performance.
Yokohama BluEarth
Yokohama is one of those brands to also prioritizes sustainability and eco-friendliness which is why they came out with the BluEarth family of tires which hopes to pave the wave for next-gen tires that should significantly lower the environmental impact of tire making and tire disposal. Moreover, these are designed to increase fuel efficiency due to lower rolling resistance.
These come in either all-season or winter form and are available for both passenger cars and CUVs/SUVs.
Yokohama Geolander
The Yokohama Geolander family of tires is designed for SUVs, some CUVs, and trucks which means that these also include tires made for all-terrain environments and off-roading. One of the best models in this family is the Yokohama Geolander CV G058 which offers excellent traction in all environments while also being immensely refined.
Other tires from this family include dedicated off-road tires such as the Yokohama Geolander X AT or the M/T G003.
Yokohama Parada
The last tire family we are going to mention today is the Yokohama Parada family of tires which hopes to mix the two arguably most popular types of tires which are performance tires and touring tires. You can only go for a single model at the moment, the Spec-X which blends all-season touring benefits with a capable performance tire.
Differences Between Falken and Yokohama
Performance
Performance could very well be the main point of interest for both tire brands as their performance tires are usually the most popular tires they make. This is a really closely matched competition in which Falken could take the lead due to slightly better value, but Yokohama performance tires tend to be a bit more refined and capable in most situations.
Refinement is consistent across multiple of its tires, especially its touring tires which are amazing. Falken on the other hand also makes good touring tires, but they are not on par with Yokohama’s designs, especially if you add green technologies and sustainability to the mix.
Off-roading is where these two brands are able to trade punches for days. The Yokohama Geolander family of tires does not offer the same levels of traction as the Falken Wildpeak family in the dry and in the wet while snow driving is better with Yokohama.
Price and Warranty
When it comes to price, these two brands are also really similar across the board, but it does seem like final Falken tire prices are slightly lower in most tire centers/retailers. The warranty coverage is really good with both considering the price group, but Falken takes it here as well as some of their tires offer warranty coverages that beat those with certain premium brands.
Available Options
As far as choice is concerned, you do have a wider variety of tires with Falken while sizes and availability for certain types of cars are pretty much the same. Both brands have a strong global presence which means that finding tires shouldn’t be too big of an issue.
Advantages Of Falken
- Slightly Cheaper
- Better Warranty Coverage
- Better Off-Road Tires
- More Durable
Advantages Of Yokohama
- Slightly Better Performance Tires
- Better Touring Tires
- Better Snow Tires
- More Refined
Which Brand To Choose?
At the end of our Falken vs Yokohama tires comparison, we can easily say that these two brands are really closely matched, so much so that getting a good deal on these tires might be the main reason why to opt for one over the other.
Either way, Yokohama makes slightly more refined tires which do seem more consistent and are better in the cold while Falken makes more durable tires with better warranty coverages and slightly cheaper prices.
