Falken Tires Vs Michelin Tires : Which Is The Winner?

Discussions around Falken tires vs Michelin tires or any other tire brand offer me an opportunity to clarify a few things. These discussions are essentially not about tires; they are more about your safety. They are more about how to ensure that you install the best tires on your vehicle all the time. In sum, they’re concerned about you can prevent auto crashes that’ll fatally affect you, your car, and other road users. You must not take such discussions for granted.

The good thing is that the question of Falken vs Michelin isn’t new. It comes up regularly on several forums, and for good reason. Falken and Michelin are well-known brands with quality products spread over the place. It is only natural that people would want to know the best between the two.

Founded in France over 125 years ago, Michelin is no doubt a leader in tire manufacturing companies in the world. Their impressive technologies set them apart from other manufacturers. Falken, on the other hand, was established in 1983 by its parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries It is popular for its remarkably affordable tires. They also deliver an impressive performance in and out of the season.

The question now is, how do Falken tires perform when pitted against Michelin tires? Which one is the better? Well, you’re about to find out. This article will be a detailed comparison between the Falken and Michelin tires. You will also learn a few other details about this brand. Read on to find out.

Falken Vs Michelin Tires: A Comprehensive Guide

Before I get into the main thing, let’s get a bit of information about these two brands.

What To Know About Falken Tires

Falken tires are best known for their high performance on and off-road. They are notably quiet while delivering superb handling. These tires have impressive tread life with affordable price tags, making for a sterling long-term investment. Falken’s range of tires is compatible with cars, crossovers, light, and medium trucks, and SUVs.

What To Know About Michelin Tires

Michelin is known for its impressive technologies. These technologies keep Michelin far ahead of others in the game. Michelin is reputed for its unwavering high standards, innovative design, and outstanding tread life. These tires are notoriously expensive but they come with good ratings. Michelin tires are compatible with cars, trucks, SUVs, and heavy vehicles like airplanes. I can assure you that you’d get your money’s worth.

Now, let’s get into the comparison properly.

Dry Performance

Falken

Falken tires are built to deliver impressive performance on all types of dry terrains. The tires feature an aggressive upper sidewall and an outer apex. These are high-performance compounds that improve wear considerably, making the tires more durable. This ensures that the tires deliver steady performance on dry roads despite wear.

Apart from making the tires more durable, these features make the tires heavier. This, in turn, makes the tires more stable and able to deliver outstanding performance on all dry terrains.

Dry roads tend to get hot but Falken combats this with high torque. This helps the tires diffuse heat and improve wear resistance, ensuring long-term performance on dry roads.

Michelin

Michelin is no stranger when it comes to dry roads. They perform outstandingly on dry terrains. The tires have minimal rolling resistance and are very responsive. This is nothing new. It is the Michelin standard.

The tires have sunflower oil that makes the tread soft but functional. With this, the tires have excellent grip and stability to ply the road. It almost feels like gliding on water. Not only that but it is also resistant to wear.

As the tread wears, the grooves widen. So, don’t worry about rough terrains wearing the tire out due to the soft tread gripping. Though these tires are nowhere near the immortality of vampires, they will last a long while.

Verdict: Both tires use distinct technologies leading to their high performance. However, Michelin takes the win for durability on dry roads.

Wet/Snow Performance

Falken

Using 4D Nano Design, Falken tires are optimized with high-performance compounds like silica. Silica helps the tires maintain grip and stability on wet roads. The tires have a deep tread pattern that adds more friction on wet roads and prevents hydroplaning.

Thanks to the deep, rough tread made for off-roading, Falken tires deliver excellently on snow and ice. The tread blocks combine with the deep treads to bite through snow and ice and grip the road confidently.

Michelin

Michelin has one of the highest ratings for wet road performance. The tires usually have deep and wide circumferential grooves for better traction on wet roads. The sunflower oil compound improves grip and stability.

The tires provide excellent traction on snow and ice. Silica and sunflower oil improves flexibility on snowy and icy roads. Hydroplaning resistance is fantastic thanks to the sites that siphon water from the tires.

Verdict: Both tires deliver incredible wet performance. But for the winter performance, I have to give it to Falken.

Design And Technology

Falken

Fallen incorporates technologies like 3d Canyon Sipes, 4D Nano Design, Runflat, Gyroblade, CoreSeal, Silent Core, and many others. All these help to improve tire performance. With the CORE SEAL technology, Falken specifically incorporates into an interior layer of the tire, a highly tacky and adhesive sealant. The idea is to protect the tire from losing more air pressure in the event of a puncture. This way, the sealant will flow towards the direction of the hole to temporarily seal it. It also features a proprietary lower sidewall which only a few radial tires boast.

Michelin

Michelin doesn’t play fair when it comes to design and technology. The tires include EverTread, Runflat, B² technology, Puncture-proof Tire System, and Acoustic, just to name a few. These designs make them more efficient and deliver superior traction. I think I need to elaborate on the B² technology. Michelin uses this design to expand the area of the tire that makes contact with the rim. The idea is to reinforce the strength of the bead and reduce the number of spins around the rim. More so, Michelin also relies on the B² technology to increase tire torque by at least 20%

Verdict: Both tires use standard technologies and integrate different features. However, Michelin takes the cake here. Their tires are continuously updated to take advantage of the latest technology.

Durability

Falken

Fallen offers two types of warranty. First, the tires have a 55,000 70,000-mile treadwear warranty. Second, there is a workmanship and materials 50-year warranty from the time of production and not purchase. This is impressive.

Michelin

Tires have a 60,000 to 80,000-mile treadwear warranty.

Verdict: There is no clear-cut winner here. Although Michelin tires typically last longer, Falken tires offer two warranty types. When it comes to the durability of tires, you have to consider the capacities of the tires to deal with and hold out against road harm. Both Falken and Michelin prove their mettle in this regard.

Comfort/Road Noise

Falken

Falken’s Silent Core Technology ensures that the tire noise is at a minimum. This technology reduces vibrations, making for a comfortable ride.

Michelin

I’ll give one sentence about the ride: smooth like butter. Michelin’s Acoustic Technology reduces road noise by a staggering 20%. Steel belts are placed beneath a polyester casing ply in the tire for stability and noise reduction. Silica and sunflower oil help absorb impact easily.

Verdict: Being a premium brand, the winner is no doubt, Michelin. But then, Falken doesn’t fall short when compared with other brands. But that’s for another day.

Cost

Falken

Falken tires are much more affordable. This is where most of their competition loses out.

Michelin

Michelin is known for premium luxury. Typically, they are more expensive.

Verdict: Falken is the obvious winner here but we can’t deny that Michelin’s performance is worth the cost.

Falken Vs Michelin Tires Comparison Chart

Falken Vs Michelin Tires: Similarities

Falken and Michelin tires may seem worlds apart but they do have some similarities. Both tires have impeccable wet and dry performance. The stopping power of these guys is out of this world. You don’t have to hit the brake pad hard before the Falken and Michelin tires will respond and bring your car to a halt. Apart from the quality braking powers, both tire brands also deliver excellent results when they tread on wet, dry, rainy, or snowy terrain. Falken and Michelin also manufacture stellar all-season and all-terrain tires. Overall, they have low road noise and are well-known brands.

Falken Vs Michelin Tires: Which Is Better?

Except you want me to impose my opinion, you might want me to say Michelin outright. I will say both are reputable brands, in all fairness. While Falken will not chip, cut, or slack, Michelin offers premium tires at high costs. Falken, on the other hand, also delivers performance, albeit not up to par with Michelin.

But they come at affordable rates. So which is better? I will leave the verdict for you to make. Having read this clear-cut review about these products, I think I will agree with the old saying that the proof is in the pudding. Secondly, there are different strokes for different folks. Your preference may not be mine. What I know is that you won’t regret it if you go for any of these guys.

Best Falken Tire

Falken Wildpeak A/T3W All_ Terrain Radial Tire

From my testing, the best Falken tire is Falken Wildpeak A/T3W. They are all-season, all-terrain tires. They are one of Falken’s most popular tires and for good reason.

The Wildpeak A/T3W is constructed from high-quality materials that will withstand all types of weather and will last long. With the 3D Canyon Sipe Technology, the tires can run at low pressures, a perfect feature for off-roading.

It features a deep tread pattern, an aggressive upper sidewall, and offset shoulder blocks. The tire offers a superior off-road ability, impressive wet performance, and outstanding tread life.

It comes with a 55,000-mile treadwear warranty. This is not a bad warranty for a tire in this category. Many of its competitors are low on warranty.

If you have a tire on your vehicle that boasts an excellent load capacity of 2679 pounds and a massive tread depth of 13 32nds, it’s time to start towing and hauling. It won’t need any trailer attached.

What’s more, the Falken Wildpeak is a radial tire and you can easily relate that it comes with circumferential grooves and full-depth sipes. This technology helps the tire main all-season, all-terrain consistent performance.

Durability is a major issue people have at this time. It is low on the capacity to withstand the trouble posed by tougher roads. I agree that Sumitomo needs to improve on the tire’s durability.

Specifications

• Size: 275/60R20
• Rim Size: 20 inches
• Section Width: 275 millimeters
• Load index rating: 115.0
• Speed rating: T
• Tread depth: 13 32nds
• Rim Width: 8 inches
• Load capacity: 2679 pounds

Best Michelin Tire

MICHELIN Defender T + H All-Season Radial Car Tire

Michelin is a force to be reckoned with and as such, you can expect nothing but premium quality. However, the Michelin Defender T+H scores good points in my books.

The Defender T+H is a grand all-season tire that has consistently topped the charts as the ultimate all-season tire. The tire is built with impressive technologies which come as no surprise from Micheli. They offer only the best of the best.

The guy is designed for passenger cars as well as minivans. Yet, t has a load capacity of 1521 pounds. Even without a trailer attached, it will haul and tow with ease.

Comfort Control Technology ensures a smooth and quiet ride. EverTread Compound makes the tire more durable. IntelliType Technology delivers optimum grip and traction in all weathers. You can expect the tires to last you a long while with an outstanding 80,000-mile treadwear warranty.

But users complain that the tire’s performance in wet and snow conditions is below par. I cannot confirm this as I haven’t tried it on snow. But don’t take the complaint with a pinch of salt.

Specifications

• Size: 205/65R16 95H
• Rim Size: 16 inches
• Section Width: 205 millimeters
• Load index rating: 95.0
• Speed rating: H
• Tread depth: 10 millimeters
• Rim Width: 7.5 inches
• Load capacity: 1521 pounds

Impressive technology

• 3-year flat tire roadside assistance

Are Falken Tires High Performance?

Yes, in its own right, Falken tires deliver remarkable performance. However, they are not necessarily high performance when compared with other top-quality high-performance tires like Michelin, Falken tires will take the back seat. Essentially, Falken tires are designed for regular users.

Are Michelin Tires Affordable?

The plain truth is that Michelin doesn’t manufacture tires for low-end users. They are simply premium. Let me burst your bubble more: You may have to break the bank to get any of this brand’s tires. However, there are other more affordable options for medium-level earners. The higher price of Michelin tires also means vintage quality products. Why should price stop you from preserving your on-road and off-road safety?

What Brands To Compare To Michelin?

One of the best globally, Michelin offers premium luxury. However, it competes favorably with other alternative yet excellent brands out there. So, if you cannot afford the Michelin tires, you can explore some of the guys below. They also produce high-performance tires.

• Bridgestone
• Goodyear
• Pirelli
• BFGoodrich

Falken Vs Michelin Tires: My Final Verdict

Both tires have their pros and cons, so who wins? They are both excellent brands, one being a mid-range brand and the other premium. And they are clearly for different markets. If you want a budget-friendly option that will serve you well, then Falken is a good choice. However, their performance is not up-to-par with Michelin’s, and neither is their longevity.

If you don’t want to compromise on quality, luxury, and durability, and you have the budget, go for Michelin. Michelin also offers budget models that will perform as well as Falken. There is no tie; hence, I would give Michelin the trophy without batting an eyelid. But if you don’t want to break the bank, Falken is a great alternative with good performance as well. The next time I’ll be sharing my thoughts, it’ll be about some other topic. Have a safe trip, dude!

James Alabi

My name is James. Call me your ‘Born Auto Neighbor.’ I am an auto savvy with a burning enthusiasm to help vehicle owners, auto technicians, DIYer auto caregivers, and drivers like you have a seamless time with your vehicles. Do you own or work on a Dodge Convertible, a Chevy Crossover, a Ford SUV, a Toyota Hatchback, a Honda Coupe, a Datsun MPV, or a Mercedes Sedan? I have enough automotive content to help your auto service and repair on the go.

I have been around for more than a decade, examining and analyzing car issues while proffering practical fixes that will help you spend less time and money. I take auto care, service, and maintenance very seriously and my tested experience in the industry means that you can always get the best auto tips and tricks.

Don’t fall for the auto myths; take the facts as I give them out freely.

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