Falken Ziex ZE950 Review

Falken set out to build a better all-season tire and didn’t let convention stand in their way with the creation of the Ziex ZE950 tire.

PROS

  • Wet weather braking
  • Long life
  • Massive selection of sizes with over 100 fitments
  • Surprisingly good winter traction

CONS

  • Cornering turn-in responsiveness could be improved
  • Tread life on some versions is quite short

The tire makes use of Falken’s Dynamic Range Technology (DRT) for both the tread compound and design. When it comes to the tread compound, this high-silica composition allows it to resist freezing in lower temperatures while still retaining its grip when its hot and when its pushed.

The tread design is certainly unique, favoring a larger centralized patch of tread blocks where normally you’d find two separate rows of treads. If you look closely you’ll see there is something resembling a center tread row, enabling stable highway driving and good turn-in responsiveness.

With three wide circumferential grooves on the tire, it still easily evacuates deeper water to prevent hydroplaning.

As for winter performance, this tire is more capable than most, with that complex center section working to trap snow in larger chunks, allowing it to grip against the snow on the road to provided added traction. Similarly, siping on almost all of the tread blocks raises this all-season tire’s snow capability above most.

With such a focus on inclement weather grip, the tire’s compound and large shoulder tread blocks ensure it still handles quiet well, making it an excellent all-season companion to everything from crossovers to sports cars, and in between. In fact, the tire is so versatile Falken offers it in more than 100 sizes for an extensive list of models.

Featuring so much capability and performance, the Ziez ZE950 surprises by offering the longest mileage guarantee of any Falken all-season tire, a testament to just how versatile the tread compound, and this tire, really is.

Falken Ziex ZE950 Price

Pricing for the Falken Ziex ZE950 ranges rather broadly due to the large selection of sizes, with smaller 15-inch sizes starting around $100 with larger 20-inch versions at over $250.

Falken Ziex ZE950 Warranty

Falken backs the Ziex ZE950 with a 65,000 mile tread life warranty for H and V speed rated tires and a 45,000 mile tread life warranty for W speed rated tires.

Falken Ziex ZE950 Sizes

15-inch sizes
175/65R15
185/60R15
185/65R15
195/50R15
195/55R15
195/60R15
195/65R15
205/60R15
205/65R15
205/65R15
215/60R15
215/65R15

16-inch sizes
185/55R16
195/50R16
195/55R16
205/45R16
205/50R16
205/55R16
205/55R16
205/60R16
205/65R16
215/55R16
215/60R16
215/60R16
215/65R16
225/50R16
225/55R16
225/60R16
225/65R16
235/60R16
235/65R16
245/50R16

17-inch sizes
205/40R17
205/45R17
205/50R17
215/45R17
215/50R17
215/55R17
215/55R17
215/60R17
215/65R17
225/45R17
225/50R17
225/55R17
225/60R17
225/65R17
235/45R17
235/50R17
235/55R17
235/60R17
235/65R17
245/40R17
245/45R17
245/50R17
255/40R17
265/60R17

18-inch sizes
215/35R18
215/40R18
215/45R18
215/55R18
225/40R18
225/45R18
225/50R18
225/55R18
225/60R18
235/40R18
235/45R18
235/50R18
235/55R18
235/60R18
235/65R18
245/40R18
245/45R18
245/55R18
245/60R18
255/35R18
255/40R18
255/45R18
255/55R18
255/65R18
265/35R18
265/60R18
275/35R18

19-inch sizes
225/40R19
225/55R19
235/55R19
245/40R19
245/45R19
245/55R19
255/35R19
255/40R19
255/45R19
255/50R19
255/60R19
275/40R19

20-inch sizes
235/55R20
245/40R20
245/45R20
245/50R20
255/35R20
255/45R20
275/35R20
275/40R20

Is the Falken ZIEX ZE950 a directional tire?

No, the Falken ZIEX ZE950 does not make use of a directional tread pattern. The tires are asymmetrical, however, meaning there is an inside and an outside of the tire both of which serve very different purposes. The biggest advantage of non-directional tires is that you have more options when rotating your tires to maximize tread life.

How Long do Falken Ziex ZE950 tires last?

The Ziex ZE950 AS tire is designed to last for approximately 65,000 miles on H and V speed rated tires and 45,000 miles on W speed rated tires. This is a significantly difference so be sure to know which speed rating you are buying. In the real world, expect to achieve these numbers with proper inflation and rotation.

Is the Falken Ziex ZE950 good in snow?

For a tire that looks more performance focused, the Ziex ZE950 performs better in the snow than most all seasons. This is due in part to the silica-infused tread compound that resists freezing in lower temperatures (while not wearing prematurely in warmer ones). At the same time the “3D canyon sipes” (zig zags) in the tread blocks work to trap snow against the tread and use it as a friction surface.