Falken Azenis FK520 rated “good” in AMS summer tyre test

The Falken AZENIS FK520 has been rated as ‘good’ in the annual summer tyre test by German motoring publication, auto motor und sport (AMS).

Testers sampled eight variants of 235/55 R 18 summer tyres – a standard fit size across the SUV category, including the Volkswagen Tiguan, Vauxhall Grandland and Toyota RAV4. All tyres tested were from well-known manufacturers, with no budget tyres included in the line-up.

Performing flawlessly across braking, lateral control, handling and lateral aquaplaning, the Falken AZENIS FK520 was faultless – something the panel of experts commended the manufacturer for.

Topping the table in terms of longitudinal aquaplaning as well as recording the highest speed in 7 mm of water, the AZENIS FK520’s 7.5 mm tread depth certainly helped – with only two rivals offering slightly deeper tread as new tyres.

The Falken AZENIS FK520 proved to be just as good in dry conditions as it was in the wet too – coming in second place for braking and average handling speed. And in the non-safety-focused tests which rated rolling resistance and noise, the tyre finished in the mid-pack.

In the ‘costs’ category, Falken also made a good impression, with the second-lowest retail price of the eight examples tested. While two tyres were a few Euros cheaper, the eventual test winner would set drivers back €28 per tyre more – €112 for a full set.

With a ‘Y’ speed rating for up to 300 km/h, the Falken AZENIS FK520 has approval for the highest speeds. Five of the other tyres tested only carried the ‘V’ rating (up to 240 km/h), while one was rated to ‘W’ (up to 270 km/h). Just three of the tyres – including the AZENIS FK520 – had an increased load index of 104 XL – while the rest were labelled with a load index of 100.

When the scores were totalled, the Falken AZENIS FK520 joined four other tyres in scoring a ‘good’ rating among the well-matched field – making the summer tyre a good all-round performer and great value for money.