With a superior all-over performance of both tires, thanks to their optimal siping details and tire compounds, both of them ensure a great deal of traction on both wet and dry asphalt. Still in order to pick a winner, various tests with the same car and size (225/40 R18) were made.
Both high performance summer tires are asymmetric and have amazing tread technologies combined with rigid sidewalls which allow them to stay in driver’s control at all times.
Falken is also one of the most popular tire manufacturers in the world and was formed as a subsidiary of Sumitomo, the largest rubber manufacturer. Over the years, Falken has focused on producing high-quality tires that have been tested in the arena. Falken Azenis FK10 is one of Falken’s flagship products and one of the most prominent Ultra-High Performance tires in the market.
With the replacement for the Falken FK453, this new tire, Azenis is their flagship. With it’s amazing steering response and wet handling capabilities thanks to its blade sipes cuts on pattern blocks, the tire performs well above average in many areas of our tests. The 4D Nano Design as the company calls it, Falken claims a much better tire compound allowing enhanced traction and less wear.
Overall after reviewing the tire fully, we found an above-average performance on wet asphalt and still a good enough performance on dry lands. From the tread, blade sipes cuts on pattern blocks allows this tire to be better on wet surface. Similarly the grooves and rounded shoulder contours contribute to wet handling performance. One would definitely appreciate the feeling this tire gives you behind the wheel. Its a silent tire and able to manage well comfort-wise.
On the other hand, the German company Continental needs no introduction. Their new flagship the Premium Contact 6 is worth admiration no doubt. The essence of these tires is the grip in all conditions. With the combination of sporty feel along with stability and comfort, it is one of the best tires to get.
PremiumContact 6 is a combined and better version of Contact 5 and SportContact 5 tires. They offer 10 percent less noise and 15 percent more mileage than them. With more sizes available as well, the better silica compound also ensures better overall traction. Their tread pattern and shoulder block design is also newer.
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Continental Premium Contact 6 vs Falken Azenis FK510
Vs
Overall, Dry braking is better on Continental, where wet braking or you can it grip as well is better on Falken tire. Similary Dry handling was better again on Continental but the Wet handling is better on the Falken.
So its fair to say, the competition is fierce here. (however, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 out performed this tire by a margin)
About the tread pattern and wear…
Looking at the tread on Falken FK510, you can see 4 circumferential grooves on nylon + aramid material tires with a hybrid cap underneath the tread (for extra rigidity). Sizes ranges between 17 to 22 inches and all of them come with rim protectors.
Falken Azenis treadwear proved to be comparatively shorter than its counterparts despite being a run-flat tire and its adaptive constant pressure design which is supposed to enhance tire tread. This was a significant disadvantage since treadwear is an important factor to determine a tire’s functionalities.
On Continental PremiumContact 6, you see the same material, where they call it Safety Silica compound. With a tread of 7.8 mm, the Continental Premium Contact 6 tires offer good tread wear resistance as well. This makes the tires durable and helps them perform well for a great number of miles and under all kinds of weather conditions, except snow since this is designed as a summer tire. What makes these tires so durable is a polymer compound which is resistant to abrasion. Furthermore, it has a supple tread pattern, which makes it capable of enduring all kinds of roads, bumpy and straight, and continuing to perform well. This is an excellent quality to have in a summer tire, as it has to endure high temperatures.
Dry & Wet Traction Comparison:
With the 2 major parts of traction, grip and the handling times, both tires performed great.
On dry asphalts, Continental PremiumContact 6 did better, with shorter braking distances proving to have a better grip, and better handling times, showing the handling is better on this tire as well.
Continental PremiumContact 6 on average took 34.3 meters to stop from 100 km/h, where Falken FK510 took 35 meters. For handling times, PremiumContact took 95 seconds on laps where FK510 took 96 seconds, again on average.
Continental PremiumContact 6 is better when it comes to overall dry handling. And looking at the tread pattern, it really makes sense. The outer shoulder area on the Continental has a better sipe design which covers more area of the shoulders. This makes the cornering of the tire better. Furthermore, heat also comes into play as more distance is traveled. Where heat causes the tire compound to soften a little bit which makes it lose grip slightly on corners. Looking at both tires Continental was able to manage heat well.
On wet asphalt, however, the Falken FK510 didn’t disappoint at all. As this tire clearly has better traction here.
Side Note: In terms of wet grip of the tire, nothing beats the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3.
On wet asphalts, Continental PremiumContact 6 on average took 36 meters to stop from 80 km/h, where Falken FK510 took 35 meters. For handling times, PremiumContact took 65.5 seconds on laps where FK510 took 95 seconds, again on average.
For wet performance on Falken, grooves and biting edges (switchback siping feature that enhances contact on a wet road) are the key.
Falken FK510 is also better at Aquaplaning, which means, around the corners, its tread pattern design allowed more water to penetrate in and then evacuate out of the tire.
Hydroplaning/Aquaplaning:
When tested, the Falken Azenis displayed good hydroplaning resistance because of their four circumferential grooves with a capacity to disperse water. With its good traction on wet surfaces, good hydroplaning was not a surprise.
But it was still not better then the PremiumContact 6.
Float speed calculated around 76 km/h for Falken Azenis FK510 where it was 78 km/h for the Continental tire.
It was very fascinating to see. Maybe it’s the wider grooves on the Continental, although less (3 here where there are 4 on Pilot 4), or Maybe it the sipe technology this tire is using.
Anyways, you can’t really tell what’s going on until you actually put them on the road. And PremiumContact is better on both straight and curved aquaplaning. That’s the fact.
Lets talk Noise and Comfort
If you’re looking for a comfortable and safe tire for your car, Falken FK510 is just the right fit for you. It is a very quiet tire indeed.
71 dBs calculated noise for FK510 compared to Continental PremiumContact 6’s 73.5 on average makes Falken better.
The noise levels of the Continental Premium Contact 6 tires are on the hazardous side. Generally, UUHP tires have noise levels that are high and that of UHP tires of low. Being a UHP tire with performance comparable to that of UUHP tires, high noise level is acceptable. The noise level, however, surpasses even that of UUHP tires by 1 to 2 decibels.
In terms of numbers, the external noise of the Contact 6 tires in decibels is 73.5 dB. If a quiet and peaceful ride is a priority for you, these tires could possibly be an issue for you sometimes. But the good thing is that they are working on it. With this tire 10 percent less noise compared to its previous models.
Still, no other tire came better in terms of noise, when it comes to the famous Pirelli P Zeros.
Price and Rolling Resistance
Rolling resistance is one tire factor that can affect a vehicle’s fuel consumption. The lower the rolling resistance, the less fuel is required, and fewer carbon emissions are generated.
Less fuel means less money spent overall.
Falken Azenis is alot cheaper than the Continental Contact 6.
And with the same amount of rolling resistance, both tires would consume almost the same amount of fuel.
Another Budget Pick Option: Nokian Powerproof.
So, the verdict?
Okay, let’s simplify things here.
Continental PremiumContact 6 is better in overall dry traction so you get a better performance here.
But Falken FK510, in addition to being cheaper, is overall better when it comes to wet traction.
