tirewheelguide

Dunlop Direzza DZ101 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop Direzza DZ101 vs Falken Azenis FK510 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 31 road tests and 8 + 910 owner reviews. How we score

Azenis FK510 is ahead, 74–66

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Dunlop Direzza DZ101
Tire ADunlop

Direzza DZ101

Summer

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 64 · 8 reviews

Falken Azenis FK510
Tire BFalken

Azenis FK510

Summer

± 4

Tests 74 · 31 tests Owners 66 · 910 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2018 Sport Auto 19 inch UHP and Track Day Tyre Test (wet braking)

“I have Fallen FK510s and live where it rains 300 days a year, they perform great and I'm sure the 520 is even better”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 68

    Dry

    Azenis FK510 +5
    73
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Azenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 28 tests≈ 68 (est.)73
    Reviews found online6874

    Direzza DZ101: 60% × 67.9 (est.) + 40% × 67.9 = 68

    Azenis FK510: 60% × 72.9 + 40% × 74.2 = 73

    No road tests of dry for Direzza DZ101. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 67

    Wet

    Azenis FK510 +17
    84
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Azenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 29 tests≈ 68 (est.)88
    Reviews found online6578

    Direzza DZ101: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 65.2 = 67

    Azenis FK510: 60% × 88.4 + 40% × 77.9 = 84

    No road tests of wet for Direzza DZ101. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    55
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Azenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online–45

    Azenis FK510: 60% × 62.4 (est.) + 40% × 45 = 55

    No road tests of snow for Azenis FK510. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Direzza DZ101 +9
    56
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Azenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 68 (est.)40
    Reviews found online6367

    Direzza DZ101: 40% × 67.6 (est.) + 60% × 63.4 = 65

    Azenis FK510: 40% × 40.3 + 60% × 66.9 = 56

    No road tests of comfort for Direzza DZ101. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Azenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 18 tests–66
    Reviews found online–67

    Azenis FK510: 60% × 66 + 40% × 66.9 = 66

  6. 61

    Treadwear

    Azenis FK510 +5
    66
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Azenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 63 (est.)73
    Reviews found online5854

    Direzza DZ101: 60% × 63.3 (est.) + 40% × 57.6 = 61

    Azenis FK510: 60% × 73.1 + 40% × 54.2 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for Direzza DZ101. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 68

    Handling (owners)

    Azenis FK510 +4
    72
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Azenis FK510
    Reviews found online6872
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    50
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Azenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 19 tests–50
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Direzza DZ101Falken Azenis FK510
Relative Score 66 74
Dry 68 73
Wet 67 84
Snow – 55
Comfort 65 56
Noise – 66
Treadwear 61 66
Handling (owners) 68 72
Efficiency – 50

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Direzza DZ101

± 4

Azenis FK510

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Direzza DZ101

Pros

  • Highly competitive price point
  • Aggressive and attractive tread design
  • Surprising levels of ride comfort and low noise

Cons

  • Short tread life and rapid wear
  • Inconsistent performance and grip quality between different sets
  • Uninspiring wet weather traction for aggressive driving
All owner themes in the Direzza DZ101 review

Tire B Azenis FK510

Pros

  • Outstanding grip in both wet and dry conditions
  • Exceptional value and lower price point compared to premium brands
  • Smooth and comfortable ride quality that absorbs road imperfections well

Cons

  • Accelerated tread wear and shorter overall lifespan
  • Softer sidewalls can result in slightly delayed initial steering response or a feeling of looseness during aggressive high-speed maneuvers
  • Occasional reports of increased tire noise or harshness on specific rough or concrete road surfaces
All owner themes in the Azenis FK510 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Dunlop Direzza DZ101

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Falken Azenis FK510

Mixed

Community members frequently view the Falken Azenis FK510 as an affordable, budget-friendly alternative to premium tires like Michelin Pilot Sports, offering strong wet weather grip and good everyday road comfort. However, opinions are mixed due to rapid treadwear, with multiple drivers reporting bald tires in 10,000 to 15,000 miles or poor durability during track and autocross sessions. Furthermore, some users note compromises in steering response, road noise, and overall performance compared to top-tier max performance tires.

r/TeslaModel3 ·1 upvote ·2024-02-10

“I put the fk510 on my 2014 535d msport and the rears only lasted 10-11k or one year. Trying something different. They are a good performance summer tire but not worth replacing every year.”
r/tires ·2 upvotes ·2022-02-08

“Falken Azenis FK510 prices? Anyone know why the prices for Falken Azenis FK510's went up 25% or more in the last month? 235/40R18 went from $154 to $192. The whole benefit of these tires is that they offer PS4S performance for way less money. Now, you midaswhale just buy the Michelins. I haven't seen any other summer tires make that kind of a jump in price. I know Falken announced a price increase for 2022, but it was only like 5%. What's the dealio? Read more”
corvetteforum.com

“I've had a set of Falken Azenis FK510's on my car for a couple of months now, and just this past weekend took a trip through the twisties up to Prescott, and pushed the car as hard as I could heading up the mountain. I was a little nervous as I'd never used Falken tires before, but trusted in Tire Rack's reviews of them and pushed the envelope in every turn I hit. It was a pleasant surprise to find that the tires were gripping just as well as the much more expensive Michelin tires they'd replaced, and I even hit a personal best of .95g going around one of the more nasty turns. During this entire drive I never felt once like the tires weren't gripping perfectly, or that I was going to lose control from them breaking loose. Road noise is pretty much non-existent, and they seem to run pretty smooth over every surface I've driven them on so far. All-in-all I don't regret my purchase one bit, and if their longevity is anything like what I got out of my previous set of Michelins I'll definitely be buying another set once this one is done for.”
Top themes
#budget friendly pricing#wet weather traction#fast treadwear#track durability concerns#ride comfort#cabin road noise#daily street driving

Based on 63 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Direzza DZ101 B · Falken Azenis FK510
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—93
Rim diameters—17″ – 22″
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG300 A A300 A A
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—50 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Direzza DZ101

Falken Azenis FK510

Winner: Falken Azenis FK510 — better wet, dry and treadwear. Pick the Dunlop Direzza DZ101 if comfort matters most to you. Dunlop Direzza DZ101 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 8 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Falken Azenis FK510 scores 84 vs 67 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop Direzza DZ101 scores 65 vs 56 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Falken Azenis FK510 scores 73 vs 68 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Falken Azenis FK510 scores 66 vs 61 on treadwear.

Tire A · Dunlop Direzza DZ101
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Falken Azenis FK510
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Direzza DZ101 or Azenis FK510?

Which is better in the wet, Direzza DZ101 or Azenis FK510?

Falken Azenis FK510, 84 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Direzza DZ101 or Azenis FK510?

Falken Azenis FK510, 73 vs 68 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Direzza DZ101 or Azenis FK510?

Dunlop Direzza DZ101, 65 vs 56 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Direzza DZ101 or Azenis FK510?

Falken Azenis FK510, 66 vs 61 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology