tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 vs Falken FK452 — 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 + 0 road tests and 22 + 211 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Direzza DZ102 and FK452 are level at 64.

Check price on Amazon · Direzza DZ102 Check price on Amazon · FK452
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Falken FK452
Tire BFalken

FK452

Summer

± 8

Tests – · none yet Owners 62 · 211 reviews

“for the price, theyre pretty decent. theyre not the stickiest tires available, but theyre alright and imo, theyre pretty predictable when nearing their limits.”

Category by category

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

  1. 65

    Dry

    Level
    65
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102FK452
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6364

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 66.1 (est.) + 40% × 63.4 = 65

    FK452: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.1 = 65

    No road tests of dry for Direzza DZ102. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for FK452. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 67

    Wet

    Level
    67
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102FK452
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6665

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 65.7 = 67

    FK452: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 65.2 = 67

    No road tests of wet for Direzza DZ102. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for FK452. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 61

    Comfort

    FK452 +2
    63
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102FK452
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online5860

    Direzza DZ102: 40% × 66.4 (est.) + 60% × 57.6 = 61

    FK452: 40% × 67 (est.) + 60% × 60.3 = 63

    No road tests of comfort for Direzza DZ102. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for FK452. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  4. 60

    Treadwear

    Level
    60
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102FK452
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online5656

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 62.8 (est.) + 40% × 56.1 = 60

    FK452: 60% × 62.7 (est.) + 40% × 55.7 = 60

    No road tests of treadwear for Direzza DZ102. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for FK452. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  5. 61

    Handling (owners)

    FK452 +2
    63
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102FK452
    Reviews found online6163
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Direzza DZ102Falken FK452
Relative Score 64 64
Dry 65 65
Wet 67 67
Comfort 61 63
Treadwear 60 60
Handling (owners) 61 63

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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Direzza DZ102

± 8

FK452

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Direzza DZ102

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • Strong dry pavement grip and cornering stability
  • Surprisingly high levels of ride comfort for a performance tire

Cons

  • Rapid or inconsistent tread wear
  • Inconsistent wet weather performance and hydroplaning resistance
  • Increased road noise as the tire ages
All owner themes in the Direzza DZ102 review

Tire B FK452

Pros

  • Exceptional value for money compared to premium competitors
  • Strong dry and wet traction for spirited driving
  • Predictable and progressive breakaway characteristics

Cons

  • High levels of road noise, often described as a 'hum' or 'bearing-like' sound
  • Rapid and sometimes uneven tread wear
  • Soft sidewalls leading to vague steering feel or 'gelatinous' handling
All owner themes in the FK452 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Dunlop Direzza DZ102

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

Tire B

Falken FK452

Positive

Community opinion on the Falken FK452 is generally favorable, with many drivers praising its balance of solid wet and dry grip, low road noise, and accessible pricing. While regarded as a dependable daily performance tire that also stretches well, notable drawbacks cited by owners include fast tread wear on sports cars, tendency to flat-spot when sitting, and degradation in grip and road noise as the tread gets low.

evolutionm.net

“summer tires. Currently run these. Not as good as the a046 advans as they seem to flex a bit more. A buddy who owns a VIP shop runs those tires on their cars because they can stretch them easily(i.e. softer sidewalls). With that said they are great daily tires with some good grip for what they are designed.”
5series.net

“Quote: Originally Posted by sdg1871 Hankooks are usually cheaper from Tire Rack than from tire shops. Many members have and like the Falkens. I've been going to my tire guy for a long time now, and he always gives me $10.00 less per tire than the lowest price I can find on the net, including tirerack. This $10.00 less also includes roadforce balancing and an alignment. He gives me a good deal, thats for sure. I'll be sure to post my thoughts about them once I get them on.”
rx8club.com

“I realize there are already a few threads regarding this question, but I'm purchasing a new set of Gram Lights 57F - 18 x 8.5 from therpmstore . com and I could use some help finding the right tires. I'm planning on getting a wider tire and going with 245/40/18. I'm sure someone will recommend otherwise, but I've narrowed down my choices to the Toyo Proxes T1R and the Falken FK452. With the shipping at around $40 to NJ, the best prices I've found are from EdgeRacing . com . Toyo Proxes T1R - $157 Falken FK452 - $135 It seems like just as many people like the Toyo's as the Falken's, so I'm thinking about saving the $88 and go with the Falken's, but I would appreciate some more opinions. And, if someone can find a better price for me, that would be great too. Thanks in advance.”
Top themes
#wet and dry grip#value and price#treadwear and longevity#tire stretch fitment#road noise and NVH#sidewall stiffness

Based on 47 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Direzza DZ102 B · Falken FK452
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
UTQG460 A A300 AA A

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Direzza DZ102

Falken FK452

Too close to call: Dunlop Direzza DZ102 and Falken FK452 are within 2 points overall.

Tire A · Dunlop Direzza DZ102
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Falken FK452
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Direzza DZ102 or FK452?

Which is better in the wet, Direzza DZ102 or FK452?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 67 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Direzza DZ102 or FK452?

Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 65 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Direzza DZ102 or FK452?

Neither, by our numbers: 61 vs 63 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Direzza DZ102 or FK452?

Neither, by our numbers: 60 vs 60 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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