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Falken ZE912 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 vs Falken ZE912 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 0 road tests and 22 + 200 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Direzza DZ102 and ZE912 are level at 66.

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Falken ZE912
Tire BFalken

ZE912

Summer

Tests – · none yet Owners 64 · 200 reviews

“Quote: Originally Posted by BobDogNdaHouse I just ordered some 912's (215/45) so I will give a review in a few weeks. I got them for $76 ea, but have seen them for $68, cant beat the price Thats a great price!!! What store did you see 215/45/17 for $68?”

Category by category

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

  1. 66

    Dry

    Level
    66
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102ZE912
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6565

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 65 = 66

    ZE912: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 65 = 66

    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 0.40).

    No road tests of dry for ZE912. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 68

    Wet

    Level
    68
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102ZE912
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6767

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 68.2 (est.) + 40% × 66.9 = 68

    ZE912: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 67.3 = 68

    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 0.56).

    No road tests of wet for ZE912. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 65

    Comfort

    ZE912 +3
    68
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102ZE912
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6166

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 61 = 65

    ZE912: 60% × 68.6 (est.) + 40% × 66.3 = 68

    No road tests of comfort for Direzza DZ102 or ZE912. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 66

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102ZE912
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online65–

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 65.2 = 66

    No road tests of noise for Direzza DZ102. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 62

    Treadwear

    ZE912 +1
    63
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102ZE912
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online5960

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 63.7 (est.) + 40% × 59.3 = 62

    ZE912: 60% × 64 (est.) + 40% × 60.4 = 63

    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 0.31).

    No road tests of treadwear for ZE912. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  6. 63

    Handling (owners)

    Level
    63
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102ZE912
    Reviews found online6363
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Direzza DZ102Falken ZE912
Relative Score 66 66
Dry 66 66
Wet 68 68
Comfort 65 68
Noise 66 –
Treadwear 62 63
Handling (owners) 63 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
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
Recomputed
Headline score

Direzza DZ102

ZE912

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

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryDirezza DZ102ZE912ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #7/8 2015 Australian Motor 235/35 R19 Tyre Test #13/14 2011 European Summer Tyre Test - 195/65 R15 – Different tests

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 ZE912

Pros

  • Excellent value for money compared to premium brands
  • Low road noise and high ride comfort
  • Strong dry-weather grip and predictable handling

Cons

  • Inconsistent tread life, with many reports of premature wear
  • Soft sidewalls can lead to a 'squishy' feel or lack of steering precision
  • Wet-weather performance is frequently described as unpredictable or lacking at the limit
All owner themes in the ZE912 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 ZE912

Mixed

Community consensus on the Falken Ziex ZE912 highlights it as an affordable, comfortable, and relatively quiet all-season tire with decent dry and predictable wet traction. However, users frequently criticize its rapid treadwear, poor winter/snow grip, tendency to develop road noise over time, and softer sidewalls compared to dedicated performance summer tires.

audiworld.com

“decent A/S tire, gets through the snow well, but not so good at corners in the snow with the large shoulder blocks.... but since the snow is only on the road for a couple days around here, they work great and I would rather have better dry traction for the 90% of the time when there is no snow. My only issue so far is they tramline when on grooved pavement because the tires have circumferential grooves”
corvetteforum.com

“I just put a set of Falken ZE912's on my wife's CLK and found them to be a lot quieter and smoother than the previous tires that were on the car. They aren't as precise handling as the Michelin or Pirelli's that were on there before, but definately more comfortable.”
northamericanmotoring.com

“Quote: Originally Posted by BobDogNdaHouse I just ordered some 912's (215/45) so I will give a review in a few weeks. I got them for $76 ea, but have seen them for $68, cant beat the price Thats a great price!!! What store did you see 215/45/17 for $68?”
Top themes
#affordable pricing and value#quiet and comfortable ride#poor snow and winter performance#noise level over time#treadwear and longevity#sidewall stiffness and handling#wet road traction

Based on 50 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Direzza DZ102 B · Falken ZE912
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Direzza DZ102

Falken ZE912

Too close to call: Dunlop Direzza DZ102 and Falken ZE912 are within 2 points overall. Falken ZE912 is stronger on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Falken ZE912 scores 68 vs 65 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop Direzza DZ102
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Tire B · Falken ZE912
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Direzza DZ102 or ZE912?

Which is better in the wet, Direzza DZ102 or ZE912?

Neither, by our numbers: 68 vs 68 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Direzza DZ102 or ZE912?

Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 66 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Direzza DZ102 or ZE912?

Falken ZE912, 68 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Direzza DZ102 or ZE912?

Neither, by our numbers: 62 vs 63 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