Tests – · none yet Owners 70 · 22 reviews
Falken ZE512 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Dunlop SP Touring R1 vs Falken ZE512 — 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 + 27 owner reviews. How we score
SP Touring R1 is ahead, 70–38
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Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
70
Dry
SP Touring R1 +3040Why this score
Source SP Touring R1 ZE512 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 50 (est.) Reviews found online 70 25 SP Touring R1: 60% × 69 (est.) + 40% × 70.3 = 70
ZE512: 60% × 50.1 (est.) + 40% × 25.4 = 40
No road tests of dry for SP Touring R1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
No road tests of dry for ZE512. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
-
71
Wet
SP Touring R1 +3140Why this score
Source SP Touring R1 ZE512 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 71 (est.) ≈ 47 (est.) Reviews found online 71 28 SP Touring R1: 60% × 70.8 (est.) + 40% × 70.8 = 71
ZE512: 60% × 47.2 (est.) + 40% × 28.2 = 40
No road tests of wet for SP Touring R1. 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 ZE512. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
67
Comfort
SP Touring R1 +2740Why this score
Source SP Touring R1 ZE512 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 61 (est.) Reviews found online 66 25 SP Touring R1: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 66.3 = 67
ZE512: 40% × 61.1 (est.) + 60% × 25.2 = 40
No road tests of comfort for SP Touring R1 or ZE512. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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69
Treadwear
SP Touring R1 +3435Why this score
Source SP Touring R1 ZE512 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 49 (est.) Reviews found online 71 16 SP Touring R1: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 70.8 = 69
ZE512: 60% × 48.6 (est.) + 40% × 15.7 = 35
No road tests of treadwear for SP Touring R1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
No road tests of treadwear for ZE512. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
-
72
Handling (owners)
SP Touring R1 +4824Why this score
Source SP Touring R1 ZE512 Reviews found online 72 24
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop SP Touring R1 | Falken ZE512 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 70 | 38 |
| Dry | 70 | 40 |
| Wet | 71 | 40 |
| Comfort | 67 | 40 |
| Treadwear | 69 | 35 |
| Handling (owners) | 72 | 24 |
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
70
/ 100
SP Touring R1
38
/ 100
ZE512
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A SP Touring R1
Pros
- High tread longevity and durability
- Excellent value for money
- Comfortable and quiet ride quality
Cons
- Inconsistent wet-weather performance
- Reports of sidewall vulnerability
- Occasional road noise feedback
Tire B ZE512
Pros
- Affordable price point
- Satisfactory dry pavement grip when new
- Generally quiet and comfortable ride quality
Cons
- Extremely rapid tread wear and short lifespan
- Poor wet-weather traction and hydroplaning resistance
- Soft sidewalls prone to damage from potholes and curbs
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop SP Touring R1 | B · Falken ZE512 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
Which one should you actually buy?
70
/ 100
Dunlop SP Touring R1
38
/ 100
Falken ZE512
Winner: Dunlop SP Touring R1 — better handling, treadwear and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Dunlop SP Touring R1 scores 72 vs 24 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Dunlop SP Touring R1 scores 69 vs 35 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Dunlop SP Touring R1 scores 71 vs 40 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Dunlop SP Touring R1 scores 70 vs 40 on dry.
Tire A · Dunlop SP Touring R1
Tire B · Falken ZE512
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SP Touring R1 or ZE512?
Which is better in the wet, SP Touring R1 or ZE512?
Dunlop SP Touring R1, 71 vs 40 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, SP Touring R1 or ZE512?
Dunlop SP Touring R1, 70 vs 40 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, SP Touring R1 or ZE512?
Dunlop SP Touring R1, 67 vs 40 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, SP Touring R1 or ZE512?
Dunlop SP Touring R1, 69 vs 35 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