Tests – · none yet Owners 63 · 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.”
Head-to-head
Updated
Falken FK452 vs Falken FK453 — 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 211 + 30 owner reviews. How we score
FK452 is ahead, 65–58
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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.
-
66
Dry
FK452 +858Why this score
Source FK452 FK453 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 61 (est.) Reviews found online 65 52 FK452: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 64.6 = 66
FK453: 60% × 61.5 (est.) + 40% × 52.2 = 58
No road tests of dry for FK452. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).
No road tests of dry for FK453. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).
-
67
Wet
FK452 +562Why this score
Source FK452 FK453 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 66 59 FK452: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.9 = 67
FK453: 60% × 64 (est.) + 40% × 59.4 = 62
No road tests of wet for FK452. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).
No road tests of wet for FK453. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).
-
66
Comfort
FK452 +561Why this score
Source FK452 FK453 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 62 53 FK452: 60% × 67.9 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 66
FK453: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 53.2 = 61
No road tests of comfort for FK452 or FK453. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
61
Treadwear
FK452 +754Why this score
Source FK452 FK453 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 63 (est.) ≈ 60 (est.) Reviews found online 58 46 FK452: 60% × 63.3 (est.) + 40% × 58.2 = 61
FK453: 60% × 59.7 (est.) + 40% × 46.4 = 54
No road tests of treadwear for FK452. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
No road tests of treadwear for FK453. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
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64
Handling (owners)
FK452 +1549Why this score
Source FK452 FK453 Reviews found online 64 49
Scores at a glance
| Category | Falken FK452 | Falken FK453 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 65 | 58 |
| Dry | 66 | 58 |
| Wet | 67 | 62 |
| Comfort | 66 | 61 |
| Treadwear | 61 | 54 |
| Handling (owners) | 64 | 49 |
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
65
/ 100
FK452
58
/ 100
FK453
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A 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
Tire B FK453
Pros
- Strong dry weather traction and cornering grip
- Competitive price point offering good value for money
- Aesthetically pleasing sidewall design
Cons
- Rapid and uneven tread wear, particularly on rear axles
- Harsh ride quality and high road noise
- Unstable handling characteristics at high speeds
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Positive
Falken FK452
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.
g42.bimmerpost.com
“for the price, theyre pretty decent. theyre not the stickiest tires available, but theyre alright and imo, theyre pretty predictable when nearing their limits.”
rx8club.com
“Dude, I had pretty much the same choice as you... same rims, same vendors, same car Many reviews mentioned that T1Rs have softer sidewall than FK452, thus preferring the steering feel of Falken when you push it in the curves. As for daily driver it probably doesn't make a difference. Also, are you planning to have a different set for the winter? If not, you'll need all seasons. 1010tires . com have plenty of real-world user reviews on those tires. Also, search Google, there were some interesting reviews on BMW & Audi forums.”
avforums.com
·2012-03-02
“I also have Falken FK452 on my MKII Focus Diesel, in 225/40/18. They're really quite excellent tyres in both wet and dry to be quite honest. Seeing as the Focus isn't really that "sporting", I was quite happy to get 29'000 miles out of the set I last had at the front, which was a lot more than the 14'000 or so I got out of the Goodyear Eagle F1 (but the F1 was sticky as anything!). Only issue: they're not as cheap as they once were. People are getting wise to their performance for the rather sensible price, and I've seen them creep up around £25 a corner for me in the last two years.”
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
Tire B
Falken FK453
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Falken FK452 | B · Falken FK453 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
Which one should you actually buy?
65
/ 100
Falken FK452
58
/ 100
Falken FK453
Winner: Falken FK452 — better handling, dry and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Falken FK452 scores 64 vs 49 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Falken FK452 scores 66 vs 58 on dry.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Falken FK452 scores 61 vs 54 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Falken FK452 scores 67 vs 62 on wet.
Tire A · Falken FK452
Tire B · Falken FK453
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FK452 or FK453?
Which is better in the wet, FK452 or FK453?
Falken FK452, 67 vs 62 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, FK452 or FK453?
Falken FK452, 66 vs 58 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, FK452 or FK453?
Falken FK452, 66 vs 61 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, FK452 or FK453?
Falken FK452, 61 vs 54 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