Tests – · 1 test Owners 56 · 42 reviews
Best test result: #6 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Head-to-head
Updated
Sumitomo HTR Z III 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 1 + 31 road tests and 42 + 910 owner reviews. How we score
Azenis FK510 is ahead, 70–62
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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.
-
67
Dry
Azenis FK510 +673Why this score
Source HTR Z III Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 28 tests ≈ 68 (est.) 73 Reviews found online 67 74 HTR Z III: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 67.1 = 67
Azenis FK510: 60% × 72.9 + 40% × 74.2 = 73
No road tests of dry for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
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63
Wet
Azenis FK510 +2184Why this score
Source HTR Z III Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 29 tests ≈ 65 (est.) 88 Reviews found online 60 78 HTR Z III: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 60.1 = 63
Azenis FK510: 60% × 88.4 + 40% × 77.8 = 84
No road tests of wet for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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37
Snow
Azenis FK510 +1855Why this score
Source HTR Z III Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 52 (est.) ≈ 62 (est.) Reviews found online 14 45 HTR Z III: 60% × 52.5 (est.) + 40% × 14.1 = 37
Azenis FK510: 60% × 62.4 (est.) + 40% × 45 = 55
No road tests of snow for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
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).
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66
Comfort
HTR Z III +1056Why this score
Source HTR Z III Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests ≈ 68 (est.) 40 Reviews found online 64 67 HTR Z III: 40% × 67.8 (est.) + 60% × 64.3 = 66
Azenis FK510: 40% × 40.5 + 60% × 66.9 = 56
No road tests of comfort for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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65
Noise
Azenis FK510 +166Why this score
Source HTR Z III Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 18 tests ≈ 66 (est.) 66 Reviews found online 62 67 HTR Z III: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 62.3 = 65
Azenis FK510: 60% × 66 + 40% × 66.9 = 66
No road tests of noise for HTR Z III. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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66
Treadwear
Level66Why this score
Source HTR Z III Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 5 tests 70 73 Reviews found online 59 54 Tested Tread Life (Miles) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 62% 54% HTR Z III: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 59.1 = 66
Azenis FK510: 60% × 73.1 + 40% × 54.2 = 66
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65
Handling (owners)
Azenis FK510 +772Why this score
Source HTR Z III Azenis FK510 Reviews found online 65 72 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison50Why this score
Source HTR Z III Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 19 tests – 50
Scores at a glance
| Category | Sumitomo HTR Z III | Falken Azenis FK510 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 62 | 70 |
| Dry | 67 | 73 |
| Wet | 63 | 84 |
| Snow | 37 | 55 |
| Comfort | 66 | 56 |
| Noise | 65 | 66 |
| Treadwear | 66 | 66 |
| Handling (owners) | 65 | 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 and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Important
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Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
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NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
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Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
62
/ 100
HTR Z III
70
/ 100
Azenis FK510
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.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Sumitomo HTR Z III finished ahead 0 times and Falken Azenis FK510 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | HTR Z III | Azenis FK510 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) | Treadwear | 62% | 54% | +7.6 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires · 215/60R18 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #17/22 | #5/22 | – | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires · 215/60R18 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A HTR Z III
Pros
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio
- Strong dry handling and steering feedback
- Quiet and comfortable ride quality
Cons
- Inconsistent wet-weather side grip during cornering
- Limited traction under heavy acceleration on high-horsepower vehicles
- Not suitable for winter or freezing conditions
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
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Sumitomo HTR Z III
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
Falken Azenis FK510
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/CarTrackDays
·4 upvotes ·2019-01-27
“Upgrading tires from Falken Azenis FK510, looking for recommendations Hey all, I drive a V6 1LE camaro, i've been doing a lot of open practice sessions at a small track (the driveway in austin, tx), long story short I bought brand new Azenis FK510 two months ago, only about 4k street miles, and after about 3 hours of track time they're pretty much done....mostly from noob mistakes like overcooking the entry and destroying the front shoulders, and having the rear tires way too overinflated so the shoulders are fine but the center are down to the wear bars. Even under ideal conditions and purposely driving slower and smoother I can't see these lasting much more than 4-5 hours of track time, I'm just surprised to see these tires wear down very very quickly under hard driving and overheat somewhat quickly, these are awesome daily driving tires but I'm looking for more track performance. I'm currently debating between pilot sport 4s, bridgestone re-71r, firehawk indy 500. This is more of a philosophical question, I'm looking at a wide variety of treadwear tires, I'm curious how you guys decide on what treadwear tires to run and how you decide between wear, price, and grip. I'm leaning towards the RE-71r right now, I figure if I'm burning through my tires in a few months anyways might as well do it with sticky tires since my falkens didn't last long anyways... Read more”
civicx.com
·1 upvote ·2020-11-11
“I think Vredestein was more popular in Europe but Tire Rack has been expanding their presence in the US. Some of their tires are kinda unique bridging capabilities of different tire categories. There's another model they have called the Quatrac 5 which is an all-season sportier touring tire that has the severe snow duty rating like winter tires, but can be driven year round unlike winter tires. So they were on my radar because of that. (I'm "that car guy" who most of my friends and family consult when buying car stuff like tires so I find myself researching too many categories of tires. ?) This Hypertrac AS is a newer model and more focused on performance, but it seems to be a UHPAS option with more comfort than similar tires. If you're experiencing that lack of performance from the OE Goodyears you should look at those Falken FK510s. They're a summer tire but the sidewalls are pretty soft. They're supposed to be comfier than usual for a summer tire. You'll get more grip than the stock tires. They might not be much quieter or smoother riding but probably won't be any worse.”
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.”
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 · Sumitomo HTR Z III | B · Falken Azenis FK510 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 1 | 93 |
| Rim diameters | 19″ | 17″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 300 A A | 300 A A |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | 50 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
62
/ 100
Sumitomo HTR Z III
70
/ 100
Falken Azenis FK510
Winner: Falken Azenis FK510 — better wet, snow and handling. Pick the Sumitomo HTR Z III if comfort matters most to you.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Falken Azenis FK510 scores 84 vs 63 on wet.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Falken Azenis FK510 scores 55 vs 37 on snow.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Sumitomo HTR Z III scores 66 vs 56 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Falken Azenis FK510 scores 72 vs 65 on handling.
Tire A · Sumitomo HTR Z III
Tire B · Falken Azenis FK510
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HTR Z III or Azenis FK510?
Which is better in the wet, HTR Z III or Azenis FK510?
Falken Azenis FK510, 84 vs 63 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, HTR Z III or Azenis FK510?
Falken Azenis FK510, 73 vs 67 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, HTR Z III or Azenis FK510?
Falken Azenis FK510, 55 vs 37 on our snow score.
Which is quieter, HTR Z III or Azenis FK510?
Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 66 on the noise score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, HTR Z III or Azenis FK510?
Sumitomo HTR Z III, 66 vs 56 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, HTR Z III or Azenis FK510?
Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 66 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