What do you think of the OEM Falken 205/55R17 tires ?

[Arm&Hammer]

My 2017 Golf Alltrack came with the Falken Sincera SN250A A/S 205/55R17 tires. Everything on the Alltrack seems to have good or excellent materials except for the tires. Based on my experience with Falken tires in the past. I had a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP that I put Falken tires on and within two years they developed flat spots. Had two replaced under warranty. Then the other two developed flat spots. Instead of arguing with the tire installer I just bought 4 new Michelins and never had a problem for the next 5 years.

Now with my brand new Alltrack I noticed a slight vibration above 70 mph. Took it to the dealer, 3 out of 4 tires did not pass on their force balancing machine. Probably because the car sat at the dealership for a long time. Dealer replaced tires with similar Falken tires. Is this a coincidence or are Falken tires inferior?

I also noticed the treadwear rating on my Falken tires are only 320, but on the Falken website Falken Sincera SN250 is listed as 720. Could Falken tires on VWs may be inferior quality or Falkens in general are a so-so tire?

 

[Sandberg84]

Well I had a vibration problem also, but they were able to balance them up and no problems since then, The tires have preformed well for us we have driven them about 7K miles some of which was in snow and they were fine. regarding longevity I cannot say but in general OEM tires are not known for outstanding treadlife so it would not surprise me that they will not last a long time.

 

[jsun98294]

"I also noticed the treadwear rating on my Falken tires are only 320, but on the Falken website Falken Sincera SN250 is listed as 720. Could Falken tires on VWs may be inferior quality or Falkens in general are a so-so tire?"

I just checked on Tire Rack web site they list the tread wear rating at 320 too. Their price is $133.76 I also read the reviews and one person who had 52,000mi on them said: "I have driven cross country and the DC comute daily and have found the tires to wear evenly. They have not been an issue at all regarding flats or losing air. For facrtory equiped tires they have performed well." So that's pretty decent mileage.
No complains about flat spots in the reviews.
Another person said: "These are OEM on my Golf Alltrack. Overall they were pretty surprising. They're quieter than expected, ride comfort is good, and wet and dry handling was better than I was expecting for 205/55 tire. I'll likely replace with a 225/50, which will offer a bit more grip, but will also likely have worse fuel economy.

For everyday driving, these seem like a good choice, although the UTOG rating is pretty low and it seems that treadwear isn't great for a tire that is an all-season." They wrote that at 3000mi.

 

[Arm&Hammer]

Thanks Jsun,
The comments on TireRack are reassuring. Hope I get 50,000 miles out of these Falkens. They are somewhat quiet and perform well in the rain and snow.

 

[Nokian]

While not the best tires I have ever driven on, the Falkens are more than adequate for me. Handle well in the wet and dry, even a bit of snow. Hopefully by the time I need new tires (a couple of years) we will have more choices in tires at this size (205/55-17) than we currently have. We have 20,000 on the car, and I'd guess 40% of that is on the Falkens.
The Hankook's that came on my 2012 Passat TDI were among the worst modern tire I'd ever ridden on.

 

[jsun98294]

Thanks Jsun,
The comments on TireRack are reassuring. Hope I get 50,000 miles out of these Falkens. They are somewhat quiet and perform well in the rain and snow.

I've got a 2017 SEL and they came with Continental Procontact TX tires and from the reviews I've read on them have me worried, there are many reports of the sidewall of tire blistering (like bubbles on the side walls) which I'm very concerned about. I check them periodically hope they behave.
I've had 4 sets of Continental Extremecontact DWS 06 for my last car and I love them they're very smooth running and have amazing grip in rain and snow without any issue
and the tread wear is the best I've ever had, one set had almost 70,000mi right at wear limit indicator...and this is a All Season ultra high performance rated tire!

 

[PaulGiz]

I'll be watching the treadwear closely, but the tires are quiet, grip well wet or dry.

I've had some lousy OEM tires, but these seem pretty good.

P.

 

[2008SOBO]

I have been satisfied with the performance of my Falkens with one huge exception...tread wear. At just under 21K I need new tires. The Falken's have all worn even but I was surprised at their short lifespan. I got well over 45K on my TDI's high performance all seasons (Potenza's). I actually came here to see if anyone had recommendations on replacement tires for the Alltrack. The Conti ProContact TX mentioned above keep coming up in search results. Having had great luck with Bridgestones in the past I was also looking at the Ecopia's. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[PaulGiz]

I have been satisfied with the performance of my Falkens with one huge exception...tread wear. At just under 21K I need new tires. The Falken's have all worn even but I was surprised at their short lifespan. I got well over 45K on my TDI's high performance all seasons (Potenza's). I actually came here to see if anyone had recommendations on replacement tires for the Alltrack. The Conti ProContact TX mentioned above keep coming up in search results. Having had great luck with Bridgestones in the past I was also looking at the Ecopia's. Any advice would be appreciated.

Now that I have 18,000 miles on my car, I have to say the treadwear is lousy. I'll definitely need new tires sometime in the next 10,000. I doubt these will make 30,000. I won't get these again.

 

[VWGALT]

Now that I have 18,000 miles on my car, I have to say the treadwear is lousy. I'll definitely need new tires sometime in the next 10,000. I doubt these will make 30,000. I won't get these again.

Good to know. I've never used Falken tires before and wouldn't buy them on my own. I look at most OEM tires as "throw-away" tires as they are there for a number of reasons, mostly that VWOA got a good deal for them and are a good fitment, which is why you almost always see different brands/models from year to year. I'm planning on replacing them next Spring no matter what as snow tires are going on my 17" oem wheels this winter, and new 18" tires/wheels for the other three seasons. I do read tire reviews and it's odd how two people can get such different mileage out of the same tire. It seems driving habits, inflation monitoring, vehicle they're on (all the same in this case), and road conditions, etc. can affect things.

I've had good luck with Toyo tires on my other vehicles, but YMMV.

 

[Le duke]

Good to know. My wife and are are trying to find a set of old Detroit 18x8s and slightly bigger tires* for her new Alltrack. I was a bit leery about basically giving the stock wheels/tires away for next to nothing, but less so now.

*I?d like a wee bit more ground clearance.




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[Joncoulson]

My alltrack has 7k miles on it and is on the second set of falkens and is currently at the dealer for vibrations and they are replacing 2 more under warranty. These tires are terrible.


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[chllr]

compared to some OE tires in the past these Falkens were okay. Lasted 32k miles with even wear and about 3-4 32nds of tread remaining when removed. with just a couple more tire rotations during this service span these tires could have lasted me a few more months maybe even thru next spring.

 

[playground23]

I've had a terrible experience with Falkens. 3 of the 4 tires had punctures before 15k miles, none repairable. I live in Chicago which doesn't have great roads, but all of my other cars never had more than one flat...

 

[asp125]

I can only give them a rating of "meh". They were worn out at 40k, to the point I had difficulty getting up a snow covered inclined driveway.

 

[NunyaBinnez]

Total junk imho. I've had to replace two for sidewall damage/perforation. First one was a rock on a dirt road in the Sierras, second was a pothole in San Antonio. Poor tire choice for a vehicle targeted at the outdoorsy crowd. Also, wet traction is abhorrent.

My $0.02, YMMV.

NDB


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[MadJay]

You have to understand unless it’s a sports/speciality car the manufacturer puts cheapy tires.


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[cebuphilippines]

Mine came with that tire too.. so far they’re ok. I’ve noticed some vibrations when driving 70mph and above. Maybe it needs balancing since there’s too much potholes in New Jersey ...


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[NunyaBinnez]

I’ve noticed some vibrations when driving 70mph and above. Maybe it needs balancing since there’s too much potholes in New Jersey ...

Check your sidewalls for irregularities.

 

[cebuphilippines]

Check your sidewalls for irregularities.

So far it’s intact. I used to have a 2015 Subaru Outback same issue , the only way to fix it was to get new tires on the Subaru... so far the tire threads are still ok after almost 2 years of driving... BTW my car is high mileage due to commute from home and work ...


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