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

[Lew Bob]

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?

The Sumitomo/Falken site doesn't even list our size! It also claims a 75,000 mile warranty, so there is something different about the tires on the Alltrack.

 

[steel1]

My 2017 SEL also came with Falken 205/55/17...not impressed but it's a factory tire.
27k on the odometer tires rotated every 10k, 1 tire @ 3/32 , 2 @ 4/32, 1 @ 5/32.
Needless to say they aren't very many options at this size, I'll be looking to change
size for more availability.

 

[Arm&Hammer]

Update on my '17 Alltrack with 5k miles and Falken tires:
Well couple of months ago VW came thru and replaced my car with a new 2019 because of the never ending sunroof leaks. At the end they were very good and just followed my state's lemon law. My new car is great not only because it's a new SEL without a sunroof leak, but it came with great Continental Pro Contact TX 225/45R18 tires. Wow what a difference in the tires, I noticed right away. With the lower profile I though I would get a harsher ride but on the contrary a smoother ride, no vibration at any speeds and quieter. Hate to compare but drives like a Caddilac. My old car's Falkens would develop flat spots if the car sat more than 2 weeks, it would go away after 10 minutes of driving but every time the first few minutes driving was a PIA. The Contis are a superior tire and the tread rating wear is much higher at 500. My driving pattern is the same as before but the Contis do not develop those annoying problems. Another feature that I like with the Contis are the extra rubber lip or ledge on the tire that protects the wheel rim so when parallel parking or rubbing the tire against a curb the wheel rim does not get scratched.

 

[steel1]

Yeah those the Conti Pro Contact are good tires, I've purchased them in the past.
I'll be switching to 215/50/17 so I'll have better options for my 17.

 

[Carstart]

I recently had to replace all 4 original Falken Sincera tires on my 2017 SE at 21,000 miles as a result of a slow leak too near the sidewall on one tire. The tires still had about half of the wear left.

I bought a set of Vredestein Quatrac 5 XLs (from the somewhat limited selection available in the OEM size).

I immediately noticed a huge reduction in road noise. I had noticed a gradually increasing amount of road noise previously and was afraid it was something in the transmission. I also saw an increase in efficiency, maybe around 5 mpg.

I'm very happy with the Vreds so far ... waiting for some snow.

 

[Lew Bob]

How is the handling and tracking? Most tires get noisier as they wear. I don't know why. I had some upgraded Contis on my last car and they started getting noisy around 10K.

I don't think a tire can make a difference on more than a MPG or two, so let us know if you continue to see a big difference. I am very dissapointed in the mileage on my 2019 Alltrack... I will also be interested in the snow performance of the Vreds. They should be one of the best all-seasons on the market.

 

[Nokian]

As I noted elsewhere on this forum, I recently got a set of the new Vredestein Quatrac Pro XL in 225-50 17 for my SE. Using them on OEM 17" rims. They are on 8/10" wider, but otherwise identical in other dimensions to stock tires. Tire Rack gave them an incredible recommendation. Only got about 26,000 on my Falkens (Consumer Reports gave them a great review--not sure how/why!) So far I'm very impressed. Much quieter, even around town. Smoother ride and steering is just as crisp. Small to mid size pavement imperfections are swallowed very well. Have not had a chance to drive them in the wet yet, but my wife is headed to the midwest in a couple of days, so she'll have 3000+ miles to report on.

 

[cebuphilippines]

Tomorrow September 24 I’m going to Mavis Tire to have a Kumoh Solus installed onto my 2017 Alltrack SE 17” alloy wheels .. got a good deal ... the OEM tires are piece of sh!t !!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lew Bob]

As I noted elsewhere on this forum, I recently got a set of the new Vredestein Quatrac Pro XL in 225-50 17 for my SE. Using them on OEM 17" rims. They are on 8/10" wider, but otherwise identical in other dimensions to stock tires. Tire Rack gave them an incredible recommendation. Only got about 26,000 on my Falkens (Consumer Reports gave them a great review--not sure how/why!) So far I'm very impressed. Much quieter, even around town. Smoother ride and steering is just as crisp. Small to mid size pavement imperfections are swallowed very well. Have not had a chance to drive them in the wet yet, but my wife is headed to the midwest in a couple of days, so she'll have 3000+ miles to report on.

It took a little sleuthing, but I found that the version Consumer Reports tested has a slightly different model number. On TireRack the stock is the 250 A A /S with wear rating of 320. CR is 250 A/S T with wear rating of 720. The Falken website doesn't even list the OEM size. Confusing. I am assuming that one is S rated while the CR is T rated. CR also tested a V rated. The Consumer Reports version isn't available in a 205/55/17 stock size!

 

[steveinarizona]

I see the same version at CR and TR:

• Size: 205/55R17
• Load Range: XLMax. Load= 1,521 lbs
  Max psi= 51 psi" style="outline: none; border: 0px; margin: auto 0px auto 5px !important; padding: 0px; background: url("/images/css_elements/retail/icon-sprite.png") -30px -1429px no-repeat; width: 15px; height: 15px; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; cursor: pointer;">
• Serv. Desc: 95V Load Index 95= 1,521 lbs (690 kg) per tire
  Speed Rating “V”= 149 mph (240 kph)" style="outline: none; border: 0px; margin: auto 0px auto 5px !important; padding: 0px; background: url("/images/css_elements/retail/icon-sprite.png") -30px -1429px no-repeat; width: 15px; height: 15px; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; cursor: pointer;">
• UTQG: 400 A A

 

[Lew Bob]

Weird. When I go to CR and do a search for 205/55/17 tires NO Falkens show up. Same on the Falken website. The version of the 250 that they tested is T rated.


Speed rating
T
Treadwear warranty
80,000
UTQG treadwear
720

 

[handygal6204]

These Falken tires are junk. They create a lot of road noise, especially on the expressway and at 26K miles, I have to replace them. The car has been making a slight thumping noise for the past month. I always rotated them, but today they wouldn't rotate them any longer due to flat spots and low tread (marked them as "unsafe"). Not acceptable. VW cut us short with cheap, inferior tires. CAN anyone please tell me with which brand they replaced their tires? Perelli Cinturato P7's are on my boyfriend's 2016 VW Golf and they are perfect in all seasons and ride like you are on a cloud. I don't know if this would be a good fit for the Alltrack with the extra weight, though. Any thoughts?

 

[NunyaBinnez]

CAN anyone please tell me with which brand they replaced their tires? Perelli Cinturato P7's are on my boyfriend's 2016 VW Golf and they are perfect in all seasons and ride like you are on a cloud. I don't know if this would be a good fit for the Alltrack with the extra weight, though. Any thoughts?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S gets my vote. After that, the Pilot Super Sport, the Pilot Sport PS2, and last but certainly not least, the Pilot Sport A/S3 Plus if you’re looking for an all season tire.

That’s my $0.02. Your mileage yada yada yada.

 

[Lew Bob]

I have never had an OEM tire last more than 20,000 miles. I put some nice Continentals on my last Sportwagen and after 10,000 or so they were gettting noisy too. I would do some searching on Tire Rack. Read the reviews from customers who have had the tires on their cars for over 10,000 miles so you can see if they stay happy with them as they wear and age. My 2 cents.

 

[Otis]

Yeah those the Conti Pro Contact are good tires, I've purchased them in the past.
I'll be switching to 215/50/17 so I'll have better options for my 17.

Did you switch to these and how did they work out? I looked at a tire calculator and though it is odd the 225/50/17 size is actually nearly identical to 205/55/17 and closer than 215/50/17. I am going to try that with some Pirelli P7s tomorrow. I had great mileage and performance with the Continental ProContact tires on my TDI wagon.

 

[Otis]

As I noted elsewhere on this forum, I recently got a set of the new Vredestein Quatrac Pro XL in 225-50 17 for my SE. Using them on OEM 17" rims. They are on 8/10" wider, but otherwise identical in other dimensions to stock tires. Tire Rack gave them an incredible recommendation. Only got about 26,000 on my Falkens (Consumer Reports gave them a great review--not sure how/why!) So far I'm very impressed. Much quieter, even around town. Smoother ride and steering is just as crisp. Small to mid size pavement imperfections are swallowed very well. Have not had a chance to drive them in the wet yet, but my wife is headed to the midwest in a couple of days, so she'll have 3000+ miles to report on.

I am switching to 225/50/17 tires as well. You have much more selection. I'm going for the Pirelli P7.

 

[steel1]

Did you switch to these and how did they work out? I looked at a tire calculator and though it is odd the 225/50/17 size is actually nearly identical to 205/55/17 and closer than 215/50/17. I am going to try that with some Pirelli P7s tomorrow. I had great mileage and performance with the Continental ProContact tires on my TDI wagon.

I ended up going with a set of 225/50/17 Sumitomo HTR A/S P02.
They got good ratings on tire rack and I got a great deal on them, it helps that there is a tire rack warehouse about
45min. from me so I can pick-up and save some $.
I've had them on for about 5-6k miles and have been very happy with them.
I'm on the road for work in the Northeast and have had them in all weather conditions, no complaints.
A while back I purchased a set of those Pirelli P7s for my wife's car , they have also been a good tire.

 

[Otis]

I ended up going with a set of 225/50/17 Sumitomo HTR A/S P02.
They got good ratings on tire rack and I got a great deal on them, it helps that there is a tire rack warehouse about
45min. from me so I can pick-up and save some $.
I've had them on for about 5-6k miles and have been very happy with them.
I'm on the road for work in the Northeast and have had them in all weather conditions, no complaints.
A while back I purchased a set of those Pirelli P7s for my wife's car , they have also been a good tire.

Thanks. I got the P7s put on today. Just a few miles so far but they are far superior to the OE Falkens. I think the 225/50/17 was a good switch. I got 37K out of them which seems like I did better than most but they were pretty thin at the end.

 

[Lulu]

The Falken tires only lasted 16,000 miles after 1 year on my Alltrack SE. So disappointed.

 

[Ogre72]

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?

I did not like the fallen sincere tires at all. They were noisy. I went with pilot sport 4 all season. comfortable and grippy