ZIEX ZE310EC

<p>Might be decent tyres for a family sedan but not the best choice for a coupe driven spiritedly. Grip and noise degradation were noticable by the 4th year. In all aspects, better than Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance and nowhere near Michelin PS3s on this car.</p>

Picked these up 3 days ago to replace my 4 year old Rapid P609, which honestly wore out way too fast at around 13,000 km. Was deciding between this and the 520 model, but at about $170 each it was an easy choice.
Originally was looking at PS5, RE003, AD09, MC7, but the price on those are almost double, so decided to give these a go instead in 235/40/18.
First impression, the drop in road noise is seriously noticeable. Same highway run over the weekend and the cabin is way quieter. Even in a 90s car you can feel the difference. Now I can actually hear more of my exhaust than tyre noise, which says a lot.
Have not tested in the wet yet, will update later once I do.
Cornering wise, feels about the same as the P609 when it was new. Maybe slightly better but that could just be because these are fresh and the old ones were basically on the wear bar. Still, confidence is there.
Ride comfort over bumps is pretty similar too, even though I went from 45 series to 40 series, so no real complaints there.
Treadwear is rated at 320 same as the P609, so hopefully these last a lot longer and keep the noise down over time. Will see how they go with some spirited driving.

Have just completed 1 front set of these tyres, replaced faulty Michelin Primacy 4's (developed slow puncture after only a few hundred miles - gutted!), and I only bought them as that's what the first tyre place I pulled into had in stock, and were recommended by the owner...
For a so-called "budget tyre" this one thinks it's a premium! I have been really impressed with the wet & dry handling (loses it in the snow + ice, but it IS a summer tyre, adjust accordingly). The wear is phenomenal, it has lasted as long as the Primacy 4's (on the back with 10,000 miles on them), on a FWD car, meaning all the weight & wear is over them, and they have now all died around the 32,000 mile mark! The only aspect to these tyres in a negative sense; is the handling/feedback, which is lacking...but something has to give for the grip and longevity. Road noise is also an issue, as if you feed these fresh tarmac, all good, but on the old worn and knackered roads (increasing more and more lately sadly), the noise is bad, vibrations and transfer through the steering, and not in a good way; the feel and feedback you want...but it IS a heavy tyre. On that point, the economy is also lacking, but there are far worse out there in the world. These will never compete with the likes of the Goodyear EfficientGrip, but equally all those positives HAVE to have a drawback somewhere...they aren't the worst! They handle/perform predictably right up until the very end, with no major fluctuation in behaviour, which is also to be praised.
Would I buy these same tyres again? Yes. I don't really understand why they are so close in price and almost all areas, to the Azenis (in some places are actually more expensive), to be fair I believe these have a longer mileage/life all things being equal. I have chosen to replace all 4 wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1-Asy6's, and the only real reason I did, was because the outlet offered 20% off a set of 4, which TECHNICALLY made them cheaper per unit than the Falkens.If it wasn't for that, I would likely have picked these again.

I've driven them 70.000 km for 5 years. Excellent wet and dry performance, car still handles pretty good in both wet and dry conditions. My previous tyres were michelin primacy 4. stiffer and noisier than michelins but the sidewalls are so strong. Also no sidewall cracks in my tyres.
I want to buy it again but they no longer produce 92 load index for new ziex.

3 years on
Have run the Falkens over 2 + [1/2] full sets.
Car is Renault Twingo RS. Cup chassis "Silverstone" ltd edition.
Pretty specific size 195-40/17 so not a lot out there.
Have zero complaints about falkens in wet dry or during winter - as long as you drive to the "season".
Surprising in the wet, excellent in dry. Wear is good. My tyres come as XL Vs
It may well be the chassis that is allowing them to flourish.
Seasonally, there are better out there.
But as an all rounder they are v effective and the price is really good to say the least.
In fact I will go as far as to say performance to £/$ wise they are a steal.