Falken Azenis FK460 A/S Reviews: Good Traction & Performance

The Azenis FK460 impresses all Falken fans with its full-depth sipes, interlocking blocks, and advanced Nano 4D compounds that promise excellent traction and handling. 

This all-season tire has received overwhelmingly positive feedback since its release. Hence, we included the FK460 in our annual test to confirm whether its handling characteristics stay true with those reviews. Click to learn more about its performance. 

Falken Azenis FK460 A/S Specifications & Features

The Azenis FK460 is an ultra-high-performance tire designed for muscle cars, CUVs, performance sedans, and sports coupes that seek confident handling and year-round traction. 

• The tire is constructed with an advanced Nano 4D compound and features an asymmetric tread design with high-grip, large chamfered blocks to deliver great cornering capability and dry grip.
• The optimized footprint maximizes the tire-road contact.
• Aggressive shoulder blocks promote better handling on dry roads.
• Emerging, full-depth grooves improve wet traction.
• Circumferential grooves and lateral voids evacuate water efficiently to reduce hydroplaning.
• Transverse notches create more biting edges and work with the interlocking sipes to grip better on light snow.
• Double steel belts (reinforced by a polyester casing and a polyamide cap ply) stabilize the tread further. 

Falken Azenis FK460 A/S Review & Performance Test Results

We installed the 225/40R18 tire size of the Falken Azenis FK460 A/S on our 2016 Honda Accord during the 2023 COR Wheels Tire Test. 

1. Dry Performance: 9/10

Dry Traction

The Azenis FK460 exhibited great traction on dry city roads. Thanks to the optimized footprint and aggressive shoulder blocks, our Accord traveled at 40 MPH easily with no drifting and just minimal shaking when we accelerated past 55, 60, and 75 MPH. Rolling on rougher surfaces barely dampens the tire’s stability, so you do not have to worry about over-reactions or aggressive shudders when making sharp turns.

This high-performance tire was just as confident when we moved to highways. After vibrating a little in the first 10-15 seconds, the FK460 quickly gripped the asphalt and remained impressively stable as we navigated roadblocks, overtake lanes, and tightly spaced curves. On highways, its contact patch started slipping when we revved past 70 MPH. Still, it should be easy to control the traction loss as long as you reduce the cargo weight to below 200 lbs and only bring about 3 passengers.

Cornering Stability

We were impressed with the FK460’s cornering ability; its large chamfered blocks supported the on-center ribs well, resulting in little to no shuddering when we entered gentle curves. The tire will also remain grippy when you accelerate, decelerate, or engage hard braking, so the risk of collisions or unexpected over-reactions mid-corner is very low.

Like on straight roads, the tire might grow slightly less stable around tight corners when you exceed 70 MPH. The issue is not too dangerous if you are an average/seasoned driver, but for beginners, we suggest traveling light and using shuffle steering to ensure continuous control.

Steering Response

You will not have to worry about delayed responses in basic driving situations, as the Azenis FK460 A/S is responsive and quick. This confident and sharp steering remained on highways and mountain passes, even with extra weight beyond 300 pounds or inconsistent inputs.

Even better, driving at high speeds did not compromise our steering response too much (except when we traveled beyond 70 MPH). Hence, we could experiment with many steering techniques and angles without risking the Accord’s overall balance.

2. Wet Performance: 8.8/10

Wet Traction

The FK460’s deep grooves shone on slippery surfaces, so the tire’s traction was strong even when driving through 4-5 inches of water under the contact patch, allowing our car to handle between 40 and 50 MPH with ease. Accelerating to more than 50 MPH (or abrupt acceleration) caused more slippage around tight corners, but other than that, we only noticed brief and infrequent traction loss.

On another note, the tire struggled more in deeper water (beyond 5 inches) and dragged heavily when loaded with 200-300 lbs of cargo. You can still navigate straight, paved roads decently, but going uphill or downhill will require a lot of consistent and precise steering.

Hydroplaning Resistance

The pathways created by the circumferential grooves did not redirect rainwater as well as we had hoped. A lot of water still clung onto the sidewalls and dampened the tire’s traction through flooded corners and deep water (beyond 5 inches). 

Fortunately, its general lateral voids can still handle slippery surfaces and shallow puddles (even at high speeds), so you do not have to worry too much here. They also excel on highway asphalt and long curves, minimizing hydroplaning issues on these surfaces.

3. Winter/Snow Performance: 6.8/10

Light Snow Traction

Despite the brand’s claim, the transverse notches and interlocking sipes do not combine well, even on light snow. Our car struggled just 2-3 miles into the rides, prompting us to slow down from 40 to 30 MPH for better safety. Snow-covered corners will pose an even more challenge for you, so you should avoid them altogether if you travel with more than 200 lbs of cargo and more than 2 passengers. While snow chains can only gain you more traction on straight, well-paved roads, they seem useless when weaving through vehicles or going through long curves.

Deep Snow Traction

Given the disappointing performance in light snow, the FK460 A/S did not surprise us with its poor deep-snow traction. Acceleration or deceleration easily threw our Accord off-balance if our input was inconsistent, so we had to stick within the 20-25 MPH range only to control slippage. Cornering is clearly out of reach (especially if you have limited experience), and only cargo of less than 50 lbs will be acceptable.

Ice Traction

With all passengers and cargo removed, the FK460 could still manage for 3 miles at best on straight roads; after that, the tire experienced shuddering and vibrating so much that we had to stop our test short.

Needless to say, any type of aggressive handling or tough surfaces (sharp turns, wide skids, tight corners, wet hills, abrupt acceleration, etc.) will dramatically affect the tire’ stability. You should only travel at less than 15 MPH and prepare to engage hard braking anytime.

4. Ride Comfort: 8.5/10

Ride Quality

The Azenis FK460 AS definitely needs improvements regarding its riding quality in deep water and on thick snow and ice. 

Fortunately, we had little problem with it on paved roads or during casual, low-speed rides. The vibrations and jostles were still there but not enough to compromise the FK460’s overall comfort. Cornering or ascending is also manageable even for beginners.

Road Noise

The FK460 is not marketed as a quiet tire. The rumbling grew louder the longer we rode. Still, driving between 30 and 35 MPH will result in much quieter tread noise. So, if you are not an adventurous driver and mostly drive slowly/casually on paved roads, the FK460 promises an impressive, low noise level most of the time.

5. Treadwear Ratings and Durability

Cold, deep rainwater and snow wear out the tire much faster than expected, so we do not recommend traveling in these conditions for too long. 

But on a brighter note, the FK460 is amazing on dry roads and highways at all speeds, easily dealing with heavy cargo or strong steering forces. Its 50,000-mile tire warranty is not the best in the market but still sends you peace of mind, assuring you of driving without treadwear issues for at least 5 years.

Falken Azenis FK460 A/S Pros & Cons

Falken Azenis FK460 A/S Competitors & Alternatives

The Falken Azenis FK460 A/S still stands out when competing with the BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S PLUS, Toyo Extensa HP II, and Yokohama ADVAN Sport A/S+. Nevertheless, you might want to address some of its glaring drawbacks:

• The Falken Azenis FK460 handled road cracks well and had a great athletic feel on highways. Still, we would love to see quicker steering feedback on wet surfaces and light snow.
• The BFGoodrich g-Force had excellent, sporty steering and consistent traction across dry and wet terrains. But its loud tread noise was disappointing. 
• The Toyo Extensa HP II balanced flexibility and stability well on dry tracks. However, the tire was not that impressive in noise reduction and wet performance.
• The Yokohama ADVAN Sport was cushioned and quiet, even in inclement conditions. However, given that it is a Yokohama tire, the dry traction is a bit underwhelming.

Conclusion

The Falken Azenis FK460 A/S delivers an impressive performance in on-road driving conditions, easily handling any speed below 75 MPH. Noise control and winter traction still leave a lot to be desired, however, so be more cautious and use snow chains during longer trips to avoid too much slippage.