Falken Eurowinter HS02 review
The Falken is fine in the dry, but it left us a bit disappointed when things got damp
The Falken scored well in the dry tests, setting the standard in braking and coming home fourth in handling, but there were too few good results for it to finish higher than sixth overall.
In the snow it struggled in braking and acceleration, trailing the field in both disciplines. On the handling circuit it could manage only sixth out of seven, being quite loose, readily slipping wide and requiring very gentle handling to get around the lap.
Its fortunes improved only slightly in the wet. It was sixth in both aquaplaning tests, a long way off the pace in a straight line, but managed fourth on the wet circle. It was equal fifth in wet braking, just over a metre behind the best tyre, and equal fifth fastest on the wet handling circuit. Here it was a couple of seconds off the pace, feeling a little light on grip but with a usefully adjustable balance.
The results were similar in dry handling, although the grip was going away on the second lap. It scored a win in dry braking, a full metre ahead of the next tyre. However, the price of its dry grip was the highest rolling resistance. There’s plenty to do before Falken can start mixing it with the pack in wet and snowy conditions.
We say…
“Decent dry-weather performance but off the pace in the wet and snow, where you want a winter tyre to deliver.”
Blackcircles.com says…
“This tyre is newly launched and we can’t currently provide insight into its popularity with our customers.”
| Falken Eurowinter HS02 | ||
| Overall | 97.5% | |
| Price | £115 | |
| Snow braking | 90.1% | 7th |
| Snow traction | 92.3% | 7th |
| Snow handling | 96.5% | 6th |
| Straight aquaplaning | 86.8% | 6th |
| Curved aquaplaning | 96.5% | 6th |
| Wet braking | 96.3% | =5th |
| Wet handling | 98.2% | =5th |
| Wet circle | 97.5% | 4th |
| Dry braking | 100% | 1st |
| Dry handling | 99.3% | 4th |
| Cabin noise | 99.0% | =4th |
| Rolling resistance | 91.6% | 7th |
