Falken Tire is a well-established tire manufacturer that is a subsidiary of the Japanese tire maker, Sumitomo Rubber Industries. It has a large portfolio of tires that has a variety of tires for passenger cars, minivans, CUVs, SUVs, and light and medium trucks in different categories such as all-season, all-terrain, mud terrain, UHP, summer, and winter. The Eurowinter HS449 falls in the winter category of Falken tires.

Designed for passenger cars, sporty sedans, CUVs, and minivans, the Eurowinter HS449 is Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified which assures its good performance in severe winter weather conditions. The optimized tread pattern pushes water and slush away from the tire to provide confident traction and grip on slippery roads. The special winter rubber compound prevents the tire from hardening and maintains its flexibility in lower temperatures. The intelligent sipes provide additional biting edges for improved handling and performance on snow and ice. Available in key tire sizes, the Eurowinter HS449 promises to be a capable contender to be on your buying list.

So, is it really good enough to make it to the buying bay? Let’s find out in this Falken Eurowinter HS449 tire review. Read on.

Features and Benefits

Winter tires are engineered to offer superior grip, traction, and performance in severe winter weather conditions. Their tread features wide grooves to resist aquaplaning while their dense sipes provide extra grip. Let’s see what all features are present in the Eurowinter HS449.

• Aggressive tread pattern – The tread design of the Eurowinter HS449 features deep and wide circumferential and lateral grooves that quickly evacuate water and slush from the tread to avoid the risk of hydroplaning. The directional tread pattern seamlessly interlocks with the surface to provide you with solid traction and handling in icy and snowy conditions.
• Extra grip with 3D Canyon Sipe Technology – Under Falken’s 3D Canyon Sipe technology, each tread block features enhanced biting edges that work in tandem with deep grooves to help in providing additional grip. Also, this tech not only aids in reducing braking distances on icy or snowy roads but also helps in ensuring faster pickup from the resting position.
• Low-temperature resistant compound – Making driving through the ice easy is the low-temperature resistant compound that maintains the flexibility of the tread even in freezing conditions. The advanced rubber compound ensures silica molecules do not contract which may lead to cracking of the tire.

Pros and Cons

While Eurowinter HS449 has a lot of positives up its sleeve, there are some negatives too. Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of the Falken tire before citing our final recommendation.

Pros

• Directional tread design for improved grip and stability
• Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified for improved performance in severe winter weather conditions
• 3D Canyon Sipe technology for improved traction through extra sipes
• Advanced tread compound for resisting extreme temperatures
• Staggered block variation to reduce noise
• Deep and wide grooves to resist hydroplaning
• Solid shoulder pattern for confident cornering and even wear

Cons

• High rolling resistance leads to poor fuel efficiency
• Dry performance could be better
• Cannot be used when temperatures are consistently above 45 degrees Fahrenheit
• Not backed by a limited manufacturer tread life warranty

SimpleTire’s view on Falken Eurowinter HS449 tires

To sum it up, the Eurowinter HS449 (starts around $140 due to its large, 16-inch sizes) checks most of the boxes to earn a place in your winter tire probables as it features improved grip, traction, and stability, decent handling and cornering, solid performance in ice and snow, and extra durability. However, if you do have to compromise on dry performance and fuel economy with the HS449s.

It competes with the likes of Toyo Observe G3-Ice (starts around $87), Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 (starts around $82), General Altimax Arctic 12 (starts around $101).

Vehicles the Falken Eurowinter HS449 is a good replacement tire for

The Falken tire isn’t an OE-fitted tire, however, it is a great replacement alternative for vehicles such as Audi A4 Quattro, BMW 320i, Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Honda Crosstour, Hyundai Veloster, Infiniti Q50, Kia Optima, Mazda 6, and Subaru Impreza WRX.