Falken have a long history of strong winter tire products, so it's always exciting to receive news of not one, but two new Falken winter tires! 

The new Falken EUROWINTER HS02 replaces the popular HS01, and is aimed at the more normal "everyday" vehicles being offered in 14 to 19 inch wheel sizes. 

The Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro is a new product aimed more at the high performance car and SUV segment. This as an asymmetric tread pattern instead of the HS02s directional tread pattern, which usually means slightly reduced snow performance in favour of more dynamic dry and wet handling.

As these tires are brand new, no one has tested them yet, but you can be sure we'll be trying to get them in the 2023 Tire Reviews winter tire test!

For now, here's the press release.

Press Release

Falken is ready for the next generation with two completely new tires for the cold season: the EUROWINTER HS02 and EUROWINTER HS02 Pro impress with conservation of resources and innovative technical features.

The Falken EUROWINTER HS02 is available with a symmetrical, directional tread in 76 sizes with diameters of 14 to 19 inches and cross sections of 40 to 70 per cent with speed indexes of T, H and V (up to 190, 210 and 240 km/h). In addition, there is the EUROWINTER HS02 Pro for car and SUV drivers with the highest dynamic requirements: 87 sizes are available with diameters of 16 to 21 inches and cross sections of 35 to 70 per cent in speed classes H, V and W (up to 210, 240 and 270 km/h). The tread of the HS02 Pro has an asymmetrical design. The design of both models impresses at first glance with their dynamic side wall design, and the HS02 Pro additionally with a visually appealing nano black logo.

The challenges of driving in the cold season need to be overcome with assurance: the unique connection between the vehicle and the road surface, the tires, provide the essential foundation for successful mastery here. The new Falken EUROWINTER HS02 steps up here with a V-shape, directional tread which is arranged symmetrically. This design allows for outstanding water drainage in the ground contact area. In the 205/55 R 16 size, the tread is able to displace 78 litres per second – and in practice, this technical value means outstanding protection against aquaplaning.

The HS02 Pro, designed for high-performance requirements, in the test size of 245/45 R 18 achieves even greater water drainage at 101 litres per second. Its synergistic tread is combined for balanced performance in all wintry conditions: the development engineers have optimised the inner side of the tread for safe driving in snow and slush, while the outer side is optimised for dry and wet performance. The intelligent interaction between the two tread areas allows for a sporty and precise driving experience with large safety margins.

As an important safety element, however, winter tires must be able not only to handle wet conditions well but also to offer superior properties on snow-covered roads. On the Falken EUROWINTER HS02 and HS02 Pro, specially shaped Miura-Ori 3D ribs, which guarantee reliable traction as well as safe braking performance with short stopping distances, provide this. These recesses in the tread, arranged centrally and multi-directionally in the tread on the HS02, in particular provide increased grip on snow. The graduated 3D tread edges provide essential support here: they increase snow collection on the tread and thus improve road grip. At the same time, the graduation ensures better self-cleaning.

The Falken EUROWINTER HS02 also has a hybrid rib design in which the interlocking 3D ribs can be found in the shoulder area. Thanks to the special design, the developers were able to increase the block rigidity there and therefore make clear improvements to driving stability at the limits. The Falken EUROWINTER HS02 achieves equally exceptional performance on snow-covered, wet and dry roads thanks to the intelligent interaction between the different rib types.

The tread on the HS02 Pro works somewhat differently, taking the target audience into account. Thanks to this zig-zag shape, two circumferential tread grooves generate additional tread edges which ensure reliable traction in snow and slush, improve braking performance and, last but not least, facilitate the best handling properties. Offset tread grooves arranged in a step-down configuration can be found on the inner side of the tread. This design reinforces the good grip on snow and assists with reliable self-cleaning, as well as ensuring the best grip and most precise handling on snow-covered roads.

Together with the tried and tested 4D nano design technology which played a part in the development of the tread compound, the new winter tires from Falken achieve clearly improved wet grip in comparison with more than just their predecessors. Not least, the fuel efficiency and lifespan of the tires also benefit from advanced 4D nano design thanks to low roll resistance and high wear resistance.

Another feature of the new generation of winter tires from Falken is a tire weight which is up to nine per cent (HS02) and up to 14 per cent (HS02 Pro) lower than the corresponding dimensions for previous models. A new lightweight design saves on material and weight thanks to optimised shape and design. Here, the general public benefits from the conservation of resources owing to reduced use of raw materials and drivers benefit from the reduced roll resistance.

Provisional classification of the label values confirms that the Falken EUROWINTER HS02 and HS02 Pro are classes “C” to “D” for fuel consumption, “B” for wet grip and “A” to “B”, corresponding to 67 to 71 dB, for noise emissions.

During the most recent winter test drives in Arnemark in Sweden, the new Falken EUROWINTER HS02 and HS02 Pro proved to be clearly superior in comparison with the internal reference in the criteria of grip on snow, noise level and comfort, fuel efficiency, dry handling, wet handling and wet braking and also left premium competitors in their dust.