Bought 4 Falken ZE914 215/55 R16 97W tires for a VW Sharan 1.9 TDI. Existing tires were Dunlop SP Sport 2020E and had around 2-3mm tread on the back tires and 2mm left on the front tires. I've driven on Firestones and Dunlop SP Sport 9000 on previous cars. Dunlop advised changing to SP Sport 01 as they had stiffer shoulders so better road holding, because the VW Sharan has higher center of gravity. However I took a risk and went for an untried brand Falken Ziex 914 due to £20 price difference per tire. I definitely made the CORRECT choice. Tire pressures were kept the same as on the old tires according to VW recommendations on the fuel cap. I ran in the tires for 250 miles on local trips and on a motorway journey at 55 mph as advised. I''ve driven over 800 miles on motorway and local roads now and in comparison to the Dunlop SP Sport 2020e I got the following results in order of benefit. 1. Lighter steering, makes driving and parking much much easier, the tires are somehow very light, even after running in. 2. Fuel MPG improved considerably by 4 + mpg as shown on the vw dash meter average. The MPG has gone up by at least 6 mpg on the motorway speeds of 55 to 75 mph 3. Comfort has improved, car is smoother over minor bumps, and slightly better over bigger bumps than the Dunlops. I've kept tire pressures the same as the Dunlops. 4. Dry grip has improved slightly. I've noticed that the car no longer understeers or oversteers at 30mph - 40 mph on dual carriageway and motorway slip road bends. 5. Wet grip has considerably improved and I can feel control of the car at speed in the rain and can change lanes on a motorway feeling in control when I need to quickly move the car left or right when lane changing. 6. Noise is not noticeable locally but has slightly improved on the motorway. 7. Tire Wear - Still too early even after 800 miles, will try to leave another review after 10K miles
Overall Verdict. After lots of research and nearly buying the SP Sport 01 or the SP Sport Blueresponse after reading reviews, I'm happy I made the right choice and saved money by choosing the Falken Ziex ZE914. I feel performance and comfort has increased. Previously only bought the bigger brands but now MUST consider mid price brands like Falken.