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Last updated 7/18/2024 - Originally published 7/18/2024
Written by SimpleTire
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Year in and year out, all-season tires are the go-to choice of most drivers, and for good reason. Premium all-season tires are versatile and designed as do-it-all, capable solutions that deliver long wear, year-round grip, crisp and responsive handling, along with quiet, refined, and controlled rides. When it’s time for tires and you’re looking for a premium all-season option, it’s naturally even better if you can find a tire that will offer the best of both worlds: the traction of an all-season tire paired with the sharp cornering, steering response, and overall performance as a summer or ultra-high-performance (UHP) tire. That combination sounds even better when you consider that the softer, stickier tread formulation of summer and UHP tires will harden and lose grip on colder days, which is why tire makers advise against using summer tires if temperatures are below 40-45 degrees F. The above reasons tempt us to suggest UHP all-season tires for your vehicles.
Are you familiar with SimpleTire’s SimpleScore system? SimpleScore is the rating method that our team came up with to give you a quick at-a-glance idea of any tire’s strengths and weaknesses. We look at a tire’s spec sheet, reviews, and other pertinent information, then take that information and process it into 1-10 numerical scores. For the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S and Falken Azenis FK450 A/S, the SimpleScore ratings shake out like this:
As you can see, the Falken and the GT Radial aren’t exactly evenly matched, but they both have their strengths and weaknesses. As handy as SimpleScore is, though, it’s a 30,000-foot view that doesn’t give you the whole picture and the real details you need to make an informed decision. Let’s go in for a closer look at this Azenis FK450 A/S vs Champiro UHP A/S tires comparison:
Here at the SimpleTire team, just about every tire in the Falken product line has made a good impression on us for some time, and the Azenis FK450 A/S is no exception. Falken designed the Azenis FK450 A/S for true UHP performance in a tire that offers year-round grip. Its system of circumferential and angled grooves does a great job of diverting water away from the tires’ contact patch to mitigate any tendency towards hydroplaning, and the Azenis FK450 A/S features a network of sipes (like the Bridgestone) that help slice through snow and slush in winter weather. Handling is light and direct with its solid center rib and reinforced shoulders that resist the inertia of hard cornering and quick maneuvers. Falken’s Tension Control Technology helps balance out stresses within the tire’s internal construction for an extra-rigid tread face and the kind of stability that goes with a V (149 mph) speed rating. Falken designed the Azenis FK450 A/S’s tread formulation for excellent wear properties and to help enhance wet-weather traction; it’s covered by a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty. Its mix of performance, year-round grip, and long wear make it a great choice for drivers of sporty sedans, coupes, and crossovers, leading to an average SimpleScore of 8.1.
While the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S possesses characteristics of an all-season tire such as consistent year-round grip, it’s also loaded with the kind of features and performance that align more with what you’d expect from a summer or UHP tire. Its specially engineered silica-rich tread formulation boosts grip and traction in wet weather and also delivers low rolling resistance and long, even wear. A built-in rim protector on the sidewall is designed to help guard expensive rims and the tire against accidental curb scrapes and abrasions.
The all-season tread on this symmetric tire features a solid, continuous center rib that gives it secure straight-line stability at highway speeds as well as sharp and immediate steering response. Circumferential and angled grooves help resist hydroplaning by channeling water away from the tire’s contact patch on wet roads. Large, reinforced shoulder blocks give the Champiro UHP A/S excellent cornering ability as they resist the inertia and forces of hard maneuvers, and notches along the shoulder blocks work as a cohesive system with the tire’s other tread elements for wet-weather traction. It is good enough for an average SimpleScore of 7.8.
The tread pitch of the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S is randomized and computer-tuned to neutralize certain frequencies and resonances to keep road noise to a minimum. GT Radial covers the Champiro UHP A/S with a 45,000 mile manufacturer’s treadwear warranty. All these features come with a price that starts at $93.99, making the Champiro UHP A/S a top-notch value in a performance all-season tire.
How do the Falken and the GT Radial compare to each other when it comes to traction? With a SimpleScore of 9.0 for the Falken and 7.9 for the GT Radial, this one’s not even close. The GT Radial delivers dependable grip on dry or wet pavement, but the system of sipes, circumferential grooves, and angled grooves in the Falken’s tread gives it a definite edge, especially in snow or slush. That’s the kind of thing that can mean shorter braking distances, better cornering, and more decisive acceleration without wheelspin. Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Falken Azenis FK450 A/S
Now let’s talk for a minute about handling performance, with Falken’s SimpleScore of 9.4 vs. 8.0 for the GT Radial. With a gap between SimpleScores like that, Falken must be doing something right; it’s Falken’s Tension Control Technology that makes all the difference here. Any vehicle that’s trying to negotiate a corner has to fight the vehicle’s weight and momentum (and an extra imbalance of weight distribution with the engine over the front wheels). Inertia tries to keep it pointed in a straight line, and a softer, mushier tire will distort and “buckle” somewhat, sometimes with its inward side leaving the pavement slightly. A more rigid structure will keep the tread planted firmly on the pavement to resist tread squirm and distortion for more predictable cornering. Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Falken Azenis FK450 A/S
When it comes to longevity and service, it’s a bit of a conundrum with the Falken vs. the GT Radial. In most cases, it’s the limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty that tells the whole story, and the Falken has a 50,000 mile coverage, compared to 45,000 miles for the GT Radial. Yet the GT Radial comes in with a SimpleScore of 7.9 vs. 7.0 for the Falken, so what gives here? In cases like this, we generally defer to customer reviews, and those reviews point to the GT Radial having a longer service life, most likely due to its tread formulation (yes, they can differ that much from one make of tire to another). Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S
When we’re talking about a premium GT Radial tire vs a premium Falken tire, you probably would be making a good choice with either one. Both are equally great performers and great values for a wide variety of sedans, coupes, minivans, and crossovers; both offer admirable grip and handling in wet or dry conditions, with the exception being heavier winter conditions (neither tire has a 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for winter traction, and most non-3PMSF all-season tires don’t do well in heavier winter weather). The Falken is designed for a quiet and luxurious ride, along with a generous treadwear warranty and enhanced handling. For that matter, so is the GT Radial although it doesn’t quite stack up favorably against the Falken in the SimpleScore ratings. Long story short, though, these are both good candidates for any driver who needs all-season performance but also likes to test their vehicles’ performance envelope now and again.
Let’s take a look at what the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S and Falken Azenis FK450 A/S bring to the game. Both tires are intended for the same performance parameters when it comes to noise level, ride quality, handling, year-round grip, steering response, and treadwear. Both have sets of design features that look pretty good when compared to each other, but the Falken consistently outranks the GT Radial in all the SimpleScore categories except for longevity.
There’s quite a difference in price between the two, though, with the GT Radial being a downright affordable tire for what it offers. With all that in mind, we think that the Falken is the superior tire all the way around, but if we were on a budget (maybe buying tires for an older vehicle and not wanting to empty a bank account), we’d opt for the GT Radial.
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, and our helpful agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.
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