Driving in freezing temperatures requires much more of your care and attention, but you also need to be careful with your vehicle and tire choices. Not every vehicle that takes you across the city can function well in deep snow, and it’s the same with tires. For icy, slushy, and slippery pavements and roads covered in thick snow, you need a set of dedicated winter tires. The market has plenty of choices in that segment, such as the Falken Eurowinter HS449.
It’s specially designed for passenger cars and minivans to provide reliable levels of traction in the winter. In this review, we’ll look at the performance in different conditions. Let’s begin!
Dry Performance
The Falken Eurowinter HS449 isn’t built for summer days, and that becomes evident in the first few miles you drive with these on dry tarmac. The tire isn’t very stable at high speeds but remains reasonably predictable. You’ll have to make do with mediocre levels of traction and braking performance in dry conditions, but the tire is still usable for your point A to point B city needs.
Overall, the Falken Eurowinter HS449 didn’t impress us on dry roads, but that’s also the case with most dedicated winter tires out there.
Wet Performance
The Falken Eurowinter HS449 shows great promise on wet roads! It’s got ideal handling for slippery and wet conditions. There’s no oversteer or understeer to speak of even as you take sharp corners in the rain, which is an excellent sign of promising wet performance. The tire remains surefooted and provides ample wet traction for cruising and accelerating in the rain.
The tire’s hydroplaning resistance and braking performance are also more than satisfactory, so the tire clears the test of rain pretty comfortably.
Snow Performance
This is where the Falken Eurowinter HS449 really opens up its wings. It’s designed to be a reliable partner in the snow, and it certainly helps up to our expectations. You’ll feel as though you’re driving on a wet road rather than a snow-covered one — that’s how well it grips in snow conditions.
Thanks to the high levels of winter traction you get with this tire, you’ll probably never get stuck in the snow with it!
The tire corners confidently on snowy roads, too. The front tires effortlessly bite into snow to keep you cruising regardless of slushy, icy, or snowy surfaces.
Ride Quality
Being a winter tire, it’s not the ideal choice for a luxurious ride on the highway. Sure, you’ll have a smooth enough ride on a well-paved road, but as the road gets bumpy, so does the ride! Textured or rough roads will send some vibrations to the cabin, along with a noticeable tire roar as you accelerate.
In short, the tire’s ride quality depends on external factors more so than its own design — such as the quality of suspension in your vehicle, its sound insulation, how smooth the road is, and how fast you’re going. Not ideal, but that’s what you get with most mid-tier winter tires.
Conclusion
The Falken Eurowinter HS449 certainly delivers its primary promise of exceptional snow performance, that’s for sure. There’s not much to dislike about the tire as long as you understand the dynamics of its category. For instance, subpar dry performance and comfort levels aren’t new to the Eurowinter HS449, most winter tires have those weaknesses unless you go for a premium alternative from brands like Michelin.
With that said, the tire’s wet performance, winter capabilities, and pricing are a few compelling factors that make the Falken Eurowinter HS449 an excellent choice for your winter driving needs.