Falken Azenis FK450 A/S vs Ironman iMove Gen 3 A/S tires

There’s a good reason why all-season tires are the go-to choice of most drivers; year in and year out, they’re the single biggest-selling tire category. Premium all-season tires are versatile, designed as a do-it-all, capable option that drivers rely on for long wear, year-round grip, crisp and responsive handling, and a quiet, refined, balanced ride. When it’s time for tires and you’re looking for a premium all-season option, it would be great if you could find a tire that delivers the best of both worlds: the traction of an all-season tire paired with the sharp cornering, steering response, and overall performance of a summer or ultra-high-performance (UHP) tire. That combination makes even better sense when you consider that the softer, stickier tread formulation of summer and UHP tires will stiffen up and lose grip on colder days. Since UHP-summer tires cannot be used in the cold, we advise you to get UHP all-season tires for year-round use.

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 a 1-10 numerical score. For UHP all-season tires Ironman iMove Gen 3 A/S and Falken Azenis FK450 A/S, the SimpleScore ratings shake out like this:

Ironman iMove Gen 3 A/S

• Traction: 7.9
• Handling: 8.1
• Longevity: 8.7
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.2

Falken Azenis FK450 A/S

• Traction: 9.0
• Handling: 9.4
• Longevity: 7.0
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.1

As you can see, the Falken and the Ironman aren’t exactly evenly matched, but they both have their own sets of pluses and minuses. As handy as SimpleScore is, though, the 30,000-foot view 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 tire comparison:

Falken Azenis FK450 A/S tires

Here at the SimpleTire team, just about every tire in the Falken product line has been making 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 drivers depend on for year-round grip. Its system of circumferential and angled grooves does a great job of routing water away from the tires’ contact patch to mitigate any tendency towards hydroplaning, and the Falken Azenis FK450 A/S features a network of sipes that multiply the tread’s surface area and traction to slice through snow and slush in winter weather. Handling is light and quick with its solid center rib and reinforced shoulders that resist the momentum 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 tread compound of the Azenis FK450 A/S for excellent wear properties as well as helping to enhance wet-weather traction; it’s covered by a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty. Its blend of performance, year-round grip, and long wear make it a great, versatile choice for drivers of sporty sedans, coupes, and crossovers.

Ironman iMove Gen 3 A/S tires

So what does the Ironman iMove Gen 3 A/S bring to the game? Like the Falken, Ironman designed the iMove Gen 3 A/S for capable performance as well as year-round grip. The iMove Gen 3 A/S features an asymmetric all-season tread with circumferential and angled grooves to resist hydroplaning. Its innovative sipe design includes offset sipes and sharply angled slits that bite into snow and slush for decisive winter traction, and its larger tread blocks give the Ironman an added measure of traction on dry or wet roads. Its tread compound is optimized for great wear properties and improved traction on wet roads; the Ironman is covered by a 40,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty. Along with sharp performance and year-round grip, the Ironman is designed for a quiet, forgiving ride, with a tread pitch that’s randomized and computer-tuned to negate certain frequencies and overtones, keeping road noise low. It has the same V-speed rating as the Azenis FK450 A/S.

Falken Azenis FK450 A/S vs Ironman iMove Gen 3 A/S tires on traction

How do the Falken and the Ironman come out in the traction category? With a SimpleScore of 9.0 for the Falken and 7.9 for the Ironman, there’s a pretty considerable gap there. Reviews point to the Falken delivering better grip on wet or snowy pavement, owing to its advanced sipe network and groove design. While the Ironman is capable and consistent, the Falken gets the definite edge here, which is reflected in its cornering ability and shorter braking distances as well. Our call:

ADVANTAGE: Falken Azenis FK450 A/S

Falken Azenis FK450 A/S vs Ironman iMove Gen 3 A/S tires on handling

When it comes to handling, the Falken has a near-untouchable SimpleScore of 9.4 vs 8.1 for the Ironman. We’d chalk a lot of that up to Falken’s Tension Control Technology system, which helps the tire resist flex and tread squirm while being pushed hard into a corner or during quick maneuvers. Any tire needs to be able to stay firmly planted on the road during cornering, without momentum deforming the tread area, and the TCT design of the Falken helps to enhance those traits as well as giving it excellent high-speed stability. Our call:

ADVANTAGE: Falken Azenis FK450 A/S

Falken Azenis FK450 A/S vs Ironman iMove Gen 3 A/S tires on longevity

This one’s a bit of a conundrum, to be honest. In most cases, the SimpleScore for longevity is tied directly to the tire’s limited manufacturer’s tread wear coverage. The Falken, though, gets a SimpleScore of 7.0 with its 50,000 miles of coverage, vs. 8.7 for the Ironman (with a 40,000 mile warranty). What gives? In these instances, we have to defer to customer reviews, and the feedback we’ve been hearing on the Ironman is more positive in that regard than with the Falken. Our call:

ADVANTAGE: Ironman iMove Gen 3 A/S

When to use each

When we’re talking about a premium Ironman tire vs. a premium Falken tire, you probably would be making a good choice with either one. Both are equally great values and strong performers 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 snow and slush (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 Ironman although it doesn’t quite compare as 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.

Which one should you choose?

As you can see, when it comes to SimpleScore numbers, there’s a pretty big disparity between the two tires. The Falken consistently outranks the Ironman in all the SimpleScore categories, but there’s a little more to it than that. The Ironman iMove Gen 3 A/S has a starting price of $53 per tire, and any tire that gets an overall SimpleScore of 8.2 at that price point has to be doing something right since there are tires that cost twice that much (or more) that don’t do that well in SimpleScore rankings.

How much money do you want to spend on a set of all-season tires? If you’ve got a later model vehicle and don’t mind spending more, go for the Falken. If you’ve got something that’s older or has a lot of miles and you don’t want to break the bank on tires, go for the Ironman. You won’t be making a bad decision either way.

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.