Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S vs Toyo Proxes Sport A/S tires

All-season tires are the one-stop-shopping solution for tires on American highways, and for good reason. They are tires you can count on for a quiet and controlled ride, quick, responsive, and predictable handling, year-round traction in about every weather condition other than heavy snow, and a long service life with durable construction and a generous treadwear warranty.

Premium all-season tires are so prevalent that they’re often the OEM tire of choice for many high-end sedans, SUVs, and crossovers, and the Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S and Toyo Proxes Sport A/S are both perfect examples of what to expect with these kinds of all-season tires. They’re both very competent, capable tires that bring with them their own unique sets of strengths and weaknesses, which we’re going to compare and contrast in this head-to-head matchup.

In the course of this product line comparison, you’ll see us make frequent reference to SimpleScore; if you’re not acquainted with it, SimpleScore is the rating system that the SimpleTire team developed to give you an at-a-glance idea of a tire’s performance and capability. We look at a tire’s specs, reviews, and other data points, then take that info and process it into a numerical value between 1 and 10 for the categories of traction, handling, and longevity for any given tire. For the Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S and Toyo Proxes Sport A/S, the SimpleScore numbers are as follows:

Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S

• Traction: 8.5
• Handling: 8.6
• Longevity: 8.7
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.6

Toyo Proxes Sport A/S

• Traction: 8.9
• Handling: 9.0
• Longevity: 8.3
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.9

As you can see from their SimpleScore numbers, the Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S and Toyo Proxes Sport A/S are both strong performers with good ratings, but with their strengths and weaknesses. SimpleScore is helpful as an overview, but it’s also a 30,000 foot view that doesn’t give a comprehensive picture of what a tire is about. Let’s compare and contrast to get a closer look at what these two tires are all about:

Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S tires

First, let’s talk about the Ziex ZE960 A/S from Falken. The Ziex ZE960 A/S isn’t technically a UHP tire, but it does deliver performance that’s in line with what you’d expect with UHP tires – except in a premium all-season tire package. The Ziex ZE960 A/S incorporated Falken's circumferential, angled, and cross-hatch grooves with innovative Flask Siping and Canyon Groove Technology for enhanced winter grip and hydroplaning resistance, pulling a SimpleScore of 8.6 for traction. Falken engineered the tread compound of the Ziex ZE960 A/S not only for long, even wear but also for flexibility to deliver excellent grip in subfreezing weather. Cornering, braking, and steering response are crisp and sharp, with a tread face optimized for rigidity and robust internal construction. We were told that we gave this tire a SimpleScore of 8.6 for handling. Falken stands by the Ziex ZE960 A/S with a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty for H- and V-rated sizes and a 45,000 mile warranty for W-rated sizes, which is worthy of a very strong SimpleScore of 8.7 for longevity. SimpleTire’s Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S price starts at $81.00 per tire.

Toyo Proxes Sport A/S tires

Here at the SimpleTire team, we've known for some time that Toyo products offer great value, and the Proxes Sport A/S is a tire that ranks right up there with the rest of Toyo’s line in that regard. The Proxes A/S Sport is designed to offer all-season, year-round performance along with direct and nimble steering, short braking distances, and precise cornering ability. Our SimpleScore for traction is a solid 8.9, thanks to its combination of multi-wave sipes, angled grooves, and circumferential grooves, all working together for enhanced grip on wet, dry, or snowy pavement. Handling is another area where this tire is a standout, thanks to a contact patch that’s redesigned to keep the most rubber in contact with the road, a specialized rib design, and a silica-rich tread compound (SimpleScore: 9.1). The Proxes Sport is covered by a 40,000 mile manufacturer’s treadwear warranty, enough to register a SimpleScore of 8.3 for longevity. Finally, we should also mention that the Proxes Sport A/S is designed with an integral rim guard on the sidewall, helping to protect your tires and rims against curb scuffs and abrasions.

Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S vs Toyo Proxes Sport A/S tires on traction

When it comes to the traction category, the Falken weighs in with a SimpleScore of 8.5 vs 8.9 for the Toyo. We’re impressed by the innovative arrangement of grooves and Flask Siping on the Falken, and the flexible tread compound gives it a consistent and reliable grip in subfreezing weather. The Toyo comes out ahead, though, with a silica-rich tread formulation that boosts wet-weather traction and a tread design that, while it’s a little more conventional, delivers superior grip in winter conditions (although neither tire is 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rated for severe winter service). Our verdict:

ADVANTAGE: Toyo Proxes Sport A/S

Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S vs Toyo Proxes Sport A/S tires on handling

Here’s another one where the Toyo Proxes Sport A/S is clearly out in front, with a SimpleSCore of 9.0 for handling vs 8.6 for the Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S. While steering response, cornering, and overall road manners with the Falken are admirable, the center rib design, reinforced shoulder, optimized footprint, and silica-rich tread compound of the Toyo all enhance cornering and steering response. It might seem like a subtle hair-splitting difference, but we collect information from customer reviews and real-world experience. Our decision:

ADVANTAGE: Toyo Proxes Sport A/S

Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S vs Toyo Proxes Sport A/S tires on longevity

In the longevity category, these comparisons start getting a little easier to decide because treadwear coverage often tells the whole story. In the case of the Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S, the limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage is 65,000 miles (40,000 for W-rated sizes) vs a 40,000 mile warranty for the Toyo Proxes Sport A/S. That calculates to a SimpleScore of 8.7 for the Falken vs. 8.3 for the Toyo, so it’s more or less a no-brainer here. Our decision:

ADVANTAGE: Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S

When to use each

First off, let’s just note here that the Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S and Toyo Proxes Sport A/S are both superb performance-oriented all-season tires; any tire with an overall SimpleScore in the upper 8s or lower 9s is going to be a strong performer. Our experience is that either the Falken or the Toyo would make a great choice for year-round grip, great road manners, and a quiet, refined ride, with the Toyo offering handling that’s more responsive and controlled. The only situations where these tires would be less capable of doing the job would be for deeper snow, and to be real honest, most all-season tires can’t get the job done in those situations unless they’re designated with the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service. For most sedans, coupes, minivans, or crossovers where you’re looking for those qualities in a tire, you can’t go wrong with either the Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S or the Toyo Proxes Sport A/S.

Which one should you choose?

This is when it gets difficult doing these comparisons with two tires that both have as many positives as the Falken Ziex ZE960 A/S and the Toyo. The Falken and the Toyo both deliver great handling and steering response, offer versatile and reliable traction, and offer a quiet and forgiving ride for a wide range of sedans, coupes, minivans, and crossovers. While both tires come in at comparable (and pretty affordable) price points, the Toyo edges past the Falken in the SimpleScore categories and comes out with a taller overall average SimpleScore of 8.9 vs 8.6 for the Falken. While the Falken has a lot to bring to the table, that SimpleScore is pretty compelling, and for our money here at the SimpleTire team, we’d probably have to go with the Toyo instead.

Still unsure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help. Our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.