Hankook Reviews

Initial Review, 200 Miles on Tires
April 14, 2013

Just got these to replace my worn out Hankooks. Initial impression is great ! Responsive with good grip. Less noisy than my old tires.

Initial Review, 3,500 Miles on Tires
February 09, 2013

After putting 51,000 miles on my OEM tires (Hankook Optimo H431), it was time to replace them. I must say that I was very pleased with the Hankook tires and had always thought I would go back with them. But when the time came, I took a look at every option that was available. What really sold me on the Continental PureContact tire was the warranty, UTQG, and price. All three points were much better then the OEM Hankook tires. Also, I opted to size up from P225 to P235 which gives me alittle taller and wider tire with abit more sidewall for ride comfort. While I might have lost alittle dry cornering from the OEM tires, I have gained in ride comfort, less road noise, better traction in rain or snow, and I believe alonger lasting tire. I am a VERY spirited driver, and I must say that these tires give me confidence in all weather conditions. I'm already saying that when it comes time to replace these tires that I'll buy them again.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
April 02, 2013

Went from the OEM 225/45/18 Hankook Optimo H431 on OEM 18x8 to 245/35/19 Michelin PSS on 19x8.5 wheels. I'm very ocd when it comes to proper air pressure. I use nitrogen and run 38psi, 3psi over oem to optimize for proper load rating. Even though I drive a 4-door sedan, I drive it spirited! The PSSs in my honest opinion is an incredible tire in all aspects. I use to race BMWs and Mazdas in SCCA and know a little about racing. Hence, this tire has great turn-in and allows for sustained control cornering with little push. The variable contact patch seems to just bite the harder I engage cornering and handles the car's weight transfer during cornering, maximizing lateral grip. Wet weather handling is great, however our rainy season has yet to hit us down here in central Florida. In the rain that we have had the tire does very well in both handling, hydroplaning, and breaking. I've driven on Goodyear's F1, Bridgestone's S04, and Conti's Contact DW & DWS. Looking forward to updating this review after I put some mileage on the tires. Stay tuned!

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
April 02, 2013

I think I am the only review here that has these "SUV" tires on a luxury passenger car. I bought these solely on price and reviews on Tire Rack, and I'm very pleasantly surprised at the outstanding quality and value. I came off a set of Hankook V-12's that were an excellent summer tire in all ways except tread life. Since I plan to sell this car in a year or so, I got the "cheapest" tire available. In terms of ride and quietness (2 traits most important to my wife), these even exceeded the Hankooks, which were in themselves vastly superior the the OEM Pirelli P-zeros. In deep snow in Colorado during a ski trip last month, they were outstanding; I did better than a guy in a Grand Cherokee (2wd) we were following during a heavy snow!
Anyone seeking a really good tire at an amazing price, don't hesitate getting these for ANY vehicle.

Initial Review, 22,000 Miles on Tires
March 15, 2013

These tires would probably be perfect for a non-enthusiat living in a dry warm climate. In any other environment they are junk. This is the 3rd set of tires for my Forester and I can't believe the lack of grip when it's even slightly moist out. Once it's really wet it's like driving on ice. They are very quiet and ride extremly well. They are also good at sliding around on dirt roads, which can be fun. If it's muddy you better take a detour. Will try something else if they ever wear out.

Initial Review, 41,000 Miles on Tires
March 13, 2013

These were the factory tires on my wife's 2011 Hyundai Elantra GLS. Overall, not a bad tire. I was very surprised to get 40k miles, although they really could have been replaced 5,000 miles ago, but the weather has been very dry so we've put it off a bit longer. I would call this an average tires. Its got some good things and bad things about it. The worst thing I would say is the road noise as they wear down. Although they were never quiet, they were not an issue the first 20,000 miles or so. After that, they have gotten noticeably louder. If you have more of an economy car like the Elantra that doesn't have good sound deadening for the interior, these tires will get pretty noisy about half way into the tread life.
As far as how they drive, I would say they are great on dry roads, average on wet roads. We've only driven with ice or snow a couple of times since we are in Fort Worth, so we don't have enough feedback to give an honest opinion on ice and snow.
As far as value, I think there are a lot better options available at this price or spend a few bucks more per tire and get something great. We are ready to replace and are going to choose between Pirelli or Yokohama.

Initial Review, 7,000 Miles on Tires
December 27, 2009

Well this is a pretty crappy tire. It doesn't accel in any category that I can tell. The wet traction (where it's supposed to shine) is not all that good. Neither is the dry. The noise is ---awful now that they are about 60% worn down.....all in all it's not really any good.



I'll go back to a Fuzion ZRi or BFG G-Force Sport before this again. The ONLY redeeming quality was the now gone rebate I got.



These are like the Kumho Ecsta SPT only worse in every way by a slight amount...except price...much pricier per mile.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 27, 2011

This is my second set of the Pilots on this car. I've tried Hankook Ventus (good ride, but very soft compund and they only lasted 12000 miles) and Toyo TR-1s (not a great handling tire, and poor in the rain). These are great. You feel secure, they're not too stiff so you get an excellent ride. They're a bit noisy on grooved concrete, but the noise level is acceptable for the excellent performance.

Oddly, despite the wide footprint, they actually improved my gas mileage (17 city, 24 highway) which was about 17% better than the Hankook tires.

I drive the car in the mountains often in the summer, and the grip is fantastic. I will not try another brand for the 740 again. These are expensive, but worth it. I'll probably use them on my 2007 Z51 Corvette when the BFG KDW tires wear out.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
June 15, 2011

Great set of tires. Don't have that many miles but they have been great so far. Wet traction is outstanding. They are much better than my old dunlop's, much softer ride with a lot less road noise. Very happy with these tires hopefully they last close to the 100,000 miles they are rated to go.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
March 30, 2013

Wow!!! THis is hands down THE BEST high performance street tire out there. It's the perfect balance of quiet smooth driving, AMAZING wet performance and great dry traction. It's not as good in the dry as a Hankook RS3 or Pilot Super Sport, nor as quiet as a grand touring tire designed for the ultimate in comfort, but it IS the best of all worlds. As I said...the wet traction is the best out there from what I've found. And all this grip with a long tread life? Wow. :) I can't wait to buy another set!

Initial Review, 56,000 Miles on Tires
March 16, 2013

I have Optimo H727 on both my PT Cruiser and Explorer. I have 56,000 miles on the PT Cruiser Optimo tires and expect to get at least another 10,000 so I plan to get close to 70,000 on the tires. They are listed at 100,000 but I will not get there with these tires. They are great all season tires for the price. I had Michelin on my Explorer before but they were over $300 more than the Hankook Optimo tires. I am please with the tires and recommend them. Consumer Reports has the Optimo H727 rated as a "Best Buy".

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
March 12, 2013

These tires came stock on my Focus. They had to be replaced at 20000 miles. Very poor treadwear.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
March 11, 2013

Worst tire I've ever had. They are very loud and ---- in Ice/snow. I've never been in a 4x4 and been scared to drive in the snow, there terrible. The noise associated with these tires is unbearable on long drives. Buy anything else besides Hankook. For me its back to Bridgestone or nothing.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
March 11, 2013

I have not put enough miles on the tires yet to give a definitive review. I will write another review in a few months.

Initial Review, 7,063 Miles on Tires
March 10, 2013

I love these R-S3's. I used Falken Azenis RT-215,s and Falken Azenis RT-615 in the past. My car is used a lot on the track. I am an Instructor at the Driveway Austin Track in Austin.

The compound appears to be of an R type as shown by the graining of the tire and lack of tire noise. The grip in dry weather is very good. The Falken 215's were good for the first 3 laps then they would degrade in grip. I found the Falken 615's to be even worse than the 215's. These Ventus R-S3's are far better than the 2 Falkens. The grip is there for much longer the the Falkens.

Even on the limestone laced asphalt in the Austin area they have good grip. There is a section of road that is very slippery even on a hot dry day that cars routinely spin out on. These tires grip well even on this slick section of asphalt.

On the track they work great they make my feel car as though I put $2000 dollars into it. My car is front wheel drive so it really over works the front tires but the R-S3's very well through my 5 to 15 minute stints. With these tires it is a lot easier to go fast and the under steer is reduced as well as oversteer. I am able to apply power when exiting the corners than before. Turn in is also much better.

I have not noticed any problems in the rain. As for noise they generate a little from the tread pattern. The Falken 215 was the quietest tire I ever had.

The R-S3's come with a lot of rubber on them 11/32nd which is just fine for because I also drive my car to the track 6 days a week 48 miles round trip and after 7063 miles.

I try to stay away from directional tires to avoid getting saw tooth due to rolling in the same direction it's whole life. The tread blocks get stair step and the tire can become loud like an off road truck tire but these have not done this! I rotate just front to back and they are still quiet just a hint of tread block noise.

The price is great and I am happy with the wear. I will be buying these R-S3's again and again.

Joe Williams

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
March 17, 2013

I purchased these tires instead of Michelin as the mich are so darn expensive. I was immediately impressed with the feel, grip and response from these v12's. I've never felt more planted in this car. For the most part the porsche is not know for a cushy ride, and I don't expect one with 18's. these babies have held up extremely well and the performance has remained constant with even wear. I would recommend these tires without question and will continue to purchase hankook.

Initial Review, 35,000 Miles on Tires
March 06, 2013

I've waited a while to put some milage on these Hankook tires and I'm very impressed. After 35000 miles they are still performing great with ample traction on snow here in Cleveland and are also very quiet. I've rotated them every 10000 miles and kept the pressures at 32-34 psi. I've had Michelin, Goodyears and Generals in the past and these are probably the best replacement tires I've ever purchased. I purchased them based on this Tire Rack survey, took the plunge on Korean made tires and have been very pleased. By the way, I have 266,000 miles on my Odyssey.

Initial Review, 58,000 Miles on Tires
March 08, 2013

I see people bashing this tire, looks like areas with bad weather. I just replaced my optima 426's at 58,925 miles. I do happen to drive 140 miles a day (all freeway) and all in sunny San Diego - Orange County, so I cant say how bad they are in the snow. It does rain, but not hard, and again, people in San Diego cant drive in the rain, so your always slowing it down. I have never hydroplaned or had any issues feeling safe in the rain. My other vehicle is a Expedition on 40" mudders, so maybe that causes a comparison in my mind that makes me think this tire is better, I feel reading the reviews that I should not like them. But I have to say, what tire is going to go over 55,000 miles? Again, all freeway, and all very cautious (70 mph MAX) driving. They dont seem loud to me, the car goes where I want it to, tracks well, holds a straight line, etc. I cant say I have had any peel outs or traction loss but that could be the wimpy motor in the Fiesta, it really is a fuel economy car and the motor/tranny forces it to be driven that way.

Anyways, I just bought the Optima 426's again, so I'd have to say I like them, and they serve the fiesta well.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
March 07, 2013

Amazing tire, better than competitors tires that cost 30% more. Amazing tread wear,and very vey low noise. Especially important to me is wet cornering traction which is a strong point of this tire.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
January 08, 2013

These tires are great on dry and wet roads.I waited to review this tire until winter. This tire has proven itself in the snow and even on ice. This is an awesome tire all around. The Hankook tires that came on my 2012 Sportage were worthless on anything other than dry pavement. These Michelin Defenders are an unbelievable improvement in snow and ice.