Hankook Reviews

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 07, 2013

Plesantly surprised with the New Direzza II's so far, I am very happy with the new found rear end grip under heavy throttle and agressive steering input. Normally with a heavy right foot and my old Hankook RS2's the rear end easily broke loose under normal AWD settings. So far these tires have far exceeded the Hankook's and seem like they could be a match for the Bridgestone RE11's. Time will tell if they are fully on par with the RE11's. Great tire, certainly a good match for my 450hp STi so far.

Initial Review, 2,600 Miles on Tires
January 04, 2013

Replaced Hankooks (with at least 10k tread remaining) prior to 2000mi winter trip with much heavy, cold rain. Tires felt very steady thruout. Inflated to 44lb. Compared to the Hankooks, the Michelins were superior in all respects.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
February 25, 2013

I bought my car with some Hankooks on it, they were very nice. But these RS-A 2's are much better. I love taking tight on-ramps at "spirited" speeds, and these tires grip for days. And what a low price for ZR20's! I feel like I can get another 12-20,000 exciting, comfortable miles out of these.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
March 25, 2011

I purchased this tire to replace a pair of worn Blizzaks on my daily driven MR2. The tires were mounted on the stock rims on a car with a refreshed and slightly upgraded suspension setup (stock height), all parts replaced and aligned. Even though the stock tire size is 185/60/14, I went to the 195/60 in hopes of getting a bit more comfort, but still great traction, with this car that I DD (highway) and still hit up the backroads with on the weekends.

Based on reviews and ratings (price wasn't bad either), I opted for these Bridgestones. I haven't really done too much serious driving, but I can say that the tires are much quieter than the old Blizzaks and just as much so as the 215/45/16 Hankook RS2s (great tire, but not much creature comforts) I had last summer. Also, these Bridgestones are predictable and direct with inputs. On the highway they ride smooth, as a new tire should but, again, they are nice and quiet.

Just this evening, I took them down one of my favorite stretches of backroads, and for a tire so comfortable, they just blew me away! Very direct, predictable, and firm. I didn't feel any squirm or "mushiness" from the front to the back, even through some interesting set of turns. They catered amazingly to my mid-engined coupe's unique handling characteristics, and had me having to throttle down a bit because of how fast I was going with the car still feeling so secured to the road... Frankly I was shocked! I look forward to making these tires last, all while getting the best use out of them. I hope to report back in the future!



A note about a previous review; perspectively good tires don't make your car lose control, but a poor alignment might. Proper alignment is important when judging how well a tire performs. Side note, I was surprised at the number of Porsche owners who commented on how well these tires performed for them, certainly in the pursuit of comfort from day to day, and performance from weekend to weekend.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
February 22, 2013

I bought these tires to replace the factory Hankook "death-traps" that Hyundai had put on the car after I almost died getting to the store in the MILD slush. I immediately noticed an improvement while driving in the same nasty weather on the way home. The one thing I really noticed is how these tires HOWL while driving in the ice and snow. They also will sing a little if the temp is in the 30s or below.

Another immediate thing that I noticed is that the fuel economy for my wife's Elantra went from a more varying average of 33 mpg to to a pretty much consistent 28.5 mpg.

The tires ride a lot smoother and the car does not do the pothole two-step that it used to do but if you go hard in to a corner it is evident that turn in is not as crisp.

One more thing that I will note is that the pressure in the Ecopias are set at 32 psi while the Hankooks I used to run were kept at 35-38 max psi, though there was never any noticeable differece in the ride for the Hankook's in the variation from normal 32 to my running psi.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
February 19, 2013

Hankook's Ventus V12 Evos are very good performance tires and for the price, they're excellent. I purchased a set for my awd Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 10 and drive them exuberantly on tarmac, gravel and snow (just not on actual ice) and they're such good tires, I'm buying another set. Yes, there are tires that will last longer, but they're not performance tires in this league. Yes, there are tires that are more track-focused but they probably wouldn't work as well on the mix of city, highway, rain, dirt roads and even snow that I enjoy so much. I even purchased a set for my fwd VW GTI and like them for that car too.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
February 18, 2013

I just purchased the new ZIIs and ran them for a day at a POC time trial at Willow Springs, and I was very impressed. The dry grip is excellent as expected, but their greatest asset to me is the steering response and communication. I can really feel subtle changes in grip through the steering wheel and seat, which is invaluable for track use. I was the only car in the run group on true street tires (all of the rest were R-comp) and my times were top 6 out of the group of 20 or so). The rear end grip in the slower uphill Omega section of the track was particularly impressive.
I had 7-8 sets of the Z1 Star Specs for track/street use in the past few years, as well as a couple sets of Hankook RS-3 since then. The Z1 Star specs are the best all-around tire that I have experienced in terms of a dual-purpose street/track tire and dry/wet grip for the money. The Hankooks have excellent mid-corner grip in the dry and are dirt cheap, but I felt the sidewalls were too soft and the steering response/communication was not as good as the Z1 Star Specs. They also had no grip in colder ambient temps (below 60 F) and in the wet. The Z1s had excellent grip during the wet track days that I ran them on and would only hydroplane in deep standing water. Judging by the massive tread blocks on the new ZIIs, I am not sure if they will be quite as good as their predecessor in the wet. However, I did have to drive through some slush/light snow in 30 degree temps for a short period on the ZIIs on the way to Willow Springs (which is of course NOT recommended with this type of tire!) and they actually did pretty well! The excellent communicability of the tires conveyed that there was not much grip available and I never felt unsafe. I will report back after more track events (I will run them back to back with my Toyo RA1s at Streets of Willow this weekend), but I am extremely satisfied with the ZIIs so far!

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
February 19, 2013

I do not usually ever fill out these reviews but I have to on this tire. I have them on two cars with over 70,000 miles driven combined. Simply the best overall tire I have ever had. They are not performance tires but you want the best tire for everday driving you cannot get a better tire. The installer stated that they are the best made tire he has ever installed and has been installing tires for 30 plus years. Out of 8 tires only three needed any wieghts and they were road force balanced. Excellent snow traction, super quiet and never hydroplane.

Initial Review, 200 Miles on Tires
January 28, 2013

Just starting to drive with these tires... first impressions are very good. Quiet, feels good on the road, quiet, and good grip.

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
February 24, 2013

I purchased these tires about 2 years ago with a tire and wheel package for my wrx. these tires are awesome!!!!! They handle perfectly when its dry outside(does take a little time to heat them up) whether its a straightline or the corners my wrx is built for. I track my wrx a few times a year and they hold up well for the price. I have rotated every 3000 miles and now at 30000 miles on them. i could probably squeeze another 3000-5000 miles out of them if i had to. i would definetly reccomend to someone else.

Initial Review, 800 Miles on Tires
February 14, 2013

The G35 I purchased had first generation Hankook Ventus tires on it, which roared like bad wheel bearings and provided very little traction when it was wet. Switching these out for the Comfortreds have been the best things ive done with the car. They are quiet at highway speeds 70+, stick in wet and dry conditions and have a nice controlled feel. The ride of the G35 can be a bit harsh, but these seem to have tamed the beast a bit Super agressive drivers will probably prefer the OEM GY Eagles as they are a bit more sticky in the high speed/tight turns.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
February 15, 2013

This is more about the tire's performance characteristics than long-term durability or wear, as they're still pretty new.

I wanted a sporty tire that didn't break the bank--For that I think this tire nailed it.

It has a very positive, firm ride (you may not like this if you're used to touring tires) with incredibly stiff tread blocks and sidewalls--No sidewall or tread squish when cornering or steering--Extremely positive response.

Drawback to this is that my car, perhaps it is because it is so light, can get pretty busy on highways with parallel grooves in the road surface--Car sometimes sharply "wiggles" from side to side as if the tires are following these grooves precisely due to the stiff tires. A little weird at first but it has already decreased significantly since I first put them on.

Tire is phenomenal in the wet, and does pretty well in slushy snow. It certainly isn't in its element when the temperature drops below 28 or 30. My Vibe has never been good in the snow, so I just know what its limits are when the mercury drops, so perhaps I'm not as hard on them as others may be for their cold-weather performance.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
November 24, 2012

It's only been 1000 miles but, what a difference from my previous set of Nokian tires. New vs. New, these tires (the Hankook Optimo H727) are noticeably quieter than the Nokian all season tires. The winter weather is just starting here in PA. I'll provide another update with how these Hankooks perform in the snow.

Initial Review, 25 Miles on Tires
August 27, 2012

I had to replace the Hankook tires in this brand new car after only 1,700 miles. My teenage daughter drove on top of a curve and severely damaged both tires on the driver's side.

Facing the decision, with the frustration of events, I decided not to replace like-for-like since I was already extremely disappointed with OE tires. I selected the Michelins based on the reviews and tests from TR.

Within driving off the store with the new tires, I was just in heaven. All of the sudden I felt I was in a great car!! No more bouncing around; no more feeling that the car was going to lift up after every bump; no more feeling that the tail was going to come around every time I turned a corner at low speeds; no more "empty can like" sound every time I hit a bump on the road.

Now the car drives securely planted on the road. Turns corners with an extreme feeling of grip and control. Braking is also much better!!!

Hyundai should install these tires as OE!!! I am sure people would pay the little extra!!

So, in order to apeace my mind towards my daughter, I decided to believe that her little accident was a sign for me to replace the OE tires in order to ensure her safety from now on!! Otherwise, I would have to ground her until she goes to college!!! LOL!!

The interesting thing was that my daughter, with only months of driving experience, was also complaining about the OE tires. She told me she did not feel safe with them.

I will post an update later once I get more miles in different conditions and also can evaluate gas mileage. That is assuming that my daughter does not have any other serious "event" with the car (--- help us!!!)

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
January 11, 2013

I love these tires! I'm in the military so these tires see alot of different types of roads. Currently I'm stationed in Italy, the roads here are made of marble so even the best tires have horrible traction which I've had. These tires are awesome through wet pavement, dry pavement, and even snowy environments they do it all. Now I can only speak for over seas roads I have driven to many countries and have been in many different environments and can say my only problem with these tires are that in very wet climates just like any other tire if going a little faster than the speed limit on a round-about they slip but gain traction very quickly. My last set of tires were the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4, and Hankook Ventus compared to these kumho's are night and day. Kumho for the WIN!

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

I bought this tire for my Toyota Sienna strictly for the low level of road noise. So far this is the quitest tire I've tried. Ride comfort (soaking up the bumps) is quite good. The handling is great and there is no sign of unusual wear after 6K. Tires always get more noisy as the rubber wears down and it will be interesting to see how quickly this happens.

Sorry I did not test them much in snow. What little snow driving I did suggests that they are about average for all season tires. True snow tires are much better.

Initial Review, 143 Miles on Tires
February 11, 2013

If I lived in Texas this would be a decent O.E. tire. Anyone living in New England should stay away from this tire if you plan to drive in snow...dreadful. The dealership I bought my brand new car from says they will do nothing to get me out of these. In N.E. This tire is scary.

Initial Review, 49,000 Miles on Tires
January 28, 2013

I have driven on Hankook & Goodyear & Goodrich tires BUT the BEST TIRES ARE CONTINENTAL EXTREME CONTACT DWS. I have yet to find a tire that can even hold a candle to this specific tire; it is Absolutely the Best tire on the Open Market. I have driven through 3 Snowstorms; 2 while in New Hampshire and 1 in Massachusetts.... these tires are the BEST. While I was driving through the Snowstorms I felt as though I driving with chains on my tires; even though I did not have any.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
February 04, 2013

Took it out on a track day on Laguna Seca over the weekend. Steering response is fairly good. Adequate grip level for my stock speed3 on track. Fairly predictable towards the limit of adhesion, but the tires dont really squeal that much in terms of giving you warning. Ride quality is good, not as harsh as the OEM Dunlop SP2020, but not as soft as the Hankook Evo V12. Noise level is good as a Max summer performance category.