Tire Rack Consumer Reviews

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
October 03, 2012

I raced open wheel formula cars for years and the the AMG I have I plan on retiring in 2 years. The Hankooks were about $400 cheaper than the tires I had with the rebate. I had Michelin Pilots on it and they were responsive but horrible in rain and even a 1/4" of snow. I think I got 22,000 miles out of them so we could say they were well shaved as a comparison.

Even those these are new tires, I detected very little of the squirminess that some suggested, but they obviously weren't as quick as my well worn Michelins.

However, today, these tires saved me on a damp downtown road when a scooter ran a stop sign. I had to throw the car into a spin to miss him. 160 degrees one way, then I overshot the correction to about 180 degrees and was able to come to a stop without hitting the guy or the cars parked on the street. I would have slid like I was on ice in the Michelins and the scooter guy would have been in a world of hurt. As it was, I got a quick shot of adrenaline and the scooter guy just needed to clean his shorts.

The tires kept me out of what would have been a sure accident. I'll take that any day.
The Hankooks are quieter and smoother (maybe because of the thicker tread?.) When I give it the the gas at a busy intersection, the wheels don't spin like the aged Michelins. It was almost a struggle with the Pilots to keep them from spinning (349 HP in the SLK. The Hankooks bite the asphalt and I have yet to accidentally make them spin.