Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

It's interesting for me reading about Hankook tires but I'm a Michelin guy.
Hankook,Kumho etc brands scare me.I've read good and bad about both.

Bichon

The Hanooks have been somewhat inconsistent in magazine ratings too. They did great in the Car and Driver article that Kurtz linked, as well the German magazine Auto Bild. But the latest (October 2011) Consumer Reports test has the Ventus in last place, with the Michelin PS2 beating it by 2 points, and the top rated Michelin Pilot Super Sport beating it by 10. Oddly enough, in the CR test, the SuperSport even trounced the Ventus in tread life, suggesting that the higher price might be partially offset by providing longer service.

Personally, I'm on my second summer on the Hankooks. I've had none of the issues the original poster had -- they are neither loose nor do they wander at high speeds. But they are much noisier than they were when I first mounted them, and thanks to the soft sidewall, they've never had that "corner on rails" feeling. Though I'm mostly pleased with the Hankooks, I'll likely try something else when they wear out.

Joeb427

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The Hankook noise issue is a complete turn off for me.

I've had Michelins on many vehicles and am a fan and will probably get a set in a few thousand miles because these oem Bridgestone Turanza EL400-2's are awful.Very noisy and not even a high performance all season.It's a standard Touring tire.Lexus/Toyota going cheap on tires on a performance car.
Usually tires that come on a vehicle are crappy but this car should at least have High Performance all season tires or better yet Ultra High Performance tires.
I may go for the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus or Continental Extreme Contact DWS.Both Ultra High Performance All-Season.

Kurtz

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FWIW I'm at about 8k on my Hankooks now and no noise issues at all... (no issues with the 'soft sidewalls' either- as the C&D article notes, they handle excellently even if they "feel" soft)

I'd never put any all-season on the 350 myself, dedicated seasonal tires are a whole lot better in all weather conditions for both safety and performance.... that said, among all seasons the DWS is quite good... but to me that's like pointing out Moe is the smartest stooge.

It's possible I'll get less treadlife than Michelins, but I paid about half as much as PS2s, and I seriously doubt I'll get less than 1/2 the treadlife... (possibly the folks who've mentioned being on their 2nd or 3rd set of the Hankooks can comment on treadlife?)

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Yeah,I've read pro and cons on the Hankooks on noise.I guess it's subjective but my present EL400-2's are loud.
I guess I'll have to look into the Hankooks more.

Tread life isn't important to me,Kurtz.The car is a pleasure vehicle and will only do maybe 6-7K miles per.
I can't go with a summer tire because even though the IS won't be used in bad weather,it will be used in winter cold and summer tire rubber gets hard decreasing traction and increasing emercency braking stop distance.
The Conti Extreme Contact DWS are priced pretty good at $700 a set vs the $1000 for the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus at Tire Rack.

Bichon

To clarify my earlier comment, I wasn't saying that the Hankooks had become objectionably loud, only that they've grown progressively louder as the miles have accumulated. I'm not certain of the exact number of miles without digging through some paperwork, but I'd estimate about 15,000 miles on mine now. They were incredibly quiet when new, but now are now no better than average. I remember the nearly intolerable road noise that the worn out Bridgestone S03 Pole Positions on my Audi made, and the Hankooks are nothing like that.