I had a rear tire go bad last week. Since I was within a few thousand miles of needing to replace the rears, and since I hate having mismatched tires, and since I have been wanting to try the Hankooks, and since four Hankooks were about the same price as 2 PS2s... that's what I did.

After about 300 miles, here are my impressions:

1) The Hankooks are noticeable quieter that the PS2's. Some of this may be new versus 10K mile tires, but the PS2s were wearing evenly so new on new I still think they are quieter.

2) The Hankooks also give a smoother ride than the PS2s. This is especially noticeable with the X73 suspension.

3) Both wet and dry grip seems on par with the PS2's. I haven't tried pushing them to the limit yet, but have pushed them enough to be comfortable with the grip.

4) As noted, in the C&D article, the handling does not feel as crisp as the PS2s, but the car still goes where you point it without complaint.

Time will tell how they perform over time, but initial impressions are that the Hankook's are an excellent choice for every day street driving at half the price of the Michelins.

 

For the price I feel you can't beat Hankooks . You get the same load and speed rating as more expensive tires especailly the Michelins. I for one from a street perspective can't see such a wide differnece.

 

I've run the kooks and love 'em. Great tire and the price cannot be beat.

 

i think the hankooks are a perfect example of "ya get what ya pay for". do they work? sure. are they better or even as good as the ps2's? not for me, they weren't. i'd say that price is the only factor that makes the hankooks even worth considering. ymmv.

 

02996ttx50 So what are you doing so different that everyone else isn't to notice such a wide difference. To be blunt PS2 are over priced! I don't think any street driving will ever show much of a difference. All test have shown that if you compare the Hankooks vs the PS2's, it's not what you pay for but the exceptional performance you get by paying less and not falling for the brand name! In fact a consumer magazine for 2012 have the Hankooks come within 2 points of the PS2 and out performed the PS2 in wet braking, and performed the same in dry braking.

 

Curious as to the specifics of your opinion.

I don't think they are better overall. As I said, they aren't as crisp, but are close. Overall, they are 95% of the PS2 for the street. At half the price this is a bargain. Especially when you consider the comfort factor in normal city and highway driving.

Seems like a good deal to me.

 

Have been on the Kook's for 5-600 miles now. Can't disagree with anything said here and had the positive surprise of an $80 rebate on $700 of tires so I'm in for an incredibly low price of $620 per sat........in this case I'm getting more than I paid for.

One further input/nit: These tend to cold set very quickly and I live in So. Ca. It's pretty bad but goes away in a mile (quickly). If I had them on my wifes car, she'd complain.

But I'm happy and feel good about my upcoming track day that will surely be much cheaper than before. Cost no object.....give me the PS2's. But at $680......what can I say.

 

i don't disagree and they are a "good deal" insofar as they fit, and if pricing were my only criteria i would of course get them again. but i wouldn't mount them again and they would not be a first choice unless i was just driving in city traffic. really. i find the michelins to be MUCH more firm, no discernable sidewall flex, whether new or worn, and the kook's when new nearly scared the crap outa me when i pushed them before they were properly scrubbed. in fact, they're all over the place when brand new as are most new tires to one degree or another, as you know.

i am literally carving canyon blacktop daily at speeds of 60+ ( i even moved to outlying canyons recently so i could drive the friggin car right..) and the difference between the ps2's and hankooks is real. you'd feel it right away.

city driving? not so much. as to being a "great deal".. i think i paid $680 for set so i give you that.

 

I love my PS2s but don't like the price. What is the tread life people are experiencing?

 

per my recent reply to ssst, i'm daily driving canyons pretty swiftly, and i've tried to outline my experience with both types of tires, in similar conditions, new and used. while i completely agree with you that the ps2's are "overpriced", that in no way has influenced me to believe they are in fact, "better" tires than the 'kooks. having said that, i do think the ps2's are "better", and in many cases, this being one, i am getting what i ( quite possibly ) "overpay" for.

i *trust* the ps2's much more than i did when the kooks were installed. irrespective of driving situation or condition. that's all.

plus, i gotta rule when it comes to tires and rubbers. never go cheap

 

I'll try pushing them hard this weekend and see what happens. So far they do feel a little vague right at turn in, but then they bite hard and hold. That's at about 75% of the limit of what the PS2s would do.

 

at 500 miles, i'd say they're as good as they'll get. we all know what it feels like to have tires lose traction at speed and sidewall flex is an unstable event i've had it happen with these, never the ps2's..and i was happy to have psm.

i'm curious to hear your thoughts once you do get a chance to push them. that will tell the tale, and you may have a finding similar to mine. i must emphasize that my experience is related to canyon driving at speed. again, in city driving, they're fine. it's just not what i do regularly, so my tires' grip is more important now, as i'm never tracking or at sustained high speeds per se.. just lots of relatively fast turn in's etc. good luck with 'em and push them safely. cheers.

 

I'm with 02996ttx50- Although I'm comparing to Sumitomos. Sure, cheap new tires feel better than old PS2s, but now that I'm running GT2 size PS2s, I'll never go cheap again.

My 0.02...

 

I was going to go with the GT2 sizes, but it was going to take 3 days to get them. Since I was out of town and needed a tire, I had to go with the stock sizes. Hence the decision to try to Kooks.

Next time around I guess.

 

I tried a couple of sets of Sumis and noticed they felt much better with 600-1K miles than when near new. Wonder if it's the same with these? Let us know. Another thing is with a slightly less grippy tire the driver is forced to drive smoother to get them to work. This was a plus for me.