ronmart

I know this is probably been answered a billion times, but I've been off rennlist for a while so I'm just going to ask for recommendations and responses with links to other threads are fine.

I need new tires for my 2006 997 C4s Cabriolet (305/30R19 rear 235/35R19 front), and the Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110 are about $400 less (for a set of 4) than what I’d pay for a new set of Bridgestones.

Has anyone researched the Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110 to find out if they are worth a damn?

There’s only 3 reviews on Tire Rack, 2 of which aren’t good so I’m a bit worried about being pennywise and pound foolish.

My OEM PS2’s lasted a whopping 6000 miles before cording, so despite how much I liked those I simply can’t afford them.

My current Potenza RE050A’s have lasted for about 20k miles, so that’s pretty good for me – especially on a performance car.

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 are another option, but they are not Porsche rated and seem like they could be a bit softer.

This car is garaged for the winter, so snow/ice isn’t a factor and generally speaking it is only driven on sunny days so rain isn’t a significant factor either.

I’m no fan of Pirelli so I’ve excluded the PZero Rosso’s from consideration.

Recommendations?

Thanks,
Ron

p-cardriver

I have had the Hankook's on the rear of my car for over 10k miles now, and just put them on the front (replacing PS2). The PS2 were half worn or so on the front when I had to replace the fully worn rears (typical wear pattern), so I put the Hankooks on the rear to try them out. Thus I had new Hankooks and half-worn PS2 on the car at the same time.

I drive the car as a daily driver, all year, with a 30 mile (one way) commute that is mostly freeway (80 MPH). The car is nearing 60k miles (2007 C2S). It saw track duty before I got the Hankooks on dedicated track tires, and I didn't expect to track it again, but circumstances led it to the track last weekend, on the street tires.

I liked the Hankook's from the time they were mounted. Excellent wet traction and much better grip at temps in the mid 30s (F) make them superior to the PS2 for average street driving. However they probably don't have the grip for hard cornering that the Michelins have. But that's not how I drive on the street, so it wasn't a factor in deciding to buy them or this evaluation.

I've heard that they are noisy, but even worn they are no noisier than the PS2 or the Pirellis that came on the car.

On the track (I wasn't driving, my wife was. She is an instructor) the combination of PS2 up front and H on the rear with about 40% tread remaining on both was reported to be greasy. Fine on the wet day, but hard to dial in on the dry days. The car, with stock suspension settings/alignment, was neutral, neither oversteering nor understeering. (since the car normally understeers, this indicates that the PS2 was delivering more grip than the H) But it felt greasy and didn't have great grip. After 2-1/2 days on the track one of the fronts was corded, and the other close, with the Hankooks still at about 30% tread. So I mounted a pair of Hankooks on the front today.

Without the track use, and in my driving style, I would have expected 20k miles from the Hankooks on the rear. That compares to just under 15k for both the PS2 and the Pirelli. After the track use I will be lucky to get 15k miles out of them. If the fronts wear in typical fashion I would expect 25k-30k miles from them, about on par with what the PS2 on the front was trending toward before being tracked. But even if the mileage only matches the Pirellis and PS2s, at the price of the Hankooks I am well ahead. BTW the front tires were just under 1/2 the price of same-size PS2 at TireRack this week.

I have seen no problems or issues with my set of Hankooks. Obviously two tires is too small of a sample to draw any conclusion about their overall production quality. For normal street driving, wet and cool conditions they are performing very well. If I was an aggressive street driver they would probably be less satisfying than the PS2 or PZeroRosso or even the 'stones. But maybe not - someone else will have to do that evaluation.

ronmart

Thanks p-cardriver!

I'd be curious to get your wife's thoughts since I am a track driver and am keenly aware of the feel and impact of different tires.

alexb76

If you REALLY cannot afford RE050, then I suggest Conti ExtremeContact DW. It's cheaper, and there are RAVE reviews of the All-season version, and should be one of the best options out there.

I am just not a great fan of Hankooks, fine for Asian FWD cars, but not sure how well it works on our cars.

Either tire is not N-rated and if you got 20K out of RE050, I think that's GREAT milage out of high performance tires... I'd just go with it.

ronmart

Great suggestion Alex! I hadn't heard of the ExtremeContact DW but that might make sense. I've never tried Conti's yet, but given the fact that I don't intend to do any track work anytime soon this might make sense.

Ron

mdrums

Hey Ron...long time no see...welcome back!

Have you priced out Nitto Invo's? I have riden in a 997 that had them and was impressed. The RE11's are ok in the rain and seeing that you live in WA you might need a better wet weather tire.

p-cardriver

Those are her thoughts - like me she drives well within her capabilities on the street and doesn't push street tires. However she rarely drives my car on the street. She has a CaymanS pretty well set up for track use, and drives Rcomps (Nitto) on the track on it. So from a car that well balanced to say the 997 is neutral handling is pretty good. But again since the car normally understeers, I think that neutral handling means the PS2 up front were delivering more grip than the Hankooks in the rear. Greasy just means it lost grip before she would like, and that was progressive not sudden. I wouldn't drive the PS2 or the Hankook on the track (the Pirellis were pretty good). I like the Nittos too, but with the 997S if I was still tracking it myself I would try the R888 just to see how it compares.

ronmart

Hi Mike!

Yes, it's been quite a while. I've been busy with my normal day job and my blog so I haven't had much time to talk cars. I stlil love this car and after all the hell I went through it's a miracle I still have it.

I hadn't heard of the Nitto's but I just looked them up. Neat tread pattern and reasonable price, but the more I think about it the more I'm leary of trying different brands.

I don't drive my car in the rain unless it's by accident, so generally speaking dry tires are fine.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to keep my eye out for people that have them!

Ron

ronmart

Cool, thanks for the clairfication!

I loved the PS2's on the track - I just didn't like how quickly they melted!

p-cardriver

Try the Nitto NT01 on the track and you'll never drive a PS2 on track again (except maybe as a rain tire). Its not a fair comparison, of course, since the Nitto is R-compound and a lot less expensive than the PS2. We prefer the Nitto to the PSCup which is a fairer comparison but even more expensive than the PS2.

ronmart

Cool - good to know!

alexb76

I think Ron said he doesn't track and looking for longer lasting tires that Nittos are not. Otherwise, those are great tires!

mdrums

Neat Blog..I scrolled through it some. I did not know you are a photographer. I want to sell my Canon 20d and get a 5DMKII soooo bad!

Nugget

I'm happy with my RE11 street tires. I've put 8,000 miles on them and the tread is still quite deep. They're fantastic in the rain and I use them as my rainy-day track tires in addition to my daily driving.

They're grippy in the dry on the track (I've only run one session on them) but they overheat quickly. I wouldn't recommend them for dry track days.

akim47

i've just put in my order for Hankook V12 Evo's for my rear... may not be the best but im getting the rear pair for <$300... that's less than the price of a single PS2!!!