Recently discovered my Conti DWS's were on there last legs (actually about 1000 miles past that), so I set off in search of a suitable replacement. The Hankook's came up in a lot of searches. I figured it was worth a shot.

First impressions: quiet. Noticeably quieter than the Conti's. I'm amazed at how much quieter they are. I have a lot of sound deadener in the car to begin with, but it was still a dull roar. No more.

Smooth. Definitely smoother over the rough roads out here.

Handling, not as sharp. But they haven't broken in yet either.

Look very nice on the car.

We'll see how they hold up over the long term, but so far, so good. Definitely would recommend them to any one on the hunt for new tires.

 

I just had these mounted the other day but can't make use of them until the weather warms up. I've read about the slightly 'softer' feeling but then I guess most non run-flats do feel that way if you try them back to back with an RFT. Several tire reviews put them at or above tires costing much more.

I figure since I've never driven my JCW with run-flats on (took delivery with 17 non run-flat winter tires), any summer tire will feel more sporty come spring time.

I also considered some Michelins but read about iffy wet driving - I've had tires with crummy wet handling and definitely want to avoid that.

 

I had those Hankook's before the Conti DW's I now have. I like the Conti's slightly better overall, but mine are not the DWS. For me, the Hankook's only lasted 12k miles. They are a good tire overall though.

 

I certainly hope I get more than that (12K) out of them. Any particular reason they wore out so fast?

 

I got rid of them when the wet weather traction had deteriorated to the point of hydroplaning a lot. As far as tread depth went, it technically had some life left in all probability. I might have been able to eek another 6k miles out of them, but they just didn't feel safe anymore in the rain. I think the compound is pretty soft, leading to higher tread wear. Just for comparison to my Conti DW, both are rated max performance tires with Tire rack, the Hankooks have a 280 tread ware and the Conti's have 340. I did track the car one day with the Hankook's, but it was in the rain, so I doubt it impacted the tires as greatly as a dry day would have.

 

I don't know if anybody rates Consumer Reports reviews highly here, but they indicated the DWs had worse tread life than the Hankook's despite the manufacturer ratings.

I sure hope mine last longer too! The DWs were also more expensive locally so not sure if that offsets the tread life.

 

I've been running the Ventus V12's for a while now on my JCW cabriolet. In my opinion, they are a fantastic tire. Of course, any non run flat will not have as direct and as immediate a steering feel as a run flat. That 's a result of the hugely stiff and rigid sidewalls on the run flat. You'll notice a difference when switching from run flats to any conventional tire. But you get used to it very fast.

The Ventus (I'm running 215/40-18's) sticks extremely well and when you finally do reach the limit (and it's way out there), it gives way predictably with plenty of notice. And wet weather performance is remarkable as well, especially since it's a summer tire. But, as with any tire, when the tread wears, wet weather performance goes down. Car and Driver gave it a second place in their 2009 summer tire test. It was second only to the Dunlop Dirrazo and the only reason I didn't go with the Dunop was because it isn't available in my size.

I will be unhappy if Hankook ever stops making this tire.

 

^+1! I've been running this tire for a couple years now and love them. Good quiet ride and excellent amount of grip dry or wet. Never have a problem with hydroplaning either.

 

Don't get me wrong, I liked the Hankook's alot, I just like the Conti's slightly better. A comparison of the two tires on the Tirerack of customer survey data shows a very slight nod the Conti as well. So, in the real world, very comparable tires. There is a $27 difference per tire in the Hankook's favor. I simply decided to try something different. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Hankooks or the Conti' DW.