The stock Bridgestone 18's needed to be replaced due to inner front tread wear at 24.5K. Put Hankook Evos on all 4 and drove a couple of hours yesterday, some in the rain. I had to go look at the tires that night to be sure they put the correct ones on. The improved ride on the less than stellar roads in the SF Bay Area was noticeable immediatley and handling seems on par. Thanks to the CL members that sent me in this direction.

 

Yea there not bad tires for the money, wish sidewalls were stiffer though

 

So how much do they run for

 

I thought the Hankook isn't as grippy compared to the Goodyear GS-D3 I previously had on my IS350.

For some odd reason, the traction control light always come on when I do a U-turn too quick or going up a incline to enter a parking lot. While the GS-D3 never caused the traction control light to come on.

 

In fairness the Goodyears are about $100 more per tire compared to the Hankooks... I would hope they're better.

(no personal experience with that Goodyear though so I can't say).

The thing about the Hankooks is they offer excellent performance that's close to (or slightly better compared to say the PS2s) of tires 50-100% more expensive.

 

how long do these tires usually last?

 

I paid $725 installed and out the door in No CA (Walnut Creek)

 

Actually I got them on Discount Tire when they had a sale. It costed $150 each brand new for 19 inch which was cheaper than Hankook. Too bad Goodyear is slowly retiring the GS-D3 series. They were excellent tires.

I haven't tested the PS2 but I do have Continental DWS on my other car. They are similar pricing to the Hankook approximately ~$30-50 more per tire but it does feel a lot better in dry and wet condition.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ay.jsp?type=MP

Have tried 5 of the top 10 tires on the list. The ratings are pretty spot on. No doubt the Hankook is the best bang for the buck but I might consider grabbing the Continental next time.

 

My wife has DWSs... while they are excellent all-seasons I've yet to experience an all season that isn't noticeably inferior in dry and wet conditions to a good summer performance tire, and this is no exception with the Hankooks being better at both. (though I grant the Hankooks are on my 2IS, and the DWS on her SC)...


(and while it's great you caught a sale, those Goodyears are normally $100 more per tire based on todays tirerack pricing in the same stock 18" IS350 size compared to the Hankooks... (255/40-18))

 

Just put the Veo 12's on.

Fantastic tire, just wish the side wall rubber was a little more dominant.

 

Actually the DWS feels more grippier in the dry and wet conditions. I haven't took my other car to the drag strip but the tires does not easily "loses traction" considering it has 400HP/390 torque. While my IS350 loses traction just busting a U-turn at slow speed and entering a inclined driveway (Didn't have that problem with GS-D3 or the crappy Falken FK452 I had prior to the Hankook).

Car & Driver definitely needs a revised version of the tire article. It is a bummer they did not include the Goodyear GS-D3. Wouldn't surprise me if it will steal the #1 spot.

 

I just got my Hancook's and I love the look. Haven't driven enough o make a good judgement but can't beat the price!

 

Your comparison doesn't really work on different cars though- Gearing has more to do with this than total power. The IS350 is geared very aggressively (one reason it's quicker than many cars with more power)... which means much greater power multiplication in lower gears- thus breaking tires loose more easily.

I was basing my opinion of the Hankooks superior grip on situations where gearing is less relevant- Holding a corner at a given, higher speed for example where you're not on the throttle.

In those situations my IS with the Hankooks grips better than my wifes SC with the DWSes on em.

But really my comment was more in regards to all-season tires, in general, sucking. Summer tires outperform them in wet or dry above freezing, and winter tires outperform them below freezing.

For example-
http://www.insideline.com/features/t...vs-summer.html


Back to the other thing- The GS-D3 wouldn't even be in that original C&D comparison of course, since it was comparing tires in a certain price range against the "benchmark" (more expensive) ps2, and as I pointed out the normal price on the Goodyear is about $100 more, per tire, than the Hankooks.

 

I was dreading the fact that I needed to purchase 2 rear tires. Also, I was apprehensive about mounting anything less a Michelin, but I have been gravitating towards the Hankooks. Thank you for the review

 

I'm gonna be picking up some hancooks when its time.