Hankook Evo Ventus V12 Review:
06-23-10, 08:09 AM
#1
Hankook Evo Ventus V12 Review:
I’ve had these tires on my car since April so I feel I can give a pretty decent review by now. When researching these tires, I would pour and pour over every review possible looking for those magical descriptive words that would make me get wood and all warm and fuzzy in side. I wanted to hear how ‘fast and agile’ they are, how ‘sticky like glue’ they are and how ‘plush & comfortable, yet responsive’ they are… well after having these for a couple months, I realized that such reviews are nothing but what I call “fan-boy” reviews. I hate those “larger than life” reviews, pumping up a product, putting it on a pedestal above God. I’ll try to keep my review very realistic, and short n’ to the point.
First thing that jumped out at me:
Noise & Comfort. These things are nice and quiet especially given the aggressive looking tread pattern. They aren’t as quiet as the Bridgestone RE960A/S tires my wife is running, but hey, those are A/S, these are Summer tires. They are much more quiet then the Toyo Proxes 4 I was running before though. They are very comfortable too! I’m running 20’s and these feel just like the Toyo’s in 19’s, no joke. They feel the same as 19’s to me. Lots of people ask about comfort between 19’s and 20’s and lots of people say 20’s are harsh. I say, it depends on what tire your running. Now I’m sure these in a 19” would be even more comfy, but compared to the Toyo Proxes 4 in 19’s, these 20’s feel identical.
SUMMARY: Decently quite, better than some A/S tires, and more comfort then I expected for a 20”!
2nd thing I noticed:
Grip DRY– they grip the road better then my previous Toyo’s. I can take off ramps and big jug handles at faster speeds then I ever felt comfortable with before. That’s pretty much it though, sorry folks. No wood here, lol. They grip corners very very well, and so far I haven't broken these loose in cornering. I guess I just don’t push my car so hard to even warrant these tires??? My car is a daily driver – no track, ect… and while I do have some fun driving, I’m never pushing these tires to break loose all that much. They will break loose from a dead stop to WOT though. So launching still takes a little ‘learning’. All and all, I guess the best way I could summarize the performance level of these is more then I even need. They perform higher then my daily spirited driving warrants… which for 99% of you should be a good thing.
Grip WET-I don’t mess around in the rain. I don’t push my car in the rain, honestly, I drive like a grandma in the rain to be safe. These tires though do give me much more assurance then my previous Toyo Proxes 4’s. They don’t hydroplane as easily, and feel very connected to the ground at 70mph. Good water channeling.
SUMMARY: More performance then I honestly need in the dry & very good wet handling, though I don’t’ drive stupid in the rain.
Odds & Ends:
Fitment – they are ‘fatter’ looking tires then my Toyo’s. So compared to Toyo/Falken, the sidewalls are fat and more of a squared shoulder. They don’t have that ‘stretched’ look. So if your switching from something like Falken or Toyo, I would buy one size smaller for the same stretched look.
Final Thoughts:
A great tire, period. And given the price… probably the best tire summer money can buy today in terms of value. Quiet & comfy, grips more then I need for daily driving and handles with confidence in the rain.
First thing that jumped out at me:
Noise & Comfort. These things are nice and quiet especially given the aggressive looking tread pattern. They aren’t as quiet as the Bridgestone RE960A/S tires my wife is running, but hey, those are A/S, these are Summer tires. They are much more quiet then the Toyo Proxes 4 I was running before though. They are very comfortable too! I’m running 20’s and these feel just like the Toyo’s in 19’s, no joke. They feel the same as 19’s to me. Lots of people ask about comfort between 19’s and 20’s and lots of people say 20’s are harsh. I say, it depends on what tire your running. Now I’m sure these in a 19” would be even more comfy, but compared to the Toyo Proxes 4 in 19’s, these 20’s feel identical.
SUMMARY: Decently quite, better than some A/S tires, and more comfort then I expected for a 20”!
2nd thing I noticed:
Grip DRY– they grip the road better then my previous Toyo’s. I can take off ramps and big jug handles at faster speeds then I ever felt comfortable with before. That’s pretty much it though, sorry folks. No wood here, lol. They grip corners very very well, and so far I haven't broken these loose in cornering. I guess I just don’t push my car so hard to even warrant these tires??? My car is a daily driver – no track, ect… and while I do have some fun driving, I’m never pushing these tires to break loose all that much. They will break loose from a dead stop to WOT though. So launching still takes a little ‘learning’. All and all, I guess the best way I could summarize the performance level of these is more then I even need. They perform higher then my daily spirited driving warrants… which for 99% of you should be a good thing.
Grip WET-I don’t mess around in the rain. I don’t push my car in the rain, honestly, I drive like a grandma in the rain to be safe. These tires though do give me much more assurance then my previous Toyo Proxes 4’s. They don’t hydroplane as easily, and feel very connected to the ground at 70mph. Good water channeling.
SUMMARY: More performance then I honestly need in the dry & very good wet handling, though I don’t’ drive stupid in the rain.
Odds & Ends:
Fitment – they are ‘fatter’ looking tires then my Toyo’s. So compared to Toyo/Falken, the sidewalls are fat and more of a squared shoulder. They don’t have that ‘stretched’ look. So if your switching from something like Falken or Toyo, I would buy one size smaller for the same stretched look.
Final Thoughts:
A great tire, period. And given the price… probably the best tire summer money can buy today in terms of value. Quiet & comfy, grips more then I need for daily driving and handles with confidence in the rain.
Last edited by mdgrwl; 06-23-10 at 08:18 AM.
06-23-10, 10:49 AM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
mdgrwl - Thanks for the review, very helpful. It's my top choice tire for replacing the tires on Mercedes C300 this summer.
Maybe later you can report back with a few thousand miles on subject of wear.
Maybe later you can report back with a few thousand miles on subject of wear.
06-23-10, 02:55 PM
#4
Great review. I almost went for these tires but I went with the Falken FK452s. I'm also running 20's on my GS300. What sizes are you running? Mine are 225/35/20 (20x9) and 245/35/20 (20x10). I still feel a little bit of vibration up front but I don't if it's the tires that's causing it.
06-23-10, 02:56 PM
#5
Then I see you have 6K miles! In 2 months! Boy you drive a lot.
I've got a set on the front of my wifes car and I also am really impressed...so far. So much that I am thinking of getting a set for the other car.
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06-24-10, 06:43 AM
#9
Impressive review.
I have had these things for about 4-5 months and have driven everything from the daily commute to 5 hour inter-city travel and I totally concur with your review.
The tires are quiet (compared to my old Dunlop sp9000) and they are smooth and comfortable. I have 225/45/18 and 255/40/18 pumped to about 34psi on my 98GS400. I have a Bilstein sport shocks, L-tuned springs, and TRD blue sways. The setup is really nice on smooth roads and agressive turns but it gets a little harsh on rough pavement. This is mostly due to the suspension and not the tires.
I bought the tires late last fall and at the time they were the best bang for the buck. I have also used General UHP's and I find the two tires pretty much the same in terms of the ride. It seems that the General's might be a bit cheaper now.
I have had these things for about 4-5 months and have driven everything from the daily commute to 5 hour inter-city travel and I totally concur with your review.
The tires are quiet (compared to my old Dunlop sp9000) and they are smooth and comfortable. I have 225/45/18 and 255/40/18 pumped to about 34psi on my 98GS400. I have a Bilstein sport shocks, L-tuned springs, and TRD blue sways. The setup is really nice on smooth roads and agressive turns but it gets a little harsh on rough pavement. This is mostly due to the suspension and not the tires.
I bought the tires late last fall and at the time they were the best bang for the buck. I have also used General UHP's and I find the two tires pretty much the same in terms of the ride. It seems that the General's might be a bit cheaper now.
06-25-10, 01:07 AM
#12
thanks for the nice write up. i've been wanting to know the comparison between the yokohama s-drive vs the hankook v12. sounds like the korea tire aint too shabby. what i DO want to know how long will the hankooks v12 would last.
you mention that the toyo proxes 4 are loud. im currently running these tires on 18" and they are much quiet and comfortable than the yokohama s-drives.
you mention that the toyo proxes 4 are loud. im currently running these tires on 18" and they are much quiet and comfortable than the yokohama s-drives.
06-25-10, 08:54 AM
#13
I bought a set of wheels from AMSMIKE and they came with new Hankook V12 evos. I have only had them for about 1,000 miles but these are my early impressions. I had been running the Bridgestone RE-960 AS tires for a couple of years.
The Hankooks have better dry grip (which I would expect from a summer tire). I have been surprised at the wet weather traction but it does not quite stack up to the RE960 (which is the best wet weather tire I have ever had-bar none). Comfort and noise are both really good with either of these tires and I don't see a big advantage with either. I have no idea about treadwear yet but I can say that for the money these Hankooks are a great value summer tire.
I don't push my car all that hard around curves so I am not really all that qualified to give a reall opinion on this but will anyway.....the Hankooks do seem a little "mushy" when pushed fairly hard but yet were responsive.
The Hankooks have better dry grip (which I would expect from a summer tire). I have been surprised at the wet weather traction but it does not quite stack up to the RE960 (which is the best wet weather tire I have ever had-bar none). Comfort and noise are both really good with either of these tires and I don't see a big advantage with either. I have no idea about treadwear yet but I can say that for the money these Hankooks are a great value summer tire.
I don't push my car all that hard around curves so I am not really all that qualified to give a reall opinion on this but will anyway.....the Hankooks do seem a little "mushy" when pushed fairly hard but yet were responsive.
