ditched OE Hankooks
- Thread starter Victor-Whiskey
- Start date
itchytweed
Veteran Member
On the proper road, they are quite quiet, but if you get on a rough road, the noise comes up, but that is a given.
I run at 36 PSI and my wear balance is even across the tread, basing on the tread depth of the spare. Wear rates look to get me 50k miles on our sandpaper roads and I am not the most "gracious" driver out there. Because of her handling, at least to me, Gretchen begs to be driven deep and hard and that will take a few off of the tires....plus the occasional SMOKUM!
My only complaint is that the Hankook's are crap in slush. On hardpack, they are ok. But then that is a tradeoff, tires that are good at clearing slush will be noisy and poor at wear.
Overall, I have been quite happy with them.
what about the Michelin Primacy MXM4, this looks like the best tire of the group for based on the tire-rack testing.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=138
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=138
oilhammer
Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Those are probably THE best tires you could put on, period. They also cost the most, because you get what you pay for. 
Biffster
Veteran Member
Those are what came stock on my 2010 JSW TDI on 17" Portos that I drove home from the dealership.
Happy about that.
Are you sure you got the Michelin Primacy MXM4 with your 17" Portos?
I got a set of Conti ProContact's with my 2011 JSW TDI on 17" Porto's.
rickcrna1
Veteran Member
I just got rid of my stock Hankooks after 30,000 miles and went with a set of four Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires. Outstanding tires for this vehicle on a variety of road surfaces and weather conditions.
Really glad to finally get rid of the Hankooks.
Really glad to finally get rid of the Hankooks.
Biffster
Veteran Member
Yup, positive. This was in another thread last year. I went out, looked closely, and saw that they are Primacy MXM4 -- right from the dealer.
I like them, but they're not really all that quiet. They handle very well in the wet, though.
tdi90hp
Veteran Member
a whole lot of talk but real world driving..daily grind...the optimas are fine....gonna burn em off the car then get michelins..but why sell em or dump em for nothing?
Pillow
Well-known member
... Anyone who is enjoying the Hancraps is not driving nearly fast enough on exit ramps!!!
I yanked the stock Biolines and Hancraps in favor of 18" wheels and Conti DWSs in the first couple weeks of ownership.
The handling with the Hancraps was absolutely pathetic.
... Now onto fixing this undulating suspension with cups or coils.
I yanked the stock Biolines and Hancraps in favor of 18" wheels and Conti DWSs in the first couple weeks of ownership.
The handling with the Hancraps was absolutely pathetic.
... Now onto fixing this undulating suspension with cups or coils.
nhdude
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2005
- Location
- New Hampshire
- TDI
- 2011 JSW 6M gone back to VWoA, 1996 Passat Wagon (RIP)
My JSW came with the Turanza EL400s. Now, they've only been on for maybe 2000 miles but can't say that I like them much. Seem rather noisy in the curves and corners and I just don't get a real secure feeling from them in quick manuvers. Of course, compared to my B4V, the JSW has a lot more road noise in general... guess that's progress ;-)
frugality
Top Post Dawg
What are the wheel sizes on the B4V and the JSW? I bet the tires on the B4V accounted for a fair amount of the quietness.
The 17" Continentals that came on my JSW are really noisy -- noisier than the 16" Continental snows I just ran this winter, and any of the 15" tires I had on my 2000 Golf.
The other thing to consider is that the JSW is so much more quiet in terms of engine and wind noise that you're actually only hearing more road noise because of the lack of other noises. The body and the glass seals on your JSW are far superior to what was on your B4V, and of course the CR TDI is quieter.
Bugdoc
Veteran Member
Took off my Hankook's and put on... Hankooks! Ventus V12 evo K11 17" to be exact. Couldn't be happier. And, sold the old tires on craigslist.
nhdude
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2005
- Location
- New Hampshire
- TDI
- 2011 JSW 6M gone back to VWoA, 1996 Passat Wagon (RIP)
14s on the B4V and 16s on the JSW. Ran a number of different tires on the B4 including Nokian snows and all ran quieter than the JSW. With snow tires on the JSW, the road noise was almost unbearable after an hour or so on the road. Granted, they are the crappy Winterforce tires which I will not use again next season. Will probably go with Michelins. Interesting comparison of road noise is my girlfriend's 1998 Toyota Camry. It's far quieter than the JSW. Of course, it's not something I'd want to drive ;-)
Some Hankkoks are OK
I ordered the car at the end of December 2010 and stipulated a del'y date of january 31. Then I bought a set of Dunlop Wintersport 3D 16 inchers. The dealer took off the OE "4 season" slippers and gave me full credit for them; he installed my winter tires on the Atlanta alloy wheels . The Dunlops were so incredibly silent, I never drove on anything so smooth, yet responsive and quite decent for winter rubbers.
2 weeks ago I took them off and installed the V12 EVOs 17" mounted on 19½ lbs Moda alloy wheels for summer. Noisier soles. But all in all a fine day-to-day tire. I haven't pushed them yet - car has only 3000 miles - but I like the traction, wet handling and overall road feel so far.
I enjoyed 17" Michelins on my previous 6, I swear they saved my skin once in northern Ontario, but these Hankooks are very hard to beat on a bang-for-the-buck basis for daily use.
I had a set of 18" Ventus R-S2 on the 6 too and I couldn't trust them, it was a bad match for a heavy and somewhat powerful station wagon.
'goes to say, different gums and tread patterns can yield very different results sometimes.
Guess what... I did something similar.
I ordered the car at the end of December 2010 and stipulated a del'y date of january 31. Then I bought a set of Dunlop Wintersport 3D 16 inchers. The dealer took off the OE "4 season" slippers and gave me full credit for them; he installed my winter tires on the Atlanta alloy wheels . The Dunlops were so incredibly silent, I never drove on anything so smooth, yet responsive and quite decent for winter rubbers.
2 weeks ago I took them off and installed the V12 EVOs 17" mounted on 19½ lbs Moda alloy wheels for summer. Noisier soles. But all in all a fine day-to-day tire. I haven't pushed them yet - car has only 3000 miles - but I like the traction, wet handling and overall road feel so far.
I enjoyed 17" Michelins on my previous 6, I swear they saved my skin once in northern Ontario, but these Hankooks are very hard to beat on a bang-for-the-buck basis for daily use.
I had a set of 18" Ventus R-S2 on the 6 too and I couldn't trust them, it was a bad match for a heavy and somewhat powerful station wagon.
'goes to say, different gums and tread patterns can yield very different results sometimes.
GraniteRooster
Veteran Member
I agree and think the Hankook have performed better than my expectations. I put 25k on my set last summer and being somewhat of a tire snob, was accordingly skeptical of my first set of Hankook tires. Overall, I have been very impressed with their overall balance of characteristics.
They are well balanced and ride smooth, wear evenly and long, have VERY low rolling resistance, and reasonably good levels of overall grip. Worst shortcomings are in wet, snow conditions and they are somewhat noisy.
One must keep in mind that tires come in flavors and no tire can be all things to all people - I thought the Hankook was a better OEM tire than many others in recent memory on other vehicles.
+1 as granite rooster stated above, the Hankook is an excellent tire to balance all of the critical atributes of a great OEM tire!!!!
It is hard to beat the Hankook, I was even thinking that if the tire ever wears out I may just have to go with another set....
1998993C2S
Veteran Member
Michelins are tier one..
Pisst,,, please pass the Michelin kool-aide. Many 911 coupe's run the uber high performance Michelin PS2s as they are gummi beyond belief, but so are other brands such as Bridgestone, Dunlop, Pirelli, Conti's, etc.
Try as I might,,, but in the end its Michelins which end up on both our daily driver and sports cars.
Again, someone pass the Michelin kool-aide.....
Couldn't agree more on the MXV4 when fitted to the MkV / VI chassis. Our MY06 Jetta TDI fitted with MXV4 in 225/45/17"s are rounding 50K miles of use and I'll buy another set without a second thought. The ride is very good, traction has been great and there silent. The MXV4 is a pretty plush tire. Braking performance in both dry and wet conditions couldn't be better.
Pisst,,, please pass the Michelin kool-aide. Many 911 coupe's run the uber high performance Michelin PS2s as they are gummi beyond belief, but so are other brands such as Bridgestone, Dunlop, Pirelli, Conti's, etc.
Try as I might,,, but in the end its Michelins which end up on both our daily driver and sports cars.
Again, someone pass the Michelin kool-aide.....
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frugality
Top Post Dawg
Pass it this way, too.
Remember the whole 'Freedom Fries' boycott of French products? Well, I'd have to think long and hard about boycotting Michelin tires. 4 sets of Michelins on my 2000 Golf made me a convert.
itchytweed
Veteran Member
My longest wearing set of tires were Michelins. After watching a comment on Michelins that are used on the GP cars in Long Beach this weekend, my next set of shoes for Gretchen will either be by Michelin, Hankook or Cooper. Decisions, decisions, decisions. At least I have 30k miles to think about it.
CedarPark68
Veteran Member
A problem with TireRack reviews:
Everyone jumps on whatever appears to be the popular 'band wagon tire' of the year.
I purchased a CHEAP set of Hankooks for an Accord based upon the ton of reviews that stated the tires were a steal and that you would be an idiot to by anything else.
Those were the first and last Hankooks I've ever owned.
Most people will not follow the crowd and then say, hey that 'sucked' and thus TireRack reviews are not always what they appear.
I have the Bridgestones on, they make a good tire, this is not one of them. I will opt between a good Bridgestone (Potenza) or the standard which has never failed Michelin.
The Primacy is worth every penny, I've run a set into the ground on my BMW. They are not cheap. Fill them with nitro and they will wear perfectly.
Costo is THE place to get these, wait till they have 70 back on a set of four.
Everyone jumps on whatever appears to be the popular 'band wagon tire' of the year.
I purchased a CHEAP set of Hankooks for an Accord based upon the ton of reviews that stated the tires were a steal and that you would be an idiot to by anything else.
Those were the first and last Hankooks I've ever owned.
Most people will not follow the crowd and then say, hey that 'sucked' and thus TireRack reviews are not always what they appear.
I have the Bridgestones on, they make a good tire, this is not one of them. I will opt between a good Bridgestone (Potenza) or the standard which has never failed Michelin.
The Primacy is worth every penny, I've run a set into the ground on my BMW. They are not cheap. Fill them with nitro and they will wear perfectly.
Costo is THE place to get these, wait till they have 70 back on a set of four.
LandCruiser
Veteran Member
Every tire brand has models that are both top of their food chain and bottom of the barrel.
I've had terrible Bridgestones, had great ones.
I had great luck on the Hankook RS2 on my old Subaru. Tracked, AutoX, street, performed wonderfully on those terms.
You just have to sift through the BS and find what is truly good or not.
I put a pair of Yokahmas on my Accord to replace the OEM Michelins. They where a top rated tire at Tire Rack, but not all that impressed. I did like the OEM Michelins more. Tires are very subjective. I use snow tires in the winter, some better than others, but all better than all season tires in snow. Tires come with the UTQG rating on them, tread wear, traction, temp, load, and speed. This ratings is done by USDOT's NHTSA. I think I will use these factors for my next tire replacement.
ronsig
Member
Hancooks
I was going to switch the Hankooks on my 2011 Golf TDI Sportwagen - less than a week old - but then I read the excellent report in Consumers' Reports. They are recommended! I drove in a heck of a lot of heavy rain today and had no problems. I find them quiet and pleasant!! I hope it stays that way.
I was going to switch the Hankooks on my 2011 Golf TDI Sportwagen - less than a week old - but then I read the excellent report in Consumers' Reports. They are recommended! I drove in a heck of a lot of heavy rain today and had no problems. I find them quiet and pleasant!! I hope it stays that way.
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PlaneCrazy
Top Post Dawg
I too did a double-take when I saw my car came with Hankooks. However I had a previous experience with them with winter tires, on a car I knew I'd get rid of after that winter but which badly needed new winter tires ('90 Accord), so I got the Hankooks because they were cheap, and though a bit noisy they were a great winter tire for that era.
Honestly, apart from a bit of road noise, I have no issues with them so far on the Golf. They seem to grip well, and I am getting good FE so they're probably low rolling resistance. This whole new car nonsense cost me such a bundle in any case, that I am not now going to go shopping for tires and I'll keep the Hankooks until they need changing which will likely be 2 summers or so.
Honestly, apart from a bit of road noise, I have no issues with them so far on the Golf. They seem to grip well, and I am getting good FE so they're probably low rolling resistance. This whole new car nonsense cost me such a bundle in any case, that I am not now going to go shopping for tires and I'll keep the Hankooks until they need changing which will likely be 2 summers or so.
BarrieCommuter
Veteran Member
i am happy with my OE Conti ProContact 17s on my new ride. They are Made in Portugal.
in previous years on a previous Jetta I bought a set of Nokian i3s which ran like ****, they were also Made in China.
in previous years on a previous Jetta I bought a set of Nokian i3s which ran like ****, they were also Made in China.
golfmyster
Member
My golf came with the hankooks and although they are noisy they have performed adequately so far (21000 kms). Noticed a bit of wear already and the tires sometimes just look low in pressure even though they have 36 psi in them! I ran them through the winter and got stuck once and slid on ice once. I will likely keep them for summer tires and buy a set of winters this year.
On a side note my other car is a 07 pontiac wave, which also came with hankook optimos. Car has about 65000km on them and they are near bald. Going to run them this summer and buy new summers next year. If the tires on the golf last as long and keep me safe in the summer then its safe to say the optimos are an average tire probably descent for the price. Would I buy them again? No.
On a side note my other car is a 07 pontiac wave, which also came with hankook optimos. Car has about 65000km on them and they are near bald. Going to run them this summer and buy new summers next year. If the tires on the golf last as long and keep me safe in the summer then its safe to say the optimos are an average tire probably descent for the price. Would I buy them again? No.
hymato
Veteran Member
Not even 5000miles on my car and I had winter tires and steelies all winter and i already have a bubble on the side wall of my stock tires! This better be covered under warranty!
Nosteroids
Member
I sold my HanKooks with very few miles and went with the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S. The difference is like night and day in handling and wet weather performance. Not sorry in the least.
tdi90hp
Veteran Member
Hankooks are fine. The weanies like to wine. They are very quiet and seem to be LRR as stated. I dont know where people say they dont handle well....I mean I take my Camaro around ramps a million miles per hour but a TDI ? I smoke around pretty good and never notice slippage etc....been raining for 2 weeks straight and they seem good in rain but I dont drive fast in rain with a new 28K car of course....not following all the hate...I will stick to winters for snow but expect 3 seasons out of them minimum...