OEM Hankook Tires, Like or Dislike

[fjc2]

Here's an interesting article about Hankook, and even goes into some detail on the H426 tires.

http://blogs.automotive.com/inside-hankook-tire-a-really-long-trip-for-a-very-short-answer-90173.html

 

[Sgt1411]

Great factual article, I like facts as apposed to anecdotal opinion.

Here's some interesting article highlights.

Initially, silica was used almost exclusively in high-performance tires for sports cars to help balance the sticky properties of grippy tires with reduced friction for quicker response and handling. However, with the need for greater fuel efficiency, silica has found a new purpose with low rolling resistance tires commonly found on electric and hybrid cars.
Budget tires, by comparison, contain little of this high-tech stuff. Few contain much, if any, silica. There's also less widespread use of natural rubber, and more reliance on lightweight materials like fiberglass and even Kevlar. Harder synthetic rubber in budget tires has often been cited in maintaining a tire's longevity, but it's usually at the cost of on-road control, handling in emergency situations, road noise, and vibrations felt during driving.
Hankook took particular pride in showing us its Optimo H426 touring tire, which serves as original equipment on some Fords, Hyundais, Kias, Lincolns, and Volkswagens. Comparatively speaking, the Optimo H426 uses more silica than what most other manufacturers use in similar tires, also adding to cost and complexity. Hankook spokespeople said the process for mixing tires rich in silica is more complicated, but it's what the company has to do to gain some advantage, slowly chipping away at the market share maintained by more-established players.

 

[barrysvt]

Also interesting to note Ford offers 20” P265/45ZR20 Summer Tires as an option on the Sport to those that wish to haul around their families in excess of 149 mph.

 

[Sgt1411]

LOL! Thats funny........

Was that a build option somewhere on the "Build & Price" section?....I couldn't find that option when I ordered.

 

[Riley]

I love when people base their opinions by reading others' on a website instead of making one for themselves. Or by actually knowing the actual testing that goes on with every tire Ford puts on their vehicles. Do you know how many different tire compounds are used for the exact same model tire? Of course you didn't, because you only read opinions on the internet. Just because people have rated the Hankook as a sub-par tire doesn't mean it's the exact same compound that Ford uses.

 

[Sgt1411]

But it has to be true........I read it online at Tirerack.com......these tires suck because I read it..........LOL!

Never any factual evidence that the tire was the primary issue as compared to the 1000 other factors that play a role in vehicle dynamics.

How about the usual cause.......the driver doesn't know what they are doing while driving and it is easy to blame the tires.

 

[midnightsun]

that wish to haul around their families in excess of 149 mph.

Are the Sports also limited to 120mph?

 

[midnightsun]

explorer14mount -
How do you like the tires you just bought compared to the Hankooks? Please describe the difference you notice.

 

[tinner]

Tirerack must have thought the Hankooks were made in North Korea using nuclear waste instead of South Korea using silica.

 

[barrysvt]

Also interesting to note Ford offers 20” P265/45ZR20 Summer Tires as an option on the Sport to those that wish to haul around their families in excess of 149 mph.

Yeah....its hard to find the tire option on the Ford site. You will see it if go to "build and price" an Explorer, then select to do a comparison between a Sport and any other model. Look in the Wheels and Tires section.

Sports are speed limited at 120? Yikes....another reason to get an aftermarket tune. hummmmmm, I wonder If my SCT xcal tuner for my Mustang can download the Sports parameters? I could then unlock and reload? Just a thought, probably never really would want to do that anyway.

 

[explorer14mount]

Hankook Tires

Midnightsun,

I have the new Pirelli tires on the Sport and I can honestly say that the ride is smoother with less road noise.

I know others have differing opinions on what I wrote about the Hankook tires and that's fine as we're all entitled to our own opinions. I was just making a small effort to inform and if some folks take that wrong, I'm sorry. I will take the word of 270 reviewers over "engineers" or others who have a vested interest in a particular tire or product.

Best of luck to everyone who has the Hankook tires. I really do hope they work out for you.

 

[Sgt1411]

We are all entitled to our opinions but before I try and inform others I like to support my position with facts. (most of the time)

Smooth ride and road noise are subjective variables that probably none of us would interpret the same. IMHO the Hankook's are a smooth ride and I hear no road noise, but I bought a SPORT not a Limited with softer suspension and a quieter, smoother ride.

Those biased engineers do have a vested interest, they haul their wives and children in those same vehicles.

I trust them.

Im not saying dont hold them accountable when there's something not right, there's a reason the original engineers on MFT aren't around anymore.

 

[tinner]

we are all entitled to our opinions but before i try and inform others i like to support my position with facts. (most of the time)

smooth ride and road noise are subjective variables that probably none of us would interpret the same. Imho the hankook's are a smooth ride and i hear no road noise, but i bought a sport not a limited with softer suspension and a quieter, smoother ride.

Those biased engineers do have a vested interest, they haul their wives and children in those same vehicles.

I trust them.


Im not saying dont hold them accountable when there's something not right, there's a reason the original engineers on mft aren't around anymore.

+2

 

[Riley]

Midnightsun,

I have the new Pirelli tires on the Sport and I can honestly say that the ride is smoother with less road noise.

I know others have differing opinions on what I wrote about the Hankook tires and that's fine as we're all entitled to our own opinions. I was just making a small effort to inform and if some folks take that wrong, I'm sorry. I will take the word of 270 reviewers over "engineers" or others who have a vested interest in a particular tire or product.

Best of luck to everyone who has the Hankook tires. I really do hope they work out for you.

It's not so much the opinion you have of the tires or the reviews, but the title of the thread where you make it sound like there's a huge problem with all Hankook tires. What exactly are we looking out for? The fact that not ONE tire produced in the world excells in every area? ALL tires have a compromise in some area.

 

[esandye]

So how do we feel about the Hankook Opitmo H426's now?

I have a 2011 Limited with these tires. The inital posts were not good citing the reviews from TireRack and the few posts about poor traction in snow. I live in a state with minimal snow. These tires have 40000 miles and still have plenty of tread. They are truly one of the quietest riding tires I have owned (although some of the quietness could be the design of the Ex). Would you all but these tires again? What are your experiences with them?

 

[peterk9]

As I've posted before, I removed mine within 2 hours of picking up my 2011 Limited. Replaced them with Yokohama Parade Spec-X also a very quiet tire with a more aggressive thread. Now, unfortunately, after getting a deal on my MKT, I'm stuck with those Hankooks again. One thing I've noticed is that they seem to be very prone to 'flat spotting'. That wasn't an issue with the Yokohamas. It is definitely not a tire I would go out and buy. I actually considered swapping the new Hankooks for my 3 year old Yokohamas but the was ruled out when I compared the tire sizes.

Peter

 

[roamingphantom]

I have a 2011 Limited with these tires. The inital posts were not good citing the reviews from TireRack and the few posts about poor traction in snow. I live in a state with minimal snow. These tires have 40000 miles and still have plenty of tread. They are truly one of the quietest riding tires I have owned (although some of the quietness could be the design of the Ex). Would you all but these tires again? What are your experiences with them?

I have them too. Yes, love the quietness and certainly the great looks.

I live in NYC and this year we had a tremendous (by comparison) amount of snow and I was very very reluctant to drive in it. It felt as though there was no traction there even in light snow I felt that the vehicle was a little more challenging to control. I used the regular 4 wheel drive as well as the snow mode and wasn't happy. There was always the feeling that the vehicle was just floating on top of the snow. Just my 2 cents

 

[LukerDooker]

I didnt have issues driving in the snow and rarely used snow mode as the roads were cleared pretty well.. but the tread is very minimal, and the tread height is so short.
I cant imagine how many miles they may last but 40k doesnt seem realistic.

Very quiet on newer paved roads, on older hiway pretty quiet too.

 

[ronninco]

I too have 40,000 miles on my tires with a 50/50 ratio of highway vs city driving and tire rotation every 5,000 miles. The tires have held up very well. At my last service I asked the dealer to take a close look at them as they are three years old and I wanted an estimate of how many more miles I had left in them. He felt I should get at least another 20,000 or maybe as much as another 35,000, based on the current tread depth. I live in Colorado and have driven the car on paved and unpaved roads. I have never had a problem with traction on gravel, snow packed or wet roads. I have not driven them in deep snow, 5 inches or more, but on light snow they worked well. I would not hesitate to use Hankook Opitmo H426 again.

 

[dwp30]

As I've posted before, I removed mine within 2 hours of picking up my 2011 Limited. Replaced them with Yokohama Parade Spec-X also a very quiet tire with a more aggressive thread. Now, unfortunately, after getting a deal on my MKT, I'm stuck with those Hankooks again. One thing I've noticed is that they seem to be very prone to 'flat spotting'. That wasn't an issue with the Yokohamas. It is definitely not a tire I would go out and buy. I actually considered swapping the new Hankooks for my 3 year old Yokohamas but the was ruled out when I compared the tire sizes.

Peter

It's funny you mentioned flat spotting....We test drove our 2014 Ex XLT with Hankook tires. As we drove the first 1/2 mile, the wifey and I noticed a very solid vibration in the front end of the car.( I could see her leg bouncing around). It was in the city, with winter pot holes and such on the road, so I said let's get out on the highway with some better roads. Within a few miles we hit some 65 mph roads and the vibration was stronger yet. I told her to turn the thing around as this thing has a tire out of balance or an axle problem. As we returned it to the dealer, we both mentioned the horrible vibration to our sales guy. He immediately mentioned "flat spotting" as the probably the culprit. My wife was convinced the care was defective. The sales guy talked to his manager and they let us drive the car home on a Saturday evening and said they bet by the time we got home(30 minute drive) the vibration would be gone. When we got home....the vibration had subsided and all was well. The dealership saved a sale...but I didn't think tires flat spotted anymore, so that was news to me too. So are Hankook tires cheap and that's why they flat spot or do all tires still do this?