Replacing Stocks with Hankook's... now or later?
 

So I've basically decided on getting the Hankook Ventus V12's, I guess in sizes 245/40 and 285/35. I probably have about 2000-4000 miles (2-3 months) left on the stockers. Should I bother waiting until I run the stock tires down more? Or would it be worth doing the upgrade now?

If you think your Bridgestones are fine for another few thousand miles keep them on the car... no point in throwing away 2-3k of tread.

Yeah, I kind of feel the same way, but I wasn't sure if it would be worth doing the upgrade now rather than later.

Upgrade ?
 

I realize the Bridgestones are not the best bang for the buck tire. However, I do not see the Hankooks as an upgrade. They are a better value but I would be surprised if there was not a slight drop in performance. The Hankooks will ride a little smoother and be quiter but they are are performance downgrade.

And why do you say that?
Minus the high heat track situations, the V12 have shown to be on par or better in many fields.

That was also my understanding. I figured at least the reduced tire noise and (slightly?) smoother ride would be enough of a reason.

This was my view before I ordered them, but after having talked to a couple friends that have experience with them I decided to pull the trigger.

After having them on for a while I definitely feel like they are better performers than the Bridgestones not only in terms of overall ride quality (noise mostly), but in cornering performance as well. These are surprising tires to say the least, and I'm completely satisfied with them!

The RE050As are just a waste of money.

No Nitto NT05's?

I only have 5,000 miles on them so too soon to say how long they are going to last, but damn they are sticky! And they are a lot quieter then the Bridgestone’s. Very very predictable at the limit and high speeds plus they look really cool. I remember comparing the V12s and the Nitto NT05 and the price difference was about $300.00 dollars so the Hankooks are a good buy.

If you have the $$, get the RE11. They are quieter, grip better and ride nicer than stock

Didn't seem like there was a good size for the stock sport rims on the RE-11's.

I was thinking of getting the NT05's at first, but between treadwear, wet traction, and price, I decided not to, replacing my tires possibly more than once a year is not something I'd like to do.

agreed... mostly. i went with the Hankook V12s for my first replacements solely due to cost. they are not quite on par with the stockers perfomance-wise, but they were about $100.00 a piece cheaper than the stock Potenzas.

they ride way more quiet than the Potenzas, but i can definitely tell a difference in performance when pushing the car. for now, the price difference was worth a small drop in perfomormance but for the next set i think i will try something different. no other way to find the perfect set for your specific needs.

My guess is once you get enough heat in the tires (i.e. track situation) the RE050As will outperform, but as far as I've been able to tell (spirited street driving at the most), the V12s are as good or better than the Bridgestones.

I will probably see at least one track day with these tires so I'll be sure to report back.

good point there.. i havent driven with the V12s on a good warm day yet. they may be better when hot... :tiphat:

the main difference i feel grip wise between the Potenzas and the V12s is minor.. almost like there is a bit of squirm in the rears when coming through a corner at the limit. the potenzas just felt solid. for now i am just happy that the V12s are so much quieter!

How many miles did you have on Bridgestones (more specifically, how much tread did you have left) when you switched?

I noticed the V12s felt a little less responsive on turn-in and possibly a bit more flex under lateral load, but I quickly equated this to going from virtually no tread on my Potenzas to full tread on the V12s. That feeling is most likely due to the extra tread. I'm sure if I had replaced the Bridgestones with a new set of the same tire I'd have noticed a similar effect.

yeah.. the bridgestones were bald in back when i switched them out. your theory may be correct.

265/35/19 and 285/35/19 works pretty well on my car. 2 wins in 2 tries

How would that work out speedometer wise? Using the tire size calculator it says the fronts would be +0.9mph at 60mph, and the rears would be -0.6mph. So does that mean overall the actual speed would be +0.3mph over the speedometer @ 60mph?

let me plug in the gps datalogger and find out. i believe it reads 1 or 2mph faster

265/35/19 285/35/19 RE-11 doesn't change the speedo much. Matter of fact, I think it is more accurate now. 40mph shows 40.2 mph on the GPS

Are the GPS speedometers very accurate to begin with? They always seem off no mater what car I'm in.

I was thinking the same thing until I read all the reviews from tirerack and this comparo from last year's car and driver test. The Hankooks placed second. I just ordered mine today and will probably wait another month or two before I have them installed to get every last bit of tread out of the Bridgestones. I will report back when I've driven with them on for a bit.

Tire Test: Nine Affordable Summer Tires Take On the Michelin PS2 - Comparison Tests - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver

Yeah, I definitely think they will be good enough for me. If I had some more "interesting terrain" (read: Mountains), or if I had near future plans of tracking the car then I'd probably get something like the NT05's.

I have noticed since I replaced the bridgestones with the V12 Hankooks is at higher speeds over 75 they feel a little floaty not as confident as the stock tires. Does that sound about right with any other members that have made the change? I am still using the stock front tires not sure if that has any effect.

I feel a little more "squirm" but I think that's simply because of the extra tread. I don't really feel like the car is floaty at speed with these tires.

I should be getting my V12 this next weekend, have them on order and hoping they arrive in time. :D

I have a little more squirm too. what pressures are you guys running? I have 255/35 and 295/30.

35 all around.

Like several people have said, even if you replaced the Bridgestones with another brand new set you may notice that feeling more simple due to all the extra tread that you're not used to.

Not sure what kind of effect you are getting with a set of mismatched tires with different wear on the front vs the rear. :confused:

It could have an affect but its going to be one of those things that you aren't sure of until you throw other tires on it.

If anything new tires should have a more planted feel than older more worn out tires, assuming of course you're staying with the same model of tire before and after.

I think it is within 1 or 2 mph, I never checked it before I swapped tires. Sorry.

Just as a note, the RE11 grips a lot better than the stock RE050a.

Does anyone know the math on this? Is it as simple as adding the two numbers, which would mean +0.3mph total?

You have to remember that is a reference. Not all tires are made the same. The diameter on 255/40/19 by Bridgestone might be different than 255/40/19 by Hankook.

Dont worry too much about it, as long as you are within 4% of stock, you will be okay

Hmm okay. I guess I'll get the V12's in 265/35/19 and 285/35/19 then.

Think this will work well with 15mm F / 20mm R spacers? Was thinking about getting spacers at the same time.