hankook tires

[morpheus8486]

I'm starting to look into getting some new tires to put on my 15x7 zero offset meshies for auto-crossing so I can stay in sts class rather than have my 8" wide 5zigens bump me up into a class I can't compete in. Has anyone had any experience with hankook tires? I was looking at getting a set of either 205/50/15 ventus rs2 z212 or a set of 225/50/15 ventus hrII h405 tires. They look decent enough and I've heard some good things about hankook tires in general but never really anything about specific models in general. They're pretty cheap too. Any thoughts or any other low priced suggestions? Thanks.

[Flybert]

I've heard great things about the Ventus R-S2 Z212. I convinced my dad to try them on his m3. So far only the rears are on. We're gonna mount the fronts next week. I'll definitely update this thread after we get the fronts on. For the price, you almost can't go wrong and with free shipping at Discount Tire Direct, it's a win win situation.

[rainier]

no idea what i had since it came with the rims i bought but they did not grip at all. prolly some cheap model ones anyways but yeah. bad experience with those tires.

[SpeedMonkeyInc]

Did you read this months Grassroots Motorsports? There is a tire shoot out, Hankooks being one of the tires.

[stealthx32]

Yeah, I read it...and I don't agree completely with what was said. I took my set to the Streets of Willow this weekend to find the limit, and they were overall very predictable. They groaned at the limit, and the sliding rear could be corrected with a quick 5-10 degree countersteer. I ran ~40 psi all around, they were grippy, and didn't roll over. Also, I ran mine at full tread, and they didn't grease at all (unlike what GRM claimed).

Granted, it wasn't like driving on the RT-215's, where the tires were so stiff that road feel was almost telepathic. I agree, the RT-615's and RT-215's are probably better on dry pavement, but with the RT-215's supply quickly fading, and the RT-615 being DOUBLE the price, I felt the Z212's were great for what I paid.

[Flybert]

Just to give you guys an update, I ended up stealing my dad's Hankook Ventus Ventus R-S2 Z212 and used them out in the rear for the advanced Just Drift/Drift Association drift comp this weekend at Willow Springs Oval track. I got to drive through the mountains on the way over to the event and decided to push them hard to get a feel for the tires and the new setup. I had Khumo MX in 225/45/17 in front and the Ventus in the same size out back. The car felt very comfortable and I got good grip from both tires. The ventus work very well out in the rear and gripped really nicely. They didn't chunk so the compound is good in my opinion. I was smoking the shit out of them at times. I did notice they got a little slippier as the tread got lower and the heat of the tire increased. I actually fucked up my last run of the day because of this reason. I couldn't gain traction in the rear going down a straight and accidently slid off course. The tread was definitely low at that point though. I did manage to make top 8 in the competition so I give these tires 2 thumbs up. Khumo MX kick ass too. I think I'm going to throw them out rear at my next event and see how they do back there.

[maengelito]

i've got a set of the ventus rs2 on my STi and they're decent. they are great for the street and have great grip in the wet, but for track duty i was a bit disappointed. they chunked on my longer sessions on track but its not severe. they also squeal loudly when approaching the limit. i would put them just a step below the old falken azenis (haven't tried the new ones yet) but the price for the hankooks is very good. then again, this is for an STi which is significantly heavier than 240s, so give it a try.