Hankook Ventus V12 EVO

[Laika]

Does anyone have any experience with these tires? I'd like to know if they'd be a good match for my BRZ. I was originally planning to buy Star Spec's at $580 for the set. Tire rack has the EVO's for $404 plus an $80 American Express card via rebate...Kind of considering just getting these and letting them sit till next summer.

These are rated as being "max performance" summer tires as opposed to the "extreme high performance" of the Star Spec's. I don't really see myself needing the most possible grip in a car like the BRZ. Plus I have no intentions to do any autocross/track days. Plus they're basically $324...

Edit: Got the rating wrong on the Star Specs

[Lytheum]

a lot of people on mazdaspeedforums run these on daily drivers. i think the only complain is the sidewall being softer then most would like. you cant really beat them for the price

[korinfox]

Star specs are the stickier tires, but the Ventus V12 Evos are supposedly good too.

Here's a test on them.
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...12-evo-page-10

The Hankooks certainly will last longer, and if you're not going to autocross or do any track days, they're definitely a fine tire to get. Also, they should be not terrible if you ever do decide to try autocross. I don't think they'll be that much sticker than the stock tires, so if you're replacing those on your stock tires, it's not worth it, but if you're getting 18s or something, go with the Hankooks.

[Laika]

Originally Posted by korinfox

I don't think they'll be that much sticker than the stock tires.

Thank you for the link! I'm surprised about this statement though. I figured they'd be a lot stickier than the stock tires but I'm basing this off tirerack categorizing the stock tires as "Grand Touring" summer tires. Very far down the list of their categories which I figured were in order of stickyness (but I do understand different brands slot tires into the wrong category by thinking they are better than they are).

[korinfox]

Yeah, I don't think you'd really notice any difference driving on the street between the Hankooks and the stock tires. Save the money if you're in a place with snow for a proper set of winter tires and wheels, or otherwise spend it trying out autocross!

[Laika]

Originally Posted by korinfox

Yeah, I don't think you'd really notice any difference driving on the street between the Hankooks and the stock tires. Save the money if you're in a place with snow for a proper set of winter tires and wheels, or otherwise spend it trying out autocross!

Yeah I was definitely planning to pick up snow tires/steelies anyways. Would it help if I said that by street driving, it certainly does mean a good share of aggressive cornering? Some areas where I live get very twisty. These same areas never have traffic....

[korinfox]

At least in autocross, what I've heard from all the experienced guys, is to run whatever you have on the car for the first year so that you can get some experience with driving at the limit and learn the car.

That said, if you're going to have a separate set of tires for winter anyway, I'd spend the extra money for the stickier Dunlop Star Specs. Plenty of people daily drive on them, the only issue is that tire noise on the highway might be a bit more.

Also, definitely go do an autocross! You can never do out on public roads what you can on a closed track/parking lot with only traffic cones to hit.

Originally Posted by Laika

Yeah I was definitely planning to pick up snow tires/steelies anyways. Would it help if I said that by street driving, it certainly does mean a good share of aggressive cornering? Some areas where I live get very twisty. These same areas never have traffic....

[hachi roku]

I run the V12's on my 07 civic Si and love them. They are night and day difference between the stock Michelin all seasons. I'm running them on an 18" rim and when properly inflated never had issues with them being too soft. I find they grip exceptionally well and on a warm day they are hard to break loose. I run a honda performance suspension as well and found that these tires with the modified suspension have made it a much more enjoyable daily driver. When I do get my FR-S I definitely plan to get these tires again. They perform great under wet conditions as well, making them pretty ideal for a daily driver.

With the money you would save on these, you can put it towards a set of springs or an intake and improve the car in another way.

[RYU]

The V12s are my choice for a daily driver. They don't have the grip the StarSpecs have but if you need that kind of grip on the street you're probably going too fast. They communicate well before letting go and squealing unlike the Azenis 615k where they grip grip grip and then boom they let go. I run SS and Azenis for my track tires, now switching to NT01s but the V12s work great on a daily driver and are MUCH better in the wet....not sure about the cold. Temps affect these tires as much as wetness. The V12s will chunk when taken out on a track day though from personal experience.

[jamal]

It's an alright tire. They do not have the grip or rigidity of something like a star spec or RS3 but work pretty good and do last longer than the aforementioned tires. They're still pretty sticky and I would consider a second set because they last pretty long and aren't very expensive. However, if you are looking for all out performance I would go with something else.

There is a noticeable loss of traction below about 35-40f and don't even think about using them on snow.

[neoshi]

Considering there is usually a $80 rebate every year on them, you can probably get 225/45/17s for cheap (this size is usually around $390 AR from Gruppe-S, not including shipping.. if you live in socal they have local pickup in Lake Forest with $40 mount and balance).