Hankook H727 for my 2006 Elantra??

[flinter]

Hi,

Im looking to replace my tires on my 2006 Hyundai Elantra GLS
in MINT condition. The guys at Tire Rack have recommended the
Hankook Optima H727 Touring Tire as a great upgrade. However,
my current tires, and the tire speed for the Elantra,is H speed
rated. The H727 is a T rated tire.

But the guy at Tire Rack said I can go down to a T rated tire
with no problems at all.

Should I just stick with a H rated tire as my replacement,
or are these H727 really great tires for the Elantra?

I want a tire for great ride comfort and smoothness with
at least 60,000 miles of life.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Hankook Optima H727 will give your Elantra a soft ride and quiet with more than 60k miles tread life. If you don't drive faster than 110-120 MPH or take on-ramp at very high speed you don't need H-rated.

 

[flinter]

Thanks,


Will they be mushy in corners over an H rated tires? I certainly
do not want a mushy, sloppy feeling tire!

I never drive over 70-75 MPH, and im a very conservative driver
anyway.

 

[kkreit01]

Take their advice. The H727s appear to be a great tire. Do you often find yourself driving ~ 130 MPH? If not, the speed rating will mean nothing to your Elantra. I'm guessing your car is governed at much less, probably even less than T speed rating of 118. Typically, lower speed rated tires last longer, but may sacrifice some handling.

 

[flinter]

Nope..the Elantra is speced for H rated tires. As a matter of fact,
several shops in my area have refused to even install a T rated tire on
my Elantra because they tell me its dangerous to use a lower speed
rated tire and they can get sued!

Im very curious to know why Tire Rack is telling me I can actually drop down to S rated, when area shops will not even
install T rated??!! My area shops told me Tire Rack can get used for recommended S and T rated tires for a car speced for
H rated!

 

[oilmaven]

I had the H727's on my 1996 Honda Accord. I also have them on my 2008 Impala. They've been great on the Impala and the set I'm running have over 40,000 miles...that car rides and handles great with them(and the tires are absolutely phenomenal in the snow)...never a problem. The Impala comes with "T" rated tires and the suspension seems "firmish"...the "T" rated Hankooks are a great fit. The Honda on the other hand specs "V" rated tires (as Honda Accords have for years although I think the "V" rating is overkill). The Hankooks were NEVER great on that car (smooth and quiet yes...good handling a definite NO). I swapped them out after 25,000 miles (they were also out of round and had vibration issues) for a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE960 Pole Positions (H rated)...very highly rated by Tire Rack. The transformation was immediately noticeable. They're MUCH better handling...no vibrations...good riding and nearly as quiet as the Hankooks. I know they won't be as good as the Hankooks in the snow or last as long but I'm going to install dedicated winter tires this year so no problem. Although a VERY highly rated tire (which I can vouch for from my Impala), I'm not sure they're the best match for cars with suspensions designed for "H" or higher rated tires...just my 2 cents.

 

[flinter]

Sounds like its smart for me to stick with a H rated tire than
to expect the same type of handling. I just have to find the best,
smoothest H rated for the Elantra I guess.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Yes, I am surprised that Tire Rack is recommending that.

Many think that H-rated tires and above are a good idea in general, regardless of the original vehicle specification. Those tires with higher speed ratings often have additional "cap plies" in the tire that help defend against punctures and high speed tire failure. So many folks will do the opposite of this situation: they'll upgrade tires from S or T to H or above.

I think you should be able to find a good quality H-rated tire for your car.

 

[tig1]

Last year I had problems with Hankooks(premature tread wear on 80K tires). It took 3 months to get replacements as there were none in the US. Won't buy them again.

 

[JHZR2]

I'd stick with H. It is part of the handling design.

If you're overly conservative, T is likely OK, but you may feel a difference.

 

[weebl]

It could be quite possible that a lower trim level of the Elantra came with T speed rated tire, giving rise to Tire Rack's recommendation. I had a 2002 Mazda Protege which had V rated tires, but a couple of trim levels down, they came with S rated. There were no suspension differences among the trim levels in question. Often on higher trim levels, they "overspec." Very possible this is the case with the Elantra.

Dropping to a T speed rating, the result to you will be a firmer, more responsive ride. If you don't mind giving that up, you could probably move to a T rating. You trade the firmer more responsive ride to gain a smoother, softer ride.

That said, I think you should have no problems finding a different, good and reasonably priced H rated tire, likely with little or no price difference as compared to the H727.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I'd stick with H. It is part of the handling design.

If you're overly conservative, T is likely OK, but you may feel a difference.


The Elantra doesn't have "a handling design"! It's more comparible to a Corolla. So, maybe a better handling tire is desired. But, if the OP want a tire that will compliment the Elantra, the H727 is a GREAT choice!

Flinter, What "H" rated tires are on the car now?
I put Hankook Optimo H727 on my daughters Mazda3(which has "a handling design")! They're GREAT! I have thrown this car/tires into on/off ramps and cornered hard and the H727 are fine. I did this to see if we could feel a difference from the Dunlop Signature "H" that were on the car and to see what the car would experience if she ran into an "OOPS" on the road. I also read the ratings/reviews. They're fine for everyday driving. The H727's scored high in many areas including handling(wet/dry)

I don't personaly think that there will be a HUGE difference on an Elantra unless you just want that "little handling edge" that an "H" rated tire provides. I have also driven some better "T" rated tires than some "H" rated tires. For example:

My Pirelli P4 "T" rated tires are much much better handling than some other MFG's "H" rated tires that I have driven. I'm not saying that the P4 "T" are better handling than the P4 "H" tires, just better than some other mfg's "H" rated tires. This is where that "RATINGS" show the differences in tires.

These Hankook H727's score better in the snow/ice than some "Snow/Ice" tires. And handle equal to many "H" rated tires. You need to read the "RATINGS"!

If your not carfull, you could end up buying an "H" rated tire that is a low scoring/rated tire. And get a harder ride to boot!

These H727's will compliment your Elantra

Here is another example:
A friend of mine put on his Camry, "V" rated tires because the tire store didn't have in stock, the tires he wanted. So, the sales rep sold the "V" rated tires at the same price as the "T's" or "H's". The only differences were ride quality over ruts/potholes and the turning around corners. The car didn't really handle better, it just turned sharper around a simple corner. If my buddy were to really push the car hard, he might have noticed a little better handling but, in normal driving, the ride was sub par for a Toyota Camry.

Don't do this to your Elantra! Or, should you buy an "H" rated tire, get a good one! One that rides well and handles well.

The Elantra is a very civilized vehicle to drive. If the OP wants better handling, buy a better handling car. JK!

 

[CharBaby]

Flinter,
Here is a bit more information from Consumer Reports Magazine Test of these tires:

Optimo H727 "T"(overall score of 82) did just as well in handling as the Optimo H418 "H"(overall score of 68) & "V" (overall score of 70)rated tires. And then equal to or better in every other catigory.

And the H727 showed to to better in the "Snow Traction" & "Ice Braking" than the Hankook Icebear W300 winter tires(overall score 50).

The Tire Rack Customer Reviews of tires shows similar results where the H727 are #1 in it's catigory. And there are some serious/mighty fine tires in it's catigory!

 

[oilmaven]

I don't mean to imply that the H727 isn't a good tire...the owner reviews and road tests are top notch. Also, this tire is one of the few "T" rated tires that has a "cap ply" (if I remember correctly from the Tire Rack description...usually only found on "H" or higher rated tires. I believe it helps provide the extra heat resistance needed for the higher speed-rated tires and provides some additional rigidity and puncture resistance). You may be happy with the tire...I just didn't like them on the Honda.

 

[ponderosaTX]

I have Hankook H727s installed on my 2003 Mazda MPV ES, which was originally equipped with H-rated Dunlop SP4000s. Several years ago, when I bought my previous set of tires (General Altimax RTs) from TireRack, a sales consultant tried to talk me out of buying the RTs, claiming that my suspension was tuned to H-rated tires. I dismissed this advice as poppycock because I was replacing a set of T-rated Michelin HydroEdges, which provided outstanding handling, much better than the OE H-rated Dunlop SP4000s. The Altimax RTs performed well--much better than my OE Dunlops--but they did not handle as well as HydroEdges and did not wear quite as well either.

There is no consistency with regard to handling characteristics across different tires of ANY speed rating--even within the same manufacturer's line. On average, H-rated tires may handle better than T-rated tires, by some T-rated tires, notably the Michelin HydroEdge, out handle most H-rated tires. Look at the lap times recorded in Tire Rack's tire tests.

I like Hankook H727 tires very much because they are very resistant to hydroplaning, provide good wet traction, and ride quietly and smoothly at 40psi (cold). I would rate their dry handling properties as slightly above average. Wet handling is well above average. Their ride and noise characteristics are outstanding.

The long tread life tire with the best handling characteristics is the Michelin HydroEdge. It costs more than the Hankook H727 and it has a harsher, noisier ride--particularly at high tire pressures. But if your priorities are tread life and handling (both dry and wet), the HydroEdge is superior to all other tires I have tried. In my experience, you need to over-inflate HydroEdges (say 5psi above the factory recommendation for your car) to get maximum tread wear; the tread is shallower toward the edges than it is in the middle.

If you also consider rolling resistance, then the Continental ProContact with EcoPlus Technology may leap to the head of the pack among long tread life tires. See

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=133&

Michelin claims that current edition of the Michelin HydroEdge has Green Technology that lowers rolling resistance, but the Conti EcoPlus recently recorded better fuel mileage (nearly 1%) than the HydroEdge under the same test conditions at Tire Rack. If you use 600 gallons a fuel a year (25 mpg over 15,000 miles or 20 mpg over 12,000 miles), the annual savings is about 6 gallons of gas. According to Tire Rack, the Conti EcoPlus is quieter and rides better than the HydroEdge but does not handle quite as well. I also doubt a set of Contis will wear quite as well. I have not owned set of the Contis so I making this recommendation purely on the basis of Tire Rack's test, which I have found to be reliable.

So I recommend Hankook H727s, Michelin HydroEdges, and Conti EcoPluses for any car that is not driven at sustained speeds over 118mph. Which is best depends on your priorities. All three of these tires are T-rated.

 

[CharBaby]

PonderosaTX,

I too recomend more tires than just the Hankook Optimo H727's especially highly rated tires as you mentioned. The choices are many!

I just wanted to mention to Flinter that the H727's are a very good tire in many areas of concern. Which is why I do recomend them. If they do lack in one area, maybe it's handling but, Flinter may never notice as we did not.

Maybe changing from a "V" rated tire down to a "T" rated tire, the difference may be greater as was the case for "Oilmaven".

 

[onion]

I agree with Char here. In my experience, unless you mean to drive 130mph- going from a V-rated tire to a T-rated tire is a non-issue.

When I got my '04 accord, it had some fairly new V-rated Riken Rapor tires on it. Their wet traction was so poor that they were just plain dangerous, so I bought replacements (this is the wife's car). I went with some T-rated Cooper CS4's (very similar to these Hankooks). These tires are better in all respects, INCLUDING handling. As far as I can tell, the speed rating is completely irrelevant as long as I don't exceed the 118mph rating of these tires.

 

[flinter]

Thanks guys, for all your responses!
Currently, my 2005 Elantra has Kumho Esta Platimum LX tires.
They are H rated.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: flinter
Thanks guys, for all your responses!
Currently, my 2005 Elantra has Kumho Esta Platimum LX tires.
They are H rated.


The Esta Plat's are a very nice tire but, not a high scoring tire. The Esta Plat's have great customer reviews and were designed for the luxury car market. Sort of the Michelin of the KUMHO line.

The Esta Plat's were designed for cars that could actually do 130 mph and still give the owner a nice ride/handling while just cruising/loafing along. Nice tire! Conidered them once myself.