Hi guys,
I decided to share my experience so far with my new Hankook Kinergy PT tires, in size 205/60/16 H, on my 2018 Mazda 3 GS sedan.
My dad and I always preferred Michelin and Bridgestone's tires, as well as Yokohama's. We both had Michelin Harmony, Michelin Primacy MXV4, Michelin Defender, Michelin Defender T+H, Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus, General Altimax RT43, Bridgestone Quiettrack and one set of Continental's True Contact Tour which my dad returned because two of them could not get balanced properly. So, we have good experience with quality tires for many years.
That being said, I was looking at the Defender2, Yokohama Avid Ascend LX, Continental PureContact LS, Cooper Endeavor, General Altimax RT45, Pirelli P7 All Season Plus II, and the Toyo Extensa A/S II.
I was looking for a good all around, long lasting tire, quiet and good riding tire, with some good handling around corners.
My last set of tires was the Michelin Defender T+H. They lasted around 85 000 km (close to wear bar, but I never go to that point). These Defenders were quiet on smooth surfaces, louder on rough pavement, like most tires in that category would be. My only downside to the Defenders is that they were very firm, I always ran them 2-3 PSI less than the recommended pressure in the door sticker (mine is 36 PSI, so ran them at 32-33).
As the Michelin's were pretty worn out, they were very hard and noisy, which is normal, still had good grip on dry, but it was time to change, even though I think I could've run that set for the summer.
Now, what caught my attention on these Hankook's Kinergy PT is the treadwear, rated at 860, higher than both Defender2 and Bridgestone Quiettrack. I got curious and did a bit of research for reviews. I never had Hankook tires before, it's a first for me.
Here in Canada, we have Point-S retail stores, they offered a promotion for Hankook's, free installation plus 100$ mail rebate from Hankook.
The total installed on my car tax included, with all the rebates, was 560$ CAD. Both Michelin's and Bridgestone's were over 1000$ CAD. For this price, I decided to give it a shot, Hankook gives a 30 days trial, I am not sure how true this is, but I bought them anyways.
So far, I drove around 900-1000 km's on them, they can handle 51 PSI max pressure, I can run them at 36 PSI like recommended by Mazda with no problem, they are not as hard as the Michelin's. They are very quiet, a bit more than the Defender's, but equal or comparable to the Quiettrack. They have a bit softer sidewall than both Defender's and Quiettrack.
Where this tire shines, is the grip, both dry and wet. They don't squeal, at all, even if I push them through corners hard (the temperature is not hot enough though, will see during very hot summer days). In wet, they cut through water very well, almost no hydroplaning, very minimal and the grip is very impressive for a tire at this price.
At higher speed, around 80 mph and higher, they are surprisingly stable and predictable, well planted. They don't vibrate at all and needed very little weights while balancing. I have to mention, this is not a soft tire, sidewall is softer than the other two, but it's still firm.
Overall, I am very impressed by this tire, made in U.S.A was one of the reasons I bought them, the treadwear, quietness, good riding, and the surprising grip they offer in both wet and dry. Lastly, the price. I find tires are getting so expensive, plus I only have regular size 16 tire. To me, this was a very good deal and worth trying, and to my surprise, I am not disappointed, even impressed.
If you guys have any experience to share with Hankook's, I would love to hear them!
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