Tire Rack tests all season tires

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Hokiefyd

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Until now, only Consumer Reports has tested the relatively new Hankook Optimo H727, and nobody has tested the new Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All-Season. Tire Rack now has, and has tossed in two known quantities to go with, the General Altimax HP and the Michelin HydroEdge Green X.

The only real stand-out from this test is the Hankook absolutely embarassing itself on wet pavement. You might say they're fit for service on a Town Car, but even there, there are likely other choices that ride as well and perform better on wet surfaces.

The other three tires look pretty good. The HydroEdge continues to get lower marks for road noise, and the new Goodyear TripleTred looks to carry that over from the previous version as well.

Tire Rack report
 
Originally Posted By: cchase
Originally Posted By: pbm
The 'surveys' of owners seem to rate the Hankook very high in wet traction.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hankook&tireModel=Optimo+H727

..click on 'survey'....


Just goes to show you the gap between a standardized, objective test and peoples interpretations of things.


Or rather the gap between TireRack's test on a single vehicle in a controlled environment versus the results obtained by many different vehicles with different driving dynamics, different drivers and different wet road surfaces.
 
Interesting. I see lots of gaps between such tests (controlled vs. real world) -- whether it's tirerack vs. surveys or CR vs. surveys. Whom does one believe? I use all for reference, and make my own decision. It's nice to find opinions on your specific ride -- if the online community is active enough.

PS -- seems they always use a BMW for their tests. I think they need to branch out a bit.
 
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Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: cchase
Originally Posted By: pbm
The 'surveys' of owners seem to rate the Hankook very high in wet traction.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hankook&tireModel=Optimo+H727

..click on 'survey'....


Just goes to show you the gap between a standardized, objective test and peoples interpretations of things.


Or rather the gap between TireRack's test on a single vehicle in a controlled environment versus the results obtained by many different vehicles with different driving dynamics, different drivers and different wet road surfaces.


I suppose that's another way of looking at it. However, the problem I see with tirerack.com's user reviews is that like all user reviews, it tends to highlight only people who LOVE something and those who HATE it, and neither group tends to be objective in their assessment since it is fueled mainly through emotion.

I tend to place more weight in a standardized test for traction in wet than Joe Somebody from Tuscaloosa who claims to have used tire X for 50,000 miles.
 
A test that includes snow and/or ice(hard to come by in September) would be very useful for an all-season tire test.

Regarding the available testing, rain traction is more important for driving on roads. That does not mean that I drive more than 10% in rain, but I am not worried about a sudden dry patch.
 
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I had a lot of hope for the H727 until I saw the wet stopping distance. I was expecting something equal or better than the General Altimax HP and my jaw dropped when I saw the number.

You guys are right, I cannot trust only the consumer survey especially when comparing between tires of different segment that are likely to have different expectations.
 
I recently put two H727's on the front of my Chrysler mini-van, to replace two Hydroedge's.

The H727's have a greater slip angle, making sharp turn events less crisp. I have not noticed any deficenty on wet roads. Snow and Ice have not yet been experienced.
 
Originally Posted By: cchase
I tend to place more weight in a standardized test for traction in wet than Joe Somebody from Tuscaloosa who claims to have used tire X for 50,000 miles.


Definitely. Few people even exceed 0.5g on dry pavement. How would you expect them to notice such a thing in the wet, where they drive even more conservatively?

Not only that, but there are likely varying degrees of astroturfing involved in those surveys. I do trust the opinions of many of our forum members.
 
Off topic:

I noticed that most of Tire Rack's test involve the use of various generation of BMW 328i/330i with 205 55 16 and 205 50 17.

Does the car used make a difference in handling and can I compare them directly?
 
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Does the car used make a difference in handling and can I compare them directly?


The vehicle does make a big difference in ultimate performance, but the relative difference in ultimate grip between tires isn't going to change significantly.
 
I wouldn't say the Hankook H727 has embarrassing wet traction. It's about 10% less wet traction than the average of the other three tires in the test.
The General Altimax HP did really well in the tests and only cost on average a few dollars more than the H727. (The Hankook also currently have a $50 rebate on a set of four) The down side of the General Altimax HP is they come with less tread depth than the other three tires and they have the lowest wear rating at 440.
It's just a few things to consider.

I like the way the tread on the Altimax HPs looks best.
 
Which are US made? Probably only the Michelin and Goodyear.

That ought to be a consideration too... Especially versus the Hankook.
 
not surprising considering the best tire costs you hundreds more in gas with its rolling resistance.

tire with best traction = worst RR ... yep

its all about the triangle. treadwear traction rolling resistance
 
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I have a DVD that came with my CR April Auto Issue. The tire test in the DVD showed the Chevy Malibu. In the April Report, CR states that they used 215-60-16 tires all on the same vehicle. It would be easy to pick a tire if you own a Malibu and that size tire!

Their wet braking and handling of the H727 showed respectable for it's type("T" rated tires) and matched the Tripple Tread in both areas.

Now, I know that the TR(using a BMW 328) test of the Tripple Tread("H" speed rated) is the new/improved Tripple Tread and the General Altimax is the HP version("H" speed rated) and not the RT version("T"speed rated, which is more comparible to the H727's). And also, the Michelin HydroEdge("T" speed rated) is of course, CR's & TR's top rated tire in the Hydro type of tire in "S" & "T" speed rating catigory. It would be easy to pick a tire if you own a BMW 328 and use that size tire!

It is good to see the the TR has finaly tested the H727's as it allows us user of the H727's to get another view of this tire from another source. And, TR tested the exact size(205-55-16) tire that we currently are using on my daughters Mazda3. So, it give us another good view of the tire as well; our exact size!

The new scoring/rating of the H727's now place it in 4th place according to TR which is still a good showing for any tire. And too, CR now places the H727 in 4th place as well compared to it's previous 2nd place to the HydeoEdge as CR has tested several new LRR tire that have outscored(actually the total score was a 3 way tie) the H727's it seems. 4th place is still a good showing!

Testing the H727's on my daughters Mazda3 on rain soaked roads in the handling area and braking area, under my own controlled circumstances(no "cops" or other vehicles around). The Hankooks seemed confident and controlled in both areas. They're not a performance tire and they don't act like one but, they didn't suck either. And I'm comparing the H727 to the Dunlop Signature(a respectable tire)that the H727's have replaced.

Now, what can happen while driving at night down a country road and a deer runs out in front of you or another vehicle crosses in front of your path on the highway...Who know? Hopefully, not an accident!

With out question, there are better performing tires on the market but, the H727 have their place and there are many good reviews to substanciate this. We in particular bought these H727's for their long wareout warranty and winter traction for an A/S tire as well as their other atributes. Others will buy them for their quiet ride. And more still will buy them for their price and rebate to boot. Actually I bought them for all those reasons.

Can't knock the other tires in the TR or CR test for the way that they performed and they are good choices to say the least. There are so many good choice of tires today and I am happy that I made good choices for our vehicles. The best tire for your vehicle is the tire that meets your criteria.
 
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Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Which are US made? Probably only the Michelin and Goodyear.

That ought to be a consideration too... Especially versus the Hankook.




General Altimax: US, Mexico, France, Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Romania, Slovakia...

Goodyear: US.

Hankook: Korea, China.

Michelin: US, Mexico, Canada.
 
Something I've never noticed about Tirerack before, they list country of origin not only by brand and model of tire, but by different sizes within that brand and model. For instance, the larger sizes of that tested Michelin tire are all U.S. made, while the smaller sizes are a mixture of U.S., Canada, and Mexico production.
 
BMWs have historically high caster.
This loads the tire differently on turns -lays'em over.
Other cars should be used that are more 'normal' for testing.
 
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