justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I havent calculated mileage yet, but I generally do about 10k a year.
All weekends, and all FUN!
I'm modding my car along side an '84 monte carlo SS.
and RWD cars like to run from a dig! lololool
we're mostly even with me edging him out MOST of the time from a dig.

Twisties are fun with my car!
I need new tires tho.
I'm expecting my car tomorrow.

will do IHC's tests with bald NT05s
then will buy the Star specs.

JimVT

I remember the Coopers were Zeons but and I don't remember what the Yokohama were. This was probably 6+ years ago. I had them on a Porshce 944 which had a really tight suspension which transmitted every bump and groove up to the steering wheel.

bouncer07

V12's are nice. If I had to give 5-stars, they handle better than the S-Drives and comparable to Dunlops. The choice will be great. You'll corner at 60mph will no tire screech, glued to the floor.

As for weather (rain/dry) the tire performs flawless.

slick88

Hankook V12 look like good tire, but with the treadwear, they may need quicker replacement. Am I right?

Cbronze_06TL

+1 dws

I hate cars

Lol at some of these posts.

I can understand subjectively rating things like noise, comfort, turn-in, looks, etc. But trying to rate performance in the way that it's being presented really does nothing for someone looking for a set of performance tires for performance reasons. "Cornering at 60mph with no screeching", thousands of people do this every day at 90mph going down the freeway. It needs to be qualified with a radius or g-force measurement to mean anything. "Tramlining" can be made worse with a wide tire but it's usually from worn suspension or too much toe out, not the tires. DWS tires for someone looking for a max performance tire? Why? A 245/40 tire does not have a larger section width than a 245/45 tire (maybe it was a typo?)

The NT05 and Star Specs are in a league of their own if pure performance is the ultimate goal. Most of the others aren't that close. I understand performance is not at the top of everyone's list but I get the feeling that some think some of these ordinary tires like the DWS are on par with the Nittos and Dunlops based on subjective feelings and without trying both. If Justin comes back and says he likes the Star Specs better in certain ways, I can live with that because he's actually experienced both.

I have to have the best just for accident avoidance. If one tire stops over 10' quicker than the other, that's huge if you're trying to keep from rear ending someone. About a year ago, I had someone pull out in front of me while I was doing 55mph and I swerved so hard I wrinkled the leather on my new steering wheel and hit her but it only left some very fine scratches on the rim and her blue paint on my bumper. It was so minor that I wasn't sure if we had actually hit at first. Everything buffed out to where you can't tell there was an accident. I was on the NT05s at the time, I can only wonder how much damage would have been done had I been on an average tire and a 55mph impact. Just knowing the car stops extremely quick, in exotic car territory makes me feel safer.

lumyeinjun

iTrader: (1)

That's what I thought too, but when I was shopping for tires I came across these specs on tirerack:





edit: dangit the image is too small, but I circled in red that the 245/40 has a section width of 9.8" and the 245/45 has a section width of 9.6"

vshengr

iTrader: (2)

Here is my review of the Hankook V12's:

Size: 245/45/17
Rims: 3G Type S
Pictures: will take pictures and post later
Time of ownership: 3 days
Comparing to: Stock Michelin HX MXM4 All Season Touring

I'm definitely no car expert and I'm judging all of this by feel. I have NO statistical data to back any of this up

Noise Level: this was the #1 thing that stuck out to me initially. These V12's are crazy quiet, even when going over bumps it sounds more insulated compared to the stock Michelins. I live/work in Philly which has potholes, worn and uneven pavement etc all over the place. It's only been 3 days but I'm truly amazed at how quiet they are. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed a quiet ride until I put these on. And by all accounts, the MXM4 is not considered a loud tire.

Dry Traction/Wet Traction: I haven't completely floored it in 1st gear but I've given it enough that my stockies would usually be chirping and VSA would be flashing. The V12's in comparison have not chirped and have not set off VSA. Even in 45F weather on wet pavement (morning after it rained) I was able to accelerate more than usual without chirping or setting off VSA. Again I have not gone WOT in dry or wet. I'm too used to feathering the throttle and then pouring it on once I know traction is not an issue, I will have to change that driving habit

Cornering Stability: the stock Michelins felt like marshmellows when I used to corner. I'm talking intersection corners so speed is not very high, sometimes from a dead stop and other times at normal speed. Example: making a right turn at the next light. The stockies felt like I was in a boat, the car felt unlevel and I could visibly see that the car dash was slanting/dipping to one side. With the V12's I feel much more stable and balanced, the dash does not slant/tilt visibly as much, it corners much more flat. Must be the stiffer sidewalls. At least by feel they have made a huge difference. I also have a 350z which corners extremely flat and stable. Whenever I took the TL in the same corners it felt unstable and unlevel. The V12's have improved the cornering feel of the TL to the point that I would say it feels flat like the 350z. I say that keeping in mind that I'm nowhere near the cornering limits of either car and I'm taking intersection corners at legal and safe speeds.

Torque Steer: I never really cared too much about this, made the TL seem like a wild and rowdy car and that added to the fun factor. There are a few on ramps around here that you might have to merge from a complete stop if the person in front didn't merge properly and is stopped in front of you. In those situations I found the TL very squirmy with the stock Michelins. Not only would I be slipping from a dig with VSA flashing but the car would be pulling to the sides for a split second or two. Torque steer has noticeably decreased with the Hankook V12's so far. I haven't had to take any on ramps from a dead stop the past few days so I don't have a perfect comparison yet. However from the above mentioned intersection turns, I've noticed a decrease in torque steer. In the past I would never dream of accelerating mid turn with the stock Michelins. I actually can with the V12's without chirping and without VSA flashing.

The car overall feels heavier but better planted to the pavement. The tires are slightly larger than stock and I'm pretty sure they are heavier. I haven't had time to mess around with tire pressures but they've been set the same as the stocks at 35psi all around so that helps for comparison sake. I've only spent about 3 days, maybe 100 miles on these tires so the traction should only get better

Hope this helps others out there looking at the V12's.

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Thanks! Making me second guess the Conti DW now.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

as you should!
a race car should ONLY HAVE DEDICATED SUMMERS.
no weak pussy shit!!

shenrie

Suprised Toyo R1Rs or Hankook RS3's havent come up in this conversation. Both ideal summer tires if only driving that low of miliage especially if preformance is the main driving factor of purchase. Not knocking the Dunlops (one of the few tires ive never ran) or the NT-05's (im a huge Nitto fan), but depending on the class, these two tires seem to own the ST tire classes everywhere I look. I also havent ran them on a vehicle as big as the TL, but I have friends with MS3's (similar in size to TL) run these as summer tires and the occasional autox and raves about them. he is actually the fastest MS3 in the nation from what Im told. I cant verify that, dont follow drag racing or mazdas much.

or if you really want grippy tires, the Nitto NT01, Nitto 555R, Toyo RA1 or Toyo 888's. have ran the first three as street tires and enjoy the hell out of all three. have never ran the 888's, but hear they do produce a lot of road noise. All four tires use the same 100 treadwear compound and are very similar in handling, tread patterns being the main difference. Again, havent ran these tires on the heavier TL's, but did run them on my 2900lb integra with excellent results. When newer, they also worked quite well in standing water. used the 555R's as rains back when they offered a size i liked.

Or super baller summer tires that put the smackdown in the corners and only last a month or two, lol. Kumho v710's or Hoosier A or R6's. neither of those would be much fun if you encountered rain though.

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Ahh, you're correct.

P.S. The Conti DW is a summer tire...DWS is the all season.

vshengr

iTrader: (2)

Unfortunately I have no experience with the Conti's so I can't give you much of a comparison there. But the V12's have an $80 rebate making them more cost efficient and the tread looks better than the conti's I'll get a few pics up by tmrw so you can see how they look mounted. But ya, overall I'm very pleased with them so far.

I originally thought I wanted all out performance tires but I don't track the car and at most do 'spirited driving'. I definitely need good wet traction as well. Those 2 things helped eliminate many of the tires you recommend. Then taking into account what was available at the size I wanted 245/45/17 and the price, Hankook V12's seemed like a great choice for a 1st time summer tire. I definitely already notice improvements versus stock so I am satisfied for now. Perhaps the next time around when I need new tires I'll move up a tier

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

P.S. the Conti DW is not in the same league as the tires being discussed here.
Hence my pussy comment!
be a man, get real tires!

vshengr

iTrader: (2)

They just lowered the price even more on the V12's on tire rack. I just called and had my order price matched.

In my size 245/45/17
$372 after rebate + $45 shipping = $417 for a set of four summer tires, can't beat that deal

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Conti DW is a Max Performance Summer tire, look it up.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

then why were you second guessing your set!!!?

lol because its not in the same league as the star specs, nt05's or v12s.

Go big or go home!
p.s. I'm just pokin ya in the ribs some.

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Because I was comparing the V12s with the DW's, they both seem like good options. I just really hate the road noise on my BFGoodrich G-Force tires now and I want a quiet ride. Both seem like great options but on tirerack the DW's have better ratings in dry/wet traction and road noise. I probably should just get the V12's since they're about $100 cheaper.

lumyeinjun

iTrader: (1)

Don't mind Justin, that's just his was of talking haha. He's a bit biased, but he does know what he's talking about most of the time.

I was also deciding between the Conti DW tires and the Ventus V12, and if you base your decision solely on Tire rack ratings, reviews and comparisons, the clear choice would be Conti DW tires. I have no idea why that is so. Tirerack makes it seem like the Hankooks aren't even in the same class as the Conti DW tires.

However, reading through different forums, I've come across several reviews stating that the Conti DW tires have a soft sidewall and don't feel crisp during turn-in. I've heard nothing but good things about the Ventus V12s, and with the Hankooks being cheaper I grabbed a set. Love them.

I have no experience with the Conti DW tires, but tirerack's comparison test with the pilot super sports, p-zeros, and a few other summer tires stated that the Continental DW tires had the worst responsiveness amongst the tires tested as well. They are, however, the most comfortable tires of the bunch, so it really depends on what you want from your tires.

Both are good tires, just keep in mind the people on tire rack vs. the people on this forum. This forum is more performance oriented whereas tirerack reviewers have a mix of enthusiasts and average joe's rating the tires.

From a performance standpoint, I would personally go with the Hankooks, but that's not to say that the Conti DW should be completely ruled out!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I'm just bustin his balls.
we all have different needs.
I'm sure undying chose the tire because he did do his research and knew what he wanted.

FCVadi

iTrader: (3)

NT05 is R compound (or clsoe to it).. not sure of star spec

DW is a summer tire but not on the level of NT05...

If you want pure summer fun then get the NT05.. if you want something that will last you longer and get the best bang for buck then DW...

just my two cents

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Justn, I know you are.
I have read extensively on both tires, my mom and uncle started to make fun of me, asking if I saw tires and rims in my dreams
The Conti seems to fit me better because I like having a car which is nice and smooth and quiet, loud tires and bumpy rides aren't exactly luxury. It's just a daily driver so racing the TL at a track is out of the question (paid way too much to risk crashing it) So a smooth ride is what I'm looking for and living in FL I just wanted a tire that can handle dry and wet roads.

If one of you can tell the the V12's are just as comfortable or equal, I'll get those, it'll save me $100 and handle better when I feel like doing some spirited driving.

I hate cars

I don't care to make recommendations anymore since people don't bother reading but don't get all caught up in tirerack's traction ratings. The system is flawed, I can only guess it comes from consumer reviews, 99.9% of which have never measured performance, it's more of a popularity contest. I see tires on there that I've actually measured, some are not in the same league as others but rated higher in traction. How many of these people have run more than one tire back to back to compare against another. How many have measured performance? Probably none. I wouldn't even look at the tirerack ratings when choosing a tire other than noise since that's easy for most people to get right.

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

I looked at other places I just figured Tire Rack was a popular place to order from and they seem to rack up the most reviews. I also went to Discount Tire and some other places Google turned up. If you guys say the V12's are as good as they say they are I'll probably order them. If I don't like them perhaps I could work something out with whoever I order from.

lumyeinjun

iTrader: (1)

Agreed. But I will still give Undying Dreams my personal account

I don't know if they're just as comfortable or equal to the Conti DW, but so far I wouldn't call the Hankooks uncomfortable by any means. They're not loud like my worn out OE Potenzas were, and they're comfy enough for me. All of this is subjective though, i'm sure my grandfather would say otherwise

But if i'm interpreting your question correctly, my answer would be yes, the tires are comfortable and quiet enough to be put on an Entry Level Luxury Sedan. They're still summer tires, so they're not going to be as quiet and comfortable as a touring tire, but I have no complaints

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Thanks, I really appreciate it. I'll be putting the car on Tein coilovers too so it'll ride nice and soft. Thanks for changing my mind and the amount of $$ in my wallet!

vshengr

iTrader: (2)

I've got the '08 Type S which has the firmest stock suspension for all of the 3Gs I believe. And comparing the Hankook V12 against the stock All Season Touring Michelin MXM4, I actually find the V12 more quiet and more comfortable of a ride (compared to a touring tire, should say something about how quiet it is). At the same time the V12 also offers better handling and cornering compared to stock. Not sure how it manages that but I did increase my tire size slightly as well so perhaps that has something to do with how I find it absorbing bumps better. I've heard quite a bit about the noise complaints in terms of those BF Goodrich tires so atleast in terms of noise I think you will be happy with the V12.

Anyway, price is the icing on the cake. At it's current price, what have you got to lose

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the extra reassurance I'll definitely be buying them.

vshengr

iTrader: (2)

Here are a few pictures of my new Hankook V12 mounted. Unfortunately I was in a rush this morning before work so I resorted to my HTC Rezound camera and lighting is not great since it was drizzling out this morning. But in any case hope this gives you an idea of what they look like mounted.











The angle of the rear shot makes them look skinny, but they most definitely are not. They are wide These are 245/45/17 and diameter is 25.7" I'm 100% stock, not lowered or anything so this fills the wheel wells better than stock which for me is a plus. I've always wanted to close that wheel gap a bit but can't afford to be any lower, my front bumper would scrape everywhere since philly roads are so lopsided, uneven and full of dips. Overall I like the new look.

shenrie

^^^ this x2. well put man.

you also have to keep in mind tire ratings like treadwear and sizing is NOT a universal standard. One tire manfs 100 treadwear is like anothers 200 or visa versa. Ive had stacks of same sized 205-50-15 tires on identicle rims and had 1"-1.5" difference in how tall the stacks were (between Nitto, Falken, & Hankook). especially when your comparing regular street tires with stickier r-comps style tires. on equal rims (16x8's) the hoosier R6 205-45-16's were almost 2" taller than a stack of kuhmo v710 215-40-16's on the same rims. Keep in mind some of that is sidewall design, but still. it blows me away that theres no "official" standards with tires.

I hate cars

Second stiffest. Which BFGs did you have? My old KDW-2s were absolutely terrible in noise.

vshengr

iTrader: (2)

What's the stiffest suspension on the 3G? 04-06 Aspec?

About the BFGs, Undying Dreams said he was running the G-Force and did not like the tire noise. I personally have not run any of those BFGs though I was originally interested in the KDW-2. But just about everyone everywhere complains about the noise so I guess I'm happy I skipped over those sets of tires.

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Yes, the BFGoodrich G-Force tire is WAY too noisy, it's got the "wah wah wah" noise to it.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

04-06 6mt

I hate cars

Aspec lol. Some consider it an option which it kind of is but I'm not sure the '04-'06 manual is stiffer than the Type S.

Blkdout04tl

Best bang for ur buck at 109.00 per tire. Hankook Ventus V12 are awesome. I run 245/45/17s. Great grip, very quiet. Dont get caught in the snow with these though, You will be sliding everywhere even with a light dusting on the road.

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

It's a summer tire, don't run it through snow or anything close to freezing temps. Hence, "summer".

slick88

I ended up buying a set of 4 Ventus V12 last week for my '08 TL. I had 40K miles on the stock Michelins and they were in need of replacement. Bought the Hankooks on TireRack for $436 (235/45R17) + $50 shipping and had my local tire shop install them. It's an even better deal w/ the additional discount from the $80 mail-in rebate.

I had been considering the Conti DW, BFGoodrich g-Force Sport COMP-2, or the Nitto Motivo.

As for performance, I've only got 75 miles on the new set, but they are quiet and I can definitely feel the difference between these and the old worn Michelins. The new tires ride firm as opposed to that soft under-inflated feel, as one would expect.

Get them now before the rebate expires at the end of June!

vshengr

iTrader: (2)

Glad you like them Slick They've truly made my TL more enjoyable to drive.

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Going to buy these very soon. You guys get them so cheap because you're on stock wheels. Going to a 245/40/18 makes them like $169 per tire on tirerack.