Recommendation for economy tyres (245/40/18)

[Herbmiester 928]

After trying some Hankook Ventus Prime 3's I put a set on the back of my E36. They are a touring tyre rather than an outright performance tyre but they are progressive as they start to let go, braking performance is pretty good and they are  good in the wet. I got 2 x 245 40 17's for less than $400 from Cannon Point Motors in Upper Hutt. I normally just look for the deal on RE003s as they are a really good tyre for the money but I had 3 vehicles to buy tyres for so the Hankooks won the cheque book race. 

[Jacko 2157]

215/245 on a 130 will make it yuck, tried it for a week of auckland/raglan return daily, and just ends up being an understeery mess... looks cool, drives poop. 

[Olaf 3322]

1 hour ago, M3AN said:

12+ months later...

Any updated thoughts, same subject? Toyo Proxes T1R directionals seem cost competitive, I've never used them, any experience?

Considering what 18" tyres to eventually pop on the 130. I don't need Michelin or even Goodyear F1 quality but I want to give it something better than the Pirelli Dragon Sports I put on the 328.

I'm considering either 215/40/18 + 245/35/18 or 225/40/18 + 255/35/18 or 235/40/18 square, undecided at the moment but tending towards the first option.

T1-R is pretty old tech.  I ran a set on my 850-T5, they were grippy and quiet, lasted just over 10k kms.  Same mileage on the Proxes-4 on my e46.  RE003 on e46 - more than double the mileage, better wet performance.  

I thought Toyos were pretty good until I tried the RE003s.

I've run RE003's on my e60, got over 20k kms.  Great balance, great handling, grip, wet weather performance.  Changed to staggered Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 H452 - they're not as good as RE003s.  Less grip in the dry, softer sidewalls, not as good in the wet.  As John says above, they're a touring tyre.  I regret buying them, should have gone S001.    

Before anyone says 'oooh, 10k for a set of tyres'?  I travel a twisty hill with chip seal, the tyres aren't warmed up before they hit the hill, same for coming home.

[M3AN 4016]

A 225/255 set of Hankook Ventus S1 Evos for $991 is looking real sharp and they review well.

Anyone have any specific experience with the S1's?

 

[Olaf 3322]

No, but I read reviews on Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 H452 and they appeared to rate very close to the RE003s.  Tread carefully (no pun intended) with reviews.  

I put more stock in feedback from people on this board - who I know and trust - with specific feedback on our road conditions. ?

I'm really interested to drive a car shod with the Pirelli Dragons, based on what I've read here on Bimmersport.  They may be the bargain quality tyre.  I understand the're probably 'not enough' tyre for your intended application.

HTH.

[Jacko 2157]

9 hours ago, M3AN said:

A 225/255 set of Hankook Ventus S1 Evos for $991 is looking real sharp and they review well.

Anyone have any specific experience with the S1's?

 

How much stagger do you have at the moment? Ive done 225/235, 215/245, and 235/235 (currrent setup). 225/235 was good, but from my unscientific butt testing I seriously wouldnt consider more stagger than that, ruins the balance of the car in the twistys. 

[qube 3570]

2 hours ago, Olaf said:

I'm really interested to drive a car shod with the Pirelli Dragons, based on what I've read here on Bimmersport.  

They are good but as Dave said, can be quite loud on the road.

My absolute best budget tyre recommendation is the Laufenn LK01. around $600 for a set of 18s or $500 for a set of 17s is way too good of a price

 

[M3AN 4016]

3 hours ago, Olaf said:

No, but I read reviews on Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 H452 and they appeared to rate very close to the RE003s.  Tread carefully (no pun intended) with reviews.  

I put more stock in feedback from people on this board - who I know and trust - with specific feedback on our road conditions. ?

I'm really interested to drive a car shod with the Pirelli Dragons, based on what I've read here on Bimmersport.  They may be the bargain quality tyre.  I understand the're probably 'not enough' tyre for your intended application.

HTH.

Yes, I take tyre reviews with a grain of salt. I typically use them for the "what not to get" bit rather than the "this is the best" bit. Having said that, tyrereviews.co.uk seem legit and have a good YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEvB1bmKjPWZ3V1wSdBnXPQ). I did learn not to buy Nanking NS20's unless you like dying. ?

And yes, the Pirellis are the bargain quality tyre of choice I would say. They're not for every application but are cheap, feel safe and last forever.

2 hours ago, Jacko said:

How much stagger do you have at the moment? Ive done 225/235, 215/245, and 235/235 (currrent setup). 225/235 was good, but from my unscientific butt testing I seriously wouldnt consider more stagger than that, ruins the balance of the car in the twistys. 

Currently running 225/255 because I've whipped the wheels off the M3. The offset is slightly off but they look great in the arches. This is more tyre than I need in the 130 but it's an optimal combo (circumference wise). The 17's it rolled in on (and for which I still have good rubber) wore a 205/225 combo and whilst the front was sharp it's not enough tyre. I wondered if bumping it to 215/245 would be enough given the tyres will be better quality and I'll be upping the front camber (M3 arms and pin mod).   

Given the LSD, and the extra camber, 215/245 might be better than 225/255 is my current thinking... but then the options are more limited.

And as I say, four Hankook S1's in 225/255 for $991 is hard to look past if they're not terrible.

 

 

[Jacko 2157]

Can you do 225/245 on the rim widths you have?  Next sushi cafe meet need to swap keys for 5 min and compare setups  

[M3AN 4016]

Yep, they'd fit but there would be no harm (and better circumference match) by going to 255's at the rear... any 'imbalance' that introduced would be right foot controlled. To be honest, if I'm getting on-the-limit understeer in my daily I'm probably driving it too hard. ?

Would definitely like to drive yours and would of course reciprocate. 

[Olaf 3322]

3 hours ago, qube said:

They are good but as Dave said, can be quite loud on the road.

My absolute best budget tyre recommendation is the Laufenn LK01. around $600 for a set of 18s or $500 for a set of 17s is way too good of a price

 

I've heard the Laufenn mentioned as great value for money.  If RE003 are the benchmark, how much less is the LK01 in terms of road noise, grip, wet weather, and wear, in your experience Kyu??  I've heard Laufenn is an Hankook 'Euro-style' brand?

[qube 3570]

I had RE003s on the E39 - great but were expensive at the time.

I put LK01s on the M135i and drove them for months, then changed wheels and put on RE003s and felt no noticeable difference tbh

They are the made in indonesia version of hankooks. 

Road nose, dry weather grip both excellent. Wet weather grip - absolutely fine but Im no racecar driver. I did have to drive through the Karangahake Gorge during a torrential downpour with wipers going full speed and i had no issues at all.

For half the price of RE003s, you could try them out and see if you like them. If not then flick them on (to me) and go get some PS4S or something :p

 

[Olaf 3322]

7 minutes ago, qube said:

Road nose, dry weather grip both excellent. Wet weather grip - absolutely fine but Im no racecar driver. I did have to drive through the Karangahake Gorge during a torrential downpour with wipers going full speed and i had no issues at all.

For half the price of RE003s, you could try them out and see if you like them. If not then flick them on (to me) and go get some PS4S or something ?

sounds like they could be a budget option for e30 when I find some 15" basketweaves.  205/55R15?

[Sammo 2544]

I had the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 on my GTI and rated them for the $$.

I have Hankook V12 Evo 2 on my 330ci now and they are great for under a grand a set (235/40/18 square) - loads of dry grip, quiet and decent in wet.

Hyper seem to have had 40% off tyres since Covid hit - can get a set of 18" PS4 for $1150 which is pretty good!

[Herbmiester 928]

Here is a review of the Laufenn LK01

https://alltyretests.com/laufenn-s-fit-eq-lk01-test-review/

[Olaf 3322]

^^^ wow that would seem to indicate "avoid"?

 

[qube 3570]

Im going to dismiss this review based on this:

"Laufenn S FIT EQ LK01 is an Ultra High Performance summer tire"

[GorGasm 563]

Why?  That's what their own website says they are.

In regards to the article, yes the LK01 appears to be terrible, but it wouldn't be so bad if the scales started at 0.  It's still near the back of the pack, especially in the wet, but they aren't the end of the world.

Should you buy them?  Up to you.  Do you want to save money?  Do you push the limits?  Are you a careful driver?

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by GorGasm

[qube 3570]

Didnt realise that they were marketing it as ultra high performance.. seems a bit over-marketed imo.

The price puts it at a low-mid range tyre at best, but for the money you get something absolutely usable for the average driver. 

I have them on my current car and had them on numerous cars before and havent had a single issue for day to day driving as well as spirited drives even in the M135i. Obviously was very careful in the wet but that car was powerful enough to spin up RE003's and the general consensus was that only Michelin PS4 or better were able to handle it even in the wet. 

Once again, I think its pretty simple and clear - you get what you pay for. There is no magic or trickery here...