These Hankooks are money. I smoked a gangster in a blacked out Grand Prix GXP 5.3l last nite in the rain from a light. He launched the shyt out of me before the light even turned green- I was spinning a little but not much really. By the 3-4 flat foot shift I was blowing past him. I wouldn't have ever tried to race in the rain with the Kumhos or Potenzas; I think I would have just been spinning. I would say these tires are confidence inspiring haha. They were barley hydroplaning at all at 90+ mph.

One of the main reason i bought these is the wet performance. It doesnt just rain here, buckets of water fall from the sky and the roads fill with water very quickly. Its not rainy season yet, but I have driven in a few storms and these definately give me confidence.

These fuckers work in the snow too. I shouldn't know since I live in NC but since we got more snow than New England so far this year, I have had to put them to the test.

go here and check it out. Tire Research : Tire Survey Results

should help the tire debate

WTF....... same post in 4 different threads, once was enough...... really.
http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...induser&u=6716

I got 4 new ventus v12 evos mounted this morning. I've only done a 20-min highway drive to work, but I can tell that they're noticeably quieter and more comfortable over bumps than the stock potenzas were. I have no comments on cornering/launching yet. But so far they're seeming like a win. Oh and the tread looks sexy. :bigok:

Those are the things I've noticed with these ever since I've put them on - about a month a now. I did also notice, however, there was a humm at certain highway speeds. Not super noticeable...but I could hear it. In town driving is definitely quieter though.

i have hancook rs2's that i got from tire rack for 89 bucks a piece on close out....235/40/18... i have new wheels 18/8...but i have to say i love the hancooks!!!!

Capitalization=FAIL......Grammar=FAIL........Spell ing=FAIL.............

Purchase price, and tire/wheel size=WIN!!!!!!!

so has anyone experience any rubbing issues with 225/45-18 so far, with stock suspension or eibach prokit
IM curious because i need to get new tires and i think these are at the top of my list

I had 225/45/18 on my RX-8 rims for a few months and no rubbing on stock suspension.

I am reversing direction and going with the Hankook's after talking to many owners. Seems these tires perform well even when worn half way. And at stock size, they are priced dead even with the Exclaims. Will report back after a few miles.

AWESOME TIRE! Got them installed today, and man oh man I am liking them :D

http://www.laleetsgarage.com/pics/ph...Swap2010_8.jpg

http://www.laleetsgarage.com/pics/ph...Swap2010_2.jpg

http://www.laleetsgarage.com/pics/ph...Swap2010_5.jpg

got these in 245/40 on rx8 wheels. lowered on bc coils

rubs a little in the back, only over big bumps, but i have a big cruise coming up this weekend so gonna get it rolled today hopefully.

agree with what OP has said about qualities of the tires. I came from Bridgestone RE-01R so I was expecting a step down (but cheaper and last longer!). Biggest thing I notice is softer sidewall.....not sayin they are really soft or bad..but again I am coming from a $250+ tire to these. Overall traction seems great though and I'm not slip n sliding when it rains now :)

I recommend these. Might try Kumho SPT next time (same price/class), would like to know how these compare to those?

I had Kumho SPTs on my MSP and comparing them to these. I would have to go with the Hankooks. They have a BIT more grip dry, wet I cant tell ya BUT if its anything like I read it would be significantly better then the SPTs. They are also cheaper then the SPTs so thats also a bonus.

I just started following this thread about the Hankook's but was disappointed that there was no longer a rebate. Well, effective today through May 31, there is another $50 rebate for the V12. Based on the info here, I believe it's time to buy.

Damn! I just got mine put on 2 weeks ago. Oh well.

I am looking to get some new tires and wheels soon.

Where is this new rebate coming from? Can you send a Link I would be interested in getting some of these bad boys. What is the widest tire I could put on a stock rim?

Anyone know a good place to buy wheels? Cheap/price/weight?

Are there any disadvantages of going wide or super WIDE on a tire/wheel combo? I would just be interested in performance aspects. IE 8.5/9/10in / 240+ tires?

Re: Just ordered new tires: Hankook Ventus V12
 

I have 18x8 +45 245/40. The only neg is they seem to be rubbing when I have someone in the back and I hit a bump and I certainly can't drive with a full load bc there's about a mm gap between the tire and fender. Once I roll I'll be fine though. They hook up insanely well and don't even spin in 2nd at wot. They do tramline more now though. If I had to do it all over again I would get atleast an 8.5 wheel so I could run a 255 :)-

Rebate form:

http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires...ebate_Form.pdf

Expires May 31st.

good choice! got a set in december, definitely gonna get these v12's again!

What size did you end up getting? and local?

sean and I picked up some 235/40/18 from across the border for $643 all in...looking to use the $50 rebate!

they are pretty good so far...I moved from Nitto 555's, which I guess were old and dry...these are sticky...and yes, the first hard left hander I took, I also notice the softer side wall...as well, like aaron, I figure I was going to give up some performance for lower cost and logevity but so far, that doesn't appear to be the case.

Re: Just ordered new tires: Hankook Ventus V12
 

245 will almost certainly require rolled fenders in rear

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

Just got mine Friday, need to figure out when I am going have time to mount them before my trip to the Dragon in May.

I'm running SPT's in 245/45-17 size, and I can tell you that once they are somewhat worn (50% or less tread), they get pretty loud. They develop a low-pitch hum even at low speeds and are especially bad when cold. They get a little better when they warm up and you also get used to it after a while, but it doesn't change the fact that it's there.

Dry and wet traction are still good with 20% tread left, but my next set are most likely going to be these Hankooks. It was between these and the Direzza Star Specs, but the road noise thing has me leaning towards the Ventus V12.

Yes it will. I have it in 17x7.5 ET+48 on stock springs and it definitely required rolling of the fenders. Before I had the fenders rolled, the outside of the sidewall would hit the fender lip and scrape off a little bit of rubber. This would happen over bumps and on hard cornering.

anyone get these for less then tire rack right now at 123 a tire?

Discount Tire Direct at $133 each shipped. This may be cheaper than Tire Rack depending on where you are due to shipping cost. FWIW I paid $129 shipped April 1. I guess they decided to tack on a few bucks for a popular tire w/ rebate.

Got mine from here..... not sure what size you are looking for:
Tires-easy

OnlineTires is the cheapest I've been able to find. Stock size is $114 and shipping is around $40 for all 4.

def the cheapest. anyone ever do business with this place?

My bro-in-law also drives a MS3, and he bought a set of Ventus V12's from them last fall. He has yet to install them (still riding out the stockers), but from what he's told me the transaction itself went smoothly.

in Canada, these are $850 + 13% sales tax for 235/40/18.

Well I reversed direction and went with the Hankook 215/45s. Put 20 miles on them so far. First impression - they are not as quiet as the RE50s were when new, but they are close. Good grip from what I can tell, though I won't get a chance to push them hard until the new suspension goes in. Paid $573 including installation/tax/rebate.

I've bought 3 sets of tires from them in the last year. No problems at all.
Their shipping is not the quickest, but I still got my tires in a week.

As most of you know Hankook is running another $50.00 rebate through the end of May. Good time to buy if you're considering them.

I got these installed today in the stock size. Do you guys follow the manufacturers PSI or should I inflate them a little higher? Right now all 4 tires are set at 35 psi from the tire shop upon installation. They sort of seemed under-inflated a bit..

Your door should say like 32 rear 34 front or vise versa, that is what the car is designed for so that is what I follow.

Mazda spec'd the Bridgstone's for a reason - excellent feel and all around goodness that will help less than excellent drivers. Too bad the replacements cost so freaking much, you can get get faster tires for a lot less money.

Point being, give your new tires some time to scrub in, they'll get better in a few hundred miles unless you bough junque.

As for inflation, I run 36/36 (cold) on my Star Spec's yet the steering is still a bit numb compared to the OEM tires. But once they warm up a bit the traction - ohmigod, it's just better in every direction.

I do miss a bit of the steering finesse of the OEM tires but I don't miss their lack of traction when the going gets fast! It helps that I have a stiffer rear sway bar.

Stock, the car felt hooked up even with cold tires, but they scream and howl at 80% of their limit. But if you push that limit, you'll tear them to pieces in no time - and scare the crap out of anybody who's within earshot of the noises they make.

For contrast, the Star Specs, once they wear in for while (which takes some time and effort) require more driving skill. Payoff: tremendous lateral grip, good enough braking grip, and phenomenal power grip - once warm.

But I didn't have any major problems with the OEM tires, expect for driving them too hard, and scalloping the tread blocks. My bad, I just over drived the car a bit too much and fuctup them up.

Don't know anything about Hankooks except that they're quick and cheap. A member here is running them on track days and says they have less grip around Laguna Seca. I already know that the Star Spec's have a lot more grip based on road driving, but I still haven't tracked them yet. Based on 5000 miles of road driving though, I expect them to be very quick. I also expect them to expire around 10,000 miles (my stock tires only worked until 7500)

Yes they cost more, but you get what what you pay for. Unless you buy PS2 Michelins!

In any case, changing tires will always change the feel of the car. It's just something you have to get used to. Fast, good, or cheap, pick any two....

picked these up two weeks ago in the stock size for 465 (with the rebate backed out of total price).

Bottom line: they're great for 115 bucks a pop. If you are in a pinch for money and need some cheap tires, these will get the job done.

I switched to save a few bones. I came from 3 sets of Toyo T1R and they don't perform as well, but the price diffence is pretty sweet. I had the new tires out in 60 degree wet weather, and they held up laterally in comparison with the Toyos. The issue I found with the Hankooks is the grip from a dig. I can feel the tires spinning on the asphalt in second gear, with no chirping sound...Hopefully they require a couple hundred more miles of break in than normal. (I was beating on them in 75 degree dry weather.)

I notice the same thing, the forward grip could be better. Lateral grip is great.