Tire review: Hankook Kinergy ST
 

Guys, this is the first time I’ve liked a tire well enough to buy it twice (and not just go to the local tire place and buy same brand I’ve always bought because they always carried them)...

I got these in a 205/65-15 (5.3% oversized for Ion-2) and I have ran them at 55psi mostly but did experiment with 60psi also with only a little center wear from the higher pressure. These being a LRR tire, they are rated for 51psi, I run elevated pressures to minimize rolling resistance at the expense of ride comfort...

i now have 27k on mine and they are well and truly used up, with no tread remaining, but they wore down fairly evenly across the tread with a good alignment, no noticeable feathering despite very aggressive cornering from time to time... dry grip is acceptable even now with no tread, wet grip was decent when new, snow was so-so... they’ve performed admirably in my use and I chose to seek them out again for a number of reasons

1. Lowest weight in class and size, being lighter than second best by over a pound per tire. This translates to better acceleration/deceleration and better city fuel mileage

2. LRR rated which translates to lower rolling resistance and better mileage overall

3. Reasonable price compared to the vaunted mileage champion, Ecopia Ep422+, makes them a steal, given that I’ve gotten great mileage with them

But you only got 27,000 miles out of a NEW set of tires, Bones? I usually get 35-40,000 miles out of a set of cheap tires. I can't imagine how many miles I'd get on a good set, like Michelins!

I think 27K is pretty good. I live in a mountainous area with lots of curves, and the city I drive in also has some pretty severe hills and curves. I’ve never gone particularly gentle through the curves, and usually got 15-18K on a set of tires in my Malibu (same size)... these are the longest lasting tires I’ve had so far, that have had some grip... I also got a similar life from the Goodyear Vivas that came on the Altima I had but they were an inch or so taller than these... but, I digress; I’m happy with my tires

As long as you're happy with the tires you buy and the service you get, THAT'S all that matters, bro.