So I have been running Hankook ventus V12 on the streets and quite like them for that. However I am now ready for rear tires as the fronts have a bunch of life left. However, Hankook has discontinued the Ventus V12 meaning I get to replace some perfectly good front tires as well. And as I shop I am seeing a withering selection of 18" tires for our cars. What in the hell!!!

 

So maybe the moral of the story is buy two sets of rears and one set of fronts at the same time to avoid obsolescence.

 

It doesn't seem like you're tracking if you're using the v12's. If it's for street use, just get the same size v12's you had in sumitomo's. You're going to have people come in here and say don't miss and match but you will be fine running your current v12's in the front with sumi hrz3's especially if it's for street driving. I used to use that combo for many miles until I went a little wider.

 

These tires/wheels are not for track use at all. Probably no biggie for calm casual street driving. However with RWD setup I have being what it is I am a little concerned with mismatching and possible end swapping as a result.

 

I agree and I'm running the exact mix right now for late fall, winter driving( it doesn't go out in snow of being RWD) and its fine I just keep the Sumis on my stock wheels and NT01s on the CCWs for spring and summer.

 

there's no issue mismatching, not ideal but far from a problem

 

An old front and a new rear would handle differently than both new front and rear so it wouldn't matter anyway. I was told to buy all new for this reason. Could throw off the balance of the car. Tires aren't a good place to try to save money.

 

it doesn't affect the abs/psm sensitivity in rwd as it does in awd...

and one of the great benefits of running rwd is that matching front/rear becomes far less important. as to the v12's while i agree they would be perfectly fine for "calm street driving" they are in reality a pretty lousy tire for the car. only a tad worse than the r888's i tried this summer. yes, the choices for us in 315/30/18 are becoming few indeed.

 

Funny, because the Porsche factory recommended Pzeros that not came with my but was also sworn by until popular changed were exponentially worse than these Hankooks. And I even ran another set on the off chance they were affected by age and they still sucked. Honestly my plan is to maintain what I have until I get some wheels I want then it will be a much stickier setup.

 

i think your choices in 315/30 are limited to PS2/rt615/r888/p-zero.

hard to believe that you find the hankook more to your liking than the p-zero as that is my 2nd choice after the michi PS2's for rear tires which at 455 a copy ( down from 500 ) was always my first choice, but they really don't last me more than 4k miles anyway, any of em!

but i actually think hankook has done us all a backhanded favor by discontinuing the v12 in 315/30 and wouldnt be surprised to find there may have been issues ( aside from a limited buying segment ) which prompted them to remove that size of a v12 from the market.

v12 is a very *flimsy* ( esp sidewall ) tire, for a car, that needs the speed/load rating ours do. but i'll spare us all again from my horror stories with them lol.

there *may* also still be the BFG rivals in 315/30? but i haven't seen them online much lately, so I think next it'll have to be the falkens 615's for rears, as my *final* rear tire "experiment". for if they aren't suitable ( or similar to the r888's ) that while "cheap" sound like a growling wheel bearing on the street.. ) then i'll have to go back to either Pzero or pay that fat guy again for the PS2's

it does suck, as we don't have a lot of choices, as you know.

 

315/30-18 is available in NT01 as well (had this put on mine yesterday)

 

I am running 11 rears, so 315s won't fit AFAIK. As for the Pzeros, i was underwhelmed by the grip. I am not quite sure I am willing to drink the N rated tire coolaid until I see some actual ratings or data compared to z rate tires of acceptable speed and load ratings.

However, I can't say that I have experienced or am aware of the short comings of the Ventus V12 sidewall. How are we measuring sidewall weakness? Was their a failure that led to this? I guess I would just like more info.

 

I have always mix matched brands. makes no difference. I run the same tires as well, but in 19"

 

thx for that, i'll put them on my "try" list then. they have to be better than the toyo's.

the 315/30 fits the 11 stock twist without too much of a stretch.

as to the v12 i can safely say, i am not the only guy noticed significant sidewall "flex" on the v12 when pushing the car, but its all moot anyway, given they are longer an offering. thankfully lol

i agree with you on the n rating thing. over 150mph? yeah, then yeah, i'd like to know they were rated for that speed etc. but in the same way a hankook v12 is just fine for everyday street driving, so too is a tire that isn't necessarily n rated for every day stuff. some are clearly better made than others though. if i can tell? most anyone could.

 

Get rid of the Hankook and run the Sumitomo HTR zII. Nice tires and cheap too.