Review: Hankook Ventus Sport K104

[Bass Junky]

Hey ppls.

After a fair few kilometers I have only good things to say about them.

I never used to be able to launch with anything more than 2500 rpm with a clutch dump and be left with anything else but wheel spin.

Also, my previous tyres would break traction in first almost as soon as I made decent boost. Yes, my old tyres were crappy.

The new Hankooks, well they are great.

Although I haven't tried any big launches as I haven't been to Calder Park yet, they seem to hook up great. I've tried some reasonable launches at about 3500 with a fairly rough dump and the damn things just bite and off you go.

With the clutch out in first, I now don't break traction until at least 5000 rpm, and by that stage, I'm having to grab second anyway, because it's less than a a split second after that I'm on the rev limiter anyway.

Pulling second sees as very breif chirp and then traction all the way.

Cornering, well it turns corners pretty well on the street. I haven't got right up it yet, as I haven't been on any twisties or a race track yet, but on my normal streets it's all good.

All in all, I can't fault them.

Maybe I might even have more luck at the next DECA day with them!!

BASS OUT

[$nightcrawler]

Just bought four 235/45 17" Hankook K104s, since everyone is raving on about this particular tyre.

I havn't yet tested them in wet conditions but they seem like a very comfortable drive, and arn't noisy.

Got them from Jax, rang a few different stores and they all varied in prices! some had the tyres for $30 more!.. Got them for $169 each after some negotiations also did my wheel alightment front and rears.

Seems like a good tyre so far.. they are rated Y grade and have silica compound too!

[inissane]

i have also ordered a pair of these hankook 104s, i think jax is the best place around me anyway to get them

i was after 215/45/17 jax quoted $180 per tyre (Jax Mosman Syd) whereas bob jane etc said this spec didnt exist in the 104s and the closest spec (40s) were $240

apparently queensland jax stocks them and this is the way jax nsw have access to them but other outlets dont seem to and charge an arm and a leg

[locosam]

I bought a set of hankooks k104 and here are my thoughts on them.

Replaced my old tyres which were the falken st115 with these last december

I took notes of how the k104's felt as i ran them in.

Ive done about 9000km on them in the past few months.

Fronts are the same size (225/45/17) and rears i went from 235 to 245 on the hankooks.

Used to run 34psi on the st115, now run 36 with the hankooks

Cost was around $215 for fronts and $230 for the backs (or something like that)

Straight line performance

When new and after a few 1000kms: Straight line performance kills the st115's. That includes braking and

launching. Very impressed with them in this regards. Even when brand new, tyres were substantially better in

straight lines. After a few thousand kms (3000km is the sweet spot i reckon), they were really really good.

After 9000km, theyre still good, but its a bit hard to compare now since the car has more power now (200rkrw).

Still, its safe to say that i have more grip now than when my car was on st115 with just an untuned ecu, fmic, boost and exhaust.

Turn in

When new: On turn in into corners, they do feel they have slightly less grip than the st115's.

After run in: Probably the one thing i dont like about these tyres is that on initial turn in, theyre theyre slightly

worse than the st115. Difference is small, but even in the sweet spot of the tyres (around 3000kms) they were

never really better. Still, its not so bad, cause it just understeers a bit and its very predictable.

Part of the reason could be that the sidewalls feel softer than the st115

Midcorner

When new: St115 is underated in this regards. When warm the st115's do a fine job. When theyre

cold though, they are a horrible tyre. Initially, the k104 didnt have the same levels of grip as the st115

did when they were warmed up. When both were cold, they were about the same (ie horrible)

Even though they had less grip, i still felt more confident in them because of the way they slide out. Really

progressive slide. In the st115, if the tyres let go, it lets go in a big way.

After run in: Once i got some kms into the tyre, things started to change. I reckon even 500-600kms isnt

enough to show the true charactristics of the tyre. It did improve though. Once it hit the sweet spot (3000km)

of run in, it was as good as the st115's when they were hot. Its hard to say which is better though since

i have no direct comparison, but i reckon k104's are now slightly better. You can feel the hicas do the

wierd shifting thing at the rear whereas before you couldnt really feel it in the old tyres.

Wet

Both are equal, ie not too good, but not that bad. Good enough to go faster than traffic and not bad

enough to be dangerous in the wet. Both have deep channels for the water to get pushed out.

Ride

I think the softer sidewalls of the k104 makes for a more softer ride. A trade off for less direct steering

on turn in? Anyway, its good for sydney's bumpy roads although i miss the directness of the st115's

Wear

Wear rate on these tyres are pretty good. st115's really dont last that long. After 9000km, the k104 still

look good. Performance hasnt dropped off too much either from the sweetspot. If the best grip the tyres

had were at 3000kms, i would rate them at 9000km as maybe 90-95% as good. So yeah, pretty happy about

that.

The thing that makes the k104 better overall is just the way they behave on the limit and in when theyre cold.

The grip is consistant when cold, not like the 115's where you have to be careful pretty much all the time.

If youve been dawdling along and suddenly you want grip, you can just go all out without worrying about the

tyres being cold. Also, because of the way they slide, it feels much safer to push them. If you go too fast, they

sqeal and slowly slide, but in the 115's, they sqeal and you slide in a big way before coming back to you.

So overall i like them. if the st115 were rated at 6, id rate the k104 at 7.

They grip the same, but thats all the time, not just when the tyres are warm.

They cost around the same, but the 104's lasts way longer.

For a street tyre, theyre great value for money

(geez, didnt realise it was such a massive post! hope it helps somebody i guess )

[resonance]

Just rang up Donnellans in Box Hill, they quoted me for 255/50R16:

Front: $165/tyre

Rear: $175/tyre

Probably take car (180SX) in today or tomorrow and get them fitted. Originally they quoted me 175/185 (front/rear) but I said heaps of people are paying that for 17" - and he said it's because they sell more 17" than 16" these days, which I can see lots of truth to (looking at this tread). Then he dropped $10/each so that's cool. Currently I'm running Federals 225s rear and Simex 205s front - ew. Rears are bald as a badger. I do drive like an old granny most of the time though. :-)

I'd had a bit of trouble getting quotes out of places too. Rang up 2 Jax's and both wanted to call back (had to call their supplier), and only one did, and he said you can't get K104 in 16" 225s??? (according to their website, you certainly can). And I also rang a Beaurepairs who said they cant quote me anything until they see the car. Had to do with legalities of liabilities etc.. blah blah. I've learned to just go with the smaller places at least.

[R32gts-t]

I have K104's on my daily car, they are 225 16's,

I bought them approx 18 months ago and they are wearing well.

try ENSIGN tyres corner of ferntree gully and springvale rd, they'll do it while you wait.

[dan.1337]

i've had these tyres (225/50/16) on my car for about 150-200kms. felt like i was driving on ice for the first 50km. even after about 200km they're already gripping better than the old maxxis tyres i had and don't spin up when on boost.

[riggaP]

The time finally came to replace the K104s last week... 42,500km later! Pretty impressed. I could've got more km out of the fronts if I aligned more frequently. The rears... well it's a rear driven turbo

I've gone with Dunlop SP 3000 this time simply because I got them for $105 each I've only had them on for a few days and already they're feeling very nice indeed, but I suppose they would considering the Hankooks had been well and truly punished.

[insanity]

thats a pretty fine effort.. if I do say so myself!