Tirerack is saying they won't have any RS3's in 225/45-15 until the end of May, which is two months into the AutoX season. Are these things that popular or does Hankook just suck at planning ahead with production?
Tirerack is saying they won't have any RS3's in 225/45-15 until the end of May, which is two months into the AutoX season. Are these things that popular or does Hankook just suck at planning ahead with production?
DaveEstey wrote: Tirerack is saying they won't have any RS3's in 225/45-15 until the end of May, which is two months into the AutoX season. Are these things that popular or does Hankook just suck at planning ahead with production?
Both.
Tire rack doesnt even show Hankooks Ventus V2 Concept H437 tire on the website, Discount Tire 9 times out of 10 they show them as being backordered.
I had to wait a few weeks for my first pair (these are DD tires) because of a backorder, then when I ordered the 2nd pair to complete the set, they had very low stock, less than 8 tires left.
Out of curiosity this week I checked my wife's tire size for this tire.....backordered.
I've noticed that more and more times, tires are being backordered. I wonder if this is supply line problems from overseas?
I once bought Michlelin XCH4 tires for my Nissan truck. Although we have several Michelin plants in the US (many within 60 miles of my house), the tires came from Spain.
For those not on Facebook (or have it blocked at work), the clif notes version is Hankook doesn't seem to pay much attention to what is in stock or on order. They make a bunch of tires, stuff them into containers and ship the over. Then distributors fight over them, usually with TR getting first dibs due to their volume.
I recently had to have new struts and tires put on my car. I wanted to go with Michelins on the front and try to get a bit more use out of the Michelins on the back when my "tire guy" tries to get me to go for a set of Hankooks. He says "...they are a great tire, just as good if not better than Michelins, tho they cost a bit more, so I sometimes use Michelins when I can't get Hankooks." I figured I can trust this guy, he has done good work with my car before, but when he tells me that Hankooks are made in the U.S.A. I get a bit nervous. Anyway, long story short, he tells me he can get a pair of Hankooks for the rear to match what he wants to put on the front for just $75...because the Hankooks are on sale. Now, I go for the deal, but when I get home I find a large local tire store has the tire I had put on my car on sale. Oddly(?) enough, the tire I have on my car costs about $75 A TIRE in that sale ad.
By the way, how do you pronounce Hankook? It looks like it should be Han_cook, yet the tire guy pronounces it as Han_cock.
its pronounced han-cook on the commercials.
also i thought hankook were korean tires?
Integraguy - Your tire guy is an idiot. Hankook is a budget-minded tire brand imported from Korea ('Korea' is pronounced 'Hanguk' in Korean) and is not in the same league as Michelin.
nderwater....
I actually thought the same/similar thing, as soon as he told me about this great "Hancock" tire. I was this close to telling him that he was wrong, at least about the "made in America" idea, but have made the decision not to correct folks when I think they are wrong (something I should have remembered yesterday when stopped behind an idiot at a traffic light who called me an f-ing teenager because I stopped to close to his rear bumper). Instead, I'll keep his "biases" in mind the next time I need work done on my car.
Looks like I'm going with some Toyo R1Rs
Hankook has 2 plants in South Korea, one in Hungary and two in China. I've been to the one in Geumsan, S. Korea. Pretty cool, there's a wet road course made up of all different aggregates.
nderwater wrote: Integraguy - Your tire guy is an idiot. Hankook is a budget-minded tire brand imported from Korea ('Korea' is pronounced 'Hanguk' in Korean) and is not in the same league as Michelin.
I'm guessing that's the league of charging twice as much as your tires are worth on the strength of history, marketing, and racial bias? The RS3 is best warm/dry weather street tire I have ever driven, and the all-seasons on my mom's Mazda5 are a big improvement in all categories over the Dunlops she had before.
Don't forget Asia is still recovering from earthquake / tsunami / nuclear meltdown. A lot of stuff is still behind production
In reply to car39:
Don't forget Godzilla.
The Hankook RS-3 is basically a slightly treaded R-compound--arguably the best extreme performance tire (i.e., hot/dry traction, ignoring the smallest Toyo R1R.) Michelin doesn't even offer a tire in the same category. Their Pilot Sport line especially the new Super Sport are arguably better street tires. The old Hankook R-S2 was an excellent street tire. The newer RS-3 is too compromised towards dry grip. It is great as a dedicated "street" autocross tire.
I wore my 225/45R16 R-S2s down to the cords, and they still gripped great.
I was looking for summer tires for the Saturn on stock 15x6 wheels, and 195/55R15 Dunlop Z1 Star Specs are a good deal. The 225/45s really need an 8"+ wide rim.
Hankook was about three months from building a multi-million dollar production facility about five miles from where I work. They had cleared acres, done all the groundwork, put up directional signs and even had the ceremonial groundbreaking. The county even created whole new industrial park around it. Then the economy tanked and they disappeared. never built a thing but there's a guard trailer on the property that's still manned. Which prevents us from racing around the empty roads.
Josh wrote:nderwater wrote: Hankook is a budget-minded tire brand imported from Korea ('Korea' is pronounced 'Hanguk' in Korean) and is not in the same league as Michelin.I'm guessing that's the league of charging twice as much as your tires are worth on the strength of history, marketing, and racial bias?
That's the league of production/sales volume and clout in the industry. Hankook makes some good tires at a good value, but they're a little fish in a big pond compared to Michelin, Bridgestone and Goodyear.
Global market share:
We're not talking about Hankook's "pedestrian" or OEM offerings. Only the R-S3. I've honestly never even considered any of their other tires.
Ian F wrote: We're not talking about Hankook's "pedestrian" or OEM offerings. Only the R-S3. I've honestly never even considered any of their other tires.
I have had a set of the more "pedestrain" tires and they were pretty decent.
93EXCivic wrote: I have had a set of the more "pedestrain" tires and they were pretty decent.
Maybe... but to be blunt... we don't really care about those. The complaint is the R-S3 always seems to go on back-order right at the beginning of the season...
Ian F wrote:93EXCivic wrote: I have had a set of the more "pedestrain" tires and they were pretty decent.Maybe... but to be blunt... we don't really care about those. The complaint is the R-S3 always seems to go on back-order right at the beginning of the season...
I don't really either just had some that came with a car.
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