Given
44%
while driving a
Hyundai Santa Fe
(235/60 R18)
on
a combination of roads
for 27
spirited miles
This is a budget tyre, but don't be put off by that; it is comfortable and good in the dry, and if you are a gentle driver ok in the wet. My new Santa Fe came with these fitted and everything was fine until the engine was run-in and then I started travelling more quickly. In damp or wet conditions I experienced sudden and severe, and potentially terminal, understeer under power at the natural apex of tight turns (roundabouts). Being an experienced driver I'd don't recall such an extreme and without warning lack in grip. After the third extreme case of this and feeling nervous, I changed all tyres at about 7000 miles. This SUV is not meant to be thrown around too much, but in the hands of more spirited drivers these tyres can catch you out unexpectedly. I bit the bullet and switched to another Korean tyre Kumho KL12s. These ride a little harder, have less grip and drift more in the dry (marginally), but gone is the sudden without warning understeer. After 20,000 miles, this problem has vanished, push too hard and things let go gently and controllably. So if you are a push-on driver in the wet and want tyres that signal when they are about to give-up, then buy any premium tyre over the Hankooks, alternatively, for a little more than the Hankooks buy the Kumhos. Also, the Kumhos have a better looking open tread, are noisier on all surfaces, look narrower (actual tread width in contact with the road is about 10mm less), are better in wet/snow, but provide some tread block vibration/resonance through the steering. I don't think they have got the groove spacing variations quite right.
