Wet grip is the clearest shared strength of the Hankook Optimo 4S, with 13 favourable comments, alongside generally positive snow traction and low noise. The 30 reviews from 28 owners average 81.8%, with 28 positive scores, one neutral and one negative. Comfort and resistance to aquaplaning are also liked, while a small minority finds dry-road responses less convincing than a summer tyre. Snow praise outweighs criticism, but two accounts describe limitations in deeper or more demanding winter conditions. Longer-use reports include satisfactory wear, yet most reviews do not state their stage, and the repeat-owner accounts do not establish a general ageing pattern.
What owners mention most counted across 30 reviews
Could this be the only tyre we should buy? I think so! After driving on a wide range of tyres over the years I can say with confidence the Hankook Optimo 4S is the best tyre I have ever had.
Still need to try it in the snow and if it performs as well as it does in the heavy rain we've had I will be very happy.
It is quiet - comfortable and stable It has changed the feel of my car dramatically I no longer want to sell my car...
If we get some snow I will update this review but for now put this tyre on your wish list you won't be disappointed.
Bought these to replace the OE Michelin Energy Savers. The Hankooks use the same fuel, ride fine and are no noisier. No braking or handling issues in the dry or wet (or very wet). But on snow and ice they are just as good as Winter tyres I had on the previous car. Rears have hardly worn at all, the fronts by 2 mm after a lot of summer motorway miles. And they were a very reasonable price, certainly alot cheaper then the Michelins. I can't see a down side to these. So much so I now have these on our other car too.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
They came with my Seat Toledo car.
They were ok (mixed seasons), BUT I've decided ti take a step further and I've just brought a pair of GoodYears for summer.
They weared and at the end the cars was a little bit noisy.
Living in north Wales with a very varied weather system with lots of rain, mud on roads and snow, a & b rds combined with lanes. The combined with cost and storage space I cannot really justify a set of summer wheels and a set of winter wheels and tyres. These new type of 4 season all year round tyres seemed ideal for me in the area I live and drive so I gave them a try, from my experience I can tell you that I'm totally of the opinion that these type of tyre should be fitted as standard to all normal everyday road cars! Fantastic tyre, improved fuel economy from Dunlop response tyres fitted previous & also quieter. Rain- fantastic, doesn't aquaplaned and gives much more feel on wet roads. Now the crucial bit- snow, well on my way home from work late in the depths of winter when large amounts of snow fell in north Wales I decided to really test them............ I took a detour through Snowdonia and was passing 4x4's which were stuck due to being on rubbish tyres and laughing at them! The only time I lost grip was in a 2 foot of snow over the Denbigh moors where I had to admit defeat, believe me the snow was half way up the doors and piled up the front bumper like I was ploughing!! The tyres didn't fail just the ground clearance of the car got beached in deep snow so I had to reverse back down. Braking in snow is fantastic, pulls up straight and in half the distance than on summer tyres in snow. So in snow they are bloody fantastic and more than adequate for the british winter, the combination of these tyres a heavy high torque diesel front wheel drive car is very good in the winter and you don't need a 4x4, even a 4x4 with the wrong tyres on it in snow is useless. An octavia 4x4 tdi with these fitted must be amazing!! These types of tyres are the way forward for motoring in the uk for the country not to stop dead to gridlock with a sprinkle of the snow. They are not a sporty tyre for really pushing on with but I see no real lack of grip compared to the Dunlop summer tyres that were fitted before and the 4 season tyres are not designed as a track day tyre anyway, they are designed as a good, practical all year round everyday normal tyre to which they excel at.
I have currently done 16000 mixed road driving with mixed driving style and have just swapped them front to rear as the rears were like new and the fronts were around 3/4 worn, I see no reason why they won't do approx 22000 before needing changing.
As I could not justify buying 4 winter tyres and set of 4 steel rims, I thought I would try 2 of these on the front (Almera is front wheel drive)
They are a very good compromise and much better in snow than normal summer tyres; but as the rears do not have the grip of the Otimo' the car can oversteer in snow! time for a dab of oppo lock.
I might buy another 2 and run the car all year on them and just accept the cost.
In the UK only having full winter tyres on the front can invalidate your insurance, but my insurance company is OK with the 2 Optimo' as they do not class them as winter tyres.
I bought them in Calgary last November and kept them on all year. i have gone about 12000 kms on them. They handle very well in the snow/ice in calgary, a real challenge. I am now on vancouver island and they seem to do well also in the rainy season. Will replace them with 4S again.
Not done many miles yet but in terms of noise and comfort these tyres are so much better than the Michelin Primacy HP they replaced. The Michelins lasted 32,000 largely motorway miles but they were hard/noisy and I was pleased to trade (no doubt) this sort of mileage for some comfort and grip. These are a Premium tyre fitted by a mobile retailer so I got what I was after, not what the the local retailer had on the rack. I did do a lot of research.There is a given rotation but the tread is not asymmetric. Predictably there is no sign of wear, most of the mileage being north/south, M6 or M1. Will post again, don't hold your breath, its a second car so mileage builds slowly.
Put on front wheels last winter after dreadful experience with Michelin Energy Savers the previous year. They worked well in the snow and performed well in the wet and dry so kept on during summer. No fall off in mpg, good tyre, would buy again.
Well her eis the second review. No snow, gutted. Still I have to say that I have just bought these tyres again. They lasted over 25000 miles on the front and the rears probably still have another 5000 to go. I have fitted new ones to the rear and taken the rears to the front. So come Sept/Oct I will buy the other set and have them replace the old set. Well the past few months have been pretty wet! But the Optimo's have done very very well in the wet weather, the grip was reasonable, if you oushed it slightly there was some slide but nothing major. On the motorways they have not tramlined or aquaplaned despite the deluge. With the hot weather (well the one week) we have had, they are fine. They may have worn a bit quicker but in terms of grip they are a little greasy under braking and a tight corner but otherwise they are spot on. Noise levels despite the low read is fine no droning like i have had on other tyres. All in all very impressed with the Hankooks and hence why I have bought them again (plus with the hope of snow drifts to try them out in a few months time.)
87%
Member
Mercedes Benz
195/65 R15 H
2,000 miles
Mostly Country Roads
Easy Going
Having had these tyres fitted as replacement to Avon Ice Touring; i can thoroughly recommend the Hankook after the snow.
Living in a rural area, getting about in bad weather is vital to me. After replacing my worn Avon's (and finding another set was difficult as most of the production goes to central Europe) i came across the Hankook after some very good reviews. Also in summer weather, the Avon do fade being a cold weather tyre. So far the Hankook is the best of both worlds and the traction in the snow is simply amazing!
