“Ran these tires on my race car as they are the new control tire. I previously ran dunlop direzza z3. The difference in lap time under the same conditions were noticeable. The Dunlops were 1.49.3 a lap where as the...”
Nankang NS2R
The Nankang NS2R is an extreme performance summer tyre with strong warm-weather dry grip and good value for track use. Road noise and a firm ride are common compromises, while wet grip divides opinion.
The quick answer
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tyre - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated October 2026.
- 68owner reviews
- 251,871miles driven
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What do owners say about the Nankang NS2R's dry grip?
What do owners say about the Nankang NS2R's wet grip?
What do owners say about the Nankang NS2R's road noise?
Owner Questions (3)
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I have using your tires “NS-2R(175/50R13 72V)” for researching Electrical Vehicle in University. Can I get some test data about “Cornering Stiffness”? Show more I have using your tires “NS-2R(175/50R13 72V)” for researching Electrical Vehicle in University. Can I get some test data about “Cornering Stiffness”? Thank you so much. Show less
Nankang NS2R Owner Reviews
Review this tyreWhat owners say summarised from 61 reviews
Owners most often praise the Nankang NS2R for strong dry grip once warm, with confident cornering and good value for track use. Wet grip divides opinion, with some finding it manageable and others reporting very limited traction. Around two in five mention intrusive road noise, while roughly one in five describe a firm or harsh ride. A smaller group warn that cold tyres need care before they build heat. Mid-life and end-of-life accounts often praise wear for this type of use, although some report short life under harder driving. Feedback covers different compounds and road or track use, so expectations and conditions vary considerably.
What owners mention most counted across 61 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 68 ratings
- Owner score 75%
- Dry Grip 88%
- Handling 85%
- Road Feedback 81%
- Wear 72%
- Wet Grip 65%
- Comfort 54%
Featured reviews
“When you read online feedback (for anything, not just tyres) people tend to do it very early on, you do wonder how the product faired long term. Tyre was a 225/45/17 on a Mk3 MX5 so not a very heavy car. We never ran...”
“The value for money on this tyre is a great price point and while a little noisy on the road, there is great feedback from the road when in twisty roads. Lots of grip when in dry conditions and it allows for a holding...”
All 61 Nankang NS2R reviews
- Mazda MX5
- 195/50 R16
- 12,000 miles
Tyre size 195/50/R16 TW 180.
I daily drive a 2004 NB Generation Mazda MX5 between the beginning of March and the end of October. Fitted these tyres near the start of March and have daily driven them around 12,000 miles / 19,000km since then (so over around 7 and a bit months). I drive mainly 50mph/80kmh back roads 20 miles to work each way and regularly like to go on road trips to some excellent fast winding roads. I also do the odd track day.
The good:
- Dry grip: These NS2Rs have INSANE grip for a road tyre once the outside temperature is above around 10 degrees celsius. The hotter the outside temperature the grippier they get and my god do they have tremendous grip! Once the temperature drops below 10 degrees like any summer tyre they do tend to lose grip but never become scary.
- Wet grip: For a semi slick TW 180 tyre I was very nervous before I bought them about wet grip but I genuinely had nothing to worry about. Drove on motorways with wipers on their 3rd setting at 60mph/100kmh in a recent storm and they held up very well. General day to day driving in normal rain conditions is absolutely safe (once again below 10 celsius results may vary) and I'm very pleased.
- Wear: My NB MX5 has the 1.8L VVTI engine with 140hp and weighs around 1,100kg. Wear is very good. Starting tread depth of around 6.6mm went down to 4.5mm after 12,000miles. Very happy with it. If you have a more powerful and especially heavier car your wear might be worse so keep that in mind.
- Steering Feel: My MX5 has hydraulic power steering and the steering feel and steering weight has gone up noticeably with these tyres most likely due to their super stiff sidewall, they feel amazing.
The Bad:
- Noise. Interior road noise at 50mph/80mph isn't great with a persistent drone starting at those speeds and growing the faster you go. Not the end of the world though as my car is loud and I just turn up the music haha. If you like a quiet tyre keep this in mind.
TLDR;
Love the Nankang NS2R. AMAZING dry grip, surprising wet grip, very low wear, and the tyres give amazing feeling and weight to the steering. Downside is they're noisy past 50mph/80kmh.
I will DEFINITELY be buying again!
- 205/40 R17
- 8,000 miles
brilliant tires when warm in the dry, don't try and be a hero when you haven't got them warmed up.
absolutely terrible in the wet on a lightweight civic with no ABS, very loose , very hard to keep traction on pull-away and have a tendency to lock up. Can't get much better for a dry weather track day tire however.
- Hyundai I30N
- 245/35 R19
- 500 miles
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- Smart roadster
- 205/45 R16
- 4,500 miles
Track use was moderate but good, be it dry, damp or gravel (you can get out of a trap or drive a flat road without washing away easily).
Wet grip is fine, as in pure chinesium dry handling fine. You'll get there, you can slide it if you want, it'll be slow.
Feels very progressive, but definitely needs some slip to be quick. Feels somewhat understeery and loaded feedback is great, very suitable for mountain roads and bumpy tracks.
Slides are very enjoyable, transitioning between grip and sliding smoothly, confidence inspiring.
Noise is absurdly loud and vibrations are harsh, I had people wonder if a bearing blew out but that's to be expected. Once did 900 km of highway and by hour 5 when I stopped, the combination of the loud tyres and very loud wind noise in the car literally deafened me for a good 15 minutes (~60% wind noise).
Rolling resistance is high, averaging a good 1-1.5 extra L/100 km fuel consumption on both regular gas and E85 as well as a noticeably reduced top speed.
Front set is barely used, while rear had to be replaced at ~12K km despite not seeing much abuse, so be careful about weight and balance for maintenance (power is not the issue on this car).
Grip levels didn't noticeably change thoughout, except once where they felt noticeably slower but I suspect a bad previous heat cycle when I lent it, as it came back to normal after 2-3 proper cycles. Haven't used it in full wet conditions past half-life though.
Available in a good range of sizes, definitely recommend it as a cheap fun tyre, or if a high speed index is needed for inspection on older cars.
- Honda CR Z
- 205/45 R17
- 10,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Spirited
But I have no powerful car. In dry and +10 °C .. is all You need. Grip ,handling , brake ...feedback everything you need
On wet it a litle bit slower ,but I feel is becouse of me.not the tire. I have to learn more about performance driving
Being a Racetrack.oriented tire , of course is verry stiff. A Little bit heavy ...but is a budget tire. Not premium
IT is verry good tire for it's price . Over exepctation
I will replaced with another tire , only if I will find Something lighter on a same budget.I have no powerful car.and for 1.5 liters and 120 HP....weight is important
- Audi TT RS
- 245/40 R18
- 2,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Spirited
- Toyota 2006 Avalon
- 205/50 R15
- 400 miles
- Track
- Spirited
- Suzuki swift sport
- 195/50 R15
- 8,000 miles
- Track
- Spirited
They lasted 9.000 miles and 4 trackdays, there is a lot of tread left but the outer edges are completely worn out. For the price it's great, I would definitely buy them again.
- Volkswagen Golf 6 GTI
- 225/45 R17
- 1,300 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Spirited
however, terribly noisy on road, anything above 70kmh I get this horrible wheelbearing noise (trust me I've spent 1200euros changing all 4 wheelbearings only to then find out it was the NS2R) and not the best when cold. wouldn't buy this for spirited road driving or daily driving.
If you have an extra set of wheel for road use and you want something good for the track 100% go for it.
- Toyota Supra
- 315/30 R18
- 2,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Spirited
- Mazda RX 8 231PS
- 225/40 R18
- 13,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Spirited
When in the wet, remembering these are semi-slicks afterall, you do need to tread a little lightly. However, I've driven these on the motorway in multiple significant downpours and not had an issue with not using the tyre or accelerating excessively.
I love the look of the square sidewall and the rim protector is an added bonus. I also can't complain about the wear being 13k in and them looking like new.
Overall, I've used these in a number of different roads, backroads, motorways and honestly they're a great tyre and I'll be purchasing a set for my RX-7 as well.
- Mazda MX5
- 195/55 R15
- 10,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Spirited
In the wet, it's another story. They work, I was able to drive 600km in the rain on the highway without too much worries but be prepared in the corners to counter steer. Maybe it's because my car doesn't have any stability or traction control, you have to be very careful, especially on road joints in corners where the car just "ungrips" from the road.
The wear is simply incredible, with such a light car and after 10000km of spirited driving and track use, they are only about 40% wear. This is awesome. I had som Kumho road tyre before that, at 10000km they were done.
Then, the usual, it's stiff which gives you great feedback through the steering wheel but you feel everything on the road, even the smallest rock (maybe my Bilstein suspension doesn't help either).
Concerning noise, of course you get a lot of noise, especially above 120kmh where you can distinctly hear tyre noise.
I would absolutely recommend them for someone who does some track driving, spirited road driving and mainly avoids wet condition.
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