Nankang Tyres. Bad/Good?

[VXWAGMAN]

I purchased some Nankang brand tyres for my new 18" rims. I had never heared of them before. I can't find much as far as a review but all I know is they are made in TW. Anyone had a set? Bad/Good Experiences? I've had Falken's before which I loved but wore out way too fast. I've been told these are a harder compound. They seem ok to drive on although I've only had em a day...

 

[DJ Majah]

Yeah Ive got a whole set of them, done almost 20,000ks and theyre wearing well. They've had one rotation and are still just under 1/4 worn, which is good since the big brand companies tell you tyres last for around 40,000ks. I found them a bit noisy, but hey, my second hand bashed up rims don't help.

Apparently they are out of the Yokohama factory. I can't complain about them!

 

[Redfox]

Yep, I got some Nankang 235/45 R17's on my VT S-Pack. They don't grip too well, especially in the wet, and they are noisy noisy tyres on the road. Whenever I take a corner I can hear the tyres making this terrible road noise! But otherwise, they are a very hard compound and will last you quite a while.

Basically they are a compromise for comfort. You will most likely get more average km's, but you sacrifice handling and your own sanity. Once these are worn out (which won't be for another 10-15,000 km's!!!) I am going to get a different brand of tyre! I would prefer to fork out cash more regularly to get nice quiet good handling tyres than to save a few bucks to get some Nankangs!

I guess that in the end it comes down to price. If you don't want to mortgage your house for some new tyres, get some Nankangs. But if you can afford it, I'd definitely recommend something else. Try Pirrelli P6000's (they are fast running out of them), or the new Pirelli P6's. Falkens are ok, as are the other more common brands like good year etc etc.

 

[OSL-060]

I can't vouch for current Nangkangs but a few years ago they were made by a subsidary of Yokohama. Basically the same compound with an inferior tread pattern. I found them to be the opposite of Redfoxes opinion, they were super soft and tended to wear quickly but nice and sticky and performed close to that of the old Yokohama A509's now replaced by A539's? I think.

 

[Wombat]

Back about 1985 a mate of mine had a very hot VW Golf GTI which put out about 170 hp at the front wheels...interesting in the wet ...and he drove to Brisbane from Bundaberg (about 370 km distance) for a weekend. His tyres were pretty worn down, and he saw an advert for these new fangled Pirelli P-something sports tyres. Amazing grip and handling, so he bought a set. Cost him an arm and a leg too back then. It was the middle of summer and the road was very very hot all the way back home, and he drove pretty hard. The tyres were about 3/4 worn down when he got back to Bundy! However, the grip had been amazing...

On my wifes little KE20 '73 Corolla Coupe with the original 12" wheels, we have the same tyres that my daughter put on it when she first bought it and registered it...FOUR YEARS AGO....they are not even worn down at all, and still look new. Now, I know it's a light weight car, but jesus christ...four years out of a set? The thing gets driven pretty regularly too, it's not like it sits in the shed all week. They are "Barum" brand "Brillant" tyres, made in "The Chech Republic". Nice chunky tread, and they handle well in the wet or dry, and seem to handle dirt pretty well too...you can really flog the little heap across a dirt road with confidence, sliding the tail out, drifting round corners, fishtailing down the straights...erm...good thing the missus doesn't read this... :hit:

 

[DJ Majah]

Its a bit damp here at the moment and on my usual 40k drive to work I didnt notice any difference in how the car was handling to yesterday when it was totally dry. Mine grip fine, maybe its because they are 225s though...

 

[Snowfox]

Anyone heard much about WANLI ? Got them with my mags from SSV, had them for a few years, they have worn a bit but are very grippy.