The Nankang NS2 is a performance summer tire whose owner-reported strengths are dry grip, value and generally good tread life. Wet grip and noise are frequent concerns, and its two tests found weak wet braking.
Dry grip and value are the Nankang NS2's clearest attractions in owner reviews, while tread-life feedback generally leans positive. Dry-grip praise considerably outweighs criticism, although overall satisfaction is more mixed: 90 of 197 written reviews are positive. Some later-life accounts describe long service and others short wear. Those experiences give it appeal on purchase cost and everyday dry-road use, without establishing good braking performance.
Wet roads are the recurring concern. Around a third of reviews criticise wet grip, though many are favorable, and both independent tests found weak wet stopping. Auto Bild 2020 placed it 44th of 49 for wet braking, 33.1% longer than best, and 35th for dry braking, 13.7% longer. The 2012 Sportscars test also criticised wet understeer, steering precision, noise and comfort. Noise complaints from around one in five reviews support that refinement concern. Its dry-grip and cost advantages therefore come with substantial wet-stopping limitations, making the favorable owner accounts only part of the picture.
The quick answer
Owners say65%from 212 owner reviews53% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesDry gripValue for moneyWet brakingMixed wet gripSummarised from the tests and owner reviews
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tire - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated August 2026.
Where to buyPrices for your size at our partner shops.Affiliate links
Across the 1 wet-braking test it has featured in, the Nankang NS-2 stops 23% longer than premium rivals, 16.5% longer than mid-range rivals and 6.6% longer than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews wet score of 13/100, and owners rate it 5.8/10 in the wet from 212 reviews.
How good is the Nankang NS-2 in the dry?
Across the 1 dry-braking test it has featured in, the Nankang NS-2 stops 8.4% longer than premium rivals, 3.8% longer than mid-range rivals and level with budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews dry score of 34/100, and owners rate it 7.6/10 in the dry from 212 reviews.
How many miles does the Nankang NS-2 last?
Based on test and owner data, the Nankang NS-2 is expected to last around 22,571 miles (36,324 km).
What do owners say about the Nankang NS-2?
Across 212 owner ratings the Nankang NS-2 averages 65%. Owners rate Dry Grip highest at 7.6 out of 10 and Wet Grip lowest at 5.8. 60 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 49% of owners score it 70% or better.
How comfortable and quiet are the Nankang NS-2?
Owners rate the Nankang NS-2 6.2 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 197 reviews.
More questions about the Nankang NS-2(7)
How well do the Nankang NS-2 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Nankang NS-2 7.3 out of 10 for wear across 197 reviews. 60 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 5,000 miles.
Would owners buy the Nankang NS-2 again?
53% of owners say they would buy the Nankang NS-2 again, based on the 204 owner reviews that answered the question. 29% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What do owners say about the Nankang NS-2's wet grip?
Of the 194 owner reviews analyzed for the Nankang NS-2, 109 mention wet grip: 46 praise it (confident wet grip) and 63 criticise it (weak wet grip). One owner wrote: "Not good when roads are a bit damp, not so bad when the roads are very wet, can’t even pull away with hardly any throttle without wheelspin". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Nankang NS-2's dry grip?
Of the 194 owner reviews analyzed for the Nankang NS-2, 103 mention dry grip: 90 praise it (strong dry grip) and 13 criticise it (limited dry grip). One owner wrote: "The grip in the dry is so superior". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Nankang NS-2's tread life?
Of the 194 owner reviews analyzed for the Nankang NS-2, 73 mention tread life: 57 praise it (long-lasting) and 16 criticise it (wears quickly). One owner wrote: "The set have been on for just over 30,000 miles now, the front tires are almost down to the wear bars". Read those reviews
What does the Nankang NS-2 replace?
The Nankang NS-2 is the successor to the Nankang NS-1 in Nankang's range.
I believe the NS-2 is close to 20 years old design yet still on sale. Is it the oldest tire model on sale today?
March 27, 2025
It could well be! There's also a lot of Chinese manufacturers using very early Dunlop molds, though they have different names now.
Show all questions(2)
Hi there, i plan to replace my car tires, size 205/55 R16. i previously owned yokohama advan db. Now i plan to move any good budget tires. Show moreHi there, i plan to replace my car tires, size 205/55 R16. i previously owned yokohama advan db. Now i plan to move any good budget tires. I am thinking to switch to nankang ns2?. but these are rotational. Would like to have your advise on rotational tires. Are these better from non rotational tires or there is no difference? Show less
May 31, 2016
Manufacturers primarily switched to non-directional (asymmetric) tires to make OE fitment easier for vehicle manufacturers. A directional tire usually has better aquaplaning performance, but as most directional tires are now older designs, you might be better off with a more modern asymmetric pattern.
The Nankang NS2 is most often praised for dry grip and value, with 90 favorable dry-grip comments against 13 critical ones. Overall, 90 of 197 written reviews are positive, with an average score of 63.7%. Wet grip is the main concern, criticised in 63 comments, roughly a third of reviews, although 46 are favorable. Noise also draws more criticism than praise, with 37 complaints, around one in five reviews, against 18 positive comments. Tread-life feedback leans positive, but later-life accounts include both long service and short wear. Several repeat reviewers became less satisfied over time, while others remained steady or improved their scores, so deterioration is not universal.
What owners mention most counted across 194 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 212 ratings
Owner score65%
Dry Grip76%
Wear73%
Road Feedback65%
Comfort62%
Handling62%
Wet Grip58%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 50%
“Not good when roads are a bit damp, not so bad when the roads are very wet, can’t even pull away with hardly any throttle without wheelspin so do not inspire confidence, they remind me of Pirelli’s that were fitted to...”
“Very bad tires. beter buy falken or sava s3 for this amount of money. No comfort no stifnes no nothing.. Bad grip on wet surface. Bad grip on dry surface car is swiming... On higher speeds car is bouncing with this...”
“Excellent tires onto my forth set in 12 years . I have 215/35/18" and fitted to my mgzr they are by far the best budget tire superb dry grip and also good in the wet and i dont drive like a grandad lol .. would...”
Tires sound, specially when turning in a newly asphalted street, is like you-re having issues with your transmission or tire bearings... but dry grip is good, also pretty decent in wet conditions.
Not good when roads are a bit damp, not so bad when the roads are very wet, can’t even pull away with hardly any throttle without wheelspin so do not inspire confidence, they remind me of Pirelli’s that were fitted to my previous Jaguar Xj8, was like skating on ice if the roads were damp, especially if salted. They were on the car when I bought it and decided I will buy new 19” wheels and try different make of tires, I wouldn’t buy the Nankangs
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
Update:
After some more daily driving (I'm the back seat driver), we've decided that these are excellent budget tires!
215/35R19 on a 8.5J Reverse Mount wheel, stretched the tire a bit, but this is awfull for every day driving! Not the tire's fault, but we wanted a little stretch.
Dry: Great, just needs some heat and then they grip nicely.
Wet: We thought that this would be awfull, but no. Just a little warm up and it grips like a rain tire! We were only able to slide on manholes, but back on asphalt, it just wouldn't let go!
Feedback: Not so good, i think it's because of the stretched tires.
Handling: Just ok. Again, stretched tires are to blame.
Wear: Good, nothing extremely bad, maybe the inside over time because my friend is stubborn and didn't align the rear.
Comfort: Does not apply on this setup. 215/35R19 stretched on a old, lowered E46 doesn't equal comfort.
Do I recommend this tire? Not for most people, but this is exactly what WE wanted.
Aggressive thread, not to expensive, a tire brand I've heard of, cheap, wonky sizes.
For us, it's perfect!
Which tires do you drive?
Researching the Nankang NS-2? Rate the tires you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
Review of these Nankang Ns2's on my buddy's E46
215/35R19 85Y XL on a 8.5J rim, nice stretch, load rating plenty for a E46.
First of, I recommended these tires for him because he wanted a cheap, aggressive threaded tire, with a rotation thread pattern.
There isn't much to choose in 215/35R19. Hankook and Kumho too expensive, dont want unknown brands, so Nankang was about the only way to go.
We specifically chose the NS2'S over the NS20'S because of better looks and similar reviews.
Btw, if you find the Nankang NS2 Ultra Sports, those are the same as when you order regular NS2'S. Both have NS2 Ultra Sport written on the sidewall.
Speaking of the sidewall, it's a very boring one, nothing special.
Now, we only have these on the car for a few weeks now, and we really needed to break-in the tires, driving carefully for the first 50 to 100 miles.
First things that stand out, the noise, of boy they are noisy! But they give a lot of feedback!
They are really stiff as well, mind you the sidewall is nearly nonexistent and his cold pressure is like 2.7 Bar and warmed up 3.0 Bar.
Comparing to his old tires, Hankook Ventus Evo 3's in 225/40R19 (93Y) XL (way to big for a lowered E46, he grabbed the tire size of a E46 M3), the Nankangs have a little less grip, and dont give you as much confidence to push harder.
Haven't tested in (heavy) rain yet, but we are expecting significant reduced grip, but that's to be forgiven.
I wouldn't recommend these for the average driver, but for a project car and for the driver that can handle the noise, grip and probably wear, I would recommend them!
I been using the nankang ns2 tire for a couple of years, the noise of the tire is terrible rating it from 1 to 10 I would say it’s 9 it’s too loud. The braking in summer time is good it also grip well in the corner.
The braking in rainy and wet season is average I don’t push it too hard. The comfort is 1 out of 10 is only 1 the tire itself is harf with a 400 tread wear. If you have a budget get some nice tire, but if the noise is not your concern it is a good choice.
Used them on a trackprepared Saxo 1.1i 60 hp. Confident grip in dry and wet conditions. I think it's a good tire. And not too expensive either. But it wears fast. I did 1 trackday on the wet, it was ok. But after a second trackday in the dry (I admit I was pushing to the limit), they wore off very fast which makes me hesitant to use them one more time or not. But the grip is convincing.
Tires lasted only 12000 miles of normal motorways driving!!! They wear extremely fast. I would highly recommend NOT to buy them. It just doesn't make sense economically. The grip on wet is non existent, dry grip is a bit better. There are much better options for the same price or cheaper.
Fitted these as wanted a cheaper tire that would last longer than more track inspired tires. Give good grip in the dry, better than anything in its price range, wet grip suffers slightly. No noticible road noise, but that's mainly as they are fitted to a noisy car. The feel is much better than other tires of similar size, and a vast improvement over the tour sports in the same size.
have pushed the tires beyond their limit, but are very predictable and give confidence with progressive grip.
There are better tires, but start at twice the price and last just as long, not as grippy as a toyo a539 but that's to be expected.
Extremely rapid wear considering I don’t drive in exuberance. Very uneven wear both across and around the circumference of the tire.
Replaced like for like on the rear of the car knowing they were not a premium brand since I was deciding whether I would keep the car long term and did not expect a huge mileage from them but 4,500 miles is a massive disappointment.
30%
Member
Ford
225/45 R17 W
20 miles
A Combination of Roads
Spirited
Poor grip in the dry.
Dangerous in the wet.
Noisy.
Some years ago I wrote off my Falcon after skidding into a Toyota during a downpour..
My car slid for ~15m before impact. This was at 50km/h.
Stick with Michelin - literally.
