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
I had a full set of these on a 2004 BMW 330d Sport. The car had some tuning modifications but nothing extreme. 222hp remap, so not mega power and torque, but enough.
I was initially really impressed with them. They gripped well in the dry and ok in the wet. They seemed quiet enough and for the price I was happy.
After 3000 miles I started to notice slight vibrations through the steering on medium to high speed corners. I thought nothing of it as it was fine in a straight line but the noise and vibration got worse so I had a close look at the tires.
On inspection there was a line / split in both front tires right the way across the full width. Both tires had exactly the same pattern of split in them. It wasn't like I'd run over something or someone had purposely damaged the tires, it was a clear manufacturing defect.
I check my tire pressures at least once a month and without fail before a long journey. The pressures were spot on and always have been so this was nothing less than a manufacturing defect.
I changed the front tires for some Vredestein Ultrac Vorti which were instantly a huge improvement all round, in every aspect of performance and noise (read the reviews), but I kept the rears on the car as they had over 5mm of tread left. The fronts had 5.5mm before they split.
After two weeks the rear tires dis exactly the same and at a 60mph on a straight road I had a catastrophic rear tire failure. The whole rear o/s tire delaminated and left the carcase on the rim. This was very similar to recent F1 type tire failures. On checking the R/N/S tire it alos had a split across the width, the same as the fronts did previously.
So I fitted Vortis to the rear too.
I have read numerous reports of the tires delaminating and manufacturing failures. My advice would be to stay well clear of them.
Stick like glue in summer took car through some tight bends at high speed no worries ,in the wet you know when they are going to let go go sudden surprises,long as they are warmed up,(otherwise very little grip in wet)once you down to a few mm you can spin the fronts very easily in the wet,if you put your foot down,cant go wrong 4 price i got em for,im not paying the extra £20 per corner,but have heard rumors that rubber compound is not as good as it used to be,when i got em.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
I wanted to try something cheaper as I'm sick of paying £200 plus per tire on premium brands so when for the NS2 after reading reviews on here and at £384 fitted you can't go wrong.
First impressions is that it is a good looking tire with nice directional tread and has stiff sidewalls, it also has rim protection which is handy.
So far the dry grip has been fine with no issues what so ever, now for the wet grip which apparently these tires will kill you in, It's been raining here in the uk hard for the past few weeks and as soon as I had them fitted I floored the car in 1st and 2nd gear and couldn't get the wheels to spin. Ok this might have something to do with the Quattro system but again I didn't exactly let the tires bed in either.
A few roundabouts at a reasonable speed (and not at 80 mph) and the car grips well with no fish tailing or dramas, again that might be down to Quattro. I have done a few spirited drives on the motorway at night at well over 100 mph and again no dramas and no deaths either like some would have you believe on here.
I admit the grip in the dry is a tad off the premium brands and the grip in the wet is not as good either, but at £96 each it wasn't going to be, but I'm more than happy with them as all I do is adjust my driving style to the limits of the road and car I'm driving and I'm fine.
You wouldn't go round a swooping bend in the wet at 90mph in a Datsun, but put yourself in an RS5 and it's a different story.
Finally the road noise, yes they are louder than premium brands but that's down to the hard rubber compound so something had to give, grip + wear for longliveity + price and I don't mind the latter I just crank up the bang and olufsen stereo as listening to tire noise is not one of my hobbies.
All in all if you want a cheap tire that performers well, and if you know how to drive, then the nankang ns2 tires are absolutely fine.
I will continue to do write ups on these every couple of thousand miles to see how they fair as they wear out.
Which tires do you drive?
Researching the Nankang NS2? Rate the tires you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
Fell on tougher times dater purchasing my car and had to stick to a budget, these very affordable tires fit the bill but are a bit of a mixed bag. Decent enough in the dry for a hard tire, quite a lot of road noise (notice this more now I have higher quality rubber on again) and they last forever. However when it's wet or the tire is approaching the end of its life you can forget about grip in anything but a straight line.
I have low profile and 18" wheels and enjoy a spirited drive so these would never have been my first choice but if you are after some larger walled boots and are more sedentary in your driving these would be a decent choice of tire.
74%
Member
Audi
225/45 R17
15,000 miles
Mostly Motorways
Average
lol at the reviews your never going to get a track day tire at this price cant really say ive had issues with driving in the rain and i do 500+ miles a month in my Audi A3 TDI best value Vs performance you find on the web !!
I acquired a set of these when i purchased my car, i would sat that they are just about borderline ok in a straight line in the summer. A touch of rain and these will quite happily send you sideways, back kicks out with a TINY dab of throttle around a corner. You are always on the limit. I changed these for Avon zv5 on the front, and then full set continental contisport5 on my other alloys, both of which made a world of difference and give much more confidence! Would not recommend these nagkangs to anyone
Cheaply priced tire. If you are looking to buy a tire for general "Summer" use then this is a decent tire. Although, once the ground gets wet.. look out. cornering in wet conditions are dangerous even an slow speeds, and as for abrupt stopping in wet conditions.. good luck. Overall good tire for dry and warm weather conditions.
These tires were on a set of Alloys I purchased, I was a little worried as I've never heard of them but they are much better than the ones which I replaced (Avons with 3-4mm tread on the front and Dunlops 4-5mm on the back), they are slightly wider than the ones they replaced so this may be part of the reason. Car certainly feels better into corners, can't go wrong if you are on a tight budget.
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 recommend to anyone ..
A hard compound, so wet grip has suffered. Ok in the dry, but very poor in the rain, or after it has rained and the road is drying up. Have lost it coming out off corners even at low speeds.
Tires are excellent, noiseless, excellent response when cornering on dry land, on rainy day you dont need to test the limits of physics, heheh, after all recommendations to buy, only thing they used up more quickly than expected, but they serve a purpose.
