My car came with S001 RFT. This was my first "warm sedan". The ride seemed too stiff. Handling was uncommunicative; like on the rails. After they wore out, I got PS4 (non-RTF) thinking the road feedback would improve. It did not. Mind you, I do not do race tracks. I am driving exclusively in the city and on highways. I want the steering wheel communicate the interaction of the car with the road. The car just felt numb on roundabouts. The car was "skipping" in turns that indicated a firm sidewall and stiff tread.
So I got thinking. And I decided that the culprit was the sidewall that was too firm. I wanted to have a flex in the sidewall or in the tread lugs when I was doing turn around a corner or in roundabouts, the front tires would flex, and would then push the car in the opposite direction. So I found from reviews that the Hankook and Falken UUHP tires had softer sidewalls which, in opinion of some people, made them similar to the touring tires.
With that thought, when the PS4 wore out, I got Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3. I gave up on my snobbery against "lesser-branded" tires. Indeed, the Hankook had softer sidewalls, and handling had that pliable feel that I was looking for. The tire performed 90% of the PS4 while costing 2/3 of it. I was pleasantly surprised with the Hankook tire. It lasted 32k km versus 30k km for PS4. I thought I would be getting it again.
When the Hankooks wore out, I could not get it in my favorite online store. But it was OK with me, as I wanted to try the other hero of the crowd: the Falken Azenis. I had a choice between the FK510 and FK520 model. First, I set my eyes on FK520, as this was a newer model (therefore, it was better ?). However, further thinking threw an idea at me that the older model FK510 could have a thicker sidewall unlike the more modern FK520 that apparently was made with the stronger but thinner sidewall materials. My Hankook was of the same ilk, and I did not quite like it. It was too sensitive to air pressure. It depended on airpressure for the ride not on the stiffness of the rubber in the sidewall. The FK510 seemed to be of the older generation that I liked. So... FK510 was much cheaper in my favorite store (which indicated it was several years old). It was half price of PS4. The final convincing fact came from the review of the Singaporean gentleman in here, who said that FK510 had a better dry grip than FK520, thus he recommended it. So, I was set on FK510.
I got the tires, and I was happy I got them. I noticed straight away that it had that "pliable" feeling in handling that I was looking for. Now, the road provided a lot of feedback to me through the steering wheel. (I think it also has to do because of a lot of sipes in the lugs as is compared to the larger solid lugs in FK520). The feeling was better than that in the previous Hankooks. The tires were 3 years old, but that was OK, as I did not feel shortchanged in terms of the grip. The tires were made in Japan. Also, the tire design had a pronounced rim protector that I liked a lot. So, it turned out the best tire for me so far on this car.
So I got thinking. And I decided that the culprit was the sidewall that was too firm. I wanted to have a flex in the sidewall or in the tread lugs when I was doing turn around a corner or in roundabouts, the front tires would flex, and would then push the car in the opposite direction. So I found from reviews that the Hankook and Falken UUHP tires had softer sidewalls which, in opinion of some people, made them similar to the touring tires.
With that thought, when the PS4 wore out, I got Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3. I gave up on my snobbery against "lesser-branded" tires. Indeed, the Hankook had softer sidewalls, and handling had that pliable feel that I was looking for. The tire performed 90% of the PS4 while costing 2/3 of it. I was pleasantly surprised with the Hankook tire. It lasted 32k km versus 30k km for PS4. I thought I would be getting it again.
When the Hankooks wore out, I could not get it in my favorite online store. But it was OK with me, as I wanted to try the other hero of the crowd: the Falken Azenis. I had a choice between the FK510 and FK520 model. First, I set my eyes on FK520, as this was a newer model (therefore, it was better ?). However, further thinking threw an idea at me that the older model FK510 could have a thicker sidewall unlike the more modern FK520 that apparently was made with the stronger but thinner sidewall materials. My Hankook was of the same ilk, and I did not quite like it. It was too sensitive to air pressure. It depended on airpressure for the ride not on the stiffness of the rubber in the sidewall. The FK510 seemed to be of the older generation that I liked. So... FK510 was much cheaper in my favorite store (which indicated it was several years old). It was half price of PS4. The final convincing fact came from the review of the Singaporean gentleman in here, who said that FK510 had a better dry grip than FK520, thus he recommended it. So, I was set on FK510.
I got the tires, and I was happy I got them. I noticed straight away that it had that "pliable" feeling in handling that I was looking for. Now, the road provided a lot of feedback to me through the steering wheel. (I think it also has to do because of a lot of sipes in the lugs as is compared to the larger solid lugs in FK520). The feeling was better than that in the previous Hankooks. The tires were 3 years old, but that was OK, as I did not feel shortchanged in terms of the grip. The tires were made in Japan. Also, the tire design had a pronounced rim protector that I liked a lot. So, it turned out the best tire for me so far on this car.