Hankook has released a super comfort class tire
Hankook Tire & Technology has introduced a new premium all-season tire, the Hankook Ventus air S (H472), designed to improve ride comfort and reduce noise, making it the flagship model in the lineup of high-comfort tires from the South Korean manufacturer.
“The new tire is designed for owners of premium-level passenger cars who value acoustic comfort, as well as for drivers looking to purchase excellent all-season tires that provide a high level of safety,” the company notes.
The design of the new Hankook, which the company refers to as “super comfort”, is optimized to reduce resonant noise generated during driving inside the tire, and noise has also been reduced thanks to a special design of the shoulder sections. Additionally, the sidewall grooves have a ribbed structure, which also “helps to create a low-noise environment expected from premium-class vehicles”.
In 2026, a new mandatory labeling with noise level indication will appear in South Korea (currently, labels contain information on rolling resistance and wet grip), and Ventus air S received the highest “AA” rating according to this standard. In addition, the new all-season rubber compound with a high silica content improves traction in various weather conditions, both in summer and winter (in Korea, tires are considered all-season, but they cannot be used in winter in the northern climate), and the design has been improved to increase the tire life. Moreover, the compound improves the efficiency of shock absorption, reducing the likelihood of damage to the internal structure of the tires, and increased wear resistance made them 4% more durable.
Hankook has tested the new tires at its Technoring test site in Tae-an, Korea - the largest of its kind in Asia - using the Genesis G80, and the tests showed that the noise most perceived by the driver was reduced by 10% compared to the previous generation tires. Such results were achieved, in particular, thanks to the SoundComfort technology - a layer of sound-absorbing materials is placed inside the tire. Resonant noise was reduced by 5 dB, the company says.
Ventus air S feature an asymmetric tread pattern with wide grooves in the shoulder areas, designed to provide effective performance on snow, while 3D lamellas enhance grip on slippery surfaces, and the block shape in the inner and outer zones was created to improve handling in any conditions. Transverse grooves were added to the central ribs, which accumulate snow, increasing traction on snowy roads. Thanks to this, as well as the increased number of lamellas, the braking properties on snow were improved by 13% compared to the previous generation tires.
The lamellas have a 3D structure, which reduces the deformability of the tread blocks under load, thanks to which the handling on dry and wet roads was improved by 4%. In addition, the effectiveness of braking on wet surfaces was increased by 5% due to the large volume of channels in the inner shoulder zone, while the stiffness of the blocks in the outer section was increased to improve stability when maneuvering on dry roads.
A new design of the sidewalls has also been developed, which uses the letter “Z” to signal that the tires belong to the premium Ventus segment. The design elements are also made in a “carbon” style, which should indicate the high performance characteristics of the product.
“Ventus air S is a new product that fully reflects Hankook Tire's desire to create a safe and quiet environment for drivers, — noted Park Jong-ho, head of Hankook's Korean division. — I am confident that we will be able to exceed customer expectations and set a new standard in the high-comfort tire class”.
Hankook Ventus air S will enter the Korean market in 38 sizes with a rim diameter from 17 to 20 inches, and in the first half of 2025, additional sizes will be added to the lineup, including those for 21-inch wheels.