Tyre reviews Hankook W429 i Pike RS2. Page 2 1813

I spent a long time deciding, but finally bought Hankook W429. I've driven 4000km on them. 3 tread blocks have come off the front wheels.
Snow and ice are great! Braking and road-holding are excellent...
But on asphalt - whether dry or wet - it's a nightmare. They make a lot of noise. I don't know who's writing that they're quiet.
(There's

Tires were bought in March to replace completely “dead” ones after 6 years and about 55,000 km on the HAKKA 5.

I consider the break-in period to be over. I drive in a gentle mode, on roads of mixed type: city and country, snow and ice and bare asphalt.

I added 70-80 grams of load when balancing the tires. Among the pluses, I immediately noted low noise levels. Compared to the

The tire is excellent. Everything you need for winter – grips like an ATV on our uncleaned driveways, porridge and snowdrifts. Brakes perfectly even on ice. Moderately soft, swallows potholes, does not become stiff in the cold. Dry asphalt was only at 1000km during the running-in, I could hear the crunching of studs on the asphalt, without a howl, was not annoying.

Great tires, road cars (how it behaves with studs at -5°C, how it behaves without studs -50 (by the way, the tire doesn't freeze like a hubcap, which needs to travel 5 kilometers before the wheel becomes round after a stop) behave predictably, I recommend.

It very quickly started to lose studs, although the running-in was done at a speed of 60-80 km/h. The sidewall is weak - a sideways cut, not even a season was driven. Also, on one wheel, a bulge and deformation of the cord appeared, and the tire did not burst. It holds the road better than the Chinese ones, but not perfectly, there is no confidence like with Hakkapeliitta. I used to drive on Nokian Nordman 7, and in 3 years, a maximum of 10 studs were lost on 4 wheels, there is confidence, it grips pretty well. I would not take these tires for the second time.

I purchased these tires in early December 2022. The tires themselves were released in 2021. Prior to this, I was driving on Kumho, and my impressions were overwhelmingly negative. After Kumho, I installed Bridgestone Ise Cruiser 7000, and to this day, I recall those tires with kind words - they were simply indestructible and always came through, never failing me even in emergency situations. The only downside was that the tires were quite heavy and stiff, but their advantages far outweighed their disadvantages.
But now, about the Hankook W429 i Pike RS2 175/65 R14 86T XL (studded) tires themselves - I ran them in according to the manufacturer's requirements. The tires are quite soft and light, but at the same time, the sidewall is sufficiently strong. I formed this opinion back in March when the snow and ice melted, and our roads revealed a large number of potholes and bumps.
I realized that the Hankook W429 i Pike RS2 has sufficient traction on ice when I got behind the wheel of my acquaintance's car, and in the place where I was driving out of the rut without any problems on my acquaintance's tires (I won't mention the manufacturer), I couldn't drive out of the rut at all - it seemed to me that my acquaintance's car was equipped with summer tires).
Regarding the noise from the studs, of course, it's present, just like with all studded tires, but Hankook is much quieter than Bridgestone.
As for whether all the studs are in place or what percentage of them have fallen out, I couldn't say for now - I'll write back after I put on my summer tires.
I also liked the work of sales manager Ekaterina Nevezorova - she answered all my questions competently and clearly.

The tire is decent. All characteristics are in the "+". As for the "-", like many tire brands, it doesn't hold the road when there's snow on top of ice.

I spent a long time choosing tyres and read a lot of reviews before deciding on these. The tyres pleased me in every way. They hold the road well. At speeds of 140-150 km/h, the ride is comfortable. I never got stuck in the snow. The tyres also performed well on ice. There were no non-standard situations. The result on the studs was almost perfect. The tyres have covered around 6,000 km. Wear on the wheels: Left rear - everything is

Ice and snow - great! On dry asphalt the braking distance is predictably longer and the cornering stability is lower, which is presumably a fair price to pay for the presence of studs. The studs are well set and no over-shooting noticed.

Due to the soft sidewalls, they tend to “float” during maneuvers, particularly if there's road camber. Be cautious during initial rides, overtaking, and then you'll get used to them.

I've compared them with Nordman 4 (5 winters) and Dunlop Ice Touch (3 winters) usage.

Around 500 km of mileage, they became slightly quieter. I'm more confident accelerating on them, and they grip well during turns (the