some questions on a summer tire

[bikeman1]

1) anyone heard anything on the new Hankook Ventus Ventus V12 Evo K110?2) what's a good summer inflation pressure for those in a 215/50R17 clear ? I recall Vibolista some time back saying he cranked his 225/50R17's up to 40 psi. This is on a 2.4L engine. I assume this size will clear without difficulty using a wheel with 38mm offsetthanks..thought I'd take people's minds off snow tires (as if the warm weather hasn't done that already)

[vibolista]

Hey bikeman... 1) This Hankook is a high performance summer tire. TireRack has reviews on it. Most find it a very good tire... especially for the money.2) Inflation is something that you will have to feel out a little. I run my 225/50 17s at 40 front and 38 rear. On my tire, this pressure is OK... since the sidewall isn't super stiff. There are tires that would ride like rocks at 40psi. It really depends on what kind of ride you want and the construction of the tire. Some tires have a max inflation rating of 35 psi. Never go above that max inflation number.You are also going to have to see how much of the tread sits on the ground. Inflate the wheel too much and the middle wears out way faster than the shoulders. You need to get the entire tire tread down on the ground evenly as possible. The opposite is true if the tires are consistently left under inflated. The tire's shoulders wear out and the center maintains good tread depth. An under inflated tire will feel mushy right away. Either condition can be dangerous. 3) Your tire should fi your Vibe just fine with a 38mm offset wheel... but check with someone that has an 09/10. Not sure if they are different than first gen. I still haven't seen the offsets for the 2.4L Vibes. You get quite a bit of snow in Morgantown... I've had some exciting drives through there in the winter. You're not planning to run these during the winter are you? That 'warm' weather won't last.

[bikeman1]

Thanks vibo --no I'm running General Altimax Arctic on my steel wheels till March. The summer tires are for then. Morgantown does normally get a decent winter and we have of hills and ice. But I'll tell you, the way things are shaping up, snow looks like a distant possibility so far this year. Thanks for the read on the tire pressure. I'll play with it. The wear on the center tread would be my concern too.The 2009 offset is 39 I believe and I don't expect trouble at this size. I think I'll give the slightly oversize Hankooks a spin and let you know.

[vibolista]

Sounds good, bikeman, and take a picture of them on your car to see how they look while you're at it. I like snow, but it would be super nice to get a slightly lighter Winter around here as well this year... the last two have been big snow years.

[Kincaid]

I think those Hankooks were just about the highest rated tire in a recent Car and Driver showdown - for both wet and dry traction/handling.I have a set of older Hankooks on my Civic - awesome tires but don't drive them at or below freezing, even if there is no snow.