Other: Hankook whitewall tires

[Scott]

Here are pictures of my new tires I had put on last week. They are Hankook Mileage Plus tires. The local store here sold me a set of four for $499 total cost installed. They retailed little higher than that, but they honored the first price they gave me when I first looked into them early this year. These are 205 75 R15s. I have not driven more than a few miles on them (a long brake related story), but they are fantastic tires and look perfect on the car. I hope more people will buy these and keep them available. If all we end up with is Coker or Diamond tires we're in trouble. We're not all made of money (well, I'm not, anyway).

[JimC]

I put the exact same ones on my '63 a year ago. I LOVE them. Great, affordable tire that has a nice look, too.

[Commander Eddie]

Do they rub when you make a hard turn to go up a driveway? That size tire on my '62 Lark did.

[Scott]

I did not experience any signs of rubbing (no sounds anyway). My brakes were locking up the more I drove the car and I was paying attention to that. Everything is pretty new except the booster, and I suspect a bad check valve. Anyway, I've had 205s on several 60s Studebakers and not one ever had rubbing. Maybe your suspension is out of whack.

[Commander Eddie]

I did not experience any signs of rubbing (no sounds anyway). My brakes were locking up the more I drove the car and I was paying attention to that. Everything is pretty new except the booster, and I suspect a bad check valve. Anyway, I've had 205s on several 60s Studebakers and not one ever had rubbing. Maybe your suspension is out of whack.

I have since sold the car, however, it may have needed new shocks which might explain the rubbing. Good to know that size tire should be okay.

[jackb]

tires rubbing: worn front coil springs w/ 205's .... and alignment issues too....6.70 x 15's : no rub

[studegary]

What is the date code on the tires? I was wondering what the stock turnover is like on these.

[Scott]

It looks like the one photographed is dated 1512. It actually says DFH 1512. I think they might have pulled these for me in March 2013 or earlier when I started paying the layaway.

[53k]

I have Hankook 215x75x15 whitewalls on my '64 Avanti. They are popular tires and they were the only brand available in whitewall in that size. I'm quite satisfied with them.

[345 DeSoto]

I have a set of the same tires on my Rolls Royce (different size), and they are a WONDERful tire. Paid about the same price. Sure beats $425 each for original equipment Avons...

[rockne10]

Diamondback will put the wide white wall in them for you. It's only an extra $400 and you lose the Hankook warranty.





The word "only" was intended sarcasm.

[Milaca]

Earlier this month I had 5 new Uniroyal 205/75-15 white-wall radials put on the 1962 Hawk that I bought from Scott. Total price of $507.14, and this is a brand of tire that Studebaker once offered on their new automobiles. I dont know if these are available in all areas but they are in stock in a Minneapolis warehouse.

[mmagic]

Tires were a long ways down the line for the Speedster but thanks to this thread, I just priced the Hankook P205/75R-15 97S WSW,Optima H724 at Discount Tire, mounted without certs at $307 for a set plus a $75 Visa Debit card (July 4 Sale) rebate... 4 tires mounted and balanced for $237 ! Don't know if this is the same model but WOW !

[Scott]

Tires were a long ways down the line for the Speedster but thanks to this thread, I just priced the Hankook P205/75R-15 97S WSW,Optima H724 at Discount Tire, mounted without certs at $307 for a set plus a $75 Visa Debit card (July 4 Sale) rebate... 4 tires mounted and balanced for $237 ! Don't know if this is the same model but WOW !

If it's the same as my tires I think you'll be really happy, especially at that price! I think I remember the 724 number. Or it was 722. I'm not sure now and I can't find the receipt at the moment.

[JimC]

I got my set for a little more than $375 for the whole car, including install. (EDIT: now that I think about it, I might have got a $50 Visa gift card or some sort of promotion. I can't recall, but that seems right.) For this specific tire, I couldn't find a cheaper price locally than the guys I went with, though there were other brands that you could find for less. I went with these because I do drive my car a lot, and the DOT performance specs on these were about the best I could find in this price range.

My take on them after a year of driving on them regularly is that they're a great value. I was talking with another forum member who mentioned that their whitewalls browned out on them after a while. After a year, mine still don't have any major browning. I've never once cleaned them, I park the car outside, and drive it in all sorts of weather.

On top of that, I am really impressed by how quiet they are on the road. There's hardly any road noise from the tires at all. My rear differential makes a ton more noise than the tires do.

As far as rubbing goes, my wheels aren't stock and the springs are pretty much shot, so there was a LOT of rubbing with the old set of tires. These ones actually reduced the amount of rubbing significantly for me. It's still there a little, but if I replaced my springs, it would likely be gone.

Again, if you want thin whites, I would highly recommend these. My car is a daily driver, and I do drive it just about every day. A year later, I'm still digging these tires.