Yokohama Advan Sport A/S vs. Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2 review
10-16-2014, 10:26 AM
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Yokohama Advan Sport A/S vs. Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2 review
The new Yokohama Advan Sport A/S came out a few months ago to replace the highly regarded Advan S.4. The initial user reviews on Tire Rack for these new Yokos are very positive and one of the guys there told me they have a new test coming out with these matched up against the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2, the Conti DWS, and one other UHP all season tire.
Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2: Not for this Audi driver:
Since getting rid of the Goodyear LS2 tires that came with the car, I've been driving on the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2. Even though the Hankooks are Tire Rack's #1 reviewed UHP all season tire, on my A7 they were quiet on smooth roads but roaringly loud on less than perfect road surfaces, including long stretches of interstate. I had high expectations for the Hankooks based on reviews but they didn't turn out to be a good choice for my 2014 A7.
The Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2s were also jarring over bumps and expansion joints, but I forgave them for most of that being that it's a UHP tire. Otherwise, they handled very well wet and dry, and cornered admirably, too. If it hadn't been for the annoying noise, I would have been pleased with them but they were so loud on many roads I had to crank up the stereo extra loud to compensate.
After about 1,000 miles on the Hankook's and no improvment, I took advantage of the return policy and swapped these out in favor of the Yokohama Advan Sport A/S.
Yokohama Advan Sport A/S: Much improved over Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2:
Initial impressions are that the Yokos are far quieter and also grip and corner very well. No experience driving in the wet, yet. The driving experience improvement over the Hankooks was immediate and I'm so glad I switched to the new Yokohama Advan Sport A/S tires.
The Yokos are also far smoother over bumps and expansion joints, still firm yet no more bothersome than the feel of a typical grand touring tire. They absorb impacts rather than transfer jolts to the cabin. So, for my car, the Yokos are superior for both ride comfort and noise.
I don't buy tires on looks, but the Yokohamas score again with their aggressive yet tasteful sidewall design. Nothing wrong with the look of the Hankooks but they are more generic and subdued looking.
Treadlife:
The Hankook's come new with just under 10/32 of tread, actually midway between 9/32 and 10/32--I carefully checked my tires and another new set to verify this. Since several have complained about fast wear for the Hankooks this was concerning. My new Yokos have fully 11/32 in new rubber and have a higher mileage warranty than the Hankook's. I don't expect to ever use a mileage warranty but based on good feedback for wear for the S.4 UHP tire they replaced, I'm more confident in the Yokohama's for longevity, too.
I'll be posting again soon with more detailed wet and dry impressions after I've put some more miles on the Advan Sport A/S tire.
(P.S. Some may ask why I got rid of the Goodyear LS2s? Pillowy soft and not appropriate for a high performance car, in my opinion. Couldn't hold a corner even in routine driving. They were quiet in the 5,500 miles I drove them but have a reputation for getting super loud and losing grip after the first 10,000 miles. With a performance machine like the A7, I wanted a tire that was up to task!)
Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2: Not for this Audi driver:
Since getting rid of the Goodyear LS2 tires that came with the car, I've been driving on the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2. Even though the Hankooks are Tire Rack's #1 reviewed UHP all season tire, on my A7 they were quiet on smooth roads but roaringly loud on less than perfect road surfaces, including long stretches of interstate. I had high expectations for the Hankooks based on reviews but they didn't turn out to be a good choice for my 2014 A7.
The Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2s were also jarring over bumps and expansion joints, but I forgave them for most of that being that it's a UHP tire. Otherwise, they handled very well wet and dry, and cornered admirably, too. If it hadn't been for the annoying noise, I would have been pleased with them but they were so loud on many roads I had to crank up the stereo extra loud to compensate.
After about 1,000 miles on the Hankook's and no improvment, I took advantage of the return policy and swapped these out in favor of the Yokohama Advan Sport A/S.
Yokohama Advan Sport A/S: Much improved over Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2:
Initial impressions are that the Yokos are far quieter and also grip and corner very well. No experience driving in the wet, yet. The driving experience improvement over the Hankooks was immediate and I'm so glad I switched to the new Yokohama Advan Sport A/S tires.
The Yokos are also far smoother over bumps and expansion joints, still firm yet no more bothersome than the feel of a typical grand touring tire. They absorb impacts rather than transfer jolts to the cabin. So, for my car, the Yokos are superior for both ride comfort and noise.
I don't buy tires on looks, but the Yokohamas score again with their aggressive yet tasteful sidewall design. Nothing wrong with the look of the Hankooks but they are more generic and subdued looking.
Treadlife:
The Hankook's come new with just under 10/32 of tread, actually midway between 9/32 and 10/32--I carefully checked my tires and another new set to verify this. Since several have complained about fast wear for the Hankooks this was concerning. My new Yokos have fully 11/32 in new rubber and have a higher mileage warranty than the Hankook's. I don't expect to ever use a mileage warranty but based on good feedback for wear for the S.4 UHP tire they replaced, I'm more confident in the Yokohama's for longevity, too.
I'll be posting again soon with more detailed wet and dry impressions after I've put some more miles on the Advan Sport A/S tire.
(P.S. Some may ask why I got rid of the Goodyear LS2s? Pillowy soft and not appropriate for a high performance car, in my opinion. Couldn't hold a corner even in routine driving. They were quiet in the 5,500 miles I drove them but have a reputation for getting super loud and losing grip after the first 10,000 miles. With a performance machine like the A7, I wanted a tire that was up to task!)
Last edited by onthebeam; 10-20-2014 at 06:04 PM.
10-16-2014, 04:29 PM
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Yokohama Advan Sport A/S vs. Michelin A/S 3
[B]
Even though the Hankooks are Tire Rack's #1 reviewed UHP all season tire, on my A7 they were quiet on smooth roads but roaringly loud on less than perfect road surfaces, including long stretches of interstate.
The Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2s were also jarring over bumps and expansion joints, but I forgave them for most of that being that it's a UHP tire. If it hadn't been for the annoying noise, I would have been pleased with them but they were so loud on many roads I had to crank up the stereo extra loud to compensate.
Initial impressions are that the Yokohama Advan Sport A/S is far quieter and also grips and corners very well.
The Yokos are also far smoother over bumps and expansion joints, still firm yet no more bothersome than the feel of a typical grand touring tire. They absorb impacts rather than transfer jolts to the cabin. So, for my car, the Yokos are superior for both ride comfort and noise.
Interesting, my experience with noisy Hankooks has been echoed by several owners of the Michelin A/S 3. Quiet on smooth surfaces, loud on any road less than perfect.
From Michelin A/S 3 owners:
"The A/S 3's are still noisier than most, and I think its a combo of tire compound and tread design. They're weird though. They're dead silent on perfectly tight paved roads, but as soon as you're on rough or uneven road AND at low speed, they're noisy."
"I just replaced the Pirelli P-Zero tires on my A7 with the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. I immediately noticed how much smoother the ride is with the Michelin tires. . . I also immediately noticed how much louder they are. I don't mean just a little louder. I mean really loud. . . At 45mph, we had to talk over the tire noise. At 65, the waffling wah-wah-wah-wah-wah sounds like truck tires. Road imperfections that I no longer feel, I hear loud and clear. I'm not sure I'll keep these tires very long."
"Whoa . . . You stopped me dead in my tracks with your comments on how loud the Michelin Pilot A/S3's are."
By the way, I mean no disrespect to either Michelin or Hankook, or the happy owners of these tires. They are both good tires, no doubt, but if noise and ride comfort are at the top of your list, the Yokohama Advan Sport A/S seems to hit a nice sweet spot between comfort and performance in the UHP all season category that is so well suited to European sports sedans.
Even though the Hankooks are Tire Rack's #1 reviewed UHP all season tire, on my A7 they were quiet on smooth roads but roaringly loud on less than perfect road surfaces, including long stretches of interstate.
The Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2s were also jarring over bumps and expansion joints, but I forgave them for most of that being that it's a UHP tire. If it hadn't been for the annoying noise, I would have been pleased with them but they were so loud on many roads I had to crank up the stereo extra loud to compensate.
Initial impressions are that the Yokohama Advan Sport A/S is far quieter and also grips and corners very well.
The Yokos are also far smoother over bumps and expansion joints, still firm yet no more bothersome than the feel of a typical grand touring tire. They absorb impacts rather than transfer jolts to the cabin. So, for my car, the Yokos are superior for both ride comfort and noise.
Interesting, my experience with noisy Hankooks has been echoed by several owners of the Michelin A/S 3. Quiet on smooth surfaces, loud on any road less than perfect.
From Michelin A/S 3 owners:
"The A/S 3's are still noisier than most, and I think its a combo of tire compound and tread design. They're weird though. They're dead silent on perfectly tight paved roads, but as soon as you're on rough or uneven road AND at low speed, they're noisy."
"I just replaced the Pirelli P-Zero tires on my A7 with the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. I immediately noticed how much smoother the ride is with the Michelin tires. . . I also immediately noticed how much louder they are. I don't mean just a little louder. I mean really loud. . . At 45mph, we had to talk over the tire noise. At 65, the waffling wah-wah-wah-wah-wah sounds like truck tires. Road imperfections that I no longer feel, I hear loud and clear. I'm not sure I'll keep these tires very long."
"Whoa . . . You stopped me dead in my tracks with your comments on how loud the Michelin Pilot A/S3's are."
By the way, I mean no disrespect to either Michelin or Hankook, or the happy owners of these tires. They are both good tires, no doubt, but if noise and ride comfort are at the top of your list, the Yokohama Advan Sport A/S seems to hit a nice sweet spot between comfort and performance in the UHP all season category that is so well suited to European sports sedans.
Last edited by onthebeam; 10-16-2014 at 05:07 PM.
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