Hankook Snow Tires

2011 Hyundai Sonata SE 2.0T - Long-Term Road Test Intro

Hyundai is a star on the rise. Merely qualifying as extras in the early years, the brand’s products moved on to supporting roles post-millennium, and the sixth-generation Sonata is the Korean firm’s big breakthrough. The mid-size sedan scored Hyundai its inaugural starring role with a comparison-test victory and subsequent ascension to a spot on our 2011 10Best list . Those accolades made the 2011 Sonata the perfect candidate for a 40,000-mile long-term assessment.

No V-6s—Go Fish

As the Sonata is now an A-lister, Hyundai used it to make a bold statement: The mid-size segment doesn’t need V-6s. We called Hyundai’s bet and ordered our Sonata with its new V-6 replacement, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Producing a V-6–esque 274 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque, the boosted four-cylinder is rated at 22 mpg city and 33 mpg highway in the Sonata. Much to our chagrin, the 2.0T is available only with an automatic transmission—although the slushbox does have six ratios.

Even if our left foot gets a bit bored, the Sonata satisfies in other areas. The SE comes with plenty of standard kit, including Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio, auxiliary and iPod inputs, keyless entry and starting, dual-zone automatic climate control, 18-inch wheels, and a sportier suspension, to name just a few features. It runs $25,405 to start, an agreeable number in our book. To that, we added the $2900 Navigation and Sunroof package (which also adds XM traffic and weather info, an upgraded stereo with subwoofer, and rear reading lamps), carpeted floor mats for $100, and a special, $35 cable to make use of the iPod hookup, which brought our bottom line to $28,440.

As our long-termer arrived in the midst of winter, we immediately slapped on a set of 225/45-18 Bridgestone Blizzak WS-70 snow-and-ice tires. After the initial break-in period, we swapped on the original 225/45-18 Hankook Optimo H431 footwear and took the Sonata to the test track, where it fortified the turbo four’s cred. At 3464 pounds, the Sonata’s avoirdupois puts it in the general range of most mid-size V-6 sedans, and its performance is similar, too. Simply flat-footing the accelerator nets the best launch, and 60 mph is achieved in 6.1 seconds, with the car whipping through the quarter-mile in 14.5 seconds at 100 mph. The Hankooks were sticky enough to land the Sonata near the top of the segment on the skidpad—at 0.82 g—but only netted a mediocre 175-foot stopping distance from 70 mph.

Hankook RS3 or Nitto NT05...: Grassroots Motorsports forum ...

Que? I live in Washington State and have found the Hankooks to be pretty good in the cold, and excellent in the wet compared to the other 140-200TW ST-type tires.

That being said, an ST-class tire on a DD makes no sense. You want 1 step down (think the DZ101 vrs the Star Spec, or the Ventus V-12 Evo vrs. the RS-3). That's the sweet spot for a real street tire that can still perform IMO.

We have contemplated a set of R1Rs for wet/cold events just because it gets old getting absolutely slaughtered due to no grip. It's not like I'm the only data point for this, its well known that they take heat to work.

We have contemplated a set of R1Rs for wet/cold events just because it gets old getting absolutely slaughtered due to no grip. It's not like I'm the only data point for this, its well known that they take heat to work.

Well I haven't driven the Z1 or the AD08, but I have driven the R1R and I think that was the worse ST tire in the wet ever, so obviously there's some disconnect. I have a 225/45/15 R-S3 on the 944 now, and before I've had the 205/50/15 and 195/60/14's in 615, 615K, and R1R. I've driven cars with similar sizes on the RE01R, RE11, and some much larger size (275/40/17) 615's.

And sorry, but anything that is "well known" to SCCA autocrossers I take with the amount of salt KFC uses per day...

Well, the two choices were largely cost:performance ratio driven. Either set can be had for ~$550. The last "terrible in rain" tires I had were the original Azenis on a neon, which I found to be very good in non-standing water...that might be coloring my choice.

I should explain further: I'll have a set of all-seasons on the factory wheels for longer trips and once the weather gets 'cold', the car very rarely enters the category of "needs to be used", and the tire sizes were chosen for future fitment on the weekend-only E30 for late this summer and next year...

Are the Conti DW's pretty good? I certainly don't want a tire that fails/chunks after a day of autoxing...

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