Tires Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419: reviews

All motorists in our country know about the important role of winter tires. The climate in Russia is very severe and unpredictable, during the winter periods of thaws can change dozens of frosty frosts dozens of times. Of course, to speak in such conditions about the reliable grip of the wheels of the car with the road surface is simply not necessary.

Because of this, the choice of quality rubber becomes literally a matter of life and death. Historically, the most respected and "respected" among our car owners is the products of Scandinavian manufacturers. It is understandable: the climate in those parts is also very far from the equatorial, but because of the winters the same Swedes know not by hearsay.

However, in the not so distant past, a new player appeared on the "rubber" market - tires Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419. Reviews of this product claim that these winter tires, which have quite adequate value, are a good substitute for "Scandinavians". Given that in the wake of the crisis of recent years, the prices for these models have grown great, many drivers have an easily explainable desire to somehow save.

Main characteristics

So what's the oddity about? The fact is that this brand of winter rubber comes from South Korea. Until relatively recently, this manufacturer was not included in the well-known list of reputable tire suppliers, but the Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419, which will be reviewed in this article, has changed everything. The quality of this rubber is at the world level, and Russian drivers confirm this fact by numerous field tests.

Studded tires of this model, as reported directly by the manufacturer, are intended for commercial and personal motor vehicles. Use them is recommended for installation on passenger cars and light trucks. In addition, Koreans have caught the trendy European trend of recent years - environmental security. Their tires received an extremely prestigious Swedish award Nordic Swan ("Nordic Swan"), which can only get completely safe for the environment products.

How did this happen? The fact is that Korean chemists have developed a special cycle of creating synthetic rubber, for which only petroleum products containing the minimum possible number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are used. And they are one of the most famous and aggressive carcinogens in the world.

In recent years, many countries in the world have adopted fairly strict environmental laws that prevent the use of dangerous components in road transport. The number of cars is growing rapidly every year, and therefore the probability of environmental contamination with dispersed particles of used tires becomes higher.

Tread features

But drivers for the most part are far from thinking about the environmental safety of their car and its components. What are they attracted tires Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419? The testimonies show that the unique design of the protector developed by the best Korean engineers plays an important role in this.

The image of the central part resembles the Latin letter V. Consumers are attracted by an interesting and aggressive design, but the real advantage of tires is not at all in this. The matter is that such drawing promotes achievement of the maximum area of contact of a protector with a road covering that provides an excellent degree of stability of the car on road irrespective of a season and a condition of the road cloth.

It has also been experimentally proven that the V-shaped section helps to minimize the stopping distance even on a heavily snow-covered track. In the role of a stiffener is the central element of the protector, which has the form of a zigzag. It is included in the design not only to provide the necessary rigidity, but also to reduce the rolling resistance. In addition, the "zigzag" significantly reduces the amount of vibrations and noise that inevitably occur when driving on a winter road, which is unlikely to be an example of evenness.

What is the difference between the Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 tire protector? The reviews indicate a large number of fairly large individual blocks that have some "off-road" effect and allow them to drive quite confidently along the snow-covered domestic roads.

Design Features & Benefits

Between the blocks there is enough space for self cleaning of the tire from dirt, water and snow that have got into the projector. In addition, at the first glance at the tire, we can not fail to note the number of undulating lamellas that literally blot out its surface, leaving not a centimeter of the area free from them.

Thanks to this technological solution, the Koreans managed to significantly improve the grip of the wheels with the road surface, without increasing (to critical values) their rigidity. To withstand the drifts on the icy road, the Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 215 50 R17 tires (as well as varieties with a different radius) are equipped with six rows of studs made from special high-quality, durable steel.

Even in the process of designing models of a new type, Korean chemists carried out a grandiose work, creating new polymer compounds that would be cheap enough and at the same time durable and durable. The find of the producer is the inclusion of fine-dispersed silicon in the rubber composition. The latter provides excellent adhesion to the surface, even in cases where the road is completely icy.

Strangely enough, but Koreans, who do not have more or less serious winters at home, surprisingly successfully were able to pick up additives that ensure the tire remains elastic even in conditions of severe frost. These components not only make the rubber soft, but also give it an enviable durability.

In addition to all the above advantages, the protector of the tires we are considering has another merit. Thanks to computer modeling, its creators were able to develop a system of special "cutting" edges, which several times improve the indicators of rubber engagement for the road surface.

Together with the spikes, this system makes winter driving on roads of any complexity easy and comfortable. There is information that the company is going to develop models without spikes. This circumstance is due to the fact that the use of tires of this brand is prohibited on the roads of many EU countries. Road services of these countries in every possible way prevent the use of this type of rubber, and because the company corny profits.

Important Advantages

The most attractive features of the Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 215 50 R17 are as follows:

• The ideally symmetrical V-pattern provides a reliable course stability and a complete fit of the tread surface to the road surface.
• Koreans, not completely "spoiled" by European standards, produce tires at once with six rows of thorns. Due to this circumstance, the Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 tires allow the driver to feel confident even on a completely icy road.
• A lot of undulating lamellas. Thanks to this structural element, providing an adequate degree of rigidity, the tire "holds firmly" the road, the propensity to skid this rubber is minimal. As noted by experienced drivers (and inexperienced, this should not be repeated), the Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 tires allow to accelerate to extreme speeds even on icy roads, slightly powdered with snow.
• Due to the presence on the tread of "coarse", large slats with good engaging properties, rubber allows you to ride even over relatively deep snow. Of course, the car is unlikely to acquire the properties of an off-road vehicle, but at least in the morning it will be much more convenient to leave a snow-covered yard.
• Since the rubber mix contains a minimum amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the level of toxic carcinogenic products is close to zero, which allows even in countries with very strict environmental legislation to use the Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 tires 195 65 R15 95T XL (winter). Reviews of foreign motorists is fully confirmed. What is more pleasant, the products of this class are quite inexpensive, and this, you will agree, is now a rarity.

Advantages of special arrangement of spikes

As we have already said, the spikes are located on the surface of these tires in six rows. Their arrangement is diagonal. And the latter was developed with the help of special software with the expectation that all the spikes in total would provide the maximum tractive effort. In addition, it has been experimentally proven that it is with such an arrangement that the machine is much less "roaming" on both sides, even in the case of a fast ride on the icy track.

Domestic drivers also testify to their enviable longevity and durability. There are cases when, even after the third season of exploitation, more than 85% of the studs remain in their "legal place". This eliminates the need to buy new tires every season, which can not but rejoice.

For their manufacture, the manufacturer uses a special grade of alloy steel. It is very hard, but not fragile. Such thorns easily pierce even the caked, old ice. Alas, but because of them in many countries of Western Europe are not used tires Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 195 65 R15 95T TL. The thorn, the reviews of which we have already casually discussed, are too cruel with a soft road surface. In the conditions of our country, where asphalt is laid on roads, this circumstance does not play such a role.

Thus, the tires described by us are very popular among domestic motorists due to the following advantages:

• Optimal tractive effort in any conditions, even when the road is icy, there is porridge of ice, snow and reagents on the road surface.
• Provide a reliable and rapid acceleration, even if fully icy road pavement, densely packed porridge of ice and reagents.
• Successfully matched quantity and arrangement of studs is a pledge of the excellent driving stability of the car.
• When driving, even at high speed, ice or snow porridge can avoid drifts.

In addition, in the "piggy bank" of the positive qualities of this rubber can be attributed deep cuts along the edges of the projector: they serve to evacuate the snow and ice that got there. This model annually receives high safety ratings from the most authoritative automotive publications. In particular, the tires Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 (photo is in the article) are officially allowed to be put on cars intended for regular transportation of children and adolescents.

Operational characteristics

It would be strange if Korean manufacturers did not produce automotive rubber of different sizes, designed for the main types of cars that are prevalent all over the world. So, in the domestic market there are options with a width of tread from 175 to 245 mm. Do not get offended and the owners of wheel rims with a radius of R13 to R18. What are the high-speed indices for the Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 175 70 R13 82T TL tire?

As its name implies, the permissible speed index is 82T, but the Korean manufacturer produces tires with a value of 104T. But we would like to warn all fans of a quick ride that rumbling on an icy winter track can be good and do not end.

In addition, these tires have negative qualities. What are the drawbacks of the tires Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 175 70 R13 82T? The spike, about which we have already considered, has turned out very hard for the Koreans, and this is not always good in all cases. Experienced riders-extreme, performing at world championships, say that the car on tires with such solid elements will have an impressive length of braking distance.

Even at a speed of 55-60 km / h the car can drive at least 35-40 meters, especially if the asphalt is dry. It is strongly recommended not to conquer high-speed records if the temperature on the street is -25 degrees Celsius and below.

Reviews and comments of car owners

Surveys conducted by many authoritative automobile publications with a world name have revealed that people buy Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 175 70 R13 82T tires for operation in climatic zones with the following temperature conditions:

• In November, the temperature ranges from +5 to 0 degrees Celsius.
• In December, regime fluctuations are in the range 0 ... -5 ^о С.
• January, when the temperature can "jump" from -10 to -20 degrees.
• In February, when the differences are from -15 to -5 degrees Celsius.
• March with a temperature regime of 0 ... +5 ^о С.

As you can see, the purchase of tires Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 235 55 R17 is most often practiced by those motorists who live somewhere in the Moscow region or in regions with similar climatic conditions. Reviews of motorists indicate that for more "harsh" climatic zones you still need a different winter tire.

For what ride are they?

Also, drivers confirm that the tires of the Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 185 65 R15 92T are not bad for urban conditions and for driving on country roads. But in practice, it was found that it is undesirable to use them in case you have a truck weighing more than three tons. In such situations, the insufficient rigidity of the rubber compound used is affected: if it is good for cars, then for trucks it is highly undesirable.

It is also recommended to ride with variable aggressiveness. Fans of winter car walks warn against constant pressing "on gas", because at high speeds and in the conditions of a very snowy winter, these tires can no longer provide such a high-quality grip on the road surface. Drivers confirm that in the two winter seasons, up to five spikes (maximum) are lost. If you drive more or less accurately, the spikes, as a rule, completely remain in their places.

Ordinary motorists distinguish the following positive qualities of rubber of this brand:

• The indicators of "tenacity" practically do not change on ice or snow.
• They perfectly pass through the winter "porridge", formed by a mixture of reagents, ice and snow.
• In emergency situations, in conjunction with the ABS system, help to avoid major troubles. According to some drivers, tires Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 (winter), despite its solid spikes, the best brake on the icy roads. Again, this is true if the temperature is not below -25 degrees Celsius.
• Experienced drivers note that the car on these tires confidently cope with long, long lifts along the winter routes.
• In addition, the rubber Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 195 65 R15 95T (reviews it is confirmed) has about the same indicators of "tenacity" on dry and wet asphalt, which for winter tires - just a great result.
• Tires firmly hold even in a poorly expressed track.
• In the cold to -23 degrees Celsius, this model retains adequate softness, the material does not douche.
• Even on dry asphalt affects the level of noise, almost indistinguishable from that for high-quality road tires: you can not believe that the model belongs to the category of studded.

conclusions

What should I say in conclusion? Perhaps, the Hankook Winter i Pike RS W419 175 70 R13 82T (spike) is a purchase in which the low price and quality are perfectly combined at the level of the best foreign analogues. It is especially pleasant that the spiky is durable in this case, it can withstand several seasons of rather intensive exploitation.

This rubber can be safely bought as ordinary car owners, and those drivers who are engaged in small tonnage freight. It should be remembered that it is not worth overloading such transport, as the characteristics of cruelty may not be enough.

A good choice for many consumers

Tires of Korean manufacturers are an ideal choice for those motorists who do not have the slightest desire to pursue "loud" brands and brands, but they want to just buy rubber of adequate quality at human prices.

You can congratulate Korean engineers and chemists with the fact that they managed to create really high-quality and inexpensive tires whose characteristics are not worse than those of many world famous manufacturers. They behave equally well both on the snow-covered road, and on the icy track, slightly powdered with snow. The protector, in addition to carbide thorns, has a number of sharp edges that also improve the adhesion to the roadway.

All this allows you to enjoy driving and feel confident even on heavily snowed, icy tracks. Tires of this model are used by hundreds of thousands of motorists all over the world, and there are no special complaints from their side.