Sticky tyres push the limit

The company is targeting ‘boy racers’ and track-day enthusiasts with one of the stickiest tyres on the market, the Ventus R-S3, to be released next month. With a wear rating of 140, it is the stickiest compound legally approved for much of the club racing circuit in Australia and the US.

Hankook Tyre Australia managing director Paul Park says the motorsport-oriented tyre will improve their sales in the important ‘ultra-high performance tyre’ category which last year represented 2.35 million sales in Australia last year out of a total replacement tyre market of 11 million.  "The UHPT sector is enjoying a compound annual growth rate about twice that of the passenger car tyre market as a whole," he says.

"The market is also being driven by the increasing tendency of manufacturers to specify UHP tyres for their vehicles. "Where the manufacturers go, the replacement market follows, and over the last two decades or more manufacturers have been moving towards lower-profile, higher-performance tyres."

Hankook is Australia and New Zealand's fastest-growing UHP tyre brand with 15.3 per cent growth since 2003 and a 6.3 per cent share of the category. The company recently appointed independent retailers as Hankook Performance Partners to sell their UHP tyres which will also include their new asymmetric low-profile performance tyre targeted at comfort-oriented drivers.

The Ventus ME01 (for maximum efficiency) will be launched late this year. The Ventus R-S3 replaced the R-S2 and features a "flame tattoo" 2mm logo on the tread. It took three years of development at the Geumsan research and development centre. It has a new racing-developed compound featuring racing carbon black and silica, a 3 per cent wider tread groove for more traction, a wider centre block for better steering control and a three-layer stiffer profile to prevent distorting under lateral forces.

We tested the tyre against its predecessor on two BMW convertibles at Hankook's Geumsan proving grounds in Korea. The new tyre is a quantum leap forward with sharper turn-in, crisper change of direction, improved lateral support, less tyre squeal and reduced squirm under braking. It almost felt like the BMW on the old R-S2 tyres had sloppy suspension.

Hankook Tyre Australia marketing and PR manager Jose Angeles says the tyre will appeal to "boy racers and enthusiasts who want to drive their car to the track, use it all day, then drive it home". He says they are "just about done finalising our price program", but it is expected to cost about $519 for the 245/40ZR18.

This compares with the Bridgestone Potenza RE01R at $528 and Yokohama Neova AD08 at $520. The Ventus R-S3 will come in 15 to 19-inch sizes with 35 to 50 profile.