Hankook tires on 2019 - 2020 Navigators

Z

Z737

Junior Member
Joined
May 17, 2015
Messages
61
Reaction score
17
Points
8
Location
Dallas, TX
I went into a Ford dealer with a friend and I noticed a 2020 Escape on the showroom floor that had Michelin tires. The MSRP price was $33K on the Escape. The MSRP on my 2019 Navigator was over 3X the price of the Escape and my car came with Hankook tires.

Does anyone, or everyone, hate the Hankook tires that came on their 2019 or 2020 Navigators? IMHO Hankook tires are crappy at best. I wonder what genius at Lincoln thought that it would be OK to put sub-par Hankook tires on the most expensive vehicle that they offer.
 
Don’t know where you got the “sub Par” thing from. Fake news?
______________________________
 
I had the Hankook tires on my 2012 MKT and they performed very well. My only complaint was that they were made in Korea, and I prefer to buy American. When it’s time to change the tires on my Navigator i will consider USA made Michelin or another brand, or maybe Hankook if they are making them in USA
 
They are Korean, but have a manufacturing facility in the US. Clarksville, TN. Opened in 2017.
 
MarkA said:
I had the Hankook tires on my 2012 MKT and they performed very well. My only complaint was that they were made in Korea, and I prefer to buy American. When it’s time to change the tires on my Navigator i will consider USA made Michelin or another brand, or maybe Hankook if they are making them in USA
Click to expand...

Michelin tires are made in the USA. They have 20 major plants located in the US. Hankook does manufacture some tires in the US, but not the DynaPro HT series.
 
jkeaton said:
Don’t know where you got the “sub Par” thing from. Fake news?
Click to expand...

I had a 2015 Navigator that came with Hankook tires and they did not ride well. I ended up buying a set of Michelins about six months after I took delivery of the vehicle. Before I made the decision to switch, I did a lot of research on Hankook tires.....no "Fake News" stories. The sub-par comment originally came from a service advisor at the dealership that serviced my old Navigator. He said they received a lot of complaints about
the Hankook OEM tires. I also talked to a few independent and chain tire store managers about Hankook tires and their response were pretty much they same. Hankook tires are inexpensive tires that support a certain market niche, but they are not good riding tires.

I am biased toward Michelin tires. I have had them on all of my previous vehicles and never had a problem with the ride. They rode great, gripped the road well and lasted pass the mileage they were warrantied for. My current Lexus came with Michelin tires and they have given the same great ride. My 2019 Navigator has about 3000 miles on it and on concrete road surfaces the Hankook tires ride crappy.....in my opinion. I have decided to go ahead and change the tires out this weekend and will try to sell the Hankook tires that come off via Craigslist.
 
Can you give us a few details on the poor ride? Is it too rough? Is the handling sloppy? Are they not balanced well? Do you have 20” or 22” wheels?

i also prefer Michelin. The Hankook were fine on my 2012 MKT. I have 22“ wheels on my Navigator and the ride is a bit rougher than I expected, but the handling is very good, in my opinion.

Ive read that the 20” wheels produce a smoother ride, but I don’t know what tires they were using for comparison
 
The Hankook tires on my Navigator ride rough. I can feel the expansion joints on concrete surface streets. I have the tires at the recommended pressure of 39 lbs as shown on the tire info label on the driver's side B pillar. I have experimented with lowering the pressure by a half pound and a full pound using a digital tire pressure gauge. It didn't help. I have also had each wheel/tire checked for balance. None of the four were out of balance.

Regarding the diameter of the wheels, it is not usually the factor in a rough riding vehicle. Low profile tires do give a rougher ride. I do have the standard multi-spoke 22" Navigator Reserve wheels, but the Hankook tires mounted on them are not low profile tires.
______________________________
 
Tire rack reviewers don't rate these Hankooks very highly. My thought however is that a difference in tire make more a difference on a smaller wheel and tire size. On some level any issues with ride and whatnot is MORE a function of size than the particular make of tire. Not saying tires don't matter but maybe matter less when the wheel/tire package is this size?
 
The seemingly excruciating detail Lincoln and its engineers went through to design the Navigator and the seemingly hands down top reviews make it hard to imagine they just slapped some crap ass tires on these beasts. But, maybe I'm wrong.
 
When I look at the 20” tires and compare to the 22” tires, it seems to me that the 22 have a lower profile (less of) sidewall, which leaves less depth to flex and absorb road pits/bumps, etc.

I had the hankook tires on a 2012 MKT and it’s ride was smoother, in my recollection, but then it’s a completely different vehicle. I’m not complaining about the Navigator, it’s the best vehicle I’ve ever owned.

what tires do they put on the Navigator Select with the 20” wheels? Is that any better?

it would be interesting to hear from someone who has transitioned from Hankook to Michelin.
 
MarkA said:
When I look at the 20” tires and compare to the 22” tires, it seems to me that the 22 have a lower profile (less of) sidewall, which leaves less depth to flex and absorb road pits/bumps, etc.

I had the hankook tires on a 2012 MKT and it’s ride was smoother, in my recollection, but then it’s a completely different vehicle. I’m not complaining about the Navigator, it’s the best vehicle I’ve ever owned.

what tires do they put on the Navigator Select with the 20” wheels? Is that any better?

it would be interesting to hear from someone who has transitioned from Hankook to Michelin.
Click to expand...
I think* they use Hankook across the board on the Nav.
______________________________
 
07navi said:
Tires all ride pretty much the same, I think people are going by different sizes in here and making claims.
Click to expand...
I have to say I've never purchased a vehicle based on what tire brand the manufacturer decided on. I certainly didn't keep from ordering a Navigator because of Hankook tires.
 
I had a 2016 Navigator with the Hankooks. I used to have an Aviator with Michelin LTX tires and Michelin Pilots before that. The Hanooks are the worst tires I have ever had. They barely handled any type of snow, they would spin out in rain and were all around terrible. I got a 2019 Navigator and put Michelin Premier LTXs as I didn't even want the Hanooks for a second. Michelin wear a bit faster but they are light years ahead of the Hankooks. Even my salesman noticed as he drove the car to their detailing bay and back.
 
I guess I wouldn't think to immediately replace the factory tires with new tires anticipating a better ride. I'm really sensitive to a lot of things, but I don't think ride based on the tire manufacturer is one of them.

Not disputing the notion that Michelins may be better, just saying I don't anticipate being unhappy with my Navigator based on Hankooks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Great products:
- VIN Check
- Windshield repair kit
- Clean your leather!
- Safe Emergency Charging
- Chemical Guys HydroSpeed Ceramic Quick Detailer
- Chemical Guys HydroCharge High-Gloss Hydrophobic SI02 Ceramic Spray Coating
- Get a dash cam!
- Auto Buyers Market
- Foreign invaders vs USA gangs

Cars Connected in the Apple App Store Cars Connected in the Android App Store
Clip Cue Studio - Your professional agent for video planning and scripting!
Hot or not?
Protect your vehicle from code scanners #ad

Share this page

Back
Top