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We own a Land Rover Discovery 4 SE model which was fitted with a new set of Hankook Dynapro ATR 19 inch on all 4 wheels.
All 4 of the Hankook tyres have sustained serious punctures after limited use.
2 had to be written off with sidewall punctures after 9204km of use, 1 made it to 24523 km and had to be written off after losing a large block of tread in the Kgalagadi in December heat, 1 sustained a puncture after only its first 47km on gravel but was able to be repaired.
All have sustained their damage in off-road conditions, in the Kgalagadi and in the Karoo, while operating at recommended tyre pressures endorsed by Land Rover Experience and at the SANParks recommended tyre pressure of 1.5 in the Kgalagadi.
Each time the incidents were reported to Tiger Wheel & Tyre, and each time a Hankook rep has inspected the tyres and stated that there is no manufacturing defect.
Finally we asked for a Hankook technical specialist report, whose findings were that we ourselves were to blame for “using tyre pressures lower than recommended.”
His recommendation was no lower than 1.8 bar on any surface, and gravel driving 2.2 to 2.5 bar depending on vehicle load weight. The tyre block loss incident was also blamed on us for “operating at surface temperatures too high for the tyre”. We were also informed that the much-heralded Hankook 90 000km tread-wear guarantee “does not apply to the 19 inch model”.
Tiger Wheel and Tyre had made no such recommendations to us at any time during our dealings with them.
We have been driving off-road for many years, always in Land Rover products, and this has never happened before.
We can reach only 1 possible conclusion:
Hankook tyres are not fit for off-road use in Southern-African conditions, due to weak sidewall properties, and tyre rubber compound not tough enough for demanding sand and gravel conditions and the high operating surface temperatures usual to the region.
Your readers can reach their own conclusions.
We would strongly encourage all readers to reconsider any decision to purchase and use these products.
Having complete faith in one’s vehicle and one’s tyres is essential when venturing off-road in our huge sub-continent.
And I mean complete faith – no doubts of any kind, and certainly no “bangbroek bande”.
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