Nankang NS-1 Radial Passenger/Performance Tire

Pros: Very cheap, sticky tread, decent tread life.
Cons: would be better if was Z rated.

I don't own a set of these tires, but I have had plenty of experience with them. My friend owns a highly modified turbo charged 98 Honda Civic hatch with close to 400hp. He has a set of Nankang tires 205/40 17. I have driven his car several times and ...

Pros: Affordable all season tire with minimal road noise and stylish design.
Cons: Performance falls short compared to other performance tires in its class.

I originally had not heard of the Chinese brand Nankang or their NS-1 sport tires until I purchased a set of four 205/40/R17 NS-1s in a rim and tire package in California. The salesman said the tire was an affordable performance tire comparable to other...

Pros: Grips well, quiet and aggressive design
Cons: Can't find one at the moment

Well I'm a frugal guy and always go for the cheap stuff. Sometimes I made the wrong decision of getting really cheap but this time I hit the nail right in the head.

I've been using Bridgestone Turanza for the past few years but recent unavoidable spendings got me into thinking in getting cheap alternative tires because the Turanza's are not that cheap.

First I did was checked the internet for "cheap tires" then narrowed down to a few like Federal Mogul, Fulda, Gajah Tunggal, Fulrun and Nankang. Spent time reading reviews like this one in Epinions and asked around too about personal opinions of friends. Nankang turned out to have the most positive reviews so I decided to try it.

I didn't expect to have the performance of Turanza and I just want a decent tire with the decent performance. As it turned out, Nankang is quieter and has a little bit more grip than my previous Turanza for 2/3 of the price. I've been using Nankang just for a few weeks but I'm very happy with it, it got the looks, the performance at a fraction of the cost of known brands.

Pros: great price, nice design, excellent traction in rain and light snow.
Cons: none to date.

If your expectations are reasonable then so are these tires. I bought mine at 65.00 each. all other tires at my size(215/45/17) were at least 120.00 a piece.considering the price differential if these only last 25000 miles i will be content. the handling is good, road noise is lower then my old conticontacts. traction is FAR SUPERIOR! so far my experience with these tires is very positive. yes the handling is a notch lower then the big name brands but, we drive on public roads with low speed limits....its not like i am going to be driving through the twisties in my neighborhood at 75 mph.

Pros: Very good looks,they are quiet and they hold tire dressings very well (use Meguiars)
Cons: Directional but that works for some

Have had my tires for 2 years and they still grip like new.I have 240 35 18's....in the rain the person behind you won't like you very much for all the water they throw out...good traction in the rain and they corner very quick .I surprised my wife and said "hold on" and whipped around a corner at 60mph and they stuck ,get a set !!!!!!!!!!!

Pros: Good value for city or low speed driving.
Cons: Feels like front end is all over the place at highway speeds.

Recently (two weeks ago) bought 4 Nankang tires for my 1996 Infiniti I30. Had never heard of brand but the price was right so thought I would give them a try. Had Toyo tires on the car and was satisfied with them. First thing I noticed was the Nankang tires generate a slight bit noise. Drove from Los Angeles to San Diego and noticed the front end "floated" a bit at 75~80 mph. Had the tires professionally installed and balanced before the trip. Front end felt as if the sidewalls of the tires were soft. Not noticable in city (25~45 mph) driving. Main reasons for purchase was cost, short time retention of car and city driving. If I was on the freeway or traveling across country I think I would try another tire.

Pros: Quiet, dry grip, very good in the rain.
Cons: Can only rotate front to back, same side.

I drive an '05 accord v6 coupe and the tires bought for the 17 inch rims are 245 45 17's. These tires are turning out to be a very pleasant surprise. The ride quality under normal conditions is very good; quiet, very good dry grip and excellent in the rain. My stability control light has not turned on since the switch from the OE Bridgestone Turanza's unless I push the car to the absolute edge (not very often at all). During hard cornering, the grip is not as good as some of the ultra high performance (ultra high priced) big name brands but it holds its own 95% of the time. It does not squeal until you have reached the absolute limit and even then the noise is a warning that you are approaching maximum levels of grip. This gives you time to adjust the driving line and stay safe. The tread pattern is appealing although not as aggressive and sophisticated as some other brands. All-in-all a very good buy and I will surely purchase again.

Pros: - Price (very cheap) - Looks (aggressive tread-pattern) - Quiet - Performance (surprisingly good)
Cons: - Weight (heavy tire) - Treadware (2 summers!) - Speed Rating 'H'

I bought rims that came with these Nankang NS-1's and I definately had my doubts about them. I really like the aggressive tread-pattern on them, but when I checked around to see what these tires were going for, I realized that they were really cheap. On the street, they are really quiet and grip pretty well with no squealing on harder corner. I've taken these to the track and Autox and find that they grip pretty nicely once they are heated up (and they heat up fast!). They also wear pretty fast when they heat up and I'll probably end up using these up in about 2 summers. I don't like the fact that the NS1's are only H-rated and allow a maximum psi of 35.

Pros: Low Price. Decent looks.
Cons: Poor precision quality control. Do not buy from remote dealer return shipping not worth it.

I bought a set of these and one of them was so defective that a $30K laser balancing machine could not balance the tire to the point where it would not cause vibration or bouncing at certain speeds. I was told by the seller that they were comparable to popular discount brands, which I would disagree with. I ended up being able to put it on the driver's rear only, and will probably just trash it. I don't recommend them, especially as a mail order purchase.

Pros: Price, appearance and durability on the highway.
Cons: Useless in hard cornering.

I've enjoyed these on my lowered minivan (235/45-17) for their quiet ride and durability. I noticed that the turn-in was soft but oh well. When a large San Fernando Ca. tire store offered the 215/45-17 (SRT-4) for under $50.00 each, $280 out the door, I couldn't pass them up.
These tires might be fine for a commuter vehicle and in the rain but I'm on Angeles Crest every day with my SRT-4. Straight line traction is quite good but in the corners at an 8/10s pace the tires drift too easily and turn-in response is very soft, my guess is I'd be lucky to get 10,000 miles out of the Nankangs. The stock BFGoodrich tires lasted 20,000 under the same conditions.