VP3 is different from S1N2 as VP3 has increase the level of grip and also stiffer sidewall compare to S1N2. The S1N2 is truly comfort tyre where the noise level is very minimal and the tyre provide good riding due to soft tyre giving more buffer. However S1N2 is not good in attacking corner due to softer sidewall and in fact it is not suit for heavy car like older BMW, Merc or Audi.

The VP3 is designed as touring sport tyre where it has stiffer sidewall where car can push further in corner and better grip in dry and wet (but not extreme grip). VP3 is absolutely suit for "turbocharged" vehicle as the predecessor VP2 is OE fitted to VW Golf 1.4, Beetle 2.0 (GTI engine) and Hyundai Santa Fe (400nm torque diesel engine). The VP3 is slightly noisier than and less comfort ride than S1N2 but it certainly perform better.

S1 evo3 will be launched in 2021 if not mistaken. This tyre is premium UHP and it should perform better than VP3 but of course the price gonna be higher too. I am awaiting this coming since my tyre going to due this year too as already used for 50k km for the VP3.

Just rotated 10k km , before tht mileage already wheel spinning when wet especially on slight slopes ;P
Hankook really susah to replace legendary V12

wrong info bro...

s1n2 has better wet traction (AA) than vp3 (A)... i don't remember the EU label rating but it is also better...

i'm using s1n2 on my 1.7 tonne bmw... sometimes i attack corner until screeching... no problem at all

s1n2 is under the "s1 uhp family"... evo2 is summer tire, noble2 is all season... obviously for all season got some compromises... steering feel and handling vp3 should be better than s1n2

imho... vp3 is just an upgraded kinergy eco2 touring tire...the pattern is almost similar with minor changes only...

yeah v12 very good hard to find replacement

I am in automotive industry and tyre is my company main product. We basically tested out many tyre brands and pattern.

UHP is mean the tyre is 17inch and above and usually 55 or below aspect ratio, it is regardless touring (comfort) or sport pattern. S1N2 is not design for continental car as the tyre sidewall is softer. This tyre can still use for conti car but it is easily bulge if hit the road pole or curb. VP3 is upgrade of S1N2 where the tyre sidewall is harder and it is OE tyre for turbocharged vehicle.

V12 Evo2 is pure summer tyres where it has greater grip in dry and wet surface, drawback is it has tendancy to pull one side and noisier. VP3 look similar to Eco2 but the material used in both tyres are different. And Eco2 is without rim guard which cannot hold corner like VP3 which comes with rim guard.

VP3 has no UTQG indicator (treadwear, traction and temparature) because this is US standard, it is not a must to put. It doesn't mean VP3 lousier than S1N2. I have tested V2 concept 2, S1N2, VP3 and V12 evo2. Not only that I also have tested Michelin XM2, XM2+, Primacy 4, PS3 and PS4. Continental CC6, MC5, MC6, UC6 and CSC5. There are many more other brands and patterns but some were tested by other colleagues.

Yes, V12 is great sport tyre. But the global trend is moving to asymmetric (in outside) and as news received there is no replacement of V12 as it gonna ended production soon for all range.

thanks for the disclosure...best stick with technical data/discussions then, else there is potential bias

its only your opinion soft sidewalls not suitable for heavy vehicle, correct?...otherwise it will imply the standard load and speed index is wrong and cannot be used

all tyres if hit jackpot hole hard enough will damage tyre, my friend had a blowout and cracked his rims too just driving proton normal tyre, i was passenger... i agree in general soft sidewall is potentially more prone to this kind of damage, but not knowing how the carcass is designed this is more human feeling than facts...anyways designers need to make sure tyre survives "normal" potholes, we users just need to be lucky

vp3 have utqg, wet traction A, vs s1n2 AA... no need to dispute which one lousier, as you are in the industry you should be able to find the utqg easily too. vp3 harder sidewall will give better steering feel/response/cornering which I have said...

if you go by price, s1n2 commands a premium over vp3... which typically imply it as a better tyre. however beauty in eye of beholder lah... so what is a good tyre for me...not necessarily good for you...

This post has been edited by dwRK: Jan 11 2021, 04:31 PM

General speaking softer sidewall less suit for heavy car, if choosing it then driver should pump higher air pressure to make the tyre harder like 3-5psi. Do not afraid the tyre will explode since the tyre can hold up to 50psi maximum. Usually the optimum pressure is around 35psi or below depends on sizes and softer tyre for heavy car use is recommend to pump at least 38psi in cold air (before 8am if possible). It is completely safe even though driving in hot sun for several hours and maximum the tyre pressure may go up to 43-45psi.

The tyre load index is mean of the maximum weight the tyre withstand. I mentioned the word of not suit for "old BMW, Mer or Audi", I never mention "cannot" if you were picky. Nowadays Continental cars are lighter but body rigidity is higher due to using ultra high strength steel which is lighter but stronger. And if one is using F30 or W205 the stock tyre is runflat which is very stiff sidewall tyres. If these vehicle change the tyres to non-runflat S1N2 the handling of the car will seriously being affected despite increase of air pressure. It is because the car designed to use runflat tyre, if using non-runflat it is highly recommend to use sport tyre with stiffer sidewall with increase of air pressure needed.

If budget is not an issue I will recommend Michelin PS4 as it has fantastic performance in all aspects. Otherwise we can stay tune for the arrival of S1 evo3 or someone who using BMW 320i G20 can give their comment about the tyre since it is stock tyre.

This post has been edited by autodriver: Jan 12 2021, 12:16 PM

Slight correction, UHP is not necessarily size 17 above. Got many UHP models in smaller sizes than 17 like V12E2, PS3/4, RE003/4, F1S, etc.

i think you're mistaken in a few areas...

the tyre doesn't care about conti or jap, new steel or old... it just care about the weight sitting on it, let say 400kg per wheel, and for this a load/speed index of 95w and 35 psi inflation for normal driving... this will be the manufacturer's specification plastered on the car

hard or soft sidewall doesn't matter, because technically a 95w tyre will be able to support the 1600kg weight of the car...the index also specify different tyre inflation if you have extra weight, say 500kg per tyre, this changes the contact patch's geometry and pressure point to sub-optimal with the extra weight, and in order to compensate this you need to inflate a few psi more... the specification also says if you drive very very fast, you need to inflate more, this is also to compensate for the dynamic forces, because when you corner hard, the 400kg static load is now more like 500kg dynamic load... these are the engineering, to keep you safe on the road

hard or soft sidewall determines ride comfort and handling (steering feel/cornering roll)... so, a heavy bmw even with very soft sidewall is very well suited to uncle style of driving... that is why manufactures have uhp/high performance 95w and touring/comfort 95w to help people select... these are the characteristics, to match personal preferences, performance expectations and driving styles

obviously, if you put soft sidewall tyre and drive like a mad hatter around corners, you gonna have more body roll and feeling of unsafe handling... this is where all the generalization of soft sidewall unsuitability, and higher inflation without understanding the dynamics comes from

i had ne03 on my small and light suzuki swift and driven it mad around corners and boy does it roll but i like the fun... whereas s1n2 doesn't roll much at all on my heavy conti because there's only about 3.5" height of rubber... with a little bit more knowledge and experience, someone can mix and match without problems...

This post has been edited by dwRK: Jan 13 2021, 05:48 PM

No, UHP is mean of 17inch and above in tyre industry. The term of UHP is mean of tyre 17inch and above and profile is 55 or lower. It is not about pattern, it is about size. So even comfort tyre but the series is 215/45R17 it is also called as UHP. For example the junk tyre Silverstxne M5 215/45R17 is called UHP but the tyre is super lousy.

Manufacturer specification is based on optimum weight but it does not mention that we cannot put higher or lower PSI depend on situation. And for soft and hard sidewall technically suit for different type of users. But in Malaysia there are many people only afford to buy comfort tyre but they are driving in "sport", or they use sport car but only afford to buy budget comfort tyre. That is reason why it is recommended to put higher PSI if they want to drive aggressive in corner.

And you mention soft sidewall driving hard in corner will have more body roll and feel unsafe, that might not be correct. Some comfort tyres come with rim guard which can help to hold corner better. For example if a comfort tyre comes with rim guard and profile is 55 series, with higher PSI it can help to provide better handling and less body roll. What I mean of higher inflation is never mean for the tyre profile higher than 55, such as 60 or above because the higher PSI won't help much and these kind of tyres usually without rim guard.

" that is why manufactures have uhp/high performance 95w and touring/comfort 95w". You made a mistake assumption where UHP never mean of specific pattern or product, it is a term of tyre sizes. Which mean touring/comfort tyre can also be UHP like 215/45R17 is called UHP regardless it is sport or comfort tyre. In tyre industry people classify touring, sport and premium sport etc. They never said which pattern or product is UHP.

Btw I don't think I should continue to argue if you think yourself is expert who work in tyre or automotive industry.

Are you saying 16' PS4 is not UHP but 17' PS4 is UHP??? 😅 From where do you get this or can share the source to back up your statements?? Or this is just your own opinion?

lol... what is your qualification and role anyway? I do happened to have a diploma in auto engineering, a degree in mechanical engineering, and donkey years as chartered engineer now retired... so I do know a bit more to be dangerous... while I'm no tyre expert but from our discussions I know you are far from one...

tbh your arguments are really incoherent, jumping everywhere...I'm just trying to point out that your assertion that soft sidewall tyres are not suitable for heavy cars is wrong... btw ps4 has a moderately soft sidewall as uhp tyre goes... and rim guards or rim protectors is just that, to protect the rims...low profile tyres have it because easy to hit the curb whilst high profile don't because it's high enough to not need it...they don't help at all in handling or body roll...

anyways my initial thinking was maybe I can help correct your misunderstandings but obviously you are very smart and don't need any help... cheers

This post has been edited by dwRK: Jan 15 2021, 06:16 PM

Changed from V12 to VP3. 16 inch

So far so good. Gonna change another car with this too, 17 inch

When this person said UHP is because size 17 above then I know already how much (or little) his/her knowledge is about tires. 😄

it's ok as we all start somewhere from zero... but don't lah pull the "I work here so I expert" line when don't have substance... beh tahan man... hahaha

you already low key told him got 16" uhp... he still wanna fight... lol

Use this VP3 for about 1yr now (weekend car), dry is not bad but i did lose traction once on wet. So far still held up still left quite alot of thread. NVH couldn't really tell cuz my car is noisy to begin with.

Atm the tyre size is not ideal, this range doesnt have the proper size that i want and currently using only the bare minimum of the recommended size. But since already buy i will stick with this for a while before needing to change. Hopefully by the time i change there will be new model with more improvement cuz atm this just an average tyre imho.

Is the side profile for Prime 3 harder than Kinergy Eco 2? Softer side profile tends to result in bouncy ride isn't it?

Softer sidewall gives more comfort at the expense of more sluggish steering response and handling.