Hankook Optimo H428 

At 49,000 I'm shopping for new tires and was expecting to buy this same tire, which came on the car when new. I've not had any snow or ice, but the handling & traction have been great; no hydro-planning even. Maybe it's mostly that the Sonic has good handling; I love the way it grips on the freeway semi-circle off-ramps...some sporty cars tail-gating me can't keep up. So I'm really shocked at the poor reviews. Because of that I'll review the other tire choices, but honestly, these have actually been great on the highway & around town, even when trying to drive a little spirited with the 6-speed manual.

I have two seasons where I live, very hot and cold (35-118 degrees). Dry grip is quite good as well as steering feel and cornering. In a straight line the grip from these are also good considering the tire size. I've not experienced any hydroplaning and when it rains here it rains hard. Wet grip is only okay. These have provided some really good fuel economy as well. Over all not a bad tire but my style demands more.

I own a 2019 Chevy Sonic Premier RS Hatchback that I purchased new, off the showroom floor, from Haley Chevrolet. My Sonic had these Hankook Optimo H428 P205/50R17 tires from the factory.

Now, I'm going to be completely honest. On Monday the 14th I was going to submit a review for these tires and it wasn't going to be a stellar one. I drive mostly highway miles (25k plus/year) to work and back. A day or so prior to Monday, I was driving home on I64 West. That day it was raining, the roads were wet, and it was just really nasty out. In my honest opinion, driving in wet conditions with these tires is utterly terrible. It actually feels like these tires float on wet roads. I realize that I have a light car, which very well could contribute to the lack of traction in wet conditions, however, I would NEVER recommend these tires to anyone who lives in a wet, and rainy climate. Monday was not the first time that I had issues with my car wanting to skim/hydroplane either.

On Wednesday the 16th, the Shenandoah Valley received a large amount of snowfall, and I will tell you that these tires performed tremendously. I was taken aback by how well these tires gripped in the snow and slush. It is a night and day difference in my opinion. If any of you are familiar with the Shenandoah Valley, then you know that it's mountainous and hilly. My parents live off a gravel road that had not been plowed, and I broke the first set of tracks in there without so much as an issue. The front of my car was pushing snow at one point. I am still ecstatic about the way these tires performed, especially up and down the hills by us.

At the end of the day, I would not recommend these tires to anyone who lives where it rains year round, especially if traveling at highway speeds (55 or above).

I would only recommend them to someone who lives in a mostly dry climate year round. Dry driving just is what it is.

Don't be worried if you get a little snow though, as these tires grip incredibly well.

These tires are good on dry road period. They came with the car I had never purchased or experienced this brand of tire before. I have to agree with most of the other ratings. These are the worst tires for rain and hydro planing. at 27000 mi I still have about 4/32 left on the tread. small puddles and I am fighting to keep out of the ditch. I have had some bad tires before but these are dangerous. soon as it stops raining here. I'm replacing these tires.

OE tire came on my wifes hatchback. Not overly impressed, I would personally take a hit to mpg for better wet traction, but didnt hate em enough to shell out for new shoes. Pros - car gets good mileage, they are fine dry pavement. At 42k still have enough tread to make it through one more summer.
Cons- non-existent snow/ice traction. Poor wet traction. Got car new in sept. even almost new these tires were sketchy in moderate rain. After 20k miles rain traction went downhill. Found out first winter they ---- in snow (less than 5k)

TIRES CAME ON MY NEW 2013 SONIC... THEY ARE ABSOLUTLY WORTHELESS IN ANY KIND OF SNOW. BEST TO TURN OFF TRACTION CONTROL SO YOU CAN AT LEAST SPIN THEM TO GET SOME TRACTION. STOPPING IS AN EVENT AS THE ABS WILL KICK IN AT JUST THE LIGHTEST TOUCH OF THE BRAKE ON ANY KIND OF SNOW CONDITION. THESE NEED TO BE RECALLED. THEY ARE A SAFETY ISSUE IN THE SNOW. ALL SONIC OWNERS WITH THESE TIRE PLEASE SEND LETTER TO GM... LET'S GET SOME BETTER TIRES!!!

The original tires that came on this used Sonic I bought demonstrated some problems early. On one occasion, I slid part-way into a wet intersection when stopping. At first, I thought that was me getting used to an unfamiliar car. When we had our first big snowfall here, I then realized it was a problem with the tires. My vehicle couldn't hold traction, and was sliding all over the place when on snow of any type. My previous Hankooks were still very good on snow, even though they were near the end of their useful life. But these tires had to go. It was either the expense for new tires, or money toward my collision deductible (and then new tires anyway :-) )

These tires are plenty adequate in dry conditions and also suitable for wet and rainy conditions. After 30 years and multiple millions of miles driven, I can honestly say these are the absolute worst tires I've ever driven in snow. Braking in anything above 1/4 inch of snow is instant anti-lock engagement and a guaranteed slide through an intersection. 3 inches of snow is sketchy and unstable as can be. 4-6 inches don't bother leaving the house with these tires. Turning the steering wheel a quarter turn from a 4 way stop will cause these tires to just slide into whatever is in the way. Absolute loss of control. I read all the other reviews about how bad this tire is in the snow and just assumed people were inexperienced at driving in inclement weather, but such was not the case. After a low speed collision with a hardened snow pile, do yourself the favor and swap these out for some good winter tires.

This tire is absolute junk!!!! I have never owned a worse set of tires. They are average at best in dry conditions and in wet conditions forget about it. I only used the tires I had on my Sonic in the snow once or twice at the tail end of last winter. If you value your life, or anyone else's, replace these factory junk tires right away. These tires also have terrible road noise and drive hard as a rock. As far as tread ware, I wouldn't know because I replace them with a different set at 11k miles. Take them off right away and sell them on Craigslist.... I did!