Nankang SP7

actually my review is for Nankang SP-9, but since it was not available yet in the options, this review is posted in the SP-7 corner. I have this tire for 5 years ( wow ) ..about 75,000 km .....now its Oct 2025 , will be replacing this tire with the same nankang sp-9 ....safety is outmost concern and this tire delivered when it was needed the most. Ran it for 10km with its side walls ripped apart ( i only saw this when i got home , but felt something was off when i was driving ) due to old age and reach home safely.

I drive a lot of miles each year, 20k min, often 30k+ in my own vehicles. I was on a budget and needed 5, so picked the best of the rest based on wet grip and that the tyre wasn’t directional and looked like it had some off-road ability. At £55 a tyre I was still a bit unsure, but I haven’t been disappointed. Wear is good, grip is good in the dry or wet and even throwing the car about in the wet it’s difficult to get the stability management to take over.. they have sat on the motorway for hours in rain and summer sun. 2600 mile round trip to south of France loaded up on autoroutes, main roads and mountain passes.. they may not have the ultimate grip of a premium tyre, but to be fair they are half the price... and I would say give 80%+ the performance.. I would Definitely buy again..

First the pro's
1. cost. I saved a minimum of £50 per corner on getting these tyres over the OEM conti UHP ones. On a set of 4, a saving of £200 is significant money.
2. Noise - easily as good as the Conti ones
3. Comfort - probably slightly softer ride than the Contis they replaced. I first of all thought this may be teh compound, but after 2k miles, I am sure it is down to the sidewalls being softer than the conti UHP ones.
4. Wear? A bit early tosay definitively, but my Conti's were completely scrubbed by 18k miles (I had to cycle them 3 times at 4.5k, 9k, 13.5k to keep them even) - OK, so I've only done 2k so far, but the wear seems to be absolutely nil so far. (not measurable) - I will post an update when I have 4.5k on them, but thought it worth posting an "initial impression" on this mid range HP tyre.
4. wet grip is great - inches of standing water dispersed with no problem. Feel more sure footed than the conti's, but that could have been comparing a new deep tread with an outgoing scrubbed set

and the con's?
1. Not quite as stylish - tyre wall snobs may balk at the "Nankang Utility" etchings
2. This is the biggest con I have with them - where the car felt active and nimble through the corners, I can now definitely feel a bit more "give" and roll into corners. Although not dangerous, this feeling does make a large difference to how the car feel driving swiftly over A roads. However, just back off a smidge and you actually find that the corners can be taken nearly as quickly if you brake a bit earlier, not quite so hard and enjoy the ride. Another benefit f backing off a tad is that fuel consumption goes down. Hurrah!

So far, I have seen past the sidewall name and am enjoying the savings.