Hankook Optimo H724 Review: Does This Tire Fit Your Vehicle?

Looking for a budget-oriented tire? Want something that performs well but won’t break the bank? This review of the Hankook Optimo H724 is perfect for you. This tire is one of the cheapest in the Hankook lineup. However, cheap doesn’t necessarily mean mediocre performance.

If all you want is a basic set of all-season touring tires, the Hankook Optimo H724 is more than adequate. It can give your vehicle superb handling, elevated levels of ride comfort, and whisper-quiet ride. Not all cheap tires can give you a nice balance of wet and dry performance along with true all-season abilities.

As it turns out, I am pleasantly surprised on how the Hankook Optimo H724 was able to give our test cars a comfortable ride without penalizing all-weather traction and tire wear. Again, this tire is not a good choice for performance vehicles. It simply doesn’t offer the grip levels of an ultra-high performance rubber. Instead, this tire is designed for everyday comfort and economical driving.

What vehicles are suitable for the Hankook Optimo H724?

I’m glad you asked. The Hankook Optimo H724 is sold in 14” to 17” diameters only. From that alone, you can discern this tire is applicable to compact cars, family sedans, minivans, and small crossovers. If you have a Honda Civic, Mitsubishi Mirage, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Chrysler Town and Country, or Toyota Sienna, Hankook is offering a wide range of sizes and fitments to fit a large variety of vehicle types. 

However, if you have a full-size sedan, luxury car, or fast sports sedan, the Hankook Optimo H724 may not be enough to harness the power and heft of larger vehicles.

What are the features of the Hankook Optimo H724?

The tire is constructed with a single strand bead wire and high hardness bead filler. This serves to improve the performance of the tire while also enhancing ride quality. The tire also benefits from an innovative light-belt cord. This makes the tires a bit lighter yet stronger to deliver better fuel savings and better high-speed stability.

The Hankook Optimo H724 also rides silently courtesy of the pitch design technology. The treads are arranged to minimize the fluctuation of pitch noise band as the tire rolls over the surface. What this means is a silent ride without the annoying tire roar at higher speeds.

But then again, this will also depend on NVH tuning. For instance, this tire was a bit buzzy when fitted to the Mitsubishi Mirage I tested. But when I tested this tire in a Mazda3, there was less tire noise even when driving over rougher patches of concrete.

How does it perform on dry road conditions?

The traction and grip over dry roads is commendable. The Hankook Optimo H724 is far from being a high-performance tire, but it handles both slow and high speeds quite well. If you’re expecting massive amounts of grip and super tight handling, this is not the tire for you. But for normal driving applications like city and highway driving, it is hard to go wrong with the Hankook Optimo H724.

Does it also offer solid traction in the wet?

If you maintain slow to medium speeds, the grip levels in the wet will definitely impress. But as you speed up, the tires will start wandering or hunt for traction. Mind you, this will only happen if you are pushing the car to higher speeds in the wet.

Is the Hankook Optimo H724 good for snowy or icy roads?

It depends on the prevailing road and weather conditions. The tires will have no problems over light snow or icy roads. The various swipes on the face of the tread will ensure traction is always present even if the roads are icy or greasy. But if the pavement is covered in inches of snow, the tire will have a hard time gripping the road. As always, it is better and safer to install snow tires if you live in places with heavy snowfall.

Is it comfortable?

Oh yes. The Hankook Optimo H724 is a touring tire. We all know touring tires will prioritize comfort over sporty driving, right? The comfort level is one of the most admirable traits of the Hankook Optimo H724. In fact, the tires will make you feel the car is rolling on a more expensive set of rubber over smooth highways, and that’s high praise given the affordable price of the Hankook Optimo H724. Potholes and road undulations will feel like smaller bumps and won’t necessarily upset the balance and refinement of your vehicle.

How about tire wear?

Touring tires are also expected to deliver exceptional wear, and the Hankook Optimo H724 delivers in spades. Unlike China-made tires that are cheapo but wear out faster than a pair of running shoes, the Hankook Optimo H724 can definitely take you farther than expected. This will especially hold true if you have good driving habits. Any tire will easily wear out if you consistently drive a car like you stole it. But for everyday driving, the value offered by the Hankook Optimo H724 is hard to beat.

How does it compare to the Hankook Optimo H426?

It’s like comparing apples to oranges. While the Optimo H426 is also classified as an all-season tire, it also has more features and a more durable construction. As Hankook likes to put it, the Optimo H426 is a premium touring tire for midsize and full size luxury cars and sport utility vehicles. Due to this fact, the Hankook Optimo H426 is also more expensive. 

On the other hand, the Hankook Optimo H724 is an economical all-season touring tire for smaller cars and crossovers. It also happens to be a valid replacement for the factory-fitted tires in your compact car or minivan.