Hankook Optimo H418. FEATURES AND BENEFITS: Enhanced controllability; All weather traction; High comfort levels; Longer lasting tread life; . OVERVIEW: The Hankook Optimo H418 is a touring, all season tire manufactured for passenger vehicles and SUVs. The tire offers first-rate control over the vehicle in all weather. The tread pattern features a continuous center rib, which keeps the tire's contact with the road surface at all times. This allows the tire to increase its steering responsiveness and its driving stability. The better road contact improves the steering response time and accuracy to the driver's commands, while the structure is stabilized against the driving pressure affecting the model. The detailed shoulder tread block pattern helps improve the cornering capability. They heighten the number of biting edges gripping the road surface during the tire's performance, which upgrades the cornering and maneuvering capability and power. The better overall controllability enables the driver to confidently maneuver the vehicle.The model guarantees excellent all weather traction. The detailed symmetric tread design, with the high-density siping detail and larger number of lateral grooves, and the all season tire compound work together to boost the model's grip on the road surface in dry, wet and winter weather. The compound keeps the rubber flexibility and helps prevent weather damage from harming the tire's casing. This allows the tire to keeps the rubber material's pliability throughout the year. The symmetric tread features a high number of sipes and an optimal groove placement that work together to improve the tire's grip on the road. They provide biting edges that firmly grip onto the road surface, especially when driving on ice- and snow-covered road surfaces. The tread's circumferential grooves actively resist hydroplaning. They disperse water and slush from below the tire's footprint, which enhances the wet and winter weather performing capability.The tire upgrades the driving comfort levels greatly. The tread design features a variable pitch phase shift which controls the road noise levels during the drive. The pitch sequence manages to generate a sound frequency while the tires are in motion. This frequency negates all road noise created before it can reach the vehicle's cabin. In this manner, the road and tread pattern noise are cancelled out. The special flat footprint and the reinforced nylon cap ply construction work together to lessen the road vibrations felt by the passengers. They ensure the optimal tire shape and keep the tire's close road contact to absorb the shock of driving. This allows the tire to promote a comfortable driving experience as both the road noise and the road vibrations cannot ruin the driving comfort.The Optimo H418 promotes a lengthened tread life. The special flat footprint and the continuous tread block pattern maintain an optimal road contact and ensures even tread wear across the entire tread area. They stabilize the tread elements and prevent tread flexing during the drive, which decreases the possibility of irregular tread wear. They ensure a slower even tread wear by equally spreading out the driving pressure along the tread area. The even pressure distribution avoids the formation of irregular tread wear on the tire's surface, which extends the tire's usability significantly. This specific tire is marked with OE as it is the original equipment tire of select vehicles. Manufacturers recommend changing tires every 10 years. As long as tires are properly stored before they are sold, the year of their manufacture will not shorten their service life.