Here’s where Laufenn Tires come from and our opinion if they’re any good.
Laufenn Tires first started selling in the United States in 2014 so they’ve been around longer than you might think. Laufenn Tires are made in Indonesia and are a sub-brand of South Korean tire company, Hankook Tires.
Back in 2013, Hankook Tires invested over $1.1B in construction over a period of time for a new tire factory in West Java, Indonesia. Taking advantage of low labor costs and cheap land, Hankook saw an opportunity to establish a production base in Indonesia’s stable market. According to Indonesia Investments, while 30 percent of the tires made in Hankook’s new factory is for the home market, 70 percent are for export to North America and the Middle East.
Hence, you’ve probably seen Laufenn Tire advertisements in your local tire store and car magazines.
Laufenn Tires are being advertised as a sensible choice and a no-frills tire for the tire customer who wants a reliable tire at a great value backed by a brand name in the tire industry.
Our opinion is that translates to Laufenn Tires using a slightly less superior rubber compound when compared to its Hankook Tire parent company. In addition, if you compare tread designs from Hanook and Laufeen’s Ultra High-Performance All-season selection, the Hankook Ventus vs. the Laufenn S Fit-AS, you’ll notice that the Laufenn’s have a simpler tread pattern that utilizes less rubber and consequently has a smaller contact patch compared to its more expensive sibling.
That’s not to knock the performance of these tires as, according to reviews on TireRack.com, most people are satisfied with their Laufenns.
Many reviewers were pleasantly surprised with the low noise, ride quality, and overall value they received. Those that drove in snow were equally as impressed.
Here’s a video from Youtube showing one tire mechanics mostly positive opinion on Laufenn Tires.
Laufenn Tires does offer a warranty on all its tires so there’s a bit of peace of mind there. Keep in mind you must register your tires within 30 days and have an official tire dealer perform rotations every 7,500 miles, filling out information on Laufenn’s official tire rotation record form although I’m sure you can get by if you rotate them and sign off on the work yourself.
Our opinion is Yes, you should definitely think about buying Laufenn Tires if given the opportunity. It looks like Laufenns are almost half the price of Hankooks and probably a third the price of some Tier 1 Tire brands out there.
The only caveat is this, don’t expect to take your Laufenns on an AutoCross, out on a road course, or your local drag strip and expect to get any useable grip at the limits. But, if you’re mostly a driver who commutes a lot or needs a tire for your family car, Laufenns are an OK choice.
For more information on Laufenn tires, check out their website here.
What do you think of Laufenn’s G FIT AS tire and what does it sell for?
Thank you
Hi, Sally.
In my opinion, the G Fit AS looks like a good choice for your commuter and/or city driving needs. I’ve come across several reviews with the words “Quiet” used so that’s a plus for a value tire like this one. They also look very nondescript so a good soap and water scrub with some tire dressing now and then will make them look brand new for the life of the tires! Expect to pay between $50-80 per tire. If someone’s charging you for more than $80, that’s a red flag to shop around.
I have Hankook Optimus 426 tyres have done 30k not sure wether to stay with Hankook very happy or go with leufenn s fit the reviews are very positive VT calais
I bought a set of these Laufenn tires at Peerless tires, they have 20,000 miles on them one seems to going bad starting to thump and wabble, phoned Peerless tires asking where I can go to have it checked for warranity, they said I had to bring it back to them, I live two thousand miles away. Not happy will never go to Peerless or touch another Laufenn or Hankook product again.
I was bit skeptical when looking for Laufenn tyres for my Ford Escape 2.0 2016.
The tyre size that fits my vehicle is 235/55/R17 and on physical inspection of the tyre at the dealer i deliberately checked the softness to which I was satisfied. I further inquired if the tyre has any rotation noise issue which the dealer assured should not be a problem. Previously I was using Falken tyres which were very noisy though had great grip. Anyways after installing these Laufenn tyres I am very satisfied the grip is really good and no noise while cruising on the highways. I would strongly recommend. Previously I have used brands Falken, Nexen, Pirelli, Dunlop and Hankook in various vehicles but I can say for sure you cannot go wrong with Laufenn.