Tires MICHELIN or Hankook

And actually I never posted it, but I made a new top cover for the radiator. It was the first thing I did to the car. I made it out of aluminum sheet. It's amazing what a difference it made to the running temp of the car.

I recently changed wheels and tires on my jetta and I really enjoy the new look as well as the grip from the new tires. I went with a set of hankook v2 and they feel pretty solid so far.

The new Hankook V12 Evo2 is supposed to be better in terms of quietness and driveability. That may be a good buy on a budget.

The X-Ices are the best on your list, especially with the discount.

I have Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2s for the winter and Hankook all-seasons for the summer.

You've had the AS/3's. Frankly, I don't find much 'hard edged' about them. The ride is a bit stiffer than the OEM P Zero A/S tires on my MkVI GTI, but not tremendously. The big payoff is they are MUCH quieter than the Pirellis ever were. And as you likely know, they give up very little in the dry and I have never had a tire of their caliber in the wet. Under most wet driving conditions they drive like the pavement is dry.

I don't have a lot to add about 18s, but my 225 45 17 Michelin Xices are great

I reluctantly put the A/S 3's on my Corrado 2 years ago. My preferred Nitto 555 was NLA in my size. I can honestly say that the all season Michelin is every bit the Z-rated summer only Nitto in 99% of my driving. I will be getting these again for sure. It's a can't lose tire and does live up to it's billing.

I had Kumho and Hankooks. The Kumho, while being the superior dry tire (grip, feel), was terrifying in the rain. The really good think about Hankooks is that they grip well, are predictable, and ride really, really well (had 'em on 245/35/19s and rode way better than my winter set (235/50/17s). But as OP and many others have said, the sidewalls are waaaay too soft. Yeah, you can pump up the pressure by a couple PSI, but by doing that you're reducing the longevity of the tire (wears out center way more quickly).

I swear, this is the worst tire I have ever encountered in my entire life. Sure it rides smooth and soft, and makes almost no noise whatsoever, but is SUCKS as a tire! The tire gives up traction all the time. It totally destroys my confidence when driving my 2003 GTI 1.8T Sport.