If you’ve got a sporty sedan, crossover or sports car and you really want to be able to get the most out of its handling and cornering ability and to be able to push the performance envelope, ultra-high-performance (UHP) or summer tires are the way to go. Summer tires and UHP tires give you an extra measure of traction and control for sharp handling and braking performance as well as wet or dry traction and good steering response and road manners. The drawback to summer tires and UHP tires is that they are designed with a softer, more pliable tread compound that keeps them glued to the pavement for superb handling and braking performance, but that tread compound will also stiffen up and lose traction in cold weather. Tire manufacturers advise against using summer or UHP tires when temperatures are below 40-45 degrees F, for just that reason.

Obviously the best way around this would be a tire that can deliver UHP levels of handling, braking, and cornering ability, only with the versatility of an all-season tire. With the Achilles Street Hawk Sport, that’s exactly what you can expect – and at a surprisingly affordable price. Let’s get in and take a closer look, shall we, with this Achilles Street Hawk Sport tire review:

Features and Benefits

Here are some of the innovations and design features that make the Achilles Street Hawk a sparkling performer and a great value in an all-season UHP tire:

• Motorsports-inspired asymmetric performance tread is designed for consistent grip for drifting, hard cornering with short braking distances
• Reinforced shoulder blocks enhance tread rigidity for cornering ability and reduced tread squirm and deformation
• Continuous center rib gives the Achilles Street Hawk Sport solid straight-line road manners as well as a quick, nimble steering response
• Lowered rolling resistance helps improve fuel economy and cut emissions
• Advanced tread formulation is engineered for great wear properties and improved grip on wet or dry roads
• Contact patch is redesigned and enhanced to put the most rubber in contact with the road for an advantage in traction, braking, handling, and even wear
• Covered by 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
• Tread pitch is randomized and computer tuned to keep road noise muted by negating certain frequencies and overtones

Pros and Cons

When it comes to the Achilles Street Hawk Sport, this is an all-season UHP tire where the Cons are far outweighed by the Pros:

PROS:

• Handling, cornering, steering response are all phenomenal
• Confident performance on wet or dry pavement surfaces
• Very affordable price point
• Generous limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage
• Ride quality is refined and quiet

CONS:

• Not good in heavier snow
• Ride can be a bit firm on some surfaces

SimpleTire’s view on Achilles Street Hawk Sport tires

Are you familiar with SimpleScore? SimpleScore is the ratings system that the SimpleTire team devised to give you a quick, at-a-glance idea of any tire’s strengths and weaknesses. We look at the tire’s specs, manufacturer’s info, customer reviews, technical details and other data points, then all that information is processed to a 1-10 numerical value for the categories of traction, handling and longevity, as well as an overall average SimpleScore number. For the Achilles Street Hawk Sport, the SimpleScore ratings break down this way:

Achilles Street Hawk Sport:

• Traction: 7.6
• Handling: 7.9
• Longevity: 8.6
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.0

Those are some pretty impressive SimpleScore numbers any way you cut it, and the deal gets sweetened a little more when you realize that the SimpleTire price on the Achilles Street Hawk runs from $69.97/tire to $118.96/tire, depending on tire size.

If you just need to get back and forth to work and to school or take the family on long road trips, the Achilles Street Hawk Sport can be a nice docile all-season tire. Ride quality is refined and quiet, and while it’s firm but controlled on some roads, the Achilles doesn’t lose its composure easily over irregular pavement surfaces or rough patches. Road noise is fairly quiet (although pattern noise can pick up somewhat on some pavement surfaces) for a serene ride on the highway. The continuous center rib of the Achilles gives it a nice solid feel for straight-line cruises on the highway with little need for constant correction. Although the Achilles has a reassuring stability, it isn’t ever numb or sluggish - that same solid center rib gives it steering response that’s light and easy without ever becoming too sensitive or twitchy.

If, on the other hand, you like adrenalin and pulse-quickening performance on the track, on twisty hill country roads or highway onramps, the Achilles Street Hawk Sport is more than ready and capable. Push it hot into a corner and crowd the apex hard and the Achilles presents few vices with little tendency toward understeer, although with a RWD car you can get the rear end to kick out a little by applying some throttle. Braking performance is decisive and control is confident and easy with the Achilles, thanks to its sticky tread compound and asymmetric race-inspired asymmetric tread. On wet roads, the Achilles’ groove system does a great job of mitigating any tendency toward hydroplaning, and on dry roads the reinforced shoulder blocks help keep it planted firmly on the road with little tread squirm or deformation.

All in all, it’s our take here at the SimpleTire team that the Achilles Street Hawk Sport is a UHP tire that offers sharp and crisp performance with all-season versatility. It’s a tire that punches far above its weight class and compares favorably to premium brand tires that cost much, much more and that 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty just makes it look even better. This would be a great tire for an older performance sedan that you don’t want to drop a ton of money on to set it up with a set of tires, or even for a newer vehicle that you really want to explore its potential.

Vehicles the Achilles Street Hawk Sport is a good replacement tire for

While not used as original equipment, the Force UHP is a good replacement tire for vehicles like the:

• Acura TL
• Audi A6
• BMW 135i
• Dodge Challenger
• Chevrolet Corvette
• Kia K5
• Ford Mustang
• Honda Civic
• Hyundai Veloster
• Jaguar XKR
• Lexus GS350
• Lincoln LS
• Mazda Miata MX-5
• Mercedes-Benz E550
• Nissan Maxima
• Pontiac G6
• Scion tC
• Subaru BRZ
• Toyota 86
• Volkswagen CC Sport
• Audi SQ7
• Audi RS5 Sportback
• Alfa-Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
• Cadillac CTS
• Lexus RC-F
• Hyundai Elantra N
• VW Jetta GLI
• Honda Civic Type R
• Honda Accord
• Porsche Panamera
• Porsche Macan
• Porsche Cayenne
• Subaru WRX
• Honda CR-V
• Toyota RAV4
• Honda Pilot
• Volvo XC40
• Mazda CX30
• Buick Envista