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Nankang Econex NA1 View Gallery (3)
Tested by Tire Reviews 2 Tests
Are Budget Tires Finally Good Enough? 8 Cheap Tires VS 1 Premium Tire Tire Reviews Best Summer Touring Tires

Nankang Econex NA1

Nankang Tires Touring Summer

The Nankang Econex NA1 is a Touring Summer tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

6.7
Tire Reviews Score Based on Professional Tests & User Reviews
Medium Confidence View Breakdown
Dry Grip
58%
Wet Grip
56%
Road Feedback
46%
Handling
40%
Wear
60%
Comfort
50%
Buy again
36%
6 Reviews
49% Average
15,200 miles driven
3 Tests (avg: 10th)
Nankang Econex NA1

Nankang Econex NA1

Summer Mid-Range
BETA
6.7 / 10
Based on Professional Tests & User Reviews · Medium Confidence · Updated 23 Feb 2026

The Tire Reviews Score is the most comprehensive tire scoring system available. It aggregates professional test data from multiple independent publications, user reviews, and consistency analysis using Bayesian statistical methods, weighted normalisation, and recency-adjusted scoring to produce a single, reliable performance rating.

Learn more about our methodology
Category Scores
Wet
75.8
2x / 12 tests
Dry
70.3
1.8x / 6 tests
Value
56.2
0.42x / 4 tests
Comfort
54.1
0.32x / 4 tests
Cross-Category Performance

Cross-category scores are derived metrics that combine data from multiple test disciplines to evaluate real-world performance characteristics.

Handling
76
8 tests
Braking
62.6
4 tests
Score Components
Professional Tests
Weight: 80%
Tests: 3
Publications: 2
Period: 2015 - 2023
User Reviews
Weight: 15%
Reviews: 6
Avg Rating: 49.4%
Min Required: 5
Consistency
Weight: 5%
Score Std Dev: 0.2
History Points: 10
Methodology & Configuration
Scoring Process
  1. Collect Test Data: Gather results from professional tire tests across multiple publications. Minimum 1 test(s) required.
  2. Normalize Positions: Convert test positions to percentile scores using exponential weighting (factor: 1.2).
  3. Apply Recency Weighting: More recent tests are weighted higher with a decay rate of 0.95.
  4. Incorporate User Reviews: Factor in user review data (minimum 5 reviews). Weight: 15%.
  5. Bayesian Smoothing: Apply Bayesian prior (score: 7, weight: 1.5) to prevent extreme scores with limited data.
  6. Calculate Final Score: Combine all components using normalization factor of 1.1. Max score with limited data: 9.5.
Component Weights
Test Data
80%
User Reviews
15%
Consistency
5%
All Configuration Parameters
ParameterValueDescription
safety_weight 0.7 Weight multiplier for safety-related metrics
performance_weight 0.55 Weight multiplier for performance metrics
comfort_weight 0.4 Weight multiplier for comfort metrics
value_weight 0.45 Weight multiplier for value-for-money metrics
user_reviews_weight 0.15 How much user reviews contribute to the final score
test_data_weight 0.8 How much professional test data contributes to the final score
consistency_weight 0.05 How much score consistency contributes to the final score
recency_decay_rate 0.95 Rate at which older test results lose influence (higher = slower decay)
min_test_count 1 Minimum number of professional tests required
min_review_count 5 Minimum number of user reviews required
score_version 1.9 Current version of the scoring algorithm
score_normalization_factor 1.1 Factor used to normalize raw scores to the 0-10 scale
confidence_factor_weight 0.2 How much data confidence affects the final score
position_penalty_weight 0.2 Penalty applied for poor test positions
gap_penalty_threshold 12 Score gap (%) that triggers additional penalties
min_metrics_count 2 Minimum number of test metrics needed per test
limited_data_threshold 2 Number of tests below which data is considered limited
single_test_penalty 0.75 Score multiplier when only one test is available
critical_metric_penalty 0.7 Penalty for poor performance on critical safety metrics
critical_metric_threshold 70 Score below which a critical metric penalty applies
position_exponential_factor 1.2 Exponent used to amplify position-based scoring
position_exponential_threshold 0.9 Position percentile below which exponential scoring applies
gap_multiplier_critical 3 Multiplier for critical gap penalties
max_category_weight 2 Maximum weight any single category can have
max_score_limited_data 9.5 Score cap when data is limited
bayesian_prior_weight 1.5 Weight of the Bayesian prior in smoothing
bayesian_prior_score 7 Prior score used for Bayesian smoothing
evidence_test_multiplier 1.9 Multiplier for test evidence in confidence calculation
evidence_metric_divisor 3 Divisor for metric count in evidence calculation
evidence_review_divisor 10 Divisor for review count in evidence calculation
combined_penalty_floor 0.2
Data Sources
TestPublicationDateSizePositionMetrics
Are Budget Tires Finally Good Enough? 8 Cheap Tires VS 1 Premium Tire Tire Reviews 2023 205/55 R16 3/9 13 metrics
Tire Reviews Best Summer Touring Tires Tire Reviews 2023 205/55 R16 12/13 13 metrics
2015 Test World Summer Tire Test Test World 2015 205/55 R16 14/15 0 metrics

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All Tests
View Test Results
3
Tests
10th
Average
3rd
Best
14th
Worst
Latest Tire Test Results
Tire Reviews Best Summer Touring Tires
205/55 R16 • 2023
12th/13
Fun tire to drive, reasonable grip during dry handling.
Low wet grip overall, long wet and dry braking distance, oversteer balance in the dry and wet which is not ideal for the road, poor aquaplaning resistance, high rolling resistance.
The Nankang Econex NA1 was next up, considerably better than the Doublecoin but perhaps not a tire that could be classified as great as it had long braking distances in the dry and wet, poor aquaplaning resistance, high noise and a high rolling resistance. It would however make a fun 16" dry weather track tire if you don't want to fit a semi slick.
Are Budget Tires Finally Good Enough? 8 Cheap Tires VS 1 Premium Tire
205/55 R16 • 2023
3rd/9
As we've seen in other tests, the Nankang Econex NA-1 objectively performed well, for the price point it had good grip in grip tests, and had good aquaplaning resistance and low noise, however subjectively it was one of the tricker tires to drive on the VW Golf test car, with a rapid transition between grip and oversteer. If you want a fun, cheap, track day tire in a 16" wheel size, this is the tire for you.
2015 Test World Summer Tire Test
205/55 R16 • 2015
14th/15
Good resistance to aquaplaning
Weak grip and poor handling on wet surfaces. Low level of comfort
The Nankang Econex NA-1 have long braking distances and a very weak lateral grip on wet surfaces. Sharp manoeuvres are unlikely to succeed because the tires can dramatically lose contact with the road. However, they have good resistance to aquaplaning. In the dry the situation is somewhat better, but they don't cope well enough with emergency situations. Not very effective at absorbing road irregularities, and noise is clearly audible in the cabin. Only average fuel economy.
View Test Results

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Top 3 Nankang Econex NA1 Reviews

Given 44% while driving a Nissan 2002 patrol (165/70 R12) on mostly town for 0 easy going miles
Ordered a set of 4 Nankang Econex NA-1 165/70 R12 T (77) tires for a Nidsan Figaro in March 2023 from Black Circles. After 7,000 miles all 4 tires have cracked in the treads and I have just files a warranty claim with Black Circles regarding this
Helpful 806
May 19, 2025
Given 10% while driving a Peugeot 3008 (215/60 R16) on mostly motorways for 2,000 average miles
Never had so bad tires before. After fitting 2 front tires I drove about 200 miles on motorway. With speed 60-70 mph I had feeling I'm driving on thin ice (middle of the summer). First I thought it's because the tires are new. Week later I went abroad for a long journey (1800 miles) the car was very unstable on dry road and I had that nasty feeling I'm driving on ice. After my arrival I just bought different tires and the problem disappeared. I'm not recommending Nankang econex na-1 tires and I'll never buy them again.
Helpful 856
October 4, 2023
Given 62% while driving a Volkswagen Golf (195/65 R15 H) on a combination of roads for 500 average miles
I took a chance with Nankang as it was the only tire in my price range at the time... I've since done approx 500 miles so not enough chance for them to wear in fully... They seem fairly decent for £45 fitted for the 195/65/R15 size. They seem very planted when it comes to deep standing water but cornering in the wet leaves a little to be desired. They feel a little lacklustre and can sometimes run wide with no warning. Last time I experienced a tire like this was the Toyo Nano Energy 3's and they were truly a terrible tire (worse than budgets I have had in the past), so lets hope they don't turn into the Toyo disaster that happened last time. If they last longer than my last set of tires (Nexen N'Blue HD Plus) I will be satisfied. Will report back with Further findings once they have worn in fully!
Helpful 915
October 26, 2020

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Latest Nankang Econex NA1 Reviews

Given 77% while driving a Citroën xsara picasso (185/65 R15) on a combination of roads for 500 easy going miles
Decent tires for the price.
Handle the road well both dry and wet conditions.
Comfortable drive but not the quietest.
Would reccomend 100%
Helpful 931
November 27, 2019
Toyota (175/65 R15) on a combination of roads for 12,000 easy going miles
Super tires for handling. Came with only 6mm tread when new, and the little transverse fins are only 4mm so when the main 3 radial grooves are half worn the left and right edges are about bald. Need to replace at 12k miles when I usually get 18k
Helpful 877
June 15, 2018
Given 50% while driving a Skoda Estelle 130 (165/80 R13) on mostly country roads for 200 average miles
Its hard to get a decent 165 R13 tire these days. Its either no-name budget tires or £200 plus per tire specialist ones. What happened to the middle ground? These tires are pretty much it for that area now.

I bought two for my Skoda Estelle 130. They went on the rear, but honeslly the handling is now horrible - the sidewall is too soft so the car feels like its on a waterbed, wobbling and lurching. So I moved them to the front and here they are tolerable.

Its like Nankang never bothered to actulaly try these tires on the road and just made them and sold them. I ended up ordering Vreidestein Sprint + online but these are now discontinued. The Spring + are fine, no lurching.

To sum up, Nankang sucks the fun out of driving and leaves your passengers feeling queasy.
Helpful 653
March 21, 2018
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