Need rears soon. Have PZero Asymmetrical right now but the ride is hard and the noise is horrible. PS2s are the best things going but these Kumhos are so cheap ($175 ea) and seem to rate OK.

Anybody use these?

 

Dude, you drive a 911 Turbo, I don't think saving a few bucks on tires is really a good idea. After all, they are the ONLY things on your car that actually touch the ground.

That being said, you HAVE to change the fronts and backs at the same time if you decide to change brands/model.

Don't skimp on tires, if you do, you could end up paying a much higher price later!

- KJ

 

I will not put Kumhos tires on 100K+ car

 

I have a 99% brand new set of the PZero sitting in the garage that I'll let go for the same $ as the Kumhos. Let me know if your interested.

 

what model Kumho? The DOT legal 700 ecsta is very ggod for autox or track,
or street for as long as they're last...
Joe

 

OK - Have to ask - what idiot marketing guy named this company? Kumho - *** Ho? Think about it! I have *** Hos all around my car?!?!

Some say cars are sexy, but..............

 

Kumho is pronounced like "Koomo". I hear "***-Hoe" all day long.....Geez.

As a brand, Kumho is Korean and has been in business for over 30 years. In volume, they are one of the top nine tire makers worldwide. They really don't market themselves heavily here in the states so many people don't know much about them. As a result, the uneducated assumption automatically gets made that they are junk. That's really too bad because bang for-the-buck they are one of the best tires out there. From a technological standpoint they are FAR above the other "oriental" tires (Nitto, Hankook, Nanking, etc.). We sell more Kumho's than anything else here and the percentage of problems we see with them (out of round, bubbles, etc.) is no more than the other brands we sell. In general, the only real complaint I get out of their tires is a slightly softer sidewall. But that usually applies to the larger profile tires. If you are speaking of the SPT KU31, the tire is a great tire and would work fine on the car. Just don't replace the Pirelli's with them in pairs only - do all four. Never mix and match tires on these cars regardless of brands. If you do track days, buy a stiffer tire. But if all you do is daily driving, this tire will provide you 90% of the performance of the PS2 at half the cost. I have tested this tire against other, more expensive tires and it was no worse than the others. Kumho race tires rock, too.

Think about it this way: Do you ever see TV commercilas for Kumho? No. Do you ever see Kumho billboards? No. Magazine ads? Very few, if any.
Now think about cost of production in Korea. Starting to put it together?

Michelin and Pirelli do make more technologically advanced tires and do incoporate the pinnacle of manufacturing techniques to do so, as a result they are more expensive. Just don't make the blanket assupmtion that since you have never heard of them (or can't pronounce the name) they are junk, because in this case it isn't a fair assumption at all.

 

Many ricers use 712 Ecsta in 18s. Reviews are not great on this popular model since the tires are not very sticky. I'd avoid this particular model.

In all honesty, I'd only buy N spec tires. No sense in saving $300 on a $100k car. I would agree with Damon that you can save money while still get 80-90% of PS2 but to me it's not worth the savings.

 

I would not put an Ecsta 712 on my lawnmower, and I would not let ANYONE buy that tire for anything above a 4 cyl/below 200 HP. We have seen high horsepower, rear wheels drive cars tear that tire apart. It's not intended really for anything more than the ricer market, but works just fine for them as they buy on looks more than anything else.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....CSTA+Supra+712

 

I only have experience with Kumho Victoracers, 700 ecstas, and 710s,
and they are all very good at what they do, in an explicitly competitive
circumstance. These are all street legal, but not intended for the street.
I have certainly used the Victoracers and 700s on the street, driving
many miles to and from track events, and winning while I was there.
The 710s are the most extreme, and are essentially slicks so I wouldn't
put them on a car that was intended for the street.
The 700 have functional tread grooves for wet weather so I would,
and have had no trouble in the rain when they are not worn down. I
would happily get fresh 700s for my track/street car at the start of
the rainy season, and wear them out by the beginning of the next.
Joe

 

I had Kumho Ecsta MXs in 295 width on my 450bhp 300ZX. The tires were awesome on that car and it was a rear wheel drive. I would not buy the 712 under any circumstances since they are essentially an all weather tire witout too much grip. Of the different tires that I tried on my Z, I liked the Ecsta MXs best.. my 2 cents. IF they made them in a 19" size for my current setup, I would get them again.

 

The MX ranks among the BEST max performance dry grip tires we sell, and work great in the rain as well. A top choice. The numbers they post are very close to the BFG G-Force TA KD (the current record holder) on our skidpad due to the size of the treadblocks.

If they made them in Porsche sizing I would recommend them all day long.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....Model=ECSTA+MX

 

Good question with some great answers. I put Kuhmo Ecsta 305/45/22" tires on my Denali XL with ASA TRS II wheels (purchased from Tire Rack of course ) after 15k miles and 2 years of use, I have to say that they have been surprisingly good. I can't speak for performance as it's not really a performance SUV but considering the amount of weight that sits on them, they have worn pretty well. In fact, they still look new as far as treadwear. My only gripe about them is that they are starting to get a little loud. Oh... also, they came out of balance from Tire Rack. Which is odd considering Tire Rack's reputation. In their defense I will say that they sent me to a recommended installer and paid to have the wheels and tires road force balanced which solved all of my shaking issues and they were smooth as silk after that.

 

I also agree. I had the Kumhos on my M3 and was very surprised w/ the grip and the low road noise they emitted. I'd recommend it and possibly get them when my tires run out on the 911TT.

 

Not too get to far off topic but we are talking about Korean tires, so what is with these Yokohama ( I know these are Japanese) Advans that are getting good press as the closest thing to race tires for the street? Kevin