Tire technology has become pretty well distributed from the top tier companies down to some Chinese products. There is still a big difference, but it is narrowing every year. Take Michelin for example. They have sent their engineers all over the world to develop factories for joint manufacturing. Now, those factories are making their own brands of tires on the back of Michelin technology. Of course, at the SEMA show you still find a lot of curious Chinese taking pictures of all the new tread patterns.... So, there is a lot of copying by the smaller Chinese producers and not true R&D based manufacturing.

Anyway, I break the ultra high performance tire market down into four segments.

1 - Top Tier - Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone
1A - Yokohama, Toyo, Continental
2 - Good stuff - Dunlop/GDY, Kumho, Hankook, Falken, BFG, Nexen, Sumo, Nitto, Vredstein
3 - Value - Federal, Triangle, Nankang, Maxxis etc
4 - Cheap stuff from new producers in Asia (mostly China)

 

I have them on my '02 Targa - probably around 3K miles on them, rears only. Haven't had any issues - they were very inexpensive - the rears go out so fast, I am really hesitant about spending $600 per axle 2 times per year!

 

It's because there is so much negative camber in the rear. The wear isn't distributed evenly across the contact patch so the tires wear out faster.

Does anyone know the handling ramifications of dialing in less negative camber? I imagine the cornering inertia is what evens out the grip, but what if you don't track the car? If I install camber plates and and flatten out my track, what happens?

 

took the car to the coast this past weekend. nice drive. got home and right rear kumho is shot. sidewall cracked and separating. this must be a bad tire. anyway, now i have an excuse to put on PS2s.

update: just ordered PS2s from tirerack. they shipped to soulspeed performance here in austin. i get them mounted and an alignment next wednesday. woohoo!

 

Which Sumitomos? II's or III's?