Kumho tires
- Thread starter bottgers
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i run kuhmo r700's when i go rallycrossing.
its truely brutal on tyres. in 1 single day which consists of 4 rounds, (about 30 mins driving total) i wear off 80% of the tread. its probably the most brutal way to test a tyre, but the r700's are good at resisting punctures on the sharp rocky course i run on. the rocks are coral by the way. the sidewalls are as thick as a semi trucks tyres. they are very difficult to mount because of the thick sidewalls and bead protectors, 3 of them no less. when im sliding sideways at 30mph those kumho's wont give in. i havent damaged one yet, except for wearing the tread out of course. but no tyre can withstand running on coral for long.
i tried dunlop tyres once, some a2 sports and they were shredded by the end of the day, im talkin they lost all the tread, had big cuts into the steel belts, ply seperations, etc.
its truely brutal on tyres. in 1 single day which consists of 4 rounds, (about 30 mins driving total) i wear off 80% of the tread. its probably the most brutal way to test a tyre, but the r700's are good at resisting punctures on the sharp rocky course i run on. the rocks are coral by the way. the sidewalls are as thick as a semi trucks tyres. they are very difficult to mount because of the thick sidewalls and bead protectors, 3 of them no less. when im sliding sideways at 30mph those kumho's wont give in. i havent damaged one yet, except for wearing the tread out of course. but no tyre can withstand running on coral for long.
i tried dunlop tyres once, some a2 sports and they were shredded by the end of the day, im talkin they lost all the tread, had big cuts into the steel belts, ply seperations, etc.
We have Kumho's on two cars
Kumho AS795's are just OK
Kumho Ecsta ASX rock!
Kumho AS795's are just OK
Kumho Ecsta ASX rock!
My "qualifications" for this thread: There are about 6500 miles on my Neon's 2nd set of Kumho tires now.
The first set was the now discontinued Ecsta HP4 716, H-rated(Kumho has replaced this with something very similar), size 195/60/14, mounted on 14"x6" Mopar alloys. They lasted about 40,000 miles with minimal care, and from that standpoint were very good. As far as cornering, they had truly wimpy sidewalls compared to the previous tires(BF Goodrich Comp T/A H-rated), and even when inflated up to 36-38 psi didn't perform as well as the BFG's. Bought the Kumho 716's from Tirerack, will never do that again. When you lose free rotation & rebalance, you lose more than you save. Your decision may vary.
The current tires are Kumho PowerStar 758's in 185/65/14(the original factory size, whether on 6" wide alloys or 5.5" wide steel wheels), T-rated, again mounted on the same 6" wide alloys. Just got them rotated last week, gonna have to get them to check balance on the front ones very soon.
They were the cheapest thing in my size easily available in my area, bought them from Discount Tire in Longview, Tx.
Cornering ability is somewhat disappointing, but then I didn't expect them to be great. My #1 impression- for driving feel, and especially for tracking ability at highway speeds, these tires are more sensitive to air pressure than anything else I've ever driven on. Period, no contest. Rear pressure doesn't seem to matter, but the *front*! The tire shop let them down to their brainwashed 32 psi last week when hot. I checked them "cold" the next morning, the old reliable Milton gauge said 27-28 psi!
No wonder it felt so mushy & meandering on the way home. Up to & including the recommended 32 psi, they feel sort of mushy on the highway, feel like they might peel off the rim when pushed around corners, and track poorly. At a cold 36-37 psi(where all my other tires on this car have both handled & tracked the best), they cut & corner semi-OK for a cheap tire- but won't track worth a d___!
For these tires on my car with my gauge, the magic front tire figure is 34 psi cold. Feels like a completely different car, tracks almost like it's on rails, corners as well as the higher pressures. My guess- This pressure must give the flattest footprint for the tread.
My take on Kumhos so far- as a bang-for-the-buck tire, they're OK to almost-very-good. I'm still surprised at how sensitive the Powerstar 758's are to inflation- at age 53 I've never seen anything quite like it. It sounds like bull, but it's true.
The first set was the now discontinued Ecsta HP4 716, H-rated(Kumho has replaced this with something very similar), size 195/60/14, mounted on 14"x6" Mopar alloys. They lasted about 40,000 miles with minimal care, and from that standpoint were very good. As far as cornering, they had truly wimpy sidewalls compared to the previous tires(BF Goodrich Comp T/A H-rated), and even when inflated up to 36-38 psi didn't perform as well as the BFG's. Bought the Kumho 716's from Tirerack, will never do that again. When you lose free rotation & rebalance, you lose more than you save. Your decision may vary.
The current tires are Kumho PowerStar 758's in 185/65/14(the original factory size, whether on 6" wide alloys or 5.5" wide steel wheels), T-rated, again mounted on the same 6" wide alloys. Just got them rotated last week, gonna have to get them to check balance on the front ones very soon.
Cornering ability is somewhat disappointing, but then I didn't expect them to be great. My #1 impression- for driving feel, and especially for tracking ability at highway speeds, these tires are more sensitive to air pressure than anything else I've ever driven on. Period, no contest. Rear pressure doesn't seem to matter, but the *front*! The tire shop let them down to their brainwashed 32 psi last week when hot. I checked them "cold" the next morning, the old reliable Milton gauge said 27-28 psi!
For these tires on my car with my gauge, the magic front tire figure is 34 psi cold. Feels like a completely different car, tracks almost like it's on rails, corners as well as the higher pressures. My guess- This pressure must give the flattest footprint for the tread.
My take on Kumhos so far- as a bang-for-the-buck tire, they're OK to almost-very-good. I'm still surprised at how sensitive the Powerstar 758's are to inflation- at age 53 I've never seen anything quite like it. It sounds like bull, but it's true.
Ooooh yall beat me to this thread.
I just went from Michelin Pilot Sport A/S to Kumho Exsta ASX. It was a 300+$ price difference down. Just needed something temp till i refinish or get new wheels.
The Michelins have the best cornering hands down. In emergency swerving the Michelins are crisp with fast steering wheel recovery. They are noisy. Hydroplaning is minimal with the channel design and silica compound.
The Kumho's are quiet
Which I like. The cornering is not nearly as crisp. Experimenting with swerve manuevers last night it was clear that my Kumho do not have the acrobatic handling of the Michelins. I did get what I paid for. 680$ vs 330$
I would rate the Kumho ASX more akin to a Summer Performance Touring category versus Kumho's designation as a Ultra High Performance type.
Anyway they are quiet I like that
Highways and dates will not drive the gf's crazy. Just can auto cross in parking lots anymore *lol* Of course all tires are a draw back. Noise, Traction, Braking, Price if one is stronger the other is weaker.
My other choices were the Goodyear F1 GSD3 (made in Germany) , Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. Avon Tech seems to be well liked on Tire Rack as well. Have not heard much on Avon though.
I just went from Michelin Pilot Sport A/S to Kumho Exsta ASX. It was a 300+$ price difference down. Just needed something temp till i refinish or get new wheels.
The Michelins have the best cornering hands down. In emergency swerving the Michelins are crisp with fast steering wheel recovery. They are noisy. Hydroplaning is minimal with the channel design and silica compound.
The Kumho's are quiet
I would rate the Kumho ASX more akin to a Summer Performance Touring category versus Kumho's designation as a Ultra High Performance type.
Anyway they are quiet I like that
My other choices were the Goodyear F1 GSD3 (made in Germany) , Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. Avon Tech seems to be well liked on Tire Rack as well. Have not heard much on Avon though.
I just had these tires put on my 2001 Civic yesterday and I'm about to hit the road for 220 miles today. New tires, alignment, can't wait! Car actually goes straight now.
Kestas
Staff member
How do I find a Kumho dealer near me (Livonia)?
http://www.kumhotireusa.com/DealerLocator/
You can also order them from:
http://www.tirerack.com/
Or you can buy them at your local Discount Tire/Americas Tire Store.
Darryl
Just put a set on my '77 280z. I have nothing but good things to say about them. For my type of driving they fit the bill.
Best bang for buck
Best bang for buck
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