I need good winter traction, which Conti Extreme provides and I have good experience with them, but the Kumho is looking good according to this comparison test. $68 shipped for 205/55-16 Z is tempting. The Contis would be more like $88. Any ideas? I read a lot of reviews and 1st hand accounts on AudiWorld, a lot of people like them.
Test vs Eagle RS-A, Conti Extreme, Pirelli P-Zero
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...ake=Kumho&tireModel=ECSTA+ASX&tirePageLocQty=
Survey for all UHPAS:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=UHPAS
Kumho ECSTA ASX
"The ECSTA ASX (ASX for All-Season Xtreme) is a member of Kumho's race-proven ECSTA high performance tire family. It is an Ultra High Performance All-Season tire that was developed to blend responsive handling with dry, wet and year-round traction, even in light snow.
On the outside, the ECSTA ASX molds a high technology silica and carbon tread compound into an asymmetric tread design that features large outside tread blocks for quick response and sporty handling with high volume circumferential and high angle slant grooves to resist hydroplaning and enhance wet traction. Constant contact center blocks help reduce noise while providing continuous road contact to improve straight-line stability. Internally, ECSTA ASX tires feature Kumho's Dynamic Casing Shape Technology that controls casing tension throughout the tire. This allows the ECSTA ASX to increase ride comfort by absorbing bumps and increase handling by remaining stable when cornering. ECSTA ASX tires feature twin, high-tensile steel belts with spiral-wrapped jointless cap and belt edge strips to stabilize the tread area enhancing handling, high-speed capability and ride quality while minimizing weight.
On the road, the KUMHO ECSTA ASX offered sporty handling along with a taught, but not too harsh ride over the expansion joints and sharper bumps. The ECSTA ASX did not feel quite as crisp as the PZero Nero M+S, but felt much more connected than the ContiExtremeContact.
The ECSTA ASX demonstrated that it was well prepared for our dry handling course, too. The overall feeling of grip was good, helping produce average overall lap times close behind the first place Pirelli PZero Nero M+S. The ECSTA ASX felt stable under hard braking, but steering response was not quite as sharp as the PZero Nero M+S.
In wet conditions, the ECSTA ASX felt predictable and fairly responsive, making it easy to drive at its limit. The overall grip level was good, but in the end the average cornering g's around the skidpad as well as average overall lap time fell just behind the second place Eagle RS-A."
Test vs Eagle RS-A, Conti Extreme, Pirelli P-Zero
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...ake=Kumho&tireModel=ECSTA+ASX&tirePageLocQty=
Survey for all UHPAS:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=UHPAS
Kumho ECSTA ASX
"The ECSTA ASX (ASX for All-Season Xtreme) is a member of Kumho's race-proven ECSTA high performance tire family. It is an Ultra High Performance All-Season tire that was developed to blend responsive handling with dry, wet and year-round traction, even in light snow.
On the outside, the ECSTA ASX molds a high technology silica and carbon tread compound into an asymmetric tread design that features large outside tread blocks for quick response and sporty handling with high volume circumferential and high angle slant grooves to resist hydroplaning and enhance wet traction. Constant contact center blocks help reduce noise while providing continuous road contact to improve straight-line stability. Internally, ECSTA ASX tires feature Kumho's Dynamic Casing Shape Technology that controls casing tension throughout the tire. This allows the ECSTA ASX to increase ride comfort by absorbing bumps and increase handling by remaining stable when cornering. ECSTA ASX tires feature twin, high-tensile steel belts with spiral-wrapped jointless cap and belt edge strips to stabilize the tread area enhancing handling, high-speed capability and ride quality while minimizing weight.
On the road, the KUMHO ECSTA ASX offered sporty handling along with a taught, but not too harsh ride over the expansion joints and sharper bumps. The ECSTA ASX did not feel quite as crisp as the PZero Nero M+S, but felt much more connected than the ContiExtremeContact.
The ECSTA ASX demonstrated that it was well prepared for our dry handling course, too. The overall feeling of grip was good, helping produce average overall lap times close behind the first place Pirelli PZero Nero M+S. The ECSTA ASX felt stable under hard braking, but steering response was not quite as sharp as the PZero Nero M+S.
In wet conditions, the ECSTA ASX felt predictable and fairly responsive, making it easy to drive at its limit. The overall grip level was good, but in the end the average cornering g's around the skidpad as well as average overall lap time fell just behind the second place Eagle RS-A."