Anyone have experience with these tires?

[Myriad]

Tax return season will reward me with a new set of rims and tires. I have the rims picked out, springs are getting ordered within the next couple of weeks and all that's left to do is decide on tires. I've narrowed it down to the Kumho MX since they seem to rank rather well against tires costing almost twice as much. I live in the desert, so I can get away with a max performance summer tire and only put 5-7k on the car a year. I've never ran a set of Kumhos before and was wondering if anyone has any input on how they perform on a ms6? The car is getting a mild to moderate drop and the fenders will be rolled so I just need to decide if I'm going to go with a 225/45-18 or a 235/40-18 on a set of 18x8 rims and if these Kumhos are the route to go.

 

[MR_X]

I have a set of them on my MS6. I have nothing to complaint about. I had better but I would by another set.

 

[fastdreams]

Consider the Dunlop direzza sport z1 star spec. It's one of the top summer tires out there, and the price is one of the best. They are on a par with Bridgestones RE01R's, and the even more expensive yokohama advan neova ad07.

MX's are cheaper, but not ultimately as good. MX's are good though, for the price. The sidewalls are a bit soft but they still grip decently.

 

[TX Speed 6]

I have the Kumho Ecsta SPTs and I love them. I have 225 45 on 18x8 (RX8 wheels) on RPM street springs and no rubbing, so it will just depend on your offset if you need to roll the fenders or not.

If you don't have to worry about putting too many miles on there, I'm sure you'll be pretty happy w/ the MX tires.

 

[Myriad]

I considered the ecstas since they also rate very well, but decided in my situation I could take it one step farther. I looked into the Dunlops, but the best price I could find between the two in my area (including online once shipping and occasionally taxes are factored in) was over $400 more for a set. I have heard the sidewalls were a bit soft on the MXs which is a concern with a hefty sedan, but I will likely get a set of 17s with R compounds before I take the car out to any auto x events.

TX, how do you like the street springs since those were at the top of my list? I am having the fenders rolled (can have it done professionally on the cheap) just in case I decide to go with the wider tires now or at a later date. I'm putting a set of hyper black Rota P1s on my VRM ms6 since I have always liked the dark smoked nickle look and think it goes well with that mid red metallic. The offset on the rims is either 45 or 48... getting them from one of the guys in my local club that deals with Rota. He's running the Tarmac 3s in that same size on sportlines and has no rubbing issues.

As always, I do appreciate the input and will post what I decided to go with and my opinions of the setup.

 

[SGT-MS6]

I have th Kuhmo Ecsta ASX All-Season Ultra High Performance that meet the weight ratings on the MS6. Thus far I have been very pleased in all weather from Hot Summer 95+ to -2 w/ Snow/Ice this winter. Performance and handling are well balanced with a fairly stiff sidewall.

 

[TX Speed 6]

I love the springs, I've been really happy with the ride and look. As long as your not looking for a huge drop you would be pretty happy with them. If you want lower you can go with Eibach sportlines. One of the biggest reasons I went with the RPM springs is because they're linear rate, but they're still comftorable enough that my wife and parents never complain about the ride.

 

[Myriad]

That's exactly why I have the RPM street springs at the top of my list. I'm not looking for a huge drop and still want a comfortable ride while stiffening things up a bit. Glad to hear they're still comfortable even though they're a linear spring. Too bad I don't have the extra cash sitting around to throw a set of Koni yellows on there at the same time.

 

[Perro del Sol]

Kumho MX's are good, not the best in the rain, the Bridgestones RE01R's, are good, but there is RE!!R's that about to be released that are just as good, if not better and will be cheaper.

Here is some advice that a friend of mine offers when it comes to tires, as we've had this discussionon our auto-x cross boards:

That is not always the case but more the "lemming" effect - ESPECIALLY with ST tires. Too many people just following the leader instead of finding the tire that actually works best for their driving style and car setup/design. Mostly they do this because the majority do not have the extra $$$ to blow on different types of tires to find the right one for them. So they just look at whats at the top of the sheets and follow the leader.

Just because it works very well for one person, it might not work for another. While looking at time sheets to see what tires are doing what, I would also suggest putting the person, car type, setup, and driving style into your mind too and see how that total package works in relation to your situation.

 

[Myriad]

Thanks for the advice Perro. I'm not concerned with rain performance since it rarely rains in Vegas and when it does I just take my truck. I've spent almost half my life driving almost every sort of vehicle in the midwest climate, so I know what it takes to remain safe when you're caught in a freak patch of bad weather on less than optimal tires. My right foot tends to be a little heavier than most, but I'm always playing the "who's trying to kill me now" game when I'm out on the road (old habit from back when I had a motorcycle). The charts let you know what tires are selling more than others and I usually pick the top 10 and start looking for all the reviews and opinions I can find on them. While 9 times out of 10 it is obvious you aren't going to get anything useful out of a review since there's a lack of relevant information, there are always a few true drivers that manage to pass along information that will aid in the whole tire buying dilemma. In an ideal world you could try tires like shoes, but that would get expensive for dealers and usually the true nature of a tire doesn't come out for at least a few hundred miles. If the new RE-Rs are out by the time I get tires I may be one of the brave souls to try them out (assuming the price is right). Your advice on selecting tires based on time sheets and watching how the driver puts the whole package to work is priceless and exactly what I plan to do when it comes time for my race day wheel setup, but unfortunately in my pursuit of a set of street tires I just have to guess who the smartest lemming is and follow him into the sea (hand).

 

[Perro del Sol]

Thanks for the advice Perro. I'm not concerned with rain performance since it rarely rains in Vegas and when it does I just take my truck. I've spent almost half my life driving almost every sort of vehicle in the midwest climate, so I know what it takes to remain safe when you're caught in a freak patch of bad weather on less than optimal tires. My right foot tends to be a little heavier than most, but I'm always playing the "who's trying to kill me now" game when I'm out on the road (old habit from back when I had a motorcycle). The charts let you know what tires are selling more than others and I usually pick the top 10 and start looking for all the reviews and opinions I can find on them. While 9 times out of 10 it is obvious you aren't going to get anything useful out of a review since there's a lack of relevant information, there are always a few true drivers that manage to pass along information that will aid in the whole tire buying dilemma. In an ideal world you could try tires like shoes, but that would get expensive for dealers and usually the true nature of a tire doesn't come out for at least a few hundred miles. If the new RE-Rs are out by the time I get tires I may be one of the brave souls to try them out (assuming the price is right). Your advice on selecting tires based on time sheets and watching how the driver puts the whole package to work is priceless and exactly what I plan to do when it comes time for my race day wheel setup, but unfortunately in my pursuit of a set of street tires I just have to guess who the smartest lemming is and follow him into the sea (hand).

I have had a great deal of success with the SPT's on both of our Mazda 6's and the MX's on pour MSP. I also like the Yoko Parada Spec II's...I am running the Kumhno AST's on the Protege for winter.....dollar for dollar, Kumho id you rotate them properly, will last wellover 25-30K, as I just ordered a new set for my wife and she got nearly 30K and she does not baby tires.

The Bridgestones are RE-11's