What 275/40-17 tires do you like for the street?

I know I just asked a similar question a little while ago, but I don't want to limit my choices to just 3 tires like I did in my previous question.

From your experience, what is your favorite street tire. I mean, what do you buy for your car. I would like a balance of: low noise, response, cornering capability, wet traction and treadwear.

What do you guys/gals like?

I've been looking pretty heavily at the Goodyear GS-D3's and the Firestone SZ50EP's, but if there is another tire I sould look at, I would be more than happy to do so.

Thanks again and sorry to bother you again with a tire question.

Dan

How about the Yokohama AVS ES100?

Dan

I don't know about those but my last set of tires were Yoko AVS dB's and liked them. I'm using Pirelli P7000's right now and they aren't bad for the money.

Steve,

Thanks for the reply. I'll check into those.

Have you ever tried Khomo's? Like the MX or the Ecsta 712, or have you heard any word on them?

They both get decent reviews on Tirerack and are cheap. That's why I'm worried though. I think people rate the tire a little better because they aren't expecting as much performance when they pay so little. When you pay $200/tire, then people start to get very picky.

I know that I could get the Goodyear GS-D3's($175/tire after rebate) and be happy, but if there is something much cheaper that I'd be happy with, I'd rather go with the less expensive tire.

Dan

I've heard nothing but great things from people about the Kumhos...in fact that will be my next set.

Right now I run BFGoodrich G-Force KDW. I cant say enough about these tires...except that they are a little pricey. Excellent traction, grip, cornering, low noise, amazing wet traction, and decent treadwear (as long as you're not doing burnouts lol)

If you've got the cash, I'd recommend them.

Kumho's are good, I wouldn't have a problem with those at all.

You guys know which Kumho's people seem to like for the F-body?

Looks like it's between the MX or the Ecsta 712.

The MX gets great ratings for dry and are $148
The Ecsta 712's gets decent ratings for $108

I called Tirerack and they said that the Yokohama AVS ES100 do not wear well on a heavy car like the F-body. So that is out of the picture.

With the rebate, the GS-D3's are $175 per tire. Pricey, but everyone seems to love this tire.

So now I'm stuck. Spend $108 for the 712's: I'm worried that they won't be all that great because they're only $108.
or
Fork out $175 for the GS-D3's which I'm almost certain I'll like.
or
Go with the MX's for $148 that have great dry grip, but I'm uncertain about the wet and possible noise.

Argh. Wish this was an easier decision. I wish you could test drive tires.

Dan

I look at it this way. You can almost buy TWO sets of Kumho's for the price of the Goodyears.

That's sort of the way I'm looking at Kumho's vs Hoosiers this year...

I've run Kumho 712's (245/45/16) on my car and liked them. They handled well and even run a few of autocross' with them though I was a couple of seconds slower than Victorracers, but that is about normal for a street tire vs. a race tire. I did notice that they worked better hot and forget them if the temp gets below 40.

Next year I going to 275/40/17's for street tires and I'm getting Nitto 555 R-II. They're basically a road race tire based on their drag radial tire, but since the DR's have held up well enough for the past year and with the 40 so passes down the quarter, I'm going to try them.

the MXs are by far better tires than the 712s, but both are a great value. I have the 712s and they work fine for street duty. The MXs were put up in a test against michilin's best pilots, and pirellis best pZeros, and they held their own very well, almost equal performance for a fraction of the cost. MXs will likely be my next street tires.

Right now my choices are down to the Kumho Ecsta MX's and the Goodyear F1 GS-D3's.

The Goodyears are $30 more per tire.

They both get excellent reviews from everyone that I can see.

A couple of things that I noticed about the reviews of the GS-D3's is that the wear seems very good and the noise level is low. They also get better reviews in the rain than the MX's.

People seem to love the MX's just as much but don't tend to mention good treadwear as often. They do say that the MX's are pretty quiet for a max performance tire, so that is good.

So I guess the main thing for me right now is wear. Anyone have experiance with the MX's compared to the GS-D3's? I see that the MX's have a 9/32 tread depth and the GS-D3's have 10/32.

Are the GS-D3's worth $30 more per tire? I don't know.

Dan

im actually in the same boat. thanks for asking this dan. i need some info on treadwear as this is a big one for me. i put about 400 miles a week on the car. so i need a tire that last a long time but offers great performance for mountians runs and autox. right now my F1s are ok, but they are noisy and suck at autox. so i think almost anything might be an upgrade for me. but i defiently need to know how long a set of these tires should last in miles, not treadwear numbers. thanks trey

Originally posted by stereomandan
Right now my choices are down to the Kumho Ecsta MX's and the Goodyear F1 GS-D3's.

The Goodyears are $30 more per tire.

They both get excellent reviews from everyone that I can see.

A couple of things that I noticed about the reviews of the GS-D3's is that the wear seems very good and the noise level is low. They also get better reviews in the rain than the MX's.

People seem to love the MX's just as much but don't tend to mention good treadwear as often. They do say that the MX's are pretty quiet for a max performance tire, so that is good.

So I guess the main thing for me right now is wear. Anyone have experiance with the MX's compared to the GS-D3's? I see that the MX's have a 9/32 tread depth and the GS-D3's have 10/32.

Are the GS-D3's worth $30 more per tire? I don't know.

Dan

judging by the class these tires are in, and the hardness of each's rubber, I'd say mileage will be similar with either. With the difference in price I'd say go with the kumho, but you probably will be getting a good tire either way, guess it just depends on what you have to spend.

I found the Goodyears at www.treaddepot.com for $173, and there is a $50 rebate right now so that brings the price to about $160 per tire. That is a great price compared to $148 for the Kumho MX's. I bought them and they will go on the car in the spring. From everything I've read, they are the longest lasting tire(best tread wear) in the Max performance category.

Sorry, but I won't be able to comment on performance until the spring.

Treaddepot even matched the $33 shipping price that www.tirerack.com gave me. So I got all four 275/40-17 tires shipped to me for $725. I also get the $50 rebate right now from Goodyear, so that brings the total price to $675. Great price for this tire in my opinion.

Oh Yeah, TA Dreaming: I drive 300 miles per week in my Z28 so I know the feeling. I also needed a tire that holds up to the miles, and the GS-D3 seems like the way to go.

Dan

Street tires on my Trans Am are Nitto 555RII's in a 275/40/17.

Most of the miles I drive are in a '93 Nissan NX2000, and it wears 195/50/15 Bridgestone S-03 Pole Positions (awesome tires BTW).

My F1 GS-D3's came in yesterday. All I can say is WOW! If these perform half as good as they look, they will be great. What a beautiful tire.

I accidentally had a set of F1 GS's sent to me and they didn't look like half the tire the F1 GS D3 is. The sidewall feels stiffer on the F1 GS-D3 also, which is a plus since I read some reviews that say it can be a little soft.

Of coarse, I won't find out till I get them mounted and balanced and on the car.

By the way, the stack of 4 GS-D3's measured a full 4 inches higher than the stack of F1 GS's. I thought they looked wider, and they are. Same 275/40-17 size for both. The GS-D3's have a nice rim guard also.

Dan

.....I used to have the B.F Goodrich G-Force KD's on thin 5 spoke Vette rims {9.5 x 17 & 275/40/17's}. Now I have the Khumo 712's {same size tires and the same rims}. I loved both the Khumo's and the Goodyears but concidering the price difference I'll get the Khumo's next time. Good tires... Bill....

Bill,
How did you like the BFG KD's? I was thinking going with those or the BFG's KDW's. I never drive my car in the rain, so the KD's seem to be the right ones. I can get the KDW's much cheaper though.
Thanks,
Ed

what???? tirerack told you that the ES100's don't wear well on f-body's? i just bought a set of ES100's from them because they recommended them over the kuhmo 712's. oh well, they're on the car now. their not bad tires, much better than the stock eagle F1's. but, i only drive the ss on the weekends and they tend to flat spot.

Originally posted by ktm520
what???? tirerack told you that the ES100's don't wear well on f-body's? i just bought a set of ES100's from them because they recommended them over the kuhmo 712's. oh well, they're on the car now. their not bad tires, much better than the stock eagle F1's. but, i only drive the ss on the weekends and they tend to flat spot.

Well, you're only comparing to the Kuhmo 712's. Those are not the most highly rated f-body tire (not that they totally stink). I told him up front that I was looking at the GS-D3's and the ES100's. The GS-D3's get very high marks for milage, so he was comparing the ES100's to those. I would have probably heard the same thing you did if I was comparing to the 712's.

Dan

I've had three sets of the Kuhmo 712's and been very happy with them. The only issue that I haev with them is that as soon as it drops below 55 degrees or so they get hard as a rock and are completely useless. Doesn't bother me though cause I don't drive it another other time than the summer. Good luck in your decision.

Dan

a little late but i have 275-40-17 kuhmo Ectsa MX's on my car and they work very well for around town driving, but if they are cold or not hot then they dont hook that great. get them warm by doing a little burnout and i can launch about 2k rpm and not see much wheelspin and no spinning between gears. in fact when the tires are cold and i hit second too hard i go all over the place, get the tires warm and the clutch slips a little between shifts. they have excellent cornering grip also. very nice tires, i will probably use them again.

Originally posted by nates95m6
a little late but i have 275-40-17 kuhmo Ectsa MX's on my car and they work very well for around town driving, but if they are cold or not hot then they dont hook that great. get them warm by doing a little burnout and i can launch about 2k rpm and not see much wheelspin and no spinning between gears. in fact when the tires are cold and i hit second too hard i go all over the place, get the tires warm and the clutch slips a little between shifts. they have excellent cornering grip also. very nice tires, i will probably use them again.

Thanks, but I ended up getting the Goodyear F1 GS-D3's. The second choice was the MX's, but I got a great price on the Goodyears so I went that route.

The MX's look like an awesome tire for the money.

Dan

Ah-ha, I figured I'd find your thread for trying to find the perfect tire. Did you ever consider the Nitto 555 or BFG KDW? Just wondering cause those are on my list also. Good to hear about the great treadwear on the GS-D3, thats one of the main things I am looking for. Great thread.

-Dustin-

Boy, this IS an old thread!!!

Yea, I have a knack for bringing them back from the dead, I do my share of searching and usually the best stuff has already been discussed.

-Dustin-

damn this is old. anyway my GSD3s are about done with now. ive got close to 25k miles on them and i think i can get a few more thousands out of them. i love them. they are a great tire. i wish i could afford another set, but this time around im going to have to cheap out and try Kuhmo MXs.

Good to hear, how did they treat you dry/wet/cornering those 25,000 miles? I am hoping for a few more than 25k, if I get them, I got an amazing 30k out of my stock GSC's. Man that was a fluke! MX's look nice, KDW's and 555's are also on the list, so its tough competition.

-Dustin-

I did look at the KDW tire, but there were enough so-so reviews about them at www.tirerack.com, that I decided not to get them. My buddy had them on his car(Ford Countour SVT) and they are a great tire, but I've read lots about them getting loud. I had a bad experience with loud tires(Bridgestone RE730) and am very sensitive to that.

I can tell you this, you can't go wrong with the F1 GS-D3's. The only reason to look elsewhere is if you don't what to spend the $$$. The Khumo MX's were my second choice, but I got the F1 GS-D3's instead.

Dan

they worked and still work great. they are beginning to get harder as expected, but the grip is still good. cornering was great wet traction was phenominal compared to the F1s which i had on there before. i could roll out in the rain and blip the throttle kicking the end out with ease on the F1s. with the D3s it has to be my sole intention to break loose. blipping the throttle will only toss your head back. great tire. id get them again if i wasnt spending all my money on my 79TA.

Sounds great guys, thanks for the additional information. One consideration was GS's since they were in the same price range as the GS-D3's but I havent heard many good things about them. Again the only thing holding me back slightly on the GS-D3's is the price, but I am going to try and make it happen. The MX's are a cost effective alternative, but so are the KDW's and Nitto 555's although the Nitto's get alot of so-so on this bord. Only time will tell. But I need some quick, so it wont be real long.

-Dustin-

I run the Nitto RRII tires year round. This tire is not for light wallets. Its not the price that is the problem . Going through 3 sets in one year with 12,0000 showing for it, is :cry: . But man do they stick for such a short life.

I am thinking more of the 555 street version not the 555R or RII. Nitto's are nice, but like you said, wear quickly.

-Dustin-

dustin just get some GSd3s i may do that when taxes come in

I broke down a did it. They should be on Weds. I'll let you know how they work before you order yours.

-Dustin-

I broke down a did it. They should be on Weds. I'll let you know how they work before you order yours.

-Dustin-
how much did u end up payingt for all 4 , need an estimate i may be buying them within the next month
plus i know someone who does deals and he only does deals if he can beat the competetors price

Well...a local place around here, which is a tiny garage in the middle of no where got me the best price I have ever seen on tires. They came in today and I'll have them on tomorrow. $197 a tire Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's 275/40/17, installed, mounted, balanced, valvestems, out the door minus tax. Tire rack sells them for $194 a tire, discount tire - $203 a tire. I am paying less minus shipping, the wait, and added cost installing. Plus this guy local who my family knows will bend over backwards to do anything for you. He has a garage with 2 old manual gas pumps, gravel/mud lot, and 3 truck trailers stocked with used tires. Easily mistaked for an abandoned desert highway service station you'd see in the movies. I can give you the number if you'd like. BTW I called him yesterday afternoon interested in the tires to order, and all 4 are there waiting to be put on today. Good luck beating that price without an employee dicount or something.

-Dustin-

I'm on the trail end of the 712 on the street and for the money, and they served me well.. before I ran Comp TA's, and then 16" GS-C's.. For the price, I'm really happy with them.. When I got a nail in them, I just got them patched at the tire place.. And they handled wet weather well in daily driving. when its cold outside (lke below 50) they get hard... when its like 30 outside, they are like hard plastic! But thats expected for any perf summer tire.. They have 20k miles on them, and the tread is getting thin now(which for me, sounds about right).. If I don't replace them this year, I'm definantly replacing them next year with MX's. (Right now, there is supposdily NO MX's in stock on the west coast at least for our size... The next barge to US is on route.)






From actual Tiretrack testing (not user reviews), the Kumho MX's scored a little behind the BFG KD's for dry, but scored a little more than the BFG KD's in the wet. Plus they are about $80 cheaper than the KD's per tire. I forget about noise though, but I think ther KD's were noisy. Cause of that, I've decided my next tire will be MX's.

I was thinking about 555RII's (per tire only $150!), but I hear they wear quickly on the road, and supposdily after all those heatcycles and constant street wear, you can argue they won't be really much better than your standard max perf street tire..