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

 

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).