Kumho feedback after 700 miles.....

[1TONY1]

I now have 700 miles on Kumhos on all four corners. Great on the autocross track and will test at Road Atlanta this weekend. After an autocross the first part of December the fronts will be coming off. If you have driven on a road the same day as it was paved this is what you get when driving over any smaller gravels/sand. Even when they are cold I can still hear particles being thrown up. Luckily I have new side sills to install after painted because these are already beat up twice as bad as they were, where the front side buldge comes out. My car has 50,000 miles and certainly is not a show car. I just can't see someone that is picky with a low milage car leaving these on the front more than a few days. I haven't had a chance to drag test them at the strip but they will be better than the radials and not near as good as et streets. The rears should be ok because when they throw gravels there is not as much oppertunity to damage paint.

 

[JH23JOB]

Glad to hear you post a report. I'm thinking about putting the Kumos on all four corners next summer. I would be only concerned about normal

driving, and occasional dragstrip use. My Pilots on the front are really nice, but I was told NOT to mix the tires, so i'll replace'em too.

 

[Matt]

Tony,

Thanks for the evaluation.

Anyone know if you can run the Khumo 712 Ecsta's up front and the stickier 700's in the rear? I've heard so much about not mixing tires, I'm curious if this combo from the same brand "family" would work.

-Matt

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Nope, different type of carcass and tread design. I would keep in mind that these are mainly for track use or autocrossing, and they will have a limited life cycle with our Snake's torque.

 

[1TONY1]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Matt:
Tony,

Thanks for the evaluation.

Anyone know if you can run the Khumo 712 Ecsta's up front and the stickier 700's in the rear? I've heard so much about not mixing tires, I'm curious if this combo from the same brand "family" would work.

-Matt

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I will let you know in december. I will have Michelins front and Kumho stickys rear. Can't be worse than drag radials rear and Michelins front.

 

[Matt]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bill Pemberton:
Nope, different type of carcass and tread design. I would keep in mind that these are mainly for track use or autocrossing, and they will have a limited life cycle with our Snake's torque.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, I guess I'll wait for Tony's evaluation with the Michelin fronts and Khumo rears.

I'm not concerned about the life cycle, milage wise. My snake is strictly a dry weather pleasure use car. I want the traction. As it is now, the MXX3s that are on there have plenty of tread depth, but they're hard as rocks. I'd rather have something with a more limited life span and better stick, though I don't want to sandblast my side sills like Tony mentioned with Khumos on the front.

-Matt

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Matt,

Just get the Pilot Sports , as they run great on the street and the strip ( Jon B has them on special now ). You will pick up alot of debris ,as this is a Road Race/ Autocross compound tire. I have run them for over 4 years on other cars and you will see a limited life, but more importantly, I still believe this is not a good idea to mismatch. The Kumho's are great in the rain, if you are an Ice Hockey fan, and though we don't often drive in wet weather in our Snakes, it is not pretty if you get caught out in it. Spend the low dough right now, call Jon B, and get a set of Pilot Sports while they are cheap.

Best of Luck !

 

[Lee Dove]

Well, I've got about 5000 miles on my Kumho's and for an everyday tire they offer great traction and perform excellent in the rain..
At 5000 miles they still have plenty of tread.

I also have the stock Michelins up front and have had no adverse handling problems.....

Oh yea, I've been as fast as 10.60's @ 135 on them

 

[Matt]

Bill,

Unfortunately JonB's special is for 18" tires only. I have the '96 5-spoke 17's. Also, I've spoken with many people who have the OEM Pilot Sports and they can spin them through 2nd gear. However, a friend with the Khumo Ecsta V700 can do a 4000 RPM clutch dump in 1st and HOOK HARD! That's what I'm after. My RT will never see rain.

-Matt

 

[Matt]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Lee Dove:
I also have the stock Michelins up front and have had no adverse handling problems.....
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Are these the Pilot Sports or MXX3's?

-Matt