I do some SCCA racing every so often and do alot of freeway driving..according to the a distription of this tire:
"With the latest in tread compound technology, the 711 is designed to deliver the best high-speed performance in hydroplaning resistance and wet handling. Wide Tread Contact Area provides excellent dry grip, stability at high speeds, and handling. Wide circumferential grooves channel water away to provide superior wet traction"

They sound pretty good and the tread wear of 340AA will help them last.

My question is anyone run on these tires and what have been your overall rating for wet or dry traction?
1 - 10... 10 being excellent

Thanks

 

I wouldn't recommend it for most people. Here's why.

Here is Kumho's current line-up of summer tires, in order of cost and performance, starting with the highest cost and performance (both wet and dry):

1. Kumho Ecsta MX
2. Kumho Ecsta SPT
3. Kumho Ecsta Supra 712
4. Kumho Ecsta 711

The Ecsta MX, while not quite as good as the very best street tires available today (e.g. Goodyear F1 GS-D3, Bridgestone S-03, Dunlop SP Sport Maxx), is less expensive than those tires. A lot of performance-oriented folks, including some who use it for autocross and racetrack events, really like the MX. Treadwear is rated 220, so it probably won't last as many miles as the others listed here.

The Ecsta SPT was recently introduced as a competitor in the "budget performance" segment, for people who want decent performance (wet and dry) but are also interested in a good purchase price. In Tire Rack testing, it beat the Yokohama ES100 (perhaps the most popular tire in this segment) overall, although the ES100 was superior in a couple of important respects, including dry handling and lap times. It offers great "bang for the buck". Treadwear is 320-340, so it should last about as long as the 711.

The Ecsta 712 is Kumho's previous entry in the budget performance segment, and is being replaced by the Ecsta SPT - probably because the 712 was so markedly inferior to the Yokohama ES100 (which beat it in 23 out of 23 performance categories in Tire Rack testing). Treadwear is 280-360.

The Ecsta 711 is just plain cheap. It might be okay if you don't care at all about performance and you simply wanted a low cost tire.

If you care about performance - even a little bit - then I would recommend getting the Ecsta SPT over the 712 or the 711. It will give you a LOT more performance for not all that much more money.

If you care a lot about performance and you don't mind paying more for it, then you may want to consider the MX or some of the top-of-the-line tires from other brands.

 

Like nsxtasy said go with one of the ones higher on that list. I have the 712's (got them before the SPT came out ::doh!: and I love them. They are awsome in dry and wet and dont seem to be wearing out fast at all. (I only had them a few thousand so far, no tracking but sprited driving). I would imagine the 712 and SPT wouldnt be much more expensive than the 711 (dont know what size you need) for the amount of performance difference you get. I like my 712's and the SPT is even better than that so either one you should be happy with.

 

I just bought the 711 and they are awesome for what they are made for. They are pretty good in the rain and in dry are very decent. I am using them for the rest of the summer and next year when I buy my new wheels I will probably get the MX for when I do lapping or autocross but the 711 is a decent street tire. To bad it doesnt get as much credit as it should.

Dave

 

Anybody have the SPT's?

 

I've been looking into Kumho tires as well and information was helpful. I will be replacing my stock Michellin soon and I'm not really familar with tire sizing. I have 195 60 15. I know majority of the performance tires do not make this size. What size can I take instead?

JP

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jaypee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've been looking into Kumho tires as well and information was helpful. I will be replacing my stock Michellin soon and I'm not really familar with tire sizing. I have 195 60 15.</TD></TR></TABLE>

May I ask what kind of car (year, make, model) you have? I'm wondering whether 195/60-15 might not be your stock size, and I'd love to look it up and check.

Incidentally, the Yokohama AVS ES100 tire comes in that size, and that's an excellent tire at an excellent price. But I'm betting that there is a different stock size for your car.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

May I ask what kind of car (year, make, model) you have? I'm wondering whether 195/60-15 might not be your stock size, and I'd love to look it up and check.

Incidentally, the Yokohama AVS ES100 tire comes in that size, and that's an excellent tire at an excellent price. But I'm betting that there is a different stock size for your car.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have 2003 Honda Civic Si (EP3).

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jaypee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have 2003 Honda Civic Si (EP3).</TD></TR></TABLE>

You're right, your stock size is 195/60-15. Interesting, interesting; I've never heard of any cars using that stock size!

As I mentioned, the Yokohama AVS ES100 tire is available in that size, 195/60-15. The ES100 is really an excellent tire for the money - very good dry traction, outstanding wet traction, lasts a long long time, and has a bargain price. The ES100 has been perhaps the most popular tire in the "budget performance" category over the past few years. I have them on my '94 GS-R and they've really been very good, and they're very inexpensive ($74/tire at the Tire Rack in this size). I'm sure you'll find that they are a big step up in performance from your stock Michelin tires!

One size that you can probably use without any problems is 205/55-15. The 205/55-15 is 1.4 percent smaller in outer diameter than stock, so your speedometer and odometer will read higher than actual by that percent. 1.4 percent is not a very big difference. Also, since the tire is slightly smaller in outer diameter (although wider), it will probably not rub anywhere on the fenders. So you shouldn't have any problems using the 205/55-15 size. There is a wider variety of tires available in that size, including the Bridgestone S-03 ($128/tire), which is one of the very best top-of-the-line street tires around, and several "budget performance" tires similar to the Yokohama ES100, including the Kumho Ecsta SPT ($67/tire), the Fuzion ZRi ($60/tire), and the ES100 itself ($78/tire in this size), as well as a couple of more expensive but similar-performing tires from Bridgestone (RE750, $94) and BFGoodrich (g-Force T/A KDW 2, $101).

Here's my recommendation. If you are looking for the absolute, best tire you can get for your car, and you don't mind paying a higher price for your tires - such as if you take your car to the track or autocross a lot - then get the S-03 in 205/55-15 for $128/tire. If you care about performance but you also care about how much you pay for your tires and how long they last, then get the ES100 in the stock 195/60-15 size for $74/tire.

HTH

 

Nsxtasy,

Thanks for the awesome input. You gave me all the info I needed and all the questions answered. I'm going to give Yokohama a shot.

Thx,

JP


Modified by Jaypee at 2:37 PM 8/11/2005

 

thanks to all