i heard a lot about the kumho, but has anyone used the dunlop?
im basically concerned with price, i need a decent tire for not that much money. which one of these (or other fairly inexpensive tires) do you guys recommend?
btw, please dont say something like "add a few bucks and get the better tire"
TIA

add falken azenis sport and falken ziex


[Modified by bocian, 2:49 AM 3/11/2002]

 

i have kumhos on now and i like em

 

Pirelli P7000, $69 tire @ Tirerack.com.

Kumhos don't seem to be quite as good as either the Dunlop or Pirelli, when you read the owners comments at Tirerack.

Pirelli seem to have good grip and aren't noisy (at least very noticeably), which seemed to be one problem some owners reported (worse for the Dunlops).

Of those who mentioned both Dunlop and Pirelli, the preference was for the Pirelli.

OTOH, The SP9000 is still a better tire than a comparable Pirelli.

 

You are mistaken if you think the SP9000 is in the league of the PZero.

 

Falken Azenis
Sumitomo HTZR II
Pirelli P7000
Kumho Ecsta Supra 712
Yokohama Parada

these are all fairly inexpensive tires.. my friend had the Sumitomos on his car and seemed to like them a lot... for the price Kumho's arent bad.. I dont know anyone w/ the W-10's so i cant commment... i do have the Dunlop SP9K's and they are great...

 

Could be.

But then, we are talking tires that fit on stock rims.

 

I have the Kumho 712's and I absolutely hated them when I first mounted them on. My attitude towards them continued for around 5k miles. They squealed like pigs EVERYWHERE and did not grip as well during harder launches or fast sweeping turns. After the initial 5k miles, they became SO much better. Breakaway in long sweeping turns became A LOT more predictable and they no longer squeal as much as they used to. From the beginning, rain performance was at the top of its class. I've always felt confident in the rain with the Kumhos.

For a cheap summer tire with excellent rain performance and treadwear rating, I highly recommend the Kumho Ecsta 712's. On the other hand, I can't help but to put in a plug for the Falken Azenis. They will be my next tire as soon as the Ecstas are done for.

Some alternatives from http://www.tirerack.com (great, cheap, and grippy, but in an irregular size of 195/50-15):
Bridgestone Potenza S-03 - $76
Dunlop SP Sport 9000 - $66

Actually, in the size of 195/50-15, you can get the Dunlop W-10's for $45!

 

I have Nankang, I think the EX-500's. V-rated w/ 320 treadwear. I was taking some extremely hard turns last weekend and I still haven't found the limits of the tires yet. That could change w/ a 22mm rear swaybar, though. All in all, not bad for $280.

 

To answer your question, I'd grab a set of the W10s for $45 each!

For some reason my newest C&D TIre Rack ad has the 195/50/15s for $58, but Dozed is right..... the website has them for $45. I've never owned or ridden on them but I would never go back to 712s ever. They get horribly noisy at around 20k miles with religious rotating and no camber issues.

BTW, if you need an inexpensive summer tire, my Sumi's are like glue in the rain. I only have 200 miles on them (NOT EVEN BROKEN IN YET! ) and while driving through a complete downpour (almost sounding like hail!) they would not dart or torque-steer my car thru potholes or grooves in the road. The dry characteristics have gone untested but I did take on fast corner today after I got my pressures correct (35f/34r) and they stuck with no squeal or slipping.


[Modified by MmmVTEC, 11:23 AM 3/11/2002]

 

i love my sp w-10's
a bit noisy on the highway but not bad...
never squeal going around a corner...
good grip, decent price.
i like mine.

 

BFG's from SAMS club!!
52 bucks mounted

upon the approach to the limit of safe grip the tries are very predictable, no supprises. No squeeling when cornering fast. I cannot! get them to squawl when taking a complete downward looping off ramp. towards the bottom if pushed you feel a slight loss of grip, but no squeeling and very smooth.

I know some guys are aginst American tires on there import cars but at least for me and with my car (and wallet) these are the ticket...at least for now.

 

A good percentage of the "foreign" tires are made here, too.

Bridgestone comes to mind.

 

oh no doubt bro, but i think you have an idea what i mean

 

I had the W10 on my car...not the greatest tire. Average at the best I would say, but the main thing I hated about them is the treadwear. They have horrible treadwear, about 160. After 10k miles on the without burnouts or anything, they have very low tread left.

 

I have the sp w-10's, and I love them! They are great, and as for the tread wear, don't listen to the person who previously posted, cuz he must drive like a moron... The tread wear is great,a nd the tires wear good!

 

ive had both sets of tires. the W-10's were without a doubt WAY better. the only reason i bought the kumho's was because of the price. i now regret making that desicion

 

I have the kumhos on right now and I hate them, I will never buy them again bad treadwear, not very stiff sidewall for hard cornering for me I will never buy those again.

Dunlop W-10....so so. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either overall seemed very average. Compared to Kumho I feel it is a better value.

THE BEST TIRE FOR THE MONEY? Pirelli P700Z for only $44 at http://www.tirerack.com. Wear rating is only 140 but mine lasted 30k miles and did everything first class. Pirelli p700 is the best hands down for the money, period!

 

Halo: Try upping the tire pressure. I have mine at 38F / 36R.

 

Thanks Dozed I set them last month to 42 all around and that did help a little, but overall they don't handle like Pirelli. In southern Ca there is one of the first Freeways ever built the Pasadena Freeway it is windy with sharp turns and narrow lanes. In my car club days we use to travel this stretch very fast. I recently took this strecth in the Kumhos and quickly lost confidence in its abilities compared to the 700z

 

thanks to all of you for the responses,
now i want the pirellis but the thing about them is their poor treadwear, 140
the dunlop w10 are a better treadwear of 200
but im looking for 300+ treadwear. BUT, how accurate are these numbers? is 300 THAT much better than 200 as far as treadwear?

btw, what about the tire size 205-55-15 for the stock 95 gsr rim? i know theres a difference but its not that much, the 205-50-15 has a speedometer reading of 1.6 too fast but the 205-55-15 size is 1.8 too slow


tia once again!

 

also, i only saw one person who mentioned the Nankang ns-1 tires. anyone else use them? how is their dry, wet traction. they are not that expensive, 252 for 4 with free shipping.

 

Treadwear ratings are different amongst manufacturers. 140 might last longer with one manufacturer, but last maybe 10k miles with another. I'm confused as to what you want now...are you looking for a tire that lasts a long time or a balance of longevity and performance? For all-out longevity, get the V-Rated Kumho 712's...they have like a 340 treadwear rating. The Pirelli sounds good despite its 160 treadwear rating. Maybe you too can get 30k miles on them.

Halo: Hey, it was worth a try! I was in the same predicament as you a couple months back, until a fellow member told me to try higher tire pressures. It made a significant difference. Also, if you don't mind me asking, do you have the Z-Rated 712's?

 

sorry i sound confusing but i am looking for a balance of longevity and performance and i still dont know which tire to get

 

one more thing...anyone experience the falken azenis on a wet surface?
it says that the tire is made for maximized dry performance, but what about performance in the rain???

 

205/55-15 is closer to the 195/55-15 diameter than 205/50-15.

Go to TireRack and look at the "spec" section on each tire. You'll find none of them are the same overall diameter for the same size tire across brands or between different models within the same brand.

I used the XGT V4 as my rule of thumb (23.3 or 23.4" diam. and 890 revolutions/mile). Revs/mile is probably most important.

215/50-15 is the best match to stock diameter, and most will fit on the 6" wide stock rims. Clearance inside the fenderwell is the issue to take into account. Should be .5" wider than stock.