So I bought a set of K1s for my car, and the tires on them will not pass inspection next month. These are gonna be my daily wheels, and my stock wheels will keep my Azenis for track/auto-x use. I looked through TireRack and found Kuhmo Ecsta ASTs in 205/50/15 for $50 a pop. My dealership has an account with TireRack, so I'm sure they will be cheaper than that. I'm not looking for something that is super sticky, I'm looking for a good daily driver tire. With a treadwear rating of 400, these should last me a good while.

Anyone use these and have any opinions?

 

I use these on my daily driver Accord in 245 section size.

They're great daily drivers if you need an all weather, all season tyre.

They will surprise you with how well they grip in the dry, coming close to the performance of some summer only performance road tyres.

 

For $16 more per tire in the 205/50/15. I really like the ASX's for DD use.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by get RIGHT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">For $16 more per tire in the 205/50/15. I really like the ASX's for DD use. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I have to apologise. It is the ASX that I am using myself, not the AST.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by George Knighton &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I use these on my daily driver Accord in 245 section size.

They're great daily drivers if you need an all weather, all season tyre.</TD></TR></TABLE>

My car may make a trip to or two to Wintergreen/Massanutten this coming winter, so I definitely want something that won't fail me in light snow. The dry gripping is an added bonus though.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by get RIGHT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">For $16 more per tire in the 205/50/15. I really like the ASX's for DD use. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I'll give them a look, but I don't believe I saw them on TireRack, and thats who I'd like to stay with since I get a discount.


Edit: Nevermind, I just didn't see them the first time I looked through. These definitely have better ratings compared to the AST, so I may give them a look instead.

 

I have driven in light snow with the ASXs a couple of times and did not have any problems with traction. They have been on my DD for ~30,000 miles now and have been great tires.

 

If you need the flexibility of occasional winter use that an all-season offers, I definitely recommend the Kumho ASX. It's one of the very best all-seasons you can get, and is priced a lot lower than the others in this category. They're $66/tire in 205/50-15 at the Tire Rack. The AST is cheaper but the performance isn't as good. The price difference between the two is less than $16 in many other sizes, but that's what it is in 205/50-15, $66 vs $50.

 

i know you've got 615s on the stock wheels, but wouldn't you want the stock wheels as dailies and the k1s as the track wheels?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jomama &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i know you've got 615s on the stock wheels, but wouldn't you want the stock wheels as dailies and the k1s as the track wheels? </TD></TR></TABLE>

That depends on which wheels you think are going to get "trashed" more, the ones used on the track or the ones used on the street including winter salt.

Personally, I use my nicest wheels on the street, my beat up ones on the track, and my steelies for the winter tires.

 

My stock wheels are not in the best condition, so I really don't care how trashed they get from abuse. The K1s are in good condition, minus needing repainting, but that'll happen when I pull the tires off them. I've thought about putting the 615s on the K1s, but I really like how they look, and want something other than stock wheels on my car. Eventually I'll buy some baller wheels and the K1s will get relegated to track duty, but thats not for awhile. I gotta find a set of BBS RSs in a stupid offset for some dailys.


Edit: Thanks for the responses, I'll have my parts manager check prices for me on the ASXs. They seem to be better suited for my needs based on ya'lls reviews and the reviews I've read on other sites.

 

I use my nice wheels all the time....I would hate seeing the stock wheels and taking them off for track or vice versa.... So they just stay on for both, track and street.

 

If I had baller *** MF10s, I'd never want to take them off either.

 

I liked it how Jim and Nolan both put their MF10s (and MF8s) to work at Expo. I wouldn't even mind cleaning them if I had a set.

 

I think I'm gonna put my Azenis on my K1s and buy some new 195/55 all season tires for my stockers. I'll only use them a once a month in the winter time, and to drive to track events, so no point in not putting the Azenis on my K1s.

 

Can someone explain why 195/55/15 ASXs are $11 more expensive per tire than 205/55/15?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by eluam &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Can someone explain why 195/55/15 ASXs are $11 more expensive per tire than 205/55/15?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Probally because 205's are more in demand and sold more than the 195's. Fwiw, I have tried both tire sizes on stock rims and could hardly tell the diff so you might as well get the cheaper of the 2.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by get RIGHT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Probally because 205's are more in demand and sold more than the 195's. Fwiw, I have tried both tire sizes on stock rims and could hardly tell the diff so you might as well get the cheaper of the 2.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That was the plan to get the cheaper, I just didn't expect the 195s to be way more expensive. I'll find out tomorrow how much they will cost me, and then eventually I'll buy a set for my stockers.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by eluam &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Can someone explain why 195/55/15 ASXs are $11 more expensive per tire than 205/55/15?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well, 205/55-15 is too big, so the price is irrelevant. The 195/55-15 ASX is $5 more than 205/50-15, FWIW.

Differences in tire prices by size often have very little to do with the cost of manufacturing them, and a lot to do with supply and demand. The more common a tire size, the higher volume they're made in, the more they are sold, the lower the price tends to be. But sometimes it just doesn't seem to make sense at all. For example, some 205/50-15 tires are less expensive than the same tire in 195/55-15 (e.g. General Exclaim UHP, Yokohama S.drive), while other 205/50-15 are more (e.g. Dunlop Direzza DZ101, Kumho ASX). Go figure.

 

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

Well, 205/55-15 is too big, so the price is irrelevant. The 195/55-15 ASX is $5 more than 205/50-15, FWIW.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm a dumb-dumb. I thought I read $77 a piece for the 195/55s.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by get RIGHT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">For $16 more per tire in the 205/50/15. I really like the ASX's for DD use. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Ditto...
I have the ASX'es on my IS and I'm really impressed with the treadwear for the first year.

One thing that's noteworthy, if you're expecting the cornering grip to be that of the 615's, it's not in the same league. However, it's a great all-around tire when you factor treadwear, price, and appearance.

-Matt