[VeilsideTT]

I am looking to buy tires for my winter rims and I am on a budget. The car will not really be driven in wet weather so I am looking for handling and good launches off the line (as good as it gets for $100-$125 a tire). Anyway, I think I have my choices narrowed down to the Kuhmo Ecsta's and the Yokohama AVS intermediates. I am curious to know what anyone's experiences have been. How do each hook up at BPU-BPU++ levels. How do each handle? I am also open to any other tire suggestions but I think with the info at TireRack.com I want one of these two tires. Also, are there any street drags out there that actually have a decent tread life, not to mention decent handling. Hope you guys can make up my mind for me. Thanks.

 

[gritsak]

ive got the avs intermediates. they are pretty decent, they grip a lot better the my old nitto 555's and are a lot cheaper. they stick pretty good on the street and decent at the track. ive never ran the kuhmos so i cant compair, but i can tell you i am happy with the intermediates, especially for the price.

 

[GSXXXguy]

I currently use the Intermediates. Good tire for the price. When rolling through a parking lot slowly sometimes I can hear them sticking from the little holes.

The AVS Sports are good too

 

[Bernout]

Due to the financial situation, I chose the Kumho's. (245/45ZR17, 275/40ZR17) Besides, its a tire that says "Supra" on it!!!

Anyway, they have held up under thousands of heavy miles of hard driving with very little tread wear. An excellent tire for commuting and drifting. I say drifting because there isn't as much grip a some would expect from 275-width tires. Under acceleration in a fast turn, like a freeway on-ramp, the fronts will understeer lightly at first, then with a smooth, wonderfully progressive howl, the rear comes out and you are in a sweet controllable drift in 2nd or 3rd gear. These are the most fun street tires I've had, not only due to the long tread life but just the ability to slide the car around at will without the worry of suddenly losing all traction, but because they are very predictable with how much grip they have. You can feel and hear before the tires come loose, unlike many much more grippy tires which break away all of a sudden.

Kumho's = Good daily drivers, moderate grip, progressive and predicatable handling. And cheap!

 

[VeilsideTT]

Thanks for the help guys. I think you guys have helped me make up my mind.

 

[Jack B]

If you drive hard and your name isnt Mani J, avoid kuhmo's like the plauge. They're horrible for traction and ive had 2 different tires from 2 sets go bad (one popped while on the freeway, the other became defective and bubbled out from the back of the tire, where i couldnt even see it). Spend the 20 bucks more per tire and get something quality.

 

[V8THIS]

Kumho's are pretty crappy, not very sticky around corners, *VERY* little use in the way of traction....they do however offer decent treadwear and are very predictable at the limits. I think you should also look into Sumitomo HTZ (the HTZ's, NOT the HTZ-II's). They sell for a decent price and are fairly sticky around turns and off the line.

-Mike

I am looking to buy tires for my winter rims and I am on a budget. The car will not really be driven in wet weather so I am looking for handling and good launches off the line (as good as it gets for $100-$125 a tire). Anyway, I think I have my choices narrowed down to the Kuhmo Ecsta's and the Yokohama AVS intermediates. I am curious to know what anyone's experiences have been. How do each hook up at BPU-BPU++ levels. How do each handle? I am also open to any other tire suggestions but I think with the info at TireRack.com I want one of these two tires. Also, are there any street drags out there that actually have a decent tread life, not to mention decent handling. Hope you guys can make up my mind for me. Thanks.

 

[DSMu4ia]

Kumho's suck.

I (with the WWD Eclipse) fight for traction probably just as much as you Supra guys do. Anyways, even with full suspension mods, LSD, and decent power, I can MELT 225-45 Kumho's all through 2nd and most of third gear. These are the worst tires I've driven on. I've never used the AVS's, but I have used A-520's and they were much better. Sure the Kumho's have a higher wear rating, but in reality tires all last the same. Think about it..

A Kumho that can last ~30k, but spins in your first three gears 80% of the time. Probably puts it down to around 10k.

A Yoko that can last ~20k, but only spins through your first two gears, 80% of the time. Probably lasts around 10k.

The Yoko would be the better choice, much more sticky, much safer (no drifting two lanes of traffic in the wet), and ultimately raise the performance of your vehicle.

I've learned NEVER to skimp on tires.

 

[SagaSupra]

yup i agree with everyone. I'm currently running the Kumhos on my Racing Harts and i must say i hate them. I missed the yokohamas which were on my stick rims. Seems like the tires keep on getting loose on me wether in turns or off the line. The Yokohamas gripped much more. So after im done killing the tread on the Kumho's, i think imma spend a couple extra bucks and get something more in the lines of Yokohamas.

 

[Silver Supra]

yup i agree with everyone. I'm currently running the Kumhos on my Racing Harts and i must say i hate them. .........

Well - you can't agree with everyone since not everyone previous had the same opinion.
I don't "race" that much, but I find the Kumhos are fine for normal driving with some "spirited" runs. You can't beat the price. I also find them very predictable.

 

[Ranger498]

best bang for the buck tire are the sumitomos !

 

[boostedsupratt]

I've got the Kuhmo Supras 265/35/18 in the back and they worked fine for BPU. They were only $150. Now that I went single they just completly spin so i'm getting the $180 Sumos at 285/35/18

 

[SagaSupra]

yeah...the kumhos are the best bang for the buck. No question about that. Thats the reason why i bought them in the first place. I needed tires to mount on my rims for the Del Mar Show... So for everyday driving, yeah, i have no complaints about them. But when it comes down to some hard driving... I would lean towards something else

Wassup with those Sumitomos??? Any personal experiences?

 

[Jack B]

I've got sumi's on the rear, love them. Great handeling ability, very predictable, and good traction (although nowhere near perfect, but WAY better then kumho's). In the rain they arent bad, part throttle i was going strait, at WOT the rear would be all over the place, but it'd be no fun if it didnt anyway =)

 

[chnco]

The Sumitomo HTR Z-II's are the BEST bang for the buck. I picked up 2 rears (285/18) for $181 a piece.