Hi guys, I've narrowed down 3 tire choices for my extra autox wheels. But now I need direction on which ones to use. According to the reviews all have about the same dry grip. At least I'm lead to believe they're all roughly the same due to my driving skills. They're so close I dont believe I'm that good where I'll notice the difference.

I guess at this point I'd like to purchase the ones that will probably last the longest.

They are

The Hankook Ventos R-S3
Kumho Ecsta XS
Nitto NT05

They are roughly the same price give or take about 5.00. From what I've read there's that rating that tells how soft they are, and am I correct in thinking that the softer, the better autox tire? However the softer, the faster they wear? In that case the Hankooks are 140. the Kumhos 180 and Nittos 200. I'm leaning towards meeting in the middle and going Kumhos. Thoughts?

 

I wouldn't pay too much attention to the tread-wear ratings. They will all lose grip from heat cycles long before they cord. I have no first-hand experience with any of those models, so I will let others speak to their wear. It sounds like you will not use these on the street, but you may still want to consider cold weather / wet weather performance depending on your location. The Kumho XS for example are supposed to be a poor performer in the rain.

 

Yep I've read the Kumhos were bad in the rain, however I'm disregarding that as we don't autox much in the rain, and I swap to my stock rims when not autoxin. As for the cold, I wont be driving in the cold at all. I'm in SD, and it doesn't drop below below 70 degrees here in the summer. (knock on wood) Since they're so close in price I'm leaning on the ones that will give me the most bang for the buck. They are probably all the same in reality.

 

I heard Kumho is bankrupt....anyone else hear that? I'd go with the NT05 personally. I've heard they are awesome tires.

 

I don't think that the NT05 is considered a serious autocross contender. I'd probably jump on the Kumho Ecsta XS or Hankook R-S3.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=kumho+bankruptcy

 

I'm running the XS and I really like them. No experience with the other two.

 

Thanks guys. I went with the Kumhos.