You will enjoy your KDW, mine have yet to disappoint.

 

i was thinking about going up to a 235/40 or 245/40 tire on my stock rims...can i do that.

 

I have KDW's....22's on the double R and love them. I know it is not the same on a SUV...but very sticky.

 

my first impressions after almost a week of ownership are positive. aside from finding my front left tire flat and the rest all about 10-15 psi low, the tires themselves are great. you can still break the tires loose if you give too much throttle when it's wet, but overall traction and hadling on the freeway and through the backroads feel much better than stock and much more predictable. i still think the road noise from these are more than i anticipated, but when the stereo's on, it doens't matter all that much.

 

I LOVE my KDW's... super sticky and aren't too bad in the rain either.

 

I have 13k miles, 3 spirited trips through the mountains, 6 autocross events, and 2 days at RoadAtlanta and I have not been kind to these tires. While they seem to have plenty of grip for a 300 treadwear tire, and are only worn about half way, even after all of that. But the noise and low speed ride of them is enough that I will NOT buy another set.

The hum at 40 has been mentioned, but does anyone else get the not so subtle hum between 80-86 MPH? Cause i do. I can't drive that speed, and not hear it. Yesterday, 84 MPH with the windows down, and stereo on 14, i still heard it. And I still hated that noise. It is not an issue about being out of balance either, I made the installer re-balance them 4 times, and nothing changed. I can also feel each one of the tread blocks on the ground as I roll up to a stoplight. I feel like I am driving a 4X4 truck.

They do have good grip, wet or dry, I have autocrossed them in the wet, they do slide, but not as much as I would have expected. I have not seen the excessive wear that eclps0 mentioned. Not sure where that comes from.

I hope your experience is not as bad as mine has been. Cause I hate these tires, and have been trying to kill them almost since I bought them.

 

I love to hear people complain about the minor road noise that comes from these tires... What were you guys expecting when you looked at the tread pattern before you bought them?

Noone has said they lack grip either wet or dry, and only one person says they have had tread-life issues... Sounds like a good performance tire to me... If you want something comfortable, buy the Pilot Sports... For performance, KDW's are the way to go

Just my 2 cents

 

sorry, minor road noise i can deal with, but a noise that is so loud that it can be heard over the wind generated by the windows and sunroof being open, and the stereo on, is in my observation, NOT minor. and my hearing sucks. Others that have been in my car, have also considered it an untolerable noise. I am just trying to let people know what I have experinced with these tires, on an RX-8.

Take it for what it is worth, or disregard it if you think I am being sensitive.

 

The tires were great while they lasted but to me i wont pay 170 a tire for this tire. I can go 7 dollars more and get falken 615s. I also had 20,000 miles on the kdws. And after 15,000 miles the noise is horrible.




Man eveyone is bitching at me i was just giving you guys some input from a driver that drove over 20,000 miles with the tires

 

Sometimes I think people get different tire compounds then other owners. Case in question, I don't like my T1-R's, but everyone praises them online. I think I got sold lemon rubber.

 

that is scary, i have been looking at the T1-R. One of the other Georgia guys has the T1-S, and likes them. I may have to go with the Falken's after all. I do believe that it is possible to get a bad set of tires, that had a defect in the manufacturing process.

 

Hm, I know 2 different 8's in town, a saturn, and 3 subarus that all love their KDW's... I've ridden in every car and I have never even noticed road noise... Maybe there were some variations in the rubber compound... Maybe a difference from east coast to west coast...

On a side note, Ive heard the subaru guys complain about the tires being too sticky on a couple of occasions...

Whee

 

Update which tire is the Winner?

 

^

I don't know how mine would be a good conclusion, but here's an improvement IMO:

At this specific 100 degree right turn on my way home, I always test my car's cornering ability. I have found the perfect line to taking the turn and have been using that line consistently. What I changed was the entry speed. With the stock Potenzas I had, the rear tires would start screaming loud at 35 mph. With my KDW's (1K+ miles), I am able to take it 42 - 45 mph before the tires would scream (light scream too).