mitchfried

Had a set of BF Goodrich KDW-2's, 225/45/18 installed yesterday at Costco. Insane traffic has not allowed me to go faster than 50, or to corner at more than 30, so I'll post my impressions after I do some real driving. The attached photos show how cool and nasty they look. The stock RE040 is shown along side for comparo (RE040 looks bigger in picture, but it's actually same size)

BlueRenesis82

please post inpressions, those are the tires im looking at when i get my BBS's.

JeRKy 8 Owner

I dont seethat flame effect everyone istalking about on these tires

mitchfried

You can't see the yellow and orange flames coming off the tires? Check your monitor.

mitchfried

Seriously, after about 50 miles I can tell you that they give a more comfortable ride than the RE040, and with the exception of some initial drumming noise at 40 mph (which seems to be lessening) they are also quieter. Steering response appears quicker and the overall feeling is "livelier." Part of this may be due to the 3 pound lighter weight of the tire. Further impressions to follow.

The total cost for 4 was about $800 at C*stc*, which includes tax, road hazard, mounting, and lifetime balance and rotation.

BlueRenesis82

How is handling?

mitchfried

Favorite roads for comparo still choked with traffic here in Central Florida. Will report later.

rx8cited

Costco could handle installing the 18" tires and TPMS wheel units with no problems/scratches? Did they do a good job balancing the tires? Look forward to your report once traffic calms down .

mitchfried

The first C*stc* I went to did not have the "plastic adapter" (as they described it) to handle the mount/dismount. They called to another local store that had the proper installation equipment, and I drove the tires over to the other store. I washed the rims today, and saw no damage. The balance also appears to be fine (up to 80 with no vibration/wobble/tires flying off rims).

JeRKy 8 Owner

My local Costco isgiving the same deal (exactly 800 bucks). How about goingover bumps potholes and railroad tracks? Better same or worse than w/RE040?

RXE16T

Interesting tread pattern.

army_rx8

they look a whole lot more interesting than the potenza's do..hehe from what i've read just about anythign you get is better than the oem tires. congrats on the new shoes

mitchfried

I'd like to answer your question, Jerky 8, but I'm trying to avoid potholes. :D

The overall comfort feel is "softer" than the Potenza's, like wearing sneakers instead of leather bottom shoes. Keep in mind that I only had 2,400 miles on the Potenza's, so the comparison is a fair one between new BF's and almost new Potenzas. If I had 15k on the Potenza's, then put on new, but identical, Potenza's, the same new tire would feel better than the old used ones.

I don't see any down side to the BF's, other than the drumming noise at 40 mph which appears to be subsiding. I'm not an autocrosser or race driver, so I can't give you a technical answer regarding how or why the handling is better. It is. More rounded edge to the sidewalls?

I was told by the installer at C*stc* that he owns the tires, and that the wet performance is better than any tire he's experienced. He also said they are wearing very well.

xdrian

they look thin compared to the potenza's

mitchfried

No, like I said, they are same size. BF is mounted and more towards the background of the picture.

JeRKy 8 Owner

I gotmy KDW 2s installed today. Coincidentally it rained like hell tonight in Miami anhour after I gotthem installed soI was basically forced to test out this tires wet traction. The stylish tread design isnt just for looks after all! I went upto 70mph at one point in some heavy rain andlets just say that so far water doesnot seem to be issue w/these KDWs. I took a couple sharp turns on the way back home aswell butIve still got to test these out a little more before I can say they handle better than the OEM Bridgestones. They definitely have better wet traction though - thats for sure.

JeRKy 8 Owner

Well guysI tested out the KDW-2s handling for the past 2 days w/things like 90 degree turns @ 15 - 30 mph and how stable the car felt on twisty roads and ramps w/sharp corners @ 55 - 75 mph.

I dunno if mitch did similar testing orif he was as aggressive as I was w/the KDW-2s but unfortunately I noticed they dont handle these conditions as wellas the OEM Bridgestones did.

Dont get me wrong - the KDWs still handle verywell - but the OEM tires seemed to do slightly better in the same conditions. The DSC lights came on more often w/these tires andwhen I was taking one of those 35mph twisty down ramps @ 70 - 75mph (my policy w/my car is thatit can take the corners at double the posted limit) the back end felt a little more stable w/the OEMs. Not a whole lot more - but lets just say I was a little uncertain at some points whether or notthe car was going to slip out whereas w/the OEM Potenzas I feltmore confident.

rx8cited

They're probably not broken in yet: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...l/break_in.jsp

mitchfried

Jerky, did you stick with the 225/45/18, or did you go to 245/40/18? I stayed stock.

I have about 250 miles on mine and have noticed a significant reduction in road noise from brand new. Keep in mind that if you stayed stock size, the tire is about 3 pounds lighter than the RE040, so the steering may feel a little quicker, which you may equate to less stable. I also had a chance to drive in the rain, and the tires simply ignored the wet. I'm also trying to track gas mileage to see if the lighter tires give any improvement (hard to imagine it could become worse!).

I'll report back when the 500 mile break-in period is over.

JeRKy 8 Owner

Funny --the Costco bastard didnt seem to mention anything whenI asked about taking it easyfirst on the tires. In fact hesaid "no youdont have to do anything special - do what you gotta do." I guess I deleted thatother post andIll wait another week or so andtry again

JeRKy 8 Owner

Alright Ivegot well over 500 miles onthese tires now and Im still sticking w/my original statement. The OEM Bridgestone Potenzas handle better than the KDWs. In fact the other night I thought I was going to slide into another vehicle whiletaking a turn - and there were 3 lanes between us. I justcant seem to pull off the same wicked turns w/these tires thatI could easily execute w/the OEMs. Oh well - I guess thats a sacrifice I unwittingly made when I bought this tire which has longer treadlife than the OEM. On the brightside at least now Im extremely confident w/wet traction - notthat I ever worried too much about wet traction even w/the Potenzas.

Ole Spiff

That's surprising because the KDW2 gets a better rating in all categories of performance compared to the OEM Potenza. How worn were your OEM tires? They may have been nearly at race-level tread (they deliberately shave the tread down which improves steering response and handling), so a new tire would be a little more squirmier (is that a word?) which would also hold true for new Potenza's. When the KDW's get worn down some they should improve too.

mitchfried

Jerky:

Did you stay with the original 225/45/18's? I did, and inflated the KDW2's to 36 pounds. At 32 pounds they were a little loose. Try the higher pressure and see if that helps. Is it possible you're going faster and just don't realize it?

What you might be missing is the stiffer shoulder on the RE040. Overall, IMHO, the BF's handle better in the dry, much better in the rain, and are quieter than stock. Maybe the quicker steering response due to the design and lighter weight is throwing you off a bit.

therm8

I'm running 36# on kdw's also, stock dimensions. I've got about 5000 miles on them, and I completely disagree with the Bridgestones handling better. The BFG's for me are considerably better, and the wet traction is insane in comparison.

JeRKy 8 Owner

OkIll take these one at a time ---

I remember discussingthis w/you in that other thread. Like I said beforethose ratings on TireRack do not takeinto account the factthat people are using different cars (the Potenza reviews comefrom mostly distraught 350z owners) and at different sizes. As far as my OEM tires being worn - I drove them tillthey were literally bald but the performance w/the OEMs was golden evenback when I had 4000 miles on them.

Yes Ive gotthe exact same size as OEM - 225/45R18. I didnt try inflating the tire higher though. Ive got mine at 32 --Ill try the 36PSI suggestion starting tomorrow. I hope that helps. As for going faster-- Ive beendriving down the exact same overpasses streets and sharp corners at the same speeds. In fact lately I havent really tried taking turns faster than 55 b/c Im the handling right now is frustrating enough at this speed. As far as the stiffer shoulder - thats definitely something I didnt take into account. How much stiffer is it on the RE040s?

I was under the impression that 32 PSI was optimal but I guesssince the KDWs are actually lighter than the Potenzas that I had better try 36 PSI.