i am enjoying my brand spankin' new MXs lots.... sticky & quiet (doubt the quiet will last long, but we'll see)

 

falken 452, not too expensive and has very good traction!

 

I'd either get the A/S Avons, BFGoodrich KDW2s or the Falkens.

Okay, I changed my mind after reading more and more about them. Get the Kumhos and put the saved money into other mods.

 

I've driven a RX-8 with Kuhmo Ecsta (not sure which model, probably 712?) and the steering feel is definitely not as good as the OEM Dunlop. Not sure if it's an alignment specific issue on that car or if the tire just has less steering feedback. Keep this in mind when you look for new tires.

 

Climacus, since you don't remember what kind of Kumhos they were I gather it wasn't even your car. I am on my second set of Kuhmo Ecsta MX 245/40 18 ZR and I must say they are much better than the original Potenza E040. Better grip, smoother ride, less/no tramlining, and way less noise.

 

I bought a new set of Kuhmo MX's in April when I took my car out of storage. Phenominal tires. I have no grips about them whatsoever. I believe at the time the were $165 a tire for 245/40-18's. Worth every penny and more.

 

Those Bridgestones will peel off pretty quick... they have the worst tread life of all sport performance tires. Yoko ES100, Kumho, Dunlop Direzza's are all longer lasting summer tires in the cheaper price range.

The Dunlop Direzza is their drift tire. Darn good performance with excellent durability.

 

Another vote for the Yokohama AVS ES100s. I selected the 245/40x18 on the stock rims, and really like the handling. They seem to do well in the occassional wet, but I haven't had much opportunity to really test that during our drought. Tire Rack reviews and owner surveys have also helped me decide.

 

I put the Dunlop Direzza on my 8. I have about 1,000 miles on it so far and I am still unsure of the tire. After increasing the tire pressure 2 pounds all around, they defenantly have a better feel now. They seem to have great grip, but my confidence is not that high with them. I think it is because under any kind of cornering (including following a Camry through some twisties) they make a lot of noise. They sound like they are fighting for traction when they are not. Under very hard cornering it is a little confusing. The feel is realy good but they sound like they will break at any secound. I am hoping that as the tires continue to break in, they will get better.

Oh, the steering response of them is very light and they look realy good on the car.

Has anyone else tried them?

 

Direzzas definately make a lot of noise. I currently have 12000 miles on my 19 inch tires and plenty of tread left...still look fairly new. But then again, I got over 35000 miles on my stock Potenzas and was still able to sell them to a forum member for 200 bucks because they still had a lot of tread life remaining....

I loved the Potenzas. Kuhmo's aren't that bad...I think you may have a better deal with them over most tires.

 

I had AVS ES100s on a different car and they lasted over 30K miles, but they were just city and highway miles. I don't think they were the stickiest rubber I've ever had though. But the warranty and cost were great.

 

I drove my bridgestones down to the wear-bars in 20k miles. I have now driven my Kumho SPTs to their wear-bars in around 26k miles. The RE040s were definately more planted than the Kumhos. However, our car handles great simply because the way the suspension is set up. Oh, a 3000 pound curb weight and 50/50 weight distribution also help a little. If you want to save money go with the Kumhos. If you track your car, or treat the street as your own personal track, spend a little more money for some softer rubber.

 

The best Kumhos are the MX tires. Get the 245/40 18 ZR and they will grip much better than the Bridgestone RE040s and cost a heck of a lot less. Oh, I got 30k miles out of my last set of Kumhos. Great tire for the price.

 

At approx. 20K miles, I replaced the OEM Bridgestones with 225/45 BF Goodrich KDWs - ERROR. They were very grippy, particularly in the wet. But the noise level was hideous and made worse by a resonance at approx 20, 45 and 80 mph. I now have the Kumho SPTs and the road noise is gone. Much quieter than than even the OEM Bridgestones. Turn in feel is a little vague. They feel equal to the KDWs in the dry when at the limit (my limit). They are very good in the rain. Road trips are a joy again.

 

My SPTs are probably the best wet handling tire I've ever driven on. Dry handling is good, but not as good as the stock Dunlop 8090s that came with my 8. I've got about 18k my Kumhos and they're really noisy, but I'm probably going to buy another set next spring.

 

MadRonin, consider the MX Kumhos. They are the best street Kumho you can get and are still waaay less money than anything else comparable. I got 30k miles (admittedly bald) out of my last set of them and I'm still loving the new ones I just put back on.

 

did you consider the BF goodrich t/a kdw2's?

 

Actually, I have MXs and they are dead quiet compared to the RE040 with the same mileage. I have 12k miles on mine and there is about 3 mm left of tread on the inside of the tires......completely due to my driving hehehe.

 

If the damn stock Dunlop 8090's weren;t so freaking expensive to replace, I'd love to just keep buying them everytime I need new tires... but... they're just so unaffordable!

 

31K! The first owner of my car drove those OEM RE040 tires hard. The two front are down to the wear bars and I'm only at 13.6K.

 

I'm attracted to the Kuhmo SPTs because of many good reviews here. But I still wonder - at $120/tire (@ discount tire (they can be found even cheaper on tirerack))...doesn't that seem like TOO good of a deal? Are we all just settling because they have a nice price?

 

Holy thread revival Bat Man!

Get the Kuhmo MX if you want to spend a little more. It's the best tire they make for the road. I'm on my second set now and I love 'em. Loads of grip, less noise than other more expensive tires, and you can get about 30k miles out of 'em. I paid $165 for mine.

 

neither. get yokohama avs es100 in 245/40/18. GREAT tire. Lovin it.

Or if you need something for the track. Falken Azenis 615

 

That's strange, I've read the exact opposite about the MX's. Possibly more than once. Here's a sample:
argh! Seems like the only way to know is to have tried yourself

 

Here's a quote regarding the Yoko's from yours truly:
Now that you've had more of a chance to try 'em out, is that still a good assessment?