Hi, I currently have kumho spt's on my 8 mt 6 spd. I've already rotated and I believe it's time for a change. I live in Houston, TX, there is no such thing as a REAL winter or snow, it's humid and hot, hence the SPT's. I am a daily driver to work and school (80 miles a day). I have not tracked the car nor do I intend to, I just love her for what she is. I do not know much about tires except that there is not noticeable difference in longevity or performance between the original Bridgestone's and the current Kumho's. Maybe there is, but I have yet to see measurable differences.

I've been looking online and I can get the same kumho's for $116. The SPT's have literally done the job in my eyes, but I am no expert. From my experience, regardless of which tire I get, I will have to get new ones each year mostly due to my daily drive of 80 miles. I could be wrong in that sense. I was also looking into General Exclaim and if anyone has had experience with those?? They're very cheap from what I've seen online.....

Also, is there a better time to buy tires in the year? As you can tell, I am not trying to spend a great deal of money on my tires, I just need tires that can do the job for my daily commute and my 8.

 

they are only good for normal driving only.... tirerack.com is the best for pricings

 

I'm assuming you're referring to the Generals??

and I wonder if $116 for the Kumho's is reasonable....

 

Both are good tires for everyday DD use. We do have some extensive rains here and so far the general uhp's have held up fine. I dont have experience with the new model SPT as I had the older model but it seemed like i would hydroplane every once in awhile even in light rain.

 

Being that I run also on the SPTs, I'll chime in for a bit. I got my car with the Kumho SPTs. They're great for exactly what you stated above: long life, not too much road noise, and they're cheap.

You have to ask yourself what you really want out of a tire. Years ago, a local Porsche Club member introduced me to the concept of performance tires and what they can do to improve your car's overall feel.

The OEM Bridgestones are somewhat pseudo-grippy in my opinion. Meaning that the breakaway characteristics are a bit more abrupt than the Kumho SPTs (which have lower overall grip than the OEM Bridgestone tires). The SPTs really start to exhibit alot of unwanted flex in the sidewalls when going at a very brisk pace through local mountain rounds.

I'm more of a grip-oriented guy, so I just bought these on closeout: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

But if you live in the cold areas or if you drive a lot, I wouldn't get those

 

Hm I have hydroplaned in my kumho's before, although that could be due to my inefficient slamming of the gas pedal even if is wet.

I don't plan on taking her up any mountain roads, mostly because there are no mountains in Houston lol. Hence, I am your typical daily driver, I just love driving her even if its on cruise....

 

I plan on buying the tires in December, the current Kumho's should last till then at least. But thank you for the input, greatly appreciated.

I think I'll go through tire rack or maybe discount tire and price match if I really want to avoid shipping with tire rack.

As a daily driver, all I really do in terms of having fun with her is just redlining onto freeways via on ramps or redlining on long straights that I know of, no corner carving unless you want to count those on ramps to different freeways, I'll really push the limits there..

 

Yeah in your case I would get the 245/40/18 general exclaim uhp tire. Very good tread life and reasonably good grip once warmed up. Performs very well in the rain as well

 

Not to sound like a smart-***, but don't you mean 225/45/18?? I was just making sure because I forgot the exact size

 

no he really means 245/40/18, get this size for sure, you will be happy, and you will not see a noticeable difference wheel gap

 

www.treadepot.com has them for $99 per tire

 

Wow, thanks man!

 

yeah 245/40/18 is a great fit for the OEM wheel; It'll really give your 8 a wider stance and some more grip; loss of mpg will be unnoticeable

 

treadepot has some great prices ..

 

i like FALKENS 512 on 245 40 18 from discounttires.com