Kumho Ecsta LE Sport
01-02-2014, 01:35 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Kumho Ecsta LE Sport
Anyone ever use these tires? I signed up for an Autocross driving school in March and need a sticky tire but don't want to spend too much. There's going to be 24 runs or so in one day so there's not going to be too much left of them. I will probably use them after that as a dedicated autocross tire. I like the price and the tread rating but I've never seen them mentioned on the forums before. Any opinions?
http://www.treaddepot.com/tire-detai...&prod2=2138493
http://www.evoschool.com/#upcoming-events
http://www.treaddepot.com/tire-detai...&prod2=2138493
http://www.evoschool.com/#upcoming-events
01-22-2014, 06:32 PM
#4
Racer
Thread Starter
'09 Coupe Z51, Manual. Great car so far. It's an LT1 and I'll add the things I really want as I go along. I've had it since May but it still has the original Goodyears with 11k miles on them so they are pretty much toast.
01-23-2014, 04:19 PM
#6
Safety Car
I don't have the LE , just the sport version. My alignment guy works speed events and is highly skilled , people travel to his shop from all over.
He said the rich guys in Porsche's who could buy anything, and do, switch from Hoosiers to this tire if the race is thirteen laps. Nine laps they keep the Hoosiers on.
The sport always hooked up well, but is getting a little slippery as I near the wear indicators. Since I drive on the street only, this is not a problem, only a little more fun if I am feeling the need. I have a Kumho all season tire in he front , now discontinued.
The car came this way , from the previous owner , who had it set up this way by a Corvette shop. Probably because the sport tire is poor in the rain, they selected a different front. Or they might have been mimicking the real high end stuff, where the rear tires are for torque transfer and the fronts are for lateral traction. I never asked, but felt better with that way than if I had the sports all around.
The Kumho sport won a summer tire performance test in one of the big auto mags. I forget which one, although I bought the mag and thought the amount of tires contested was very good.
AS much as I enjoy the tire rack testing. I wish they would test more tires together. I am shopping every tire might fit my needs, not just three or four.
There is another approach, one I tossed around with the Western States parts manager for BMW. He was insuring his new Porsche at the time, said BMW's are nice, but nothing drives like a Porsche.
I had just bought a set of tires and selected the latest design for a major manufacturer. He said that was probably as a good a way to select tires as any other. Of course , we were talking about a Ford Explorer at the time.
I like the Kumho sport, and will consider buying them again, but only for the extra traction in the rear. I live in a dry area, but still am cautious with a traction limited car design. ( the design exceeds the limits of traction)
I wrote all that stuff, and just realized the best answer would be to call the driving school and ask for tire advice for your car on that track.
He said the rich guys in Porsche's who could buy anything, and do, switch from Hoosiers to this tire if the race is thirteen laps. Nine laps they keep the Hoosiers on.
The sport always hooked up well, but is getting a little slippery as I near the wear indicators. Since I drive on the street only, this is not a problem, only a little more fun if I am feeling the need. I have a Kumho all season tire in he front , now discontinued.
The car came this way , from the previous owner , who had it set up this way by a Corvette shop. Probably because the sport tire is poor in the rain, they selected a different front. Or they might have been mimicking the real high end stuff, where the rear tires are for torque transfer and the fronts are for lateral traction. I never asked, but felt better with that way than if I had the sports all around.
The Kumho sport won a summer tire performance test in one of the big auto mags. I forget which one, although I bought the mag and thought the amount of tires contested was very good.
AS much as I enjoy the tire rack testing. I wish they would test more tires together. I am shopping every tire might fit my needs, not just three or four.
There is another approach, one I tossed around with the Western States parts manager for BMW. He was insuring his new Porsche at the time, said BMW's are nice, but nothing drives like a Porsche.
I had just bought a set of tires and selected the latest design for a major manufacturer. He said that was probably as a good a way to select tires as any other. Of course , we were talking about a Ford Explorer at the time.
I like the Kumho sport, and will consider buying them again, but only for the extra traction in the rear. I live in a dry area, but still am cautious with a traction limited car design. ( the design exceeds the limits of traction)
I wrote all that stuff, and just realized the best answer would be to call the driving school and ask for tire advice for your car on that track.
Last edited by strand rider; 01-23-2014 at 04:22 PM.