And these tires come from the factory with a sticker on them that states there is a break in period....when I put mine on they were slippery as all heck....after 500 miles or so they stick like glue on the pavement with 430 RWHP....

Highly recommended....

 

I just had a set of Kumho Ecsta MX Run Flat's installed on my '04. They're OK for what I do, which is just drive normally. Didn't have the car but about a week before I got these. The Goodyears that were on it were worn out, so the Kumho's were a world of difference. I guess we'll see what happens over the course of the life of these tires.

Tracy

 

Check out Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta.

 

for a $100 more get the firestone firehaws wide ovals. very nice tire. i am very satisfied with mine.

 

Nor does it appear that you've been driving on the MX's, yet you seem rather confident in your opinion of them. Be careful with that confidence when you parrot off 3rd hand magazine info.

 

I just put the SPT's on this spring and they are far quietier, ride nicer and give just as much "street" performance as the stock GY's. I don't race, I do drive the mtns here in Colorado, and the SPT's are great. For 1/2 the price, I'll stick with the Kumho's.

 

Because I have run them (and Sumitomos) on lesser vehicles, I will never run them on a $50,000 all-American sportscar. In fact, I've found that even the Goodyear KDWs blow away the Kuhumos. I DID get what I paid for and learned my lesson well - no more cheap tires.

For those who compare $600 tires to the OEM tires, keep in mind that ANY non-runflat will feel somewhat better that the rock-hard runflats. Even Winston tires would have a smoother and quieter ride. However, it's the handling that should carry plenty of weight when it comes to your tire decision and like Car & Driver says,

""And although the MX - at $136 per - was the third-least-expensive tire in our test, the high score in the price category wasn't enough to regain ground lost in the performance tests."

As a performance tire, the MX falls flat, plain and simple.

 

Hi Dave,

I've got the Avon Tech 550 All Season tires on my 1999 Coupe and love them. When I bought the car, it had Michelin Pilot Sport A/S ZP run-flats, and they were miserable. Harsh, noisy, unpredictable on the grooved concrete of our lone local freeway. Tended to wear out in the center on the rear tires. Expensive and just not worth it.

I looked at a load of tires. A local doctor who is a friend of ours has the Firestone run-flats on his 1999, and is pleased. Another friend, a retired automotive technology professor, runs the Kumho Ecstas on his C4. Lots of good tires out there.

But I don't have anything to prove, so I don't look for the brand names. I end up looking for value. The reviews on the Avon tires were good, and after about 10k miles, they've held up well. I don't always drive like a geezer (though the amount of time I do indicates how close I am to geezerdom), and they have hung on, and launched well, and don't show measurable wear.

I'm watching my friend's Firestone run-flats, though. If they hold up, and he can keep up with me on State Route 20 over to Fort Bragg, I may think about them next time.

Still, I have no problems recommending the Avons. When mine were installed, at the local America's Tire Company, they apparently got a little notice - they had a couple more sets come in the next week for folks who had seen mine being installed.

In the end, you get what works for you. I don't exceed about 130-135, which is enough to hurt you bad (maybe even kill you a little), and have confidence in these tires. Of course, in 1975 I had confidence in the Firestone Parnelli Jones bias ply H60-15 tires on my Shelby, enough to get stopped for doing north of 120. Looking back, that scares me now. Oh, and I guess the one thing I do have to prove is that I remember those old days. The Shelby rides on repop bias ply G60 tires, just like it left the showroom wearing.

But the Vette is practical, and really the better car to drive. So it gets a good tire that represents a good value. Could have been the Kumhos or the Firestones - when I looked at the Tire Rack ratings, the Avon had the higher scores. And it's a Cooper product, straight from the wilds of Ohio.

 

dont care what anybody says .. Nitto makes a great tire and to those of you that think you have to spend large amounts of money to get a "quality" tire, well, enjoy spending your hard earned money

 

Obviously there are two schools of thought here; People who place a higher value on tires, and people who respect what tires do, but do not value it as high.

For those in the second school, Which one would you go with? The Kumho SPT or the Sumitomo's?

 

I think that line is a lot blurrier than it may seem. I spend more than my fair share of time at autox and roadrace events and place a very high value on the utility of tire, yet have had good results with some of the more reasonable brands.

Tires are VERY important to the performance of the car...but if you're just getting to and from work on said tires it doesn't matter much.

The big questions:

1) Do you want runflat or non-runflat?

2) Will your car be in any racing/track/autox conditions? If so, you'll want to study the choice a bit harder. If not, save a few $$. If you're breaking loose even the cheapest 275+ tires you're well outside the law in a C5 on the street.

Go to tirerack.com and you'll find hundreds of tire reviews.

 

I am not going to read all this but I did get the sumo's HTR ZII's for $450 for all 4 shipped and they are damn good tires for the price, they actually hooked up A LOT better than I thought they would have at the track.

 

MY opinion is that cheap tires of today are as good as the best tires a few years ago.

I'll run my Sumitomos, save money and like them at the same time. There are no bad tires anymore, just better ones.

 

Well, I like the fact that they are made in Ohio, rather than Korea. Somehow, I couldn't get myself to see (Made in Korea) on tires everytime I wash my car - just aint right, IMO.

Anyway, I agree that if a C5 owner never explores his or her car's limits, buying decent dry and wet surface tires may be all that's required. However, I occasionally push my car far beyond the norm and I can feel (and hear) the difference between inexpensive tires and those that top the charts.

I did try Sumitomos on one of my other vehicles and although they performed well for the first 5-10,000 miles, after that, it was all downhill. I will never buy them again.

 

So 2 votes for the Sumitomos and 1 vote against.

Any votes for the Kumhos?

 

You have the right to put whatever brand of tire you want on your Vette. Its your car and your cash, do what you feel comfortable with. I have done a lot research on all things Corvette in my spare time and it seems that tires are a hot-button issue with Vette owners. What I am about to say can start another thread, but here are some conclusions that I have come up with:
1. If you are a younger/performance-minded Vette owner, you are generally not impressed with OEM tires or run flats of any kind (most of the time) mostly due to cost considerations or "the perceived harsh ride" of the OEM tires (I haven't experienced that with either of my Vettes).

2. Older/practical owners or owner who are not into competitive driving (legal or illegal) tend to stick with the OEM tires, regardless of the higher cost.

I am a believer that you get what you pay for. I am in the second group, I am 37 and have no interest in competitive driving at all. I plan to get a tune and a Z06 air box cover for my 2004 coupe to go along with the Corsa Touring exhaust I already have and that is the extent of my mods. Vettes come scary fast out of Bowling Green so I see no need to build a 500hp car that will never get pushed past 85 or 90 (only when I can get away with it). I say this not to criticize anyone who mods their Vette to the max (re:do what you like, its your car, your cash). I just think that buying a cheap tire that will not give you the same benefits that GM gave you just to have to buy tires more frequently because they are cheap and not what the engineers that designed the car intended for the car is just not a good way to do business. Granted, OEM tires are not the best if you plan to roadrace, drag, etc. on a regular basis unless you have a boatload of cash to replace every 500 miles, but again, to each his/her own. Just my .02

 

I have Kuhmo MX's in Z06 sizes. Only bad thing is the front is a 275/40/17, which is a little tall and you can feel the sidewall flex.

Other than that they stick pretty good, and I drive it like I stole it every day. I see the A/H and T/C light every day(only because im going over the limit, not because they are slippery) , and they are pretty predictable.
I talked to the guy at Discounttiredirect and asked what the best summer performance tire they recommend, he said the BFG KD. NOT the KDW or KDW2, just plain KD. I might try them next. Anybody try them before?