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California drivers.....what tires are you guys using here?

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DROOPY209

15+ Year Contributor
493
4
Jun 23, 2004
NorCal, California
Alright guys, I'm gunna buy some tires for my white 1gB awd.

What tires are you guys using here in California? I'll be mounting them on the stock 16" rims.

I've heard a lot of great things about Kumho, and other brands, but which ones do you guys like to use here in California?

Where are some good places to get the tires from?

I'd like to get some name brand tires, not some cheap-0 tires.
 
Have you guys heard about the kumho ecstas? Are those any good for California roads?

I'm mostly looking for performance/comfort tires. Traction isn't an issue since I'm AWD.
 
i have the dunlop fm901's relatively inexpensive and handle pretty well, they arent noisy either. When i get performance tires/rims im going to get either falken rt-615's or the bfg kdw2's
 
if you want performance tires, first decide on all seasons or summer.

all season, go with either bf goodrich kdw2 or hankook ventus rs-2

summer, go with falken rt-615
 
I run Kuhmo Ecsta MX tires year round. Speaking of which, I could use another set.

They're classified as Kuhmo's "extreme performance" summer tire, but I've had no trouble in the rain as long as I adjust my right foot accordingly. ;) Dry grip is awesome, wet is still good, but not fantastic.

Before I fell in love with the Ecsta MX's I used to run Yokohama AVS ES100's (and A520 before that) year round. The AVS ES100's were a bit better in the rain and have almost as good of grip in the dry as the Kuhmo MX's.

On my 97 RS (no longer have it), I used to use Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712's. A decent tire, but I'd say a bit below the Yokohama AVE ES100 in performance. Decent value, and good in both in the wet and dry.
 
I've narrowed it down to either the Kumho Ecsta SPT summer tire

or

the Kumho Ecsta ASX all season tire

What is the difference between both?

Can I use a summer tire year round in California?

Would I really need a all season tire?

They are the same price, so it comes down to the differences of each.
 
Well it really depends on where you plan on taking your car. If you're going to be driving in the snow, get an all season tire. If you're just doing sunshine and rain, you're fine with a summer tire. I got the ASX because I drive up to Reno every year and don't want to worry about chains (although even with all season tires they are required during bad snow storms)
 
I think I've settled on the kumho ecsta ASX.

I have another 1gb awd, and when those tires are done, I'll put some kumho ecsta SPT tirese on that one.

Where did you get your ASX's at? What kinda price did you get?
 
why the ASX, they're garbage. you don't need an all season here in cali. plus it's getting warm again. get something that will grip. if you decide to go with kuhmo...i say get the MX. The ASX have a hard compound. the best bang for your buck is the Falken RT-615. i have driven on these and they will definitely out perform all the other tires suggested. don't get es100's or ecsta 712, they are trash.
 
Listen to edwin unless you are getting the mx's stay away from kuhmo, awd doesn't mean shit if the tire can't hold the car on the road around a turn. I had ecsta 712's and they were the worse tire I ever ####ing had on my car ever(and I had the stock tires on my rs even those weren't as bad...well maybe but still for a perfmance tire they blow more than donkey balls).


No you don't need all season's in california. I drove around with drag radials(bfg's less tread depth than nitto's) through a winter with no problems at all. The lowest in performance in a tire I would go is the avs 100. They are decent only because they last a long time. They break traction however, without warning, and only start to squeel right before they let go. Not exactly a good thing if you are driving them at the limit but if you know what that limit is you shouldn't be too bad. The bfg kd series tire(whichever model is the performance summer tire) is another great tire. Decent life and great grip. I highly recomend these tires if you still want a good tire with decent wear.

If you are like me and edwin and could care less about life of tire and care only about how well they corner, get something better. The falken azenis(rt 615) is a great tire, cheap, and super good handeling capabilties. Its pretty much a road race tire with a slight better wear rating. The problems with this tire are the life and the weight of the tire itself. The azenis is real similar to the advan ao32r in performance aspects except the advan is super loud on the freeway like the azenis used to be in their first design.
 
unlmtdndeavor said:
why the ASX, they're garbage. you don't need an all season here in cali. plus it's getting warm again. get something that will grip. if you decide to go with kuhmo...i say get the MX. The ASX have a hard compound. the best bang for your buck is the Falken RT-615. i have driven on these and they will definitely out perform all the other tires suggested. don't get es100's or ecsta 712, they are trash.
Click to expand...


Kumho also makes the Ecsta SPT, which is an ultra high performance summer tire.

I've been reading a lot of good things about the kumho ASX and the SPT. Is the MX that much better then both of them?

Is the Falken Azenis that great also?

I'm looking for a tire that will last about 40K miles of mostly freeway driving, with some city driving.
 
when you look for a tire that can last 40k miles, you're not looking for a performance tire. you're looking for pretty much an all season. you can't always go with the "ultra high performance" type descriptions, which are marketing tools used by the companies, aimed towards people with a lack of real knowledge of tires. the MX is significantly better than the asx and spt. a better way to tell if a tire is going to perform well or not, look at the tread wear. a tire that has a soft compound will grip well and for the most part, will wear out quick as well. the MX, RS2, a032r, ps2 and rt615 all have tread wear very near 200. approximately 20k-25k miles. then you look at asx's which have a treadwear of 400 or so. those are meant to last 40k miles. much in the same way a low treadwear represents a soft compound, a high treadwear represents a hard compound. low = soft = stickier.

if you do with to stick with something in the 3-400 range, i highly suggest the kdw2. for performance, go with the falkens if you are worried about price. even the hankook ventus rs2 are cheap and perform well. if you want the best all season that has grip comparable to the falkens or hankooks, go with the michelin pilot sport ps2. REALLY good all season with 30k miles of life in them.

basically everything zack said is right..minus the avs es100...those are garbage.
 
Hey man I was dead set on the ASX's but take a look at the General UHP. On Tirerack.com they outhandle, outgrip, outwear the ASX in every way, shape and form. And guess what...They're CHEAPER!
Honestly, If I hadn't had the issues with the vagina then I would have a set on my ride already...anyways.
Check them out they're worth the look even if they ARE generals...
 
Killa_dsm said:
I just ordering some BFG g-force Sports. I should have them on tomorrow, I will let you know how I like them.
Click to expand...

I had the G-Force sports on my RX7 and SC400 and they're great in the dry and decent treadlife :thumb:
Just be careful in the rain (I had a high HP RX7 so it may have been my driving and the car). Definitely don't drive these in the snow.

I needed an all season tire that would with a long treadlife that I could take snowboarding so the ASX's worked for me. Grip ain't the best compared to other tires out there as stated by other member. It really comes down to what you are expecting out of your tires. Treadlife and grip in snow, rain, dry. Are you going to take it to the track or just drive around town? Do you like to take hard turns? etc.
 
unlmtdndeavor said:
basically everything zack said is right..minus the avs es100...those are garbage.
Click to expand...


Where's the middle finger smilie when I need it? haha your right they are garbage but they are the lowest in performance I would go and they do last a long time which seems to be something he wants. To the OP your not going to get a good performance tire and get 40k miles out of them. Its like having reliable and rotory in the same sentance they contradict each other. Hell with the way I beat on tires i'd be glad to get 10k out of a tire.
 
Honestly, my dad and sister drive this white car that will be getting the new tires. They don't take hard turns, no road racing, nor autocross. Basically, all I want is a tire that has some good treadlife(35K+ miles), comfort, and safe for them to drive. About 95% of the miles they drive are high way miles. They do drive in the rain if needed, and I "might" go to snow next winter....thus why I asked if I should get an all season tire.

I have another 1gb awd, a red talon. That car is undergoing extensive modifications and will surely get ANY road racing sticky tires you guys recommend me to get.

So, since you guys now know that this car will basically just be a commuter car, do I really need such sticky tires, or will the ASX's be great for this?

I appreciate everything you guys have told me in this thread. I've learned a lot about "sticky" tires and compounds in just over 3 minutes of reading.
 
ASX's should be fine for those applications. Long treadlife, good grip in all road conditions, low road noise, and low price. These are my daily driving tires. I keep another set of falken azenis for racing
 
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