New Kumho Tires

[McCoy]

If the Ecsta XS's can outperform the RE-01R's and are priced around the Azenis, then I'm sold. With the S13 NA, the RE-01R's were amazing... this was confirmed when I let my friend, who has about 3X as much track time as myself, drive the car earlier this year. Compared to the Azenis, they can withstand the heat so much better and have great feel once you start to break past grip and start heading towards slip. I guess once I get through both sets of AO-46R's next year, I'll have to consider these as an option.

[turtl631]

Hopefully they don't make another tire that gets greasy like the Hankook Z212 and Falken 615. An affordable tire more in the class of the RE-01R or AD07 would be very nice, could be tempting once my MXs wear out.

[a_ahmed]

Ecsta XS is what the new tires will be called? January next year? Sounds awesome :) I planned to get rt615 or re01r tires, but i guess ill be getting these instead :) My car won't be back on the road until march/april 2008 so looking forward to this... the re01r are fairly expensive in contrast to say rt615 which are really affordable... I wonder what tire sizes they'll have and how much they weigh... I was thinking 265/35/18 or 285/30/18...i hope so...

[veilside180sx]

Kumho is in it to win it. The 710 already wins ever GRM test they throw together.

[turtl631]

Seriously. The MX is really a great tire too, admittedly it has less absolute grip than the Azenis or RS2, but its resistance to greasing up makes it a nice tire for beginning trackhounds, like myself. Mine have worn pretty minimally considering the number of track and street miles on them, and I've never noticed grip falling off from overheating. A stickier version of this tire would be great and I'd happily pay Azenis prices for it. Sizes, of course, will be key, but Kumho seems to release good sizing generally.

[veilside180sx]

They better make 225/45/15

[a_ahmed]

I hope they make 285/30/18... i am buying things slowly over the winter for spring... i am really anxious about these... if all that is claimed is true... Any idea when they'll do more info updates/press, more official news?

[AceInHole]

They better make 225/45/15 Awww.... cute itty bitty fwd tires! I think the spare on the G35 has more meat :P

[veilside180sx]

They better make 225/45/15 Awww.... cute itty bitty fwd tires! I think the spare on the G35 has more meat :P Soo true. Well I doubt they are going to jump on the 275/35/15 bandwagon, as much as I'd love to have a cheaper option.

[AceInHole]

Pffft. Go Hoosier! Wait... this is a Kumho thread. Oops :P

[McCoy]

I enjoyed the extra 1" of tread width on my 225/45/15 R4 hoosiers over any other 225 width tire I ever owned :)

[a_ahmed]

any updates on these tires?

[veilside180sx]

Nothing that I've seen yet. I meant to talk to Kumho at PRI, but forgot amidst the other chaos.

[rockdrummer027]

After seeing this thread I did some searching and couldn't find anything other than some pic's on another forum.
http://www.sddsm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=187641

I'm a huge Kumho fan due to their price/performance ratio. I put Solus KR21s on my Mom's G35x and I have 235/40 SPTs on my Enkei RPF-1s.

Kumho has released a new line of luxury tires but still no word on the XS.

[SoSideways]

Hopefully these XS will have a stiffer sidewall, as that was pretty much the downfall of the MX.

[Epstein]

Yeah, I heard that the MX's have pretty soft sidewalls. That's why I didn't put them on my S13, even though they make a ton of sizes. I have the SPT's on my tC and the wife's Altima (with 18's). The sidewalls on those things are so soft that they'll deform if you park the car more than 2 days. It takes a few miles to get the wump wump wump out of them.

[turtl631]

I have 245/40/17 MXs now. They're a good fit on a 17x9; I purposefully avoided any bigger sizes due to the purportedly soft sidewalls. They've worked well, but I'm sure they'll be worn out pretty soon if I actually get to hit the track a bit, so I'll need something else. A new Kumho would be nice if it retained the temperature response of the MX. It's nice to have a fairly temp-stable sticky street tire for track usage. Otherwise, I might just get some 255/40 RT615s and hope the grip fall-off with some heat in them isn't too annoying.

[SoSideways]

If you have tried tires like the Azenis ST-115 or RT-615, you'd say that the MX's sidewalls are soft too :)

[a_ahmed]

any news on the XS tires? I asked Kumho if theyll come out with 285/30/18 they said they have no plans yet, that sucks :( i asked dunlop about the direzza also and they said nope... 285/30/18 is so perfect.. low profile, short tire, wide...

[turtl631]

I've driven cars with them (215/615 etc.), but not 17s on a 240SX, so I can't really formulate an opinion.

[raen419]

I would imagine Kumho will release a 225/45/15. They'd be dumb not to. Miata guys bought every single 225/45/15 RS2 last year...which meant a 3 month back order for many of us....luckily I didn't have any cash last season, so I wasn't as bothered as most.

All I hope for is a 225/50/16 as I plan to keep my SA3's for a while.

[turtl631]

I don't think I've ever used the word "luckily" to precede a statement about my lack of cash. You're an optimist!

225/45/15 is a great size. Those tires and the 15x8 6ULs make me want to buy a Miata as a DD. Luckily, I don't have the money or space for an extra car!

[raen419]

I would, and did. Think about it.
No money = no reason to worry or gripe about something I couldn't afford and didn't need since I had bills, food, and general living expenses to take care of. Kinda like "out of sight is out of mind." If I couldn't do anything about, why worry?

And yes, I am an optimist. I find myself thinking negatively from time to time about things...but eh...not worth it.

If I were keeping my car, I would still want Emilio's 6UL. Nothing like having a cast wheel that is stronger than many (cheaper) forged wheels.

[ecugrad]

. Those tires and the 15x8 6ULs make me want to buy a Miata as a DD. Luckily, I don't have the money or space for an extra car!


NO WAY, 13x8's + Miata FTMFW!!!

http://images23.fotki.com/v826/photos/1/1051204/4788928/THSCC070401134-vi.jpg?1175575235

[a_ahmed]

wow that car is pure sex on wheels coolies

[raen419]

Thats easily the most common Miata setup ever....

[McCoy]

Looks like Tirerack is now selling the tire, and pricing is looking good. 245/40 and 255/40 in 17's are around $150 per tire.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Ecsta+XS

For track usage, I'm hoping they live up to their marketing jargen...

http://www.kumhousa.com/tires/passenger/ultra-high-performance/KU36.do
Low void asymmetric tread pattern with circumferential grooving for high cornering grip.

Ultra fine carbon black compounding for maximum traction.

Ultra wide tread contact with highly rounded shoulders for optimized footprint shape during high lateral loads.

Developed for quick autocross warm-up while maintaining race track durability.

With a Y speed rating, the tire delivers an optimum run temperature of 205 degrees Fahrenheit.

[SoSideways]

Looks like Tirerack is now selling the tire, and pricing is looking good. 245/40 and 255/40 in 17's are around $150 per tire.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Ecsta+XS

For track usage, I'm hoping they live up to their marketing jargen...

http://www.kumhousa.com/tires/passenger/ultra-high-performance/KU36.do


Only one way to find out Monty :)

[McCoy]

Only one way to find out Monty :)
Yeah, now I'm debating between trying these or going with used Bridgestone RE050A tires off ebay (newer BMW takeoffs).

I guess funds will dictate which direction I go :)

[SoSideways]

Yeah unless I can come up with funds to buy another set of wheels, I won't be able to try any grippy street tires on a road course...

Argh...

[Cory]

I personally would go with Dunlop Direzza Star Specs for street tires.

[McCoy]

I personally would go with Dunlop Direzza Star Specs for street tires.

The only street use I care about is the drive to/from the track :)

[turtl631]

No more r comps monty?

Or are these for your rain setup?

[ramm]

I have a few friends that tracked with Star Specs and they only have good things to say about them. But, the selection of 17inch tires for the XS is very appealing. Also U.T.Q.G 180 AA A doesn't hurt either.

[McCoy]

No more r comps monty?

Or are these for your rain setup?
no... I'm going to be putting a lot towards safety (cage and 6pt harness's) and the new turbo setup, so I'm thinking my budget towards R-compounds might be limited for the 09 track year.

[SHAWNATGERBROCK]

Thats the tire I have chosen for the Sentra for next season ... 215-45-16 .... from what I have read they will be perfect for an inexpensive track day tire ..I guess we will see ... At least it will be a step up from the 205-45-16 SPT's I run now ... And for less than $100 a tire ( + shipping ) seems like a decent deal to give them a try !

[Cory]

The only street use I care about is the drive to/from the track :)

It is still important to corner at the limit on the way to and from the track...hehe