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Old 10-13-2003, 01:07 PM   #1
Luke@tirerack
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Default NASIOC specific tire review (please respond)

please answer these questions

#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)


#2.) what is your geographic location


#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)


#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving


#5.) your review and personal comments


Thanks for your participation
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Old 10-13-2003, 01:10 PM   #2
Luke@tirerack
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Quote:
Originally posted by Gonz
What this thread needs is an actual tire review!

I'm running on stock rims, but not stock size. I have 225-50/16 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's.

I've had them for about 8000 miles. Their grip in the wet is simply amazing. If I wanted to I can actually go round curves faster in the wet than I normally drive in dry conditions !

I have not fully explored their grip in the wet, but it is beyond the point at which I am comfortable driving.

In the dry, I thought they were just as comfortable as the RE92's and just as quiet most of the time. THey get a little louder on grooved payment.

On dry pavement they stick well. I don't think that the sidewalls are super stiff because they don't have a particularly quick turn in and they ride pretty comfortably. This is at around 32 PSI.

The improvement in grip was enough that it really made the rest of the suspension feel weak. On the RE92's you can slide through corners with mild body roll and good balance. With the new tires the grip is so much that the body roll really becomes bothersome.

I eventually upgraded springs and shocks. Another comparison with the RE92' is that I had to get used to steering less through corners. Where the RE92's slip and travel at an angle to the direction pointed, the slip angle is consierably less when pushing the F1's at similar speeds. Takes a little getting used to.

The only thing I did not like was that I autocrossed once on them when they were very close to full tread, and noticed a little excessive feathering on one of the front tires. I have to say that I overcooked them by going a little hot into a turn; however, I don't think that those narrow tread blocks are the toughest available in terms of putting up with autocross abuse.

I've autocrossed on RE71's, SP8000's without that kind of damage. Once again, this was done at nearly brand new.

That day I switched from the F1's to the Victoracers in the afternooon and ran abou 1 second faster. Not bad for a street tire.

I didn't know anyone who had these tires when I got them, so I was kind of out on a limb. I really wanted a tire that was good in the rain after my experience (scary) with the RE92's.

Now if you look at the TireRacks ranking for Max Performance tire, these are right at the top. Just ahead of the S-03's and considerably cheaper. They were offering $50 refund at that time.

End of long-winded review

Gonz.
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Old 10-13-2003, 05:00 PM   #3
Rev
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I recently purchased Dunlop SP5000 Asymmetrical tires (size 205/55-16) to replace the stock RE92s. I don't participate in any driving events. I live in NY. My car is stock. I do about 70% city driving, somewhat aggressively.

I am comparing them to the stock RE92s. I have put about 300 miles on them but a big difference is immediately apparent. I ran 36 psi in the RE92s and I am currently running 35 psi in the Dunlops.

In the dry the Dulops have more grip. When I would take a downhill 90 degree turn driving aggressively the RE92s would break loose slightly and the car would slide and pivot through the intersection. I have taken the turn faster with the Dunlops and they just stick. It was much easier to break the tires loose during any maneuver with the RE92s. The Dunlops are giving me a much more secure feeling while driving, and I am sorry I drove so long with the RE92s. There is a much better feel braking aggressively or in a panic stop. The ABS does not activate nearly as much and the stop doesn't scare the hell out of me. Also the RE92s squealed like a pig every time I would take a turn slightly faster then normal. The Dunlops don't. There seems to be more body roll with the Dunlops, but maybe I need to up the psi, or maybe it is because of the greater grip.

In the wet the Dunlops have significantly more grip. It is not surprising because IMO the RE92s are horrible in the rain. The loaner Focus wagon I drove with no ABS greatly out-braked my WRX with RE92s in the rain. Going down a steep hill in the rain with the RE92s required extreme caution. If I had to stop short the ABS would go crazy, I would crap my pants and pray for the car to stop. The braking distance would be greatly increased to an unacceptable level. If there were also small bumps in the road stopping would not be an option. I have hit brakes hard with the Dunlops in the rain going downhill (the same hill) and was able to stop with confidence and minimum ABS activation. The way it should be. I am very happy with the wet weather performance so far. I would even say the Dunlops wet grip is comparable to the RE92s dry grip. Wet vs. wet it is no contest at all.

The Dunlops seem slightly noisier. The ride comfort feels the same.

Edit:

20,000 miles later - I have now driven through two winters and I am pretty impressed with the snow capabilities. Driven carefully like an all season clad car should in snow, there was no hill I couldn't ascend.

After 20k miles my tread is around 2/32" in most places, and the tires pretty much need to be replaced (especially if I plan to drive in snow).

Last edited by Rev; 09-06-2005 at 10:02 PM. Reason: Update
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Old 10-14-2003, 09:30 AM   #4
coyote73176
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please answer these questions

Q#1.) what tire are you offering for review

A: Yokohama AVS 100, 215/45/17


Q#2.) what is your geographic location

A: Eastern NY/ Western Ct


Q#3.) what types of driving events if any

A: None

Q#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving

A: 85% Highway, 15% Urban areas (can't classify where I drive as city)

Q#5.) your review and personal comments

A: These tires are great on the dry and wet. I have had them on for 2 seasons (about 25,000 miles) and they are finally to the point I need to replace them (only rotated them twice during the entire time, and had fairly even tire wear front and back). Would have never imagined getting so much use out of a summer performace tire. The grip is excellent, with minimal road noise and no tire screeching even when cornering hard. The wet traction is good, even through puddles, never had a problem. I did find they do tend to track quite a bit, even only being 215's, but it wasn't unbearable. I would buy these again.
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Old 10-18-2003, 06:04 AM   #5
GravelRash
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#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)
Michelin Pilot Sport; 225/45x17 91Y (the generic model)

#2.) what is your geographic location
Seattle area; drive all over WA, OR, southern BC

#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)
RallyX (our courses are on grassy parking lots for fairgrounds)

#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving
50/50...give or take 10-15%

#5.) your review and personal comments
I love 'em! I tend to drive aggressively when conditions permit (traffic, road conditions, weather...).

I run them at 39psi (set in my ~65F heated garage) all around in colder times, e.g. now, and 38 the rest of the time. I rotate them - fr to rr - generally when I change oil, at 7500 mi. intervals.

I've only used the stock 92s previously, for ~ the first 1500 miles (but enough to get a good feel for them, and the car's handling characteristics).

My other standard of comparison is our '93 Prelude Vtec, running Michelin Pilot XGTV4, 205/55x15 (stock size). Driven up to very aggressively; ~180k miles.

Dry: no comparison to the 92s (one would hope not!) Vastly superior traction and response. Very progressive at the limit, and "catchable".

Wet: seems like they have more traction here than the 92s did in the dry! Basically same comments as above, but at somewhat lower limits.

Snow: I've only played with them a bit on urban snow, but they did suprisingly well with the AWD. I've run them on logging roads in ~6" of crusty snow with no problem at all. (I've got LM-22s for winter use when needed.)

11/11: more snow/ice feedback... Just did a 2500 mi. trip to CO and back, with "back" being the challenge. 2 icy (sanded) 10k'+ twisty passes, followed by 20 mi. of high plains blizzard - 1-2" on the road. Then ~80 mi. of snow/ice in western WY, and ~150 mi. of same in NE OR. Not one "moment" through it all - no slips, slides, or other surprises. I was generally travelling a bit faster than the rest of the traffic - many semis - including passing 2 WY State Police who didn't seem at all concerned about it. The highest alert times were downhill icy corners next to semis in OR, but still no "moments". But if I'd had to hit the brakes...potential

Disclaimer: despite the above I'm not claiming these are optimal winter tires! I gambled on the weather 'caused I didn't want to put that many miles on the LM-22s for nothing. The gamble worked out, but I certainly would have felt safer on the LM-22s on those slippy surfaces!

Mud: well, they ain't a rally tire but they do surprisingly well in our PGT class.

Overall I would definitely buy then again. In fact I have: in 2 years we've had 7 flats and I've had to replace 2 ruined tires on the WRX; did the full set this last time. The one tire that survived through the flats came off with ~37k miles, and still has 3/32 tread iirc.

I've had to retrain my instincts to get the most out of these tires in spirited cornering: corners that I would brake for in the Prelude I've found I can now just...turn.

I'd love to try some of the other highly rated tires, but I'm not willing to gamble that kind of money that they would be an overall improvement - let alone a match for the Sports overall.

Last edited by GravelRash; 11-11-2003 at 06:44 PM.
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Old 10-21-2003, 09:17 AM   #6
sdecker
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Default Re: NASIOC specific tire review (please respond)

please answer these questions

#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)

Michelin Pilot Sport, 225/40/18


#2.) what is your geographic location

Braselton, GA (50 miles north of Atlanta)


#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)

I do ~10 track days/HPDE a year, no other events


#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving

20 percent highway, 80 percent city


#5.) your review and personal comments

The Pilot Sports are an incredible tire, although they also expensive relative to some others in 'the same' category. I agree with GravelRash that it would be hard to find a match for the Pilot Sports for an ultra high performance summer tire. I have lapped Road Atlanta hundreds of times in the dry on these tires and they just continue to impress me with their overall grip level, progressive feedback, and manners. I have also lapped RA dozens of times in the wet, and I use them as my rain tires for the track on a full time basis. Again, I have nothing but good to say about them. If I had to buy tires again, I would buy these, no questions asked...even if they ARE a little more than some.


Thanks for your participation
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Old 10-22-2003, 12:14 AM   #7
Mark Avery
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2002 WRX wagon
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#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)

Bridgestone SO-3 - previously had 205/55-16 on stock rims, now 215/45-17 on 17x7.5+48 Rally Sparco Tarmac rims

#2.) what is your geographic location

Orange County, Ca

#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)

None

#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving

About 50/50, maybe 60/40.

#5.) your review and personal comments

Great tire. Grippier in the dry and the wet than previously owned Dunlop SP8000, and Toyo T1-S. Wears pretty well. Very communicative, not too noisy, not TOO expensive. I obviously like them, I'm on my second set.
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Old 10-22-2003, 10:38 PM   #8
BIGSKYWRX
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please answer these questions

#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)

PZero Nero 225/50/16 (16X7) wheel 35 psi front/32 rear street; 39 front/33 rear autox


#2.) what is your geographic location

Eastern Montana


#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)

Track/autox


#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving

50/50


#5.) your review and personal comments

Previously owned T1S's (same size) that I was very satisfied w/, but wanted to expand my tire "horizon". Was purchased partially based on the test conducted by the tirerack w/ the Pilot Sport and S03, showed the quickest lap times and ranked very closely w/ the other tires in all catagories. This also happens to be a relatively light tire- a nice bonus. The T1 was very light as well.

Slightly stiffer sidewalls than the T1, wet traction very impressive and on par w/ the T1, standing water the T1 is superior likely due to the tread design- large V's to expel water. Dry traction very good.

Could be alittle more communicative at the limits, T1 was superior here. Thus far 8,000 miles one track day, five autox's and they look great (rotated every 3,00 miles w/ oil change). My T1's saw 22,000 miles (w/ dozens of autox's), I can only hope these last as long.

I'll likely try another tire when these go, I've been very happy w/ both the T1 and the Nero both of which I'd reccomend for anyone looking for a hi-po tire that must perform dry and wet duties.

Thanks for your participation

Your welcome.

Big Sky
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Old 10-27-2003, 09:20 AM   #9
GQ
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#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size):
Sumitomo HTR ZII 215/45-17


#2.) what is your geographic location:
Leonardtown, MD (Southern Maryland)


#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX):
Track, NASA HPDE's


#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving:
70% city, 30% highway


#5.) your review and personal comments:
Great tire for the money. They work very well for street driving in the rain and dry.
Not a good track tire for an experienced track driver, as they heat up very quickly and become very "greasy" feeling
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Old 03-31-2007, 02:55 AM   #10
motomon
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GQ View Post
#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size):
Sumitomo HTR ZII 215/45-17


#2.) what is your geographic location:
Leonardtown, MD (Southern Maryland)


#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX):
Track, NASA HPDE's


#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving:
70% city, 30% highway


#5.) your review and personal comments:
Great tire for the money. They work very well for street driving in the rain and dry.
Not a good track tire for an experienced track driver, as they heat up very quickly and become very "greasy" feeling
I used the same tires and agree.
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Old 06-06-2007, 04:46 PM   #11
Umphreys448
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Location: Chicago North Suburbs
Vehicle:
2003 WRX
WRB

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#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size):

Dunlop SP SportMaxx 225/45/17


#2.) what is your geographic location:

Chicago, IL

#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX):

None

#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving:

50/50

#5.) your review and personal comments:

WOW!! When I bought these last summer I was running on stocks with a stock suspension. I put these tires on with lightweight Kazera-S's and my handling improved UNDENIABLY!!. There are some on-ramps around town that are pretty tight clovers which I would start to skid on if I took them too fast on the stocks. Now with these SportMaxx tires I'm holding them VERY confidently and I'm able to actually merge at highway speeds (everyone else isn't able to step on the accelerator until after the clover which is way too late and they try to merge at like 30mph which is just plain dangerous). I also can't remember the last time my ABS has kicked in- these tires combined with some aggressive pads and rotors have made me able to stop on a dime. I totally dig these tires!!

-One important note!!: DO NOT TRY TO DRIVE ON SNOW WITH THESE!!! LOL. I hadn't switched to my winter rims by the first storm up here and my car was literally sledding around town. These tires are not made to be driven on snow, so let me tell you from my own experience- DON'T!!

Otherwise they're freaking GREAT summer tires.
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Old 10-30-2003, 11:34 PM   #12
LyveWRX
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Location: The Lost Valley, Detroit, MI
Vehicle:
2002 WRX
& Blue Ford & '72 CB350

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#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)

Conti. ContiExtreme contacts... 225/50 16 on stock rim. pressure:stock,

#2.) what is your geographic location
Detroit and surroundings.

#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)
TSD Rally, Detroit area driving.

#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving
50/50

#5.) your review and personal comments

Beats the pants off the Re92. Icredible in the wet, like Gonz said in the first post: their wet grip is well beyond what I care to explore. Dry grip ~ok~

not too loud....
handle well at speed and are wearing well after ~10Kmi

nick
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Old 11-03-2003, 03:13 AM   #13
JDMSubaru
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#1.) Birdgestone S-03 Pole Position.


#2.) Orange County, CA (pretty obvious--it's in my sig)


#3.) None, I just do my own kinds of pleasure driving. I like to gun it around town and on the way to work I get a nice, 20-minute, twisty canyon run.


#4.) 70% city (I don't know how to explain it but my city driving is quite a lot like highway driving, they're mostly straight and long roads with the occassional stupid light intersection for subruban yuppies to make safe turns out of their new, overly developed area homes). 30% freeway driving.

#5.) Although, these tires are only a tad better in the cornering department than my old Yokohama AVS ES100's, the real kicker in my upgrade to S0-3's were in steering, braking, and acceleration--all of which the ES 100's felt numb to perform. The ES 100's grip really well which is exactly why it makes it corner so well but this becomes a hindrance in city driving since they actually slow you down at stop and go lights (the S-03's do it just right, I don't know how to put it objectively).

These are great tires for the three virtues I listed above. The one and only thing that I have a hard time with of is their weight (not to say the ES 100's were any lighter), but it kind of makes me wish I had bought Toyo T1-S's to cut down another 5-6 lbs. of weight per wheel. Considering that I bought some go fast SSR 16" wheels (which cut off an a$$load of weight compared to my stock 16's, and also added another 1" of width per wheel), the light weightness of the T1's are something I still lust for--and wished the S-03's were (less heavy). I do notice that these tires will follow road imperfections like a guided missile, but it does not bother me. They still feel smooth and are honestly quiet (from what I've seen). They make you and the car feel one with the road, like one aerodynamic, fluidous, frictionless, ball-bearing, moving with gracefulness. Indeed blissful.

To sum it up these are a kick butt tire. I'll likely buy them again. If you are in the market for $150 Z rated tires and want the absolute best then buy either the S-03's or T1-S's, neither will dissapoint.
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Old 11-04-2003, 11:13 AM   #14
TheMirror
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Default Re: NASIOC specific tire review (please respond)

#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)

Bridgestone S-03, 225-45-17 on 17X7.5 Enkei RPF-1s


#2.) what is your geographic location
Northern California


#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)
None yet


#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving
Half and half


#5.) your review and personal comments
Superb grip, yet predictable and progressive at the limit. Dry grip excellent, wet grip acceptable. Fair amount of road noise. Wearing very quickly. Great for lower annual mileage drivers who would also do track events. Perhaps not the choice for higher annual mileage drivers (20K/yr. plus) due to wear rate.
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Old 11-04-2003, 07:18 PM   #15
zosima
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2002 WRX sport wagon
WR Blue

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#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)

Falken Azenis 225/45R17

#2.) what is your geographic location

Boston, MA

#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)

Autocross (~12 this year)

#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving

15/85%

#5.) your review and personal comments

Jaw-dropping grip! Amazing amount of noise, esp. at 40mph, but I don't care. Great in light rain, but if there is standing water these start to hydroplane (I could go about 50mph in conditions where the RE92s could be taken to about 60mph). Wear is acceptable to me. I have put on 6k (and those autocrosses) and they aren't quite 50% worn. These are heavy tires (mounted on heavy Boston pothole-proof P7s) but the butt-dyno couldn't tell any acceleration difference from stock.
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Old 11-11-2003, 11:46 AM   #16
SCRAPPYDO
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Default Kumho Ecsta 712 vs Yokohama AVS E100 review/impressions

Sorry for the double post, I did not see this forum catagory... sorry.

I decided to write this review on the basis that many of my fellow Subaru owners are presently running Kumho 712’s and love the bang for the buck they offer. First let me say what I liked/disliked about the Kumho’s then I will move on to what I chose and why to replace them with. Let me let you know that I am running: 2002 WRX with B4 17X7” wheels, on a stock suspension with Kartboy endlinks and a whiteline swaybar. I have a Tubro XS stage one kit with Samco Intercooler Hoses installed. I have also changed out all my fluids to Royal Purple (actually did make a difference!)

First and foremost, lets not kid ourselves. Kumho’s are inexpensive. They are not the best tire on the road, but for a UHPT (ultra-high performance tire) they do certain things quite well. The first thing that I have to say about the Kumhos is that they offer pretty good turn in. This is probably attributed to its large square tread block and stiff sidewalls. I was always pleased by the Kumhos ability to change direction. Where I found they faltered was in holding that level of grip. The Kumhos could not tame the WRX’s tendency to understeer completely. They were vastly better than the RE92’s, but tire squeal in mid corner usually meant early lift to settle the car back down. The Kumhos due to there hard sides did allow the tire to hop more over sharp changes in pavement (usually associated with potholes, uneven pavement, etc) and this was mostly noticeable on hard braking where you could feel the tire come out of contact with the road. This is the same reason that the Kumhos are also not the smoothest tire to own. Mine allowed me to feel just about every expansion joint, dip or bump in the road once they got past the first 25% of tread. But to most, this is not important because being a luxury tire is not what the Kumhos are all about.

Wet weather traction was good, and I never felt anything but confident when the heavy Houston rains fell. The Kumhos just kept on sticking, although their lack of mid corner grip was heightened as I could easily outpower the front wheels ability to turn, making the AWD work to keep me out of many a ditch. Even when the tread was 80% worn, I still had little issue with wet roads and the Kumhos behaved admirably.

One area that began to become an issue was with tire noise. Again, these are not a luxury tire, but the Kumhos had a harmonic at about 40 mph that after a while had me wondering if I had a bad bearing in a wheel. Most people who want a performance tire a great price will not care about this, and it did not really make me lose sleep, but its worth noting in the sake of being thorough. The last thing I want to talk about is treadlife. Now when purchasing performance tires, we make concessions in this category accepting the fact that they have a short life span. The Kumhos survived two driving clinics, and a couple of autocrosses along with the 24000 miles of service they provided. When taken off, they were still not on the wear bars, but were close enough for me to replace. I have never been one to be cheap with tires, they are without a doubt the most important part on the car.

Okay with that being said, I started looking for new tires that would again meet my need for great performance along with a great price and this time local availability would be important. I have ordered 4-5 sets of tires from www.tirerack.com and have had nothing but good results from them. The only other place that comes close is my local discount tire company. Well, I had several choices in what tires I could install. Without going into the details about what I did not choose, I wanted to tell you what I did choose and why. I am presently running the Yokohama AVS E100 in a 215/45/R17. Basically the factory recommended size. Why the Yoke? Well, basically it offered improvements in every area where the Kumhos fell short ON PAPER! I read reviews that both praised these as the best thing since superglue, and as soft and slippery as melted jello. So what is an average consumer to do? Well you trust hard data and filter out opinions from less educated people who may have an entirely different background than you do. It just so happened that Luke from Tirerack posted an article with regards to a road test they did between the Kumho 712, the Sumitomo HTR(something or other), and the AVS E100. Oh my, how lucky for me!!!

Well it was very clear, again on paper, that the AVS E100 was a league above what the Kumho had to offer. It was also a few bucks more per tire, but fact that it was a notch above in every category justified the cost to me. So off to get these put on. The first thing that all former Kumho owners should know is that these Yokes can handle more pressure than the Kumho’s. I think the max in the Kumhos was 44 psi, while the Yokes can handle 51. I cannot get into why this is, but I will tell you that the Yokes like the elevated pressure.

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS….

The first thing I noticed as I pulled out was the decrease in initial turn in and directional changes (KEEP reading potential buyers don’t get discouraged). I pulled into a gas station and checked the pressure. The little needle pointed to 37 psi. A tad low considering the 51 max. However I should note that I ran my Kumhos at 37-38. Well I did not add air right away because there is an initial tire break in that you must drive through. Tires have a mold release agent on them when new, as well as the grease and grime from being stored in the warehouse. All this must be driven through to get to the fresh rubber. My first real sensation was that its amazing how much tires can effect the way a car drives and feels. My WRX was not the conduit for every bump and dip. It was a far supple ride. I was thinking that the softer sidewalls that led to a less crisp turn in are also helping me out in ride quality. My Girlfriend will love this, but I am looking to improve my handling, not move laterally or decrease it. Just another note about these tires. The first things I noticed visually before driving off is that the shoulder blocks are a little more rounded than the Kumho, making directional changes a little more subtle and not as knife edged.

My first feel for the great grip these tires provided was turning through an intersection. I was first and really rolled on the throttle to see what it would take to break them loose. Knowing that they had barely 2 miles on them and far from broken in I wanted a preview as to what lay in store for me in the next 20000 or so miles. Well turn in was probably every bit as good as the Kumhos, it just did not feel like it, as its not as twitchy, but where I was shocked was with the mid-corner grip. This tire really goes where its pointed. Where I would sometimes push to the second lane due to the Kumhos starting to give up, the Yokes kept on tracking where I wanted them really biting the street. I started to smile at this point, because I knew things would only get better. On the way home from work I tried a similar move on a fast on ramp and again, these tires just hold on completely through the curves. Before I went home I stopped in a gas station and increased the pressure to 45 psi all the way around. I still wanted room to play with should I need to go up more. Well it made a large improvement in the way the car turns in. It feels more instant now and less vague. Still not as sharp as my near slick Kumhos were, but extremely close, and I would wager better than new Kumhos would be. Its only been two days, but so far I am very pleased with the grip, the turn in, the ride quality, and most definitely the noise level. Did I mention that these tires are very quiet (at least compared to the Kumhos). A win-win situation. I will write more once I get them fully broken in, but Yokohama has done a wonderful job of putting a great tire on the market at a very reasonable price. For all you Kumho Ecsta 712 owners out there, I strongly recommend the AVS E100.

Thanks for reading!
SCRAPPYDO

Next report will be on the Turbo XS stealth back when added to a Turbo XS Stage I unichip package.
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Old 11-11-2003, 10:44 PM   #17
Chrisnonstop
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Member#: 13083
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Marin County, CA. USA
Vehicle:
2002 WRX Sedan
Silver

Default 12,000 miles on mine

I put the ES 100's on about 12,000 miles ago. One thing about these tires is that if you're not racing on the track, they last a long time. Mine still look new. I think the tread rating was at like 280 or something (That's really good for a high performance tire). I agree, they stick like glue. I went from my stock rims and RE92's to 17x7.5 rota attacks and 225/45-17 ES 100's. So when I pulled out of the lot at Americas tire in Tracy, it was like I was driving a totally different car. Damn the stock set up sucks...lol. Oh I also have Ibach springs, so that made a huge difference as well.
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Old 11-12-2003, 11:00 AM   #18
Chi
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Member#: 40311
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Vehicle:
2004 WRX
White

Default

#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)

Pirelli P-Zero Nero -- 225/45 ZR 17


#2.) what is your geographic location

Taipei, Taiwan


#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)

None yet. Track event coming up on December 6th


#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving

30% highway / 70% city


#5.) your review and personal comments

Mileage on tire: ~3500 miles

Noise: One of the quieter performance tires that I have used. The noise never gets loud, but you can definitely hear the road texture differences.

Dry grip: Extremely high. Since I drive around town mostly, I encounter all kinds of roads like smooth asphalt, rough asphalt, concrete, etc. Grips like a crazy glue through everything.

Dry handling: Not very communicative. It is sometimes hard to tell what the tires are doing in mid-turn. Breakaway can be abrupt at times, but when it happens, it is easy to control. Quick turn-in along with great transient behavior.

Wet grip: Very high. The tires actually screech louder on wet pavement than on dry. No aquaplaning up to 200kph in moderate rain. (Closed circuit! Don't try this at home!) If you live in an area that rains a lot, this tire will not let you down. Very confidence inspiring grip.

Wet handling: Feels a lot more communicative on wet pavement. Gradual breakaway that is easily controlled. Great fun to drift around on wet pavement. Remarkably easy to control when drifting. "Don't try this at home!"

Confort: This is a high performance tire. If you want confort, look elsewhere. It is extremely stiff. With my car's STi struts, the pink lowering springs, and group N tops, I can feel the year of the coin I run over.... well, not quite, but you will feel *everything*.

Closing comments: If you want all out performance without tire buzz driving you nuts (pun intended), then this is the tire for you. The level of grip that this tire offers is simply amazing. I have used most major brands of performance tires in the past and so far, the P-Zero series have never ceased to amaze me with their grip. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this tire a 9.5. Less 0.5 points because of the lousy comfort... maybe I'm getting too old for this.
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Old 11-17-2003, 02:23 AM   #19
KoneKiller
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 39191
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Houston
Vehicle:
2004 WRX STi WRB
Red 1990 Spec Miata

Default

#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)

Bridgestone RE070 225/45/17 (STi OEM)

#2.) what is your geographic location

Houston

#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)

AutoX

#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving

70/30

#5.) your review and personal comments

This weekend was the Evolution Driving School and my wife and I did both Phase I and II. Great school, you should try it. On day one, we started on a well-used set of Kuhmo V700s. After the first day of the class (about 60 runs), the V700's were showing a lot of cord, so we knew we couldn't run the second day on them.

The only choice was to put the RE070's back on the car. I was sure we'd lose a lot of grip and speed and I wasn't sure they would hold up to 48 autocross runs on our rather abrasive surface.

Well... I'm stunned. There was very little loss of maximum grip (1.06G vs 1.12G on the V700's). They were sharp and predictable on turn-in and braking. At the end of the day, there was some edge feathering, but no gross wear.

Even the instructors remarked on how good the grip was compared to other cars.

I've read a lot of criticism of the RE070's and was prepared to be sorely disappointed with my day, but the results were excellent.

I will still run V700's for autocross, but should I ever want to run in a street tire class, I'll feel confident that the RE070s will be up to the task.
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Old 11-20-2003, 06:46 PM   #20
FUNKED1
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 21279
Join Date: Jul 2002
Chapter/Region: BAIC
Location: Livermore / Sacramento
Vehicle:
2015 BRZ Limited
WRB

Default

#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)
Pirelli PZero Nero, 205-55-16

#2.) what is your geographic location
Bay Area, California

#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)
None

#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving
50/50

#5.) your review and personal comments
Car is an 02 WRX Sedan. I have a bad habit of using interstate cloverleafs as skidpads when there is no traffic. So I wear my left side tires a lot faster than the rights. Which means that I need tires which are not unidirectional, so I can rotate them to keep the wear even. The highest rated max performance tire without a unidirectional tread is the PZero Nero, so I bought a set of those.

Grip: Much more grip than the stock tires (RE92), even when they were being broken in.

Handling: They tramline a bit more than the RE92 on grooved pavement. Somewhat annoying but I've experienced worse. Otherwise steering is very similar and sidewall stiffness feels similar. Car seems more neutral on these tires but that could just be mental.

Ride Quality: I can't tell the difference between these and RE92.

Noise: No difference from the RE92 in normal driving. In hard cornering, they don't howl nearly as much as the RE92 until you get right on the limit.

Wear: I have about 8000 miles on them and they are wearing a little bit quicker than the RE92. I got 20K miles on the RE92 and I estimate I will get 17-18k miles on this set.

Wet Performance: I've only driven them in the rain a few times, but I didn't notice any difference from the RE92.

Overall I'm very happy with them. Good price, much more grip than the stockers, not too many downsides, and I can rotate them to even out tire wear.
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Old 11-24-2003, 06:13 PM   #21
Butt Dyno
Street's closed, pizza boy
 
Member#: 17301
Join Date: Apr 2002
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Location: NoVA
Vehicle:
2018 Focus RS
2006 Evo #17 STU

Default

Luke - it might be worth adding to the template
5) suspension mods if any
6) review/comments
since that does impact the review - esp. on things like ride quality and whatnot.

Thanks! and feel free to delete this post

-john
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Old 12-30-2003, 09:44 PM   #22
StickyIckyIcky
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Member#: 51601
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Afghanistan
Default

Quote:
please answer these questions
oK


Quote:
#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)
Federal 205/50/16 SS535

Quote:
#2.) what is your geographic location
MIDDLE EAST

Quote:
#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)
50% Twistes 10% City 40% Drags

Quote:
#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving
See above


Quote:
#5.) your review and personal comments
CRAP, WORST TYRES EVER NEXT TO THE SILVERSTONE THAT I HAD ON MY PREVIOS CAR.

I DID NOT BUY THESE TYRES, THEY CAME ON THE RIMS ALREADY. THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT THEM IS THAT THEY ALLOW YOU TO 4WD DRIFT VERY EASY.

CANT WAIT TO GET RID OF THESE CRAP FEDERAL TYRES.

OH ALSO LOTS OF ROAD NOISE.


Quote:
Thanks for your participation
my pleasure
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Old 02-12-2004, 11:49 AM   #23
SlideWRX
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 3803
Join Date: Jan 2001
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: SouthEast Michigan
Vehicle:
07 Mustang GT
Ford Crappy Paint White

Default

#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)
Dunlop SP sport A2 all season EDIT:205/55/R16

#2.) what is your geographic location
Detroit, Michigan

#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)
None, just spirited paved & dirt driving
I have separate summer tires.

#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving
50/50

#5.) your review and personal comments
Fairly quiet, good braking traction, however I had several moments when turning.

Most of the time they do well, but either the breakaway isn't very progressive or they just don't have good turning grip. If I managed to get the rear end involved I could usually get good cornering traction, however if The front happened to take the brunt of it immediate understeer occured. This was on dry pavement. it was enough to push halfway over into a different lane.

Tom

Last edited by SlideWRX; 02-12-2004 at 12:02 PM.
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Old 02-12-2004, 12:02 PM   #24
SlideWRX
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 3803
Join Date: Jan 2001
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: SouthEast Michigan
Vehicle:
07 Mustang GT
Ford Crappy Paint White

Default

#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)
Pirelli P-3000 Cinturato 205/55R16

#2.) what is your geographic location
Detroit, Michigan

#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)
None, just spirited paved & dirt driving
I have separate summer tires

#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving
50/50

#5.) your review and personal comments
I originally picked these up because of a rear tire flat on some fairly worn re-92's. After installation, the ABS was twitching on dry very light braking applications. I used them for ~400 miles while I was looking for replacements, since I was quite concerned the ABS twitch was the tires (thought the computer would adjust sooner). Right around 400 miles the twitching stopped, but I had already ordered the Dunlops I reviewed above and had installation scheduled. So I kept the pirellis in the garage and ran the dunlops for ~20k and wore them out, and put the pirellis back on. No problems, good traction and quiet. ABS works fine and snow traction is good. Approx 3k miles so far. With the same alignment that had my SO-3's tramlining a LOT, I get none with the pirellis. EDIT: another winter on these, and they work well. Nothing spectacular, but capable. It's been a while since I was stock tires, so I can't compare these to the RE-92's.

Tom

Last edited by SlideWRX; 03-01-2005 at 01:25 PM.
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Old 02-23-2004, 11:04 PM   #25
paulatwork
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 18407
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Singapore
Vehicle:
'02 PSM WRX wagon
NESIC Trackh0z # 456

Default Re: NASIOC specific tire review (please respond)

#1.) what tire are you offering for review (please include size)

Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 (215/45/17)

#2.) what is your geographic location

Boston, MA

#3.) what types of driving events if any (i.e. track, AutoX, RallyX)

AutoX & track

#4.) percent of highway vs. city driving

30 highway 70 city

#5.) your review and personal comments

These tires were pretty good when new - good wet traction and general handling feedback - i couldn't complain about anything. Then i took it to a track day and its lack of grip became painfully obvious (especially when everyone else is using azenis). The tires also chunked quite badly from the middle - this seemed to make them louder and also less predictable to drive fast with. I got rid of them quickly after that.

Overall they're cheap - but i have since decided to go with slightly more expensive tires (my next choice was the azenis, which although a very different tire, has made me much happier)
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