New Kumho In Our Beloved 15" Size
 

Check out Kumho ECSTA STX tread wear 320, traction A, temperature A, H rated and come in 255 and 275 60-15. About one hundred a pop mounted and balanced. Going on my car Thursday.

Any one want a set of BFG T/A's 225/60 and 275/50 15's?

Just put a set on my Mercedes c32, needed 4 tires in an emergency, and they are great, quiet and feel as good as the Michlein Pilot Sports I had on before,
at half the price.

320 Tread wear is a pretty hard tire. Let us know if they hook up any different than your BFG's.

Actually, you can't compare one brand of tire vs. another on the treadwear numbers. The numbers are a rating against a manufacturers standard and each mfg uses a different rating base so a Goodyear 320 may be harder than a Bridgestone 350. The only universals are sizing and speed ratings. The Kumho listed is good to sustained 130 MPH (H rate).

rdorman,
Do these tires come in wider sizes, say 295s or even 305s? I'm thinking of what Great Asp has s opined in recent posts.

Do they have any wide ones in 16"?????

Everyone,
I have been talking to people at TireTrack and have both good news and some not so good news. **) The good news for you ("us" soon, I hope) 15"ers is that Yokahama makes a 345/35ZR-15 for $107. BFGoodrich's Comp T/A Drag Radial
comes in 315 and 325/60R-15...but they may not be totally-suitable for twisty-driving. Also, Continental :confused: %/
offers both a 295/50SR-15 and a 355/60SR-15. The bad news is both guys I talked to at TireTrack stated that BOTH 15"ers AND 16"ers were going to be "history" within 5 or 6 years (everyone's going to 17"-20")! :CRY: I guess the only way to beat that gloomy prospect is to stock up now. I don't know much about the shelf-lives of tires, but I imagine that they have to be rotated like some wine bottles. I also know that a bunch of you guys will be able to tell us more about the whole deal.

Only DOT approved race tires for me. Comp T/A/'s just went up in smoke and made for a "squirly" rear end when deep in the throttle. Man, I don't know how you guys can even drive a BB with street tires with out a change of under wear in the glove box.

Ernie

For those thinking of putting those Kumho sizes on an ERA - %/

I'm 90% sure that any tire over 26.5" (front) or 27" (rear) will rub.

Questions and comments in order!
 

The 255s have yet to be produced. They will not be in the states for about five weeks. After that, I will let you know how they compare to the TAs

There are designed as an 'Ultra High Performance' all weather tire for the SUV/light truck market. TA are a 'performance:LOL: ' all season radial. As I recall all the Goodyears, Dunlops, BFG, Yokohamas etc. in our 15" size range are traction B with treadwear over 400. And the others are all S and T rated. Even if you can not make a direct comparison based solely on these numbers, but I am hopeful.

None wider in 16". Check out http://www.kumhousa.com/pages/ltr/stx-specs.htm

They do come wider in 17 but there are so many good tires in 17.

It is getting tougher and tougher in the DOT, full tread, 15" market for find a decent performance tires. Wouldn't it be nice if just one of the companies would do a run of there current offerings in a better handling compound?

I like a lot of guys have little to no interest in running DOT race tires on the street. That is what the second set of rims is for to me. To each their own!

According to Kumho web sight they are 27 and 27.9 inches tall. So heed Bobs warning and check carefully. These are two inches taller than my current 275/50 in the rear and 1.3 inches taller than my 225/60 in the front. Not to mention 1.19 inches wider in the front. But I was looking for a taller tire. Looking at the other cars at the Fling mine sits very, very low. Plus something to 'fill' up the wheel wells visually and a wider tire on the front to better match my weight distribution (1130F, 1300R with me and half a tank of gas).

UNIQUE OWNERS: Anyone currently running these sizes? My rims are the PS Engineering GT40 bolt on style.

I am interested in how they compare to the pathetic bfg's. I agree, any dot's in 15 throw rocks and won't last. A taller tire on the street has the added advantage of more clearance for speed bumps etc... scott

looking for tires
 

Rdorman i am looking for some 275 50 15 how much do you want for the tires will consider the entire set or just the rear. I live in TX 75801 let me know a total plus shipping and the condition of the tires front and rear. thanks

Mike

mkcobra
 

The Kuhmos are not due in for 3 or 4 weeks but if you want the TAs I can send them out after. The fronts will probably last only about another season but there is a lot of tread on the rears (not that I haven't been trying to make them match!). Say 100 bucks for all of them? Plus shipping. Let me know if that sounds OK to you.

I called the Kumho home office. The only 15 inch size is
275-60-15. No plans for other 15 inch sizes.

Bob

Interesting!
 

The 255/60R15 is listed on Kumho's site and the local retailer who talked to Kuhmo said they where on the way. Lets hope who you talked to Bob was misinformed!

Are the tires mentioned heavier than the BFGs? Kumho lists the weight of the STX 275 at 36.9 pounds! They list the Venture ST in the same size as 31.1. Heavy tires on light cars can cause some interesting vibrations.

Bob

weight
 

I noticed the weight as well and it raised some concern. By comparison, ultra high performance autocross tires weight in the low to mid 20's.

I contacted Kuhmo and for comparison BFGoodrich. The weights listed are correct for the Kuhmo. Contributing factors accoring to them are:

"Much wider tread arc width, plus the addition of two full nylon cap plies, and wider steel belts to go along with the wider tread."

A 275/60-15 BFGoodrich radial TA weighs in at 34.3 lbs. 2.6 pound difference. Personally, not enough to sway my choice. Neither of these tires are true performance tires. Just looking for a better cruising tire.

According to Kuhmo the dock strike will delay the arrival of the 255's until perhaps January. 10 day strike, 6 week delay. Go figure!

There are a couple of 345's out there but I can not imagine those fitting plus they are an inch shorter than my current setup of 275/50 and my car already sits to low. So they are out for me.

Has any one run the drag radials, BFGoodrich or Nitto, through the 'twisties'? How do they handle.

Also, what are the pros and cons of Hoosier TD's from Rodger Krause? How long do they last?

255's
 

While the 275's are here the 255's have not even hit the water yet. 2-3 more months:(