Kumo Ecsta tires are the worst

I put MX's on our SLK in the summer of 2004 and they've been okay. Granted, I don't push that car as hard as I do my NSX but still they feel at least as good as the Goodyear GT's they replaced.
 
ak said:
kumho ecsta supra 712 is definitely crappy tire. It stunk even on my lowly Sentra and wore out in 20k miles. For similar price, Yoko ES100 is a much better buy.

For my sentra I was running 13 inch black steelies, with 175/50/13's Yokohama a008's. I could virtually keep up with any car up in the mountains and it was damn fun. 6k miles later I'd need new ones though.

When I first got my NSX the rear was slipping out so easy. I checked the tire pressure and the tires were a bit over inflated and balding in the middle. After I got new tires it sticks a lot better, but still some squirrel action if i'm on it a bit. You pretty much get what you pay for. Performance = $ and as that P goes up so does the $. Anyone try A032's yet? I'm sure your nsx would handle like a champ with those.
 
ryans said:
Anyone try A032's yet? I'm sure your nsx would handle like a champ with those.
The A032 R is an R compound track tire. I don't recommend it for street use, for the same reasons as pretty much any track tire: The treadwear is too rapid (mine were toast after about 2K miles including 1500 track miles). They need to warm up for a few laps before they reach their optimal performance (and they won't do so on the street). They are mediocre on wet roads (better than most other track tires, but not as good as street tires). But they're fine for track use.
 
Dave Hardy said:
I claim that the Ecsta V710 is the best you can get based on the fact that the majority of winners at this year's SCCA Solo Nationals were on the tire.

I would say that the above statement should be qualified as probably the best "autocross" tire currently available. If you want the extreme grip of a R-compound tire that heats up quickly but is not made for a road course or street driving then the 710 that won Solo Nationals is a fine choice. I think there should be some differentation (not that it matters a whole lot!) between the autocross and road course compounds.
 
Good point, Shawn.

When it comes to road course use of R compound tires, word gets around quickly if one tire is significantly better than another. There are a lot more track tires on the market now than a few years ago, with worthy entries (either new introductions, or increased availability) from brands like Hankook, Michelin, Avon, Pirelli, Toyo, and others, in addition to the old standbys from Yokohama, Kumho, and Hoosier.

When one tire is significantly better than the others, people hop on the bandwagon. Some years ago you'd see a lot of folks with Hoosiers, then when the Yoko A032R came out a lot of people switched over to that tire. That hasn't happened with the V710. A few people are using it, but no more so than the other brands/models. The track instructors I know who have tried the V710 have generally told me that it's okay, similar to other track tires, hardly "best" (or "better" than anything else out there). These days the market is pretty competitive, and you'll see all of the above brands in use these days at most road course events.
 
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