Kumho Matrac Tires...

[Mirage]

Yes my friends, the time has come to get a new set of tires. Unfortunately I'm not going to pay the price for the Goodyear Eagle F1's or Michelin Pilots. I was looking at the GS-D3's but I found this deal and couldn't pass it up. I was a little nervous at first since I've never heard of Kumho before but after doing some research and asking a few mechanic friends of mine my fears subsided.

Unfortunately between work and other commitments, no serious testing of the new tires has been done. Not to mention that the weather hasn't been the greatest. It's been in the mid to upper 30's so other than a quick blast to keep "the steed" in shape no substantial trips to account for. I can say that the grip does feel pretty good and when the weather does change I think these tires will grab really well.

Trust me, no one more than me wants warmer weather to move in. Or at least warmer than 35 degrees with a wind chill of 20. So without further adieu, here are a few pics...

Rear:




Front:

[mrpork]

where did you purchase them and how much i need a new pair

[Mirage]

mrpork~ I did the normal surfing to tirerack, discounttire and the like but wound up buying from a local shop. When all was said and done it was a little over $600. The breakdown went something like this:

$133 (per tire) * 4 + $6 (mounting/balancing) + $2.50 (state disposal fee) + tax = ~$610. Not bad when you consider the Goodyears and Michelin's were in the $280+ category per tire. Sorry but I'm not about to spend over $1,000 for a set of tires knowing full well in another 10,000 miles I'm going to need another set. Funny thing is that I don't do burnouts or track days. I could only imagine if I did. Hell, I'd start to buy stock in tire manfacturers.

[RF Cobra]

I've used the Ecstas but not those. I was pleased with them and they lasted a little longer (10k) than the stock goodyears (8k). I currently have Kumhos all season w rated tires on the car and they are doing great. One thing I have to confirm is that with these tires it looks like my mileage per tank is going to be considerably higher than when I was using the summer only tires.

If you buy from Tire Rack be sure to click on the Tire Rack link on our site when you are ready to buy. That way you will be helping the club out at no additional cost to you.

[ausie]

They look like they would do well in the rain. The tread pattern looks similar to the Toyo's T1-R's and the T1-S. What is also great about the elongated treadblock is that stones do not generally get stuck between the tread blocks.
However, with warming temperatures, if the tires are sticky enough, they will pick up whatever is on the street regardless.

That price sounds like a great deal

[Mirage]

Well after a couple of hundred miles under my belt with the new tires I can say without a doubt that these tires are doing the job very well. Of course the temperature is still somewhat cold but as Spring/Summer approaches I can only imagine the improvement in grip. Road noise is at a minimum and corning seems rock solid. Although I can't attest to the longevity of the tires, if someone was going to ask me for a recommendation, I would certainly give it.

RF Cobra~ I'm hoping to get around 10,000 miles out of this set. That's what I got out of the F1's, which is about what you got (8,000 isn't THAT bad ). And yes, I always tell my Cobra brethen to come here and click all the sponsor links to help the site.

ausie~ The Toyo's were on my list. My list was about eight manufacturers before I settled on the aforementioned brand. It's amazing how things change day-to-day.

[dewone]

Those look just like the Kumho Ecsta's I purchased in December. Like you I'm waiting on warmer weather to see how they grip. So far so good with the little bit I've had her out. I don't know how they work in wet situations cause I don't drive her in the rain. I may get both (wet, and warmer) the first week in April I'm headed to Florida in the Cobra. So I hope to get a better feel for them in sunny FL.

[Mirage]

dewone~ Let me know how they do in the rain as (like you) the Cobra doesn't see bad weather. Have fun in Florida!

[RF Cobra]

I should clarify. I had 10.5 stock reproduction chrome wheels on the back so I did not rotate the Ecstas. The fronts were still in good shape so I kept them as they look like they could go another few thousand miles.


The Ecsta's did great in the rain, so those ought to be very good too.

I switched to the Ecsta ASX all seasons this time because the cold weather wasn't kind to them and they began loosing traction spinning which increased the wear rate. The ASX are supposed to be good for 30k and I like them just as much, if not better than the Ecsta summer tires. I'll be thrilled if they get anywhere close to 30k but I'm not holding my breath.

[ausie]

Just my .02, when using all season tires you tend to loose some grip due to the formulation of the rubber compound. This is what I noticed with a set of Pilots which were the AS versions. The performance was not there. It probably depends on the tires and what compounds they mix with the rubber. As for the Pilots; they broke early on tight turns as well as not hooking up all that great in the rear with temperatures in the 90's. Since then, it is summer only rubber for my snake in the spring to fall and then a switch over to snow tires for the remainder of the year. The issue with summer tires is that the compound begins to harden when it is cold out which will reduce the traction a bit . My biggest concern is ice or snow with summer tires and all seasons fall in the same category. It has never been my intention to drive out in the snow, but some times you can get caught up in it. And with the many different types of studless snow tires out there, makes for insurance for icy conditions. Although if you do not have an old set of wheels for the snow tires (say the 01 wheels) the all season tires are your best bet since witner tires may not be availabe in the wider width.

However, considering the newer tire technologies (basically the rubber mix and tread designs) some tires may be good performers all year long. Unfortunately the bad experience I had with the AS pilots has created a bias in my mind not to use them.

[dewone]

Didn't see rain till I was headed home from FL. Hit a big storm north of Atlanta area. The tires gripped well I couldn't belive the car wasn't hydro planing like before on the Kelley's. So the tires work fine I'm pleased with the Ecsta's.