Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Wheels & Tires New 205/55VR-16 Kumho ECSTA Supra 712 Tires on My SVT

I was going to buy the 225/50VR-16s but tirerack recommended the 205/55VR-16s. I did read that some people do have 225/50VR-16s on their SVTs but tirerack called and warned me that the 225/50VR-16s would be very tight and might rub in extreme turns.

Initially I like the Kumhos. They are much quieter and ride much smoother than the BF Goodrich G-force tires. There is no doubt that the G-Force tires are a better tire for dry weather high speed driving but the Kumhos are pretty good as well in dry conditions. I have not driven the Kumhos in the rain, so I have to see how they perform in the rain. My suspicion is that the Kumhos will also be an excellent tire in the rain. The G-Forces tires were excellent in wet weather.

I did a lot of research before buying the Kumhos. They are made in Korea and that did make me think twice about the tires since I have had bad experiences with products from Korea. Tirerack does have a customer review section on the Kumhos and in the most part people liked the tires. After buying the tire, I found out that a guy at work has Kumhos on his BWM M3. He told me that they definitely not Michelin Pilots that came with the car but for the price, you can not beat them. I like the Kumhos and especially the price ($71 a tire). After everything was done (shipping, installation, balancing, and a 4 wheel alignment) the total was about $100 per tire.

I will let you know more as the Kumhos get older.

2000 Black SVT
#788

Joing the Kumho crowd my man! I have Kumho ECSTA Supra 225/50ZR16's on my stock SVT E1 wheels. They do rub a bit if you have three people in the back, or at least mine do, although I've never bothered to try and solve that problem since I've only ever had that many people in back once.

I now have 62k miles on my car. I put the new tires on at about 57k miles, so I have to rotate now for the first time. Wear seems OK so far. Performance is a bit below the G-Force OEM tires but not enough to make a difference for my daily use, and they are a TON quieter and better in the rain. They definitely aren't S03's or anything, but for the money so far I'm a happy customer.

Not to rain o your parade, but I hate my Kumho Ecsta Supras (as everyone will tell you I do). I have the 235/40/17's on my car in summer, they suck arse. Dry, wet, cornering, straight light performance have all been killed since I put those things on, my 205/60/15 snow tires get better traction from a stop... There's my sales pitch, want to buy them? I can't wait to get back to summer so I can continue burning those tires off so I can justify buying new ones...

EDIT This is in comparison to 225/50/15 Bridgestone Potenza RE71 on the stock 15" alloys which were a much, much better tire. Will be going with another Bridgestone (RE731 this time or a pole position) in the future or perhaps a Firestone SZ50.

The Firestone SZ50EP's are great tires in the dry and wet. My only complaint with them is the treadwear, I am just about at 17,000 miles with them and doubt I will make 20K. This is my first set of high performance tires so I really don't know if that mileage is good or bad. I keep up with the air pressure, balancing, and alignment and they are wearing evenly. I just don't see how some of the people giving their reviews of these tires on Tire Rack can get 30k plus on them. I guess they drive alot of straight lines, a waste of a great cornering tire. As much as I really like these tires, I am looking at getting something that will last longer than 18 months and 17 or 18K, and is less expensive while still retaining good dry and wet capabilities, even if it means moving down a bit in the performance catagory. I like the looks of the Bridgestone RE950's and the reviews look good. It rarely snows in Houston, that's why I got the SZ50EP's. Anyone have suggestions?

I'm agreeing with Brad on this one. the Kumho's are awful, I can get you some Goodyear GSD's at a smokin price. I'm gonning be running 215/45/17's. this seems to be the tire size of choice on our cars.

I have to say I am not a huge fan either, I have the 225-50-16. Performance is down, looks well, I dont think they look as good as the BFGs.Oh well they were cheap, and they give me reason to buy 17" wheels and new rubber.