Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Wheels & Tires Tires other than the KDWs for the SVT Tour?

Can anyone suggest good summer tires outside the stock KDWs? I'd like something more quiet and I don't need to go 143 MPH.

Got my Blizzaks for the winters, but I am looking for a new regular tire.

Dunlop, Yokohama, any suggestions? Thanks!

After doing a bunch of research, I'm getting Bridgestone RE730s. They appear to be the current bang for the buck.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/bridgestone/bs_re730.jsp



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Ryan W.
1998 T-Red SVT E0 #634 (KKM)
Austin/Cedar Park, Texas

FedEx delivered my RE730s this morning, $104 ea. from TireRack (Thanks Luke!) and I had them mounted this afternoon. They are a LOT quieter than the KDWs. Places where the KDWs roared before, all I hear now is a soft wooshing. I haven't tested out the grip yet, but from what I've heard, they perform equally if not better than the KDWs. And at the price, they are a steal...

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Louis Wang
Austin (Aug-May)/Sugar Land, TX
1998 Black E0 #3826, lightly modded

[This message has been edited by louisw (edited March 08, 2001).]

Another tire I like is the Yokohama AVS-Intermediate. It's really cheap and really sticky. Only low is treadwear.

Thanks for the suggestions so far! I am willing to sacrifice treadwear for a quieter tire. Keep them coming!

Louis, what size did you buy? 205/55 or 225/50 ?

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Ryan W.
1998 T-Red SVT E0 #634 (KKM)
Austin/Cedar Park, Texas

Take a look at the KDWS. It is a very different tire from the KDW and is quieter and should last longer. I installed a set in size 225/50R16 on my 98 SVT E0 about 2 weeks ago and so far I'm very pleased.

Tire Rack has slightly changed their format so that it is easier to compare tires. It permits you to see the specs side by side on several tires at the same time. The KDWS is clearly the superior tire as well as the value leader by that comparison.

Jim Johnson
98 SVT

what a minute....kdws AND kdw???? whats the difference? any problems with the 225/50's rubbing?

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'99 svt - silver/blue - #2555 of 2760
h&r's * sho-shop y-pipe * kkm * sca rear sway bar * bnm hvac white panel * piaa super whites * xenon foglights * infinity kappas w/ tweeters & a 10in alpine

KDWS: Key feature Dry, Wet, Snow traction

KDW: Key feature Dry, Wet traction

Hope that helps

The 225/50R16 has no rubbing issues on my car at all. I had that size on it before in a different tire (Continental) for 60,000 miles and there was no problem even with four people in the car with luggage for a family trip (two adults and two teen age girls).

The KDWS is actually slightly wider than the Continentals were, but they still clear. It is closer in the rear than in the front. It is close to the strut and also to the lower suspension arm that attaches to the lower part of the spindle and goes toward the front of the car.

The tread pattern on the KDWS is entirely different. The ride quality is stiffer than the Continentals or the original Goodyear GS-C but not at all objectional. Kind of feels like a new set of stock struts. They are quiet, much quieter than the GS-C and some quieter than the Continentals.

I don't tend to drive agressively when cornering (I prefer to use finess) so I may never know the limits of these tires but they are hard to break loose on hard acceleration and they feel very secure in the rain. They also feel very secure on canyon roads at speed, wet or dry.

The only slightly negative thing I can say about them is that they feel slightly squirly when traveling on concrete freeways with rain grooves that are not exactly parallel with the lane. It is not objectionable, but noticable. I don't remember if the GS-C did this or not, but the Continentals did not. Of all the cars I road test on a daily basis, this is really pretty much a normal condition and these tires do it less than some I have driven.

By the way, they were only $109.00 each from Tire Rack. (Thanks Luke) They are probably slightly less in the smaller sizes (205?55R16 or 215?50R16).

Jim Johnson
98 SVT