JDeitz951

I've heard good things about Kumho MX tires and I'm thinking about going with them (245/40-17 $130). But the Kumho 711 is ultra cheap (<$100). Has anyone tried either of these tires and liked them? This is for street/track use with 2 to 4 DE's per year.

I tried 712s and didn't like them on the track.

dand86951

I don't know the tires well enough to say whether this would affect your decision but it may be information for you to check out.


Safety Concerns with Kumho ECSTA V710 Tires

From PCA's National Safety Chair comes the following message:

Kumho has recalled the new ECSTA V710 tires. SCCA has banned the use of the V710 tires for Racing and Solo use. The tires have been recalled by the manufacturer because of safety issues.

Details can be found at: http://www.scca.org/news

rage2

The Kumho Ecsta V710 tire is a newly introduced R compound "slick" designed to compete with Hoosier... it's totally different than the MX or the 711/712 street tires. The recall has nothing to do with any other tires, not even the Kumho V700 R compounds.

The 711/712 line is a low cost summer tire that's worth every cent IMO. Long tread life, decent grip around corners, really good straight line grip. I ran all my 1/4 mile runs in the 951 with the 712's. My 420hp SLK 32 AMG also uses Kumho 712's for street duty, barely any wheelspin off the line. The nice thing about the 712's is it's a great novice/intermediate tire. It is VERY progressive at the limit. First you'll hear sqealing, then it starts to slide in a very progressive and controlled manner. Every novice at lapping days that I sit in with speak of how easy it was to control their slides and find the limits with the 712's. On the other hand, the rookies with the exotic tires always spin off because there's no warning near the limit, and the grip just drops straight off like a cliff . I highly recommend this tire for anyone using it for street duty.

I'm using Kumho MX now on the 951, and IMO they're up to the S-03 level in terms of cornering grip. I haven't put enough miles on them though to report on tread wear or anything. I've also setup my car for drifting, so I'm actually running my bald 712's in the back now with MX in the front. Oversteer on demand .

Matt H

Rage, I have a set of MXs (well three as one came apart the other day after 7K miles) and numerous sets of S-02/3s. My wife drove my car when I swapped the wheels/tires from the 16"wheels with/S-02s to new wheels with MXs. It rained that same day. She drove the car home and told me until the tires were changed she was never driving it again. Since then she has driven the car twice and both time complained about the tires. When the MX came apart the other day I swapped back to another set of S-03s, forgot how much different the car is.

In all honesty the S-02 had more grip when bald (corded) than my MXs did brand new. I have driven and tested hundreds of tires and there are only a few that give me white knuckles, the MX is one.
__________________
Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

JDeitz951

rage2

Thanks for the advice. I'm leaning towards the MXs.

But that last paragraph, I don't know. Maybe I won't use that setup for DEs!

Waterguy

I am very happy with the wet weather grip of my 712s. Lots of wet weather driving opporunities on the coast, and they have been great. As Rage2 says, the straight line grip (with LSD) is great; wheel-spin is a non-issue on dry pavement at 18 psi boost. Dry pavement cornering grip is only "okay", but I too (a DE novice) can confirm that the breakaway on the track is very controllable. They wear well, but as stated they are noisy.

I believe the MX have better dry traction, but sacrifice wet weather handling. For my location I am glad I have the 712s. YMMV.

And now a word from Matt: Just kidding!

a4944

I have the Kuhmo MX. They seem fine on the track. I had one day with a light rain and didn't have any problems. The track was wet but no puddles nor any opportunity to hydroplane. My first set of fronts blistered after two events but I found out my ball joints were bad and the alignment would not hold. I replaced the fronts and have a couple of events on them and they seems to be holding up well. I have 3 1/2 (don't ask) events on the rear and need to replace them. I don't have limited slip and get alot of wheel spin coming out of tight turns. I'm also running -1.5 camber on the rear. The inside of the tire is worse off. They squeel when you get near the edge. I would go with the MX if you want to track the car. Tires make a huge difference on track to both your speed and enjoyment. I would recommend a max performance street tire for the track.

Mark

dmoffitt

the 711 is a far worse performing tire than the 712 (it's an all-season). the mx, slightly better, but i would spend the money on a GOOD tire (read: pirelli, bridgestone, yokohama, etc) over kumho any day. been there, done that, not worth saving a few bucks - i figure, with better tires you don't end up over-driving the tires' limits when having fun, so in reality they actually will last longer... and performer better while doing so.

joseywhales

I have the Ecsta "Supras" and have been very please w/ look handling, and ride. I would recommend for everyday driving, can't speak as to racing. Scott.