Hi,

I know this has been posted somewhere, but I wanted to know I have the kuhmo ecsta 712 stock 215 55 16.

Was wondering, my friend told me that this tire will not handle snow at all, I didnt realized that until he told me, anyway was wondering could I still drive with this tire like lets say 10 to 15 mph on the road with snow, or not?

Thanks

 

a thread not too long ago on here about it...basically, the kumho is a summer tire, therefore youll never survive the winter on it.

 

Tirerack snow rating for Kumho is 'N/A' meaning no rating has been given but I have them and they are primarily designed for good rain traction and doubt they would be any good in the snow. Blizzak's are what you need...

 

friend has them on his probe... snowed just a bit one time and had his kumhos on... he was afraid to drive after finally getting home...
put on his winter tires the next day.... not recommended

 

You will probably die if you try to drive through a winter on 712s. I'm not joking. I got caught in the first snow of winter once on them, and I was very very scared for my well being.

 

sorry but that really got me laughing


but yea, Kumhos and snow do not mix
the thread pattern, temperature they can sustain and everything else about them is totally not suitable for snow or even winter driving.
You better off getting some crappy all season tires on some steel 15" wheels.. it will cost you a couple of hundred but it will save you a few accidents and possibly your life.

 

I got caught in a hail storm in the summer once with summer tires on. I thought for sure I was going to wreck my car.

1. The compound on the summer tires get very hard in cold temp.
2. The tread blocks on summer tires are way too big and aggrassive to be effective in snow.

 

I drove through a bad snow storm last winter in Pennsylvania by Pittsburgh, w/ the Kuhmo's.

Just one thing: I thought I was going to die. I did not have any traction, anything above 25 and my wheels would spin. I turned the wheel either which way, and the car just wanted to go straight. I couldn't stop, and the bad thing was, I had to follow my Girlfriend in an 87 Escort which was cutting in the snow like butter. I stayed in her tracks, and IMHO that's the only thing that gave me some traction. Almost rearended her a few times.... STUPID, STUPID.

Rest Assured, I am getting better tires before this winter season hits, even though I don't live in PA anymore!

 

DONT! I had them on my 18s last december and the ONLY day it snowed/iced over here in ATL and i wrecked my car! actually it was good since i got paint job but it could have been worst. I was scared as hell since there was NO traction!

 

Go to www.tirerack.com and do a search for winter tires. You can read the surveys and check prices. Blizzaks are expen$ive, but there are others that rank right up there with them.

If you want 'all season' tires, the Kumho 716 isn't bad... cheap too! But, if you want it in a 16" size, you'll need to step up one size to a 225/55/16. This isn't a big deal, it's just a tad taller than the stock 215. These wear much better and do way better in cold weather than the 712's.

Tire Rack doesn't have a picture of them, but you can do a Google search for "kumho 716" and get a look at the tread. It's a basic 'all season' design. The survey on Tire Rack's website is very positive for the 716's. I'll be running then on my rear winter wheels, with some dedicated snow tires on the front. They are also going on my summer wheels. (good wear, good price, good handling)

Good Luck!

 

Rain is ok, right? Cause it hardly snows here in Oregon. If it does snow, I'm staying in anyway.

Tifosi

 

712s are the BEST rain tires I have ever had...so have fun pushing it a little in the rain . Watch out for cold temps though -- even without snow and ice the compound hardens up enough to reduce your traction significantly...

 

Seriously??

 

I am in the process of ordering the 716's for my 97 Max SE. I have read the reviews on TIRERACK and they seem positive. I live in Pennsylvania and looking towards purchasing 225-55-16 for size, but be aware, the rep at TIRERACK says these tires have been "renamed" to HP4's.They do have inventory although the web site says BACKORDER. This is due to the renaming, according to TIRERACK REP. The only picture I could find to see what the sidewall and tread look like was found on Kumho web site under ECSTA HP4 716.
If you look closely at the sidewall, you can see HP4 in the picture. Anyhow, the tire is priced well and gets good reviews. Hope that helps.