Dave B

I swapped out my 215/55 Yokohama Avid V4s (all-season performance) for some Sumitomo HTR Z 225/50s this week. The reason I did it was because:

A) wanted the cool looks of a Z-rated summer tire back
B) better handling
C) potentially more traction at the track
D) increased torque multiplication with the shorter tire
E) it doesn't snow enough in Kansas City to justify all-season tires

All I can say is the the tires are incredible. They are about .60" shorter than the my 215/55s and give me a little more gearing especially as they wear. They are very wide (9.4"), but they look perfect on my wide 16 X 7.5 K1s. They ride just as smoothly as my V4s did and they are actually better on bumps even though they are of a slightly lower profile. The biggest things that got me pumped was that they are 2lbs lighter than the V4s and they stick like glue. I've got absolutely no traction problems now. I can punch it from a roll in 1st and the tires barely protest in spin. When I hit the 1-2 shift real hard, the tires let out a small chirp. Launching the car is great. I can wind it up to 3000rpms and quickly slip the clutch and get just barely a chirp. With my V4s I would spin quite a ways thru 1st and have a huge screech into 2nd. I had researched tires for quite a while and decided these were the ones to get. They've gotten rave reviews from the Tirerack for being ultra sticky on the track, very low noise, and actually capable in shallow snow. They look like the old BFG Comp TA Zs. I'm very happy with these tires and hope to get to the track with then before it gets to hot out (ie hot weather kills my times and mph). I'll never make the mistake again of going with a "all-season" performance tire. To me there's no such thing.


Dave

Supermachoman

Wow that's good to hear. I was planing on ordering some HTR Z IIs in a week or so, and am now even more excited about getting them, thanks Dave.

Dave B

I actually had the HTR Z IIs on my old 17s. They were great and they were the main reason I went with Sumitomo again. The only real visual difference between the HTR Z and HTR Z II is that the II has a open central groove that channels out water pretty good. You'll love the tires. My old HTR ZIIs lasted about 30K miles which is pretty good for a Z-rated tire.


Dave

deezo

iTrader: (3)

Being that I'll have to stay with the "All-Seasom" tire, I may check them out for they're all season tires if they are available.