well you should understand how the "traction" tests are done before being unimpressed with a tire. The Traction tests have nothing to do with a tires resistance to hydroplaning or wet skidpad ratings.
its also not an Ultra High performance tire.

Those Michellins are really nice but i wouldnt say their the "best tire around"
If the tire chunked from you hitting the curb i doubt they would waranty that as a manufacter defect..i could be wrong tho cause i cant inspect the tire personally.

 

lol here we go again. traction represents the ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions. D.O.T. created the UTQG system so consumers could compare.

You go to buy a fridge, will you pay exactly what the energy sticker says on it when you bring it home and run it? No, the way you use it and the cost for the juice in your locale may vary. Do you use that rating to compare it to another fridge to get an idea on how efficient it is? Yep. RE950 only achieves an "A" when "AA" is the highest rating. Some people turn up the radio when they don't like what they hear. Others compare when they shop. Sure, the RE950 is a economical tire at $98 each. But the car (4th gen) came with RS-A that were not great, but still costs $113 today. That's what Max owners seem to have a hard time understanding--sometimes one gets what they pay for. Not always, but sometimes. Cheaper is not always just as good.

 

uhmmm...i dont get the whole fridge thing..anyways, the Traction test is only a straightline test. It doesnt cover testing for turning/cornering, thats why i posted that the A grade has nothing to do with the tire's resistance to hydroplaning and wet skidpad testing.

 

u need to warm up those tires(well, anytires for this matter) for the tires to hook up. but i think u got the bad ones especially if the tires were made more than 2 years ago. ask for an exchange..the 712s are good tires...i took'em down to road roacing once and held up much better than Nitto 555s..

 

kumhos rule! For the money i couldnt go with any other tire. Road noise is not that loud that it would bothers me. Im listening to the radio or a cd anyway so its not a big prioity on my list. I think also the reason i bought these was because i was buying wheels at the same time so any other tire/performacne would have been out of my budget. Ill proabably upgrade when time comes.

 

My Dad had a set of $$$$ Michelins on his 98 Accord and they lasted almost 90K miles. By then they were bald and it was mostly highway miles, but that is still a good testament to the durability of the tire.

 

You should also check out the Sumitomos - they are in the same price range as the Kumhos but they've gotten better reviews from people on this board that have tried both.

 

its still a way long time for me. i got only 5k on my bad boys and they are just now begging to get some twisties action now that i have all my suspension mods done(still contemplating rstb). Im gonna have to check those out when the time comes. how long do u think the kumhos are gonna last?

 

You know the saying, you can't have it all. But the average consumer needs some basis of comparison. That's why DOT came up with the UTQG system (U stands for Uniform), so consumers wouldn't just get duped by tire salesmen saying I don't have this tire but this other one is better for you. How many stories have we heard of someone going to a tire store to pick up the one that was on sale for $59 only to purchase 4@ $99+ as well as a road hazard warranty and 4-wheel thrust alignment with non-adjustable rears?

Is Michelin better than Firestone or Bridgestone? Most people would say yes hands-down because of the bad publicity. Some people could care less and they're willing to slap Firestones on their car, or Bridgestones. But to say an A rating is good enough when the top score is AA is simply rationalizing. The ability to stop on wet pavement doesn't necessarily fully correlate with a wet skidpad, but wouldn't you think there's some relationship? When RS-A came out there was no AA rating. Now that there is I would expect both Nissan and owners to put an AA tires on their car, and RE950 misses that mark. Is it good enough? Sure, I'm certain it's just as good as an RS-A, it's a newer model. But there are other tires that cost the same or a bit more that have top UTQG ratings.

 

I have Dayton Daytona HR in 225/50/hr 16 on my car and i love them.The wear is very good and has a very good ride and performance,etc.The price is around $400.oo or so for all 4

 

ah now i understand more of what your saying. I agree for the most part. The traction and temperature ratings dont tell the whole story for any tire tho. juss like if 2 different tires make AA ratings doesnt mean they are the same. I wonder if and when they'll make AAA tires and ratings we'll feel the AA tires suck.
As far as Michellin better then Bridgestone/Firestone. thats basically your opinion. We have accounts with 100+ businesses and most of them dont think Michellin is better then Bridgestone/Firestone. Some prefer Bridgestones over Michellins. These people deal with tires day in and day out. yea there was alot of bad publicity with the whole recall but it was only that one tire size, Goodyears or Michellins at the same tire pressures had the tendancy to tear apart also.

 

bought kumhos and when I had them balanced they found they were all out of round. The road force variation was 19, 21, 23, 28 which is way above the normal 5-10 variation. I sent them back to tirerack and they sent me the Dunlops. Kumhos handled better being a W rated tire but also rode rougher and were louder. I like the Dunlop quality much better. You usually get what you pay for. You save some money buying Kumhos you get a cheaper tire.

 

I had Good Year RSA's on my 17" SSR's. Once I'd put on the Kumhos, they were quieter and smoother. I opted for the Z rated. I like the Kumhos and would not hesitate to get them next time.

Sometimes it's just bad luck. Of all the people that bought Maximas, there are a handful that think they suck because they've had all kinds of trouble with them.

 

I now have Toyo Proxes FZ4 in 235/35/19, and I love them..
But then again, I loved my Kumhos, too, never any problems...

 

Update:
I've started to notice road noise now but its no biggie as I listen to the radio most of the time.

 

Kon. There are reasons for this, I can't believe that noone has addressed this..

1. your tires spin at a launch because your rims are so heavy that it takes sooo much power to turn them. You have to rev your engine at a higher RPM to not bog down, thus you are applying more power to the street to turn the rim.
2. The little pieces of rubber is the compound that tire is made of. Everyones cars have it down the side after drag racing or autocrossing, its something that will never go away regaurdless of the tire.
3. The tire is made of compound it is softer than a normal tire. It will pit and divit, your tire is also a 3 ply sidewall. The intregrity of the tire is going to stay intact. Besides a sidewall gouge isn't going to be a wtty issue anyhow.


I have had RE730's and @ different types of Kumho tires. I have the 712's (by choice), I chose them over the Bridgestone. The potenza tires are grippier but the cup very quickly and tend to loose their balance faster than the Kumho's-I assume its the compound that they use.

 

712's a great tire, lasts decently long, good dry traction, great handling, good wet traction, CHEAP, looks good, available in lots of sizes, decently quiet, you want loud get an A520 Yoko.

 

I have issues with mine. Right this moment i have 3 bent rims and 3 bubbled tires. I used to drive on the freeway a lot, but christ. I also have another rim in the garage that is bent (had to replace 2 tires on that one. I have Konig Imagines with 235/40/18 k 712's. I like the tire, its just that its getting expensive just to have a nice set of rims.

 

Sound like you have issues with driving not the tires or rims

 

thanks guys. Well, I have just learned that Kumhos are made from a different compound than my stock 15's..I'm still hoping to squeeze out 20K miles from them.

 

Haven't had a problem with any of my other cars. Just the max. Granted the mustang only had 17's on it and the beamer has 14's. If anybody from michigan is reading this they know why i-94 might be doing this.

 

If it is anything like I 95 through baltimore I know where you are coming from. I drive like a drunk on the freeway, weaving and dipping to save my rims. I know that potholes damage rims and tires, but I don't blame the tires for my driving habits.

 

no bad driving habits here. you can't avoid all the potholes. 3 of my rims are bent too from potholes. my exhaust has been jarred so many times the hanger on the y-pipe actually broke. MICHIGAN ROADS SUCK.

Thanks john engler!