I know this isn't news, but here's some specific info for the guys like me who aren't interested in paying the $$$ for Michelins.

After about 16k of fun with the OEM Bridgestones, took them off (still plenty of tread) so I could stay in the land of the living...it rains a lot in Houston.

Did lots of research, and couldn't stomach spending close to $1k on Michelins. Finally, the Kumho Ecsta KH11s looked good - inexpensive, good reviews. So I bought four Kumhos and rode on them...for about 14k miles. By that time, the front tires were at the tread bars, and the rears were about 2/3 down. I had rotated them, but then left the fronts on to limit replacement to only two tires once the wear problems became obvious.

So, bought two more Kumhos, and just left them on the front. 9k later (yes, 9k), they're gone. And listen, I do drive pretty fast but don't punch it off the line or try and spin the tires - the things just wear instantly!

Enough. Did some more research, and was settling on the Falken 512s but found quite a few bad reviews on the .org. Too many people complaining about tire flex and tire wear; and similar complaints about the Nitto 450s. Was going to go with the 512s anyway hoping for a good experience, but kept coming back to the dread of yet another set of tires that wears way too fast.

So...bought four Pilot A/S (hated writing that check!), and put them on - $185 each at Discount Tire. And wow - tread wear is still the main issue, and can't report yet on how they do, but they're have a 400 wear rating. But handling? I didn't realize that the Kumhos were soft, but these things must have sidewalls like steel - the max handles like a slot car now! The difference is great, plus road noise is down a lot.

So, the moral of this story is...paying $800 for tires sucks. But these things are very, very good, and hopefully really will last twice as long as the Kumhos. If you can, spend the money for the Pilots!

Peace.

 

sport tires do wear out pretty fast, i had kuhmos for about 10k and they were almost gone. Now i went with pilot ps2's, im really loven these tires, so much better than the kuhmo ecsta's that i had and the ride quality is 10x better even on uneven roads or potholes. Best deal i ever had was gettin these tires, 4 tires almost brand new, were just on a show car, and the thread is like new with no wear at all for only $400 shipped.

 

I hate you...