Which tire to get Sumitomo or Kumho

gsmith660 · 03-05-2011, 04:37 PM

Getting some 315's and am down to Sumitomo HTR z and the Kumho Ecsta XS I would like any thoughts or reviews anybody has on the performance of either. I have read the reviews on both and they both have pros and cons. Thanks

fletcher0780 · fletcher0780's Garage

I got the sumitomo's. 6000 miles on them last summer, great wear, fairly quiet, stick well. I've never been on the track with them. I bought them from americanmuscle.com, they were the cheapest place I found and shipped very quickly.

Here are the ones I got:

Rear: Sumitomo HTR Z 17" (315/35-17) Mustang Tires at AmericanMuscle.com - Free Shipping!

Front: Sumitomo HTR Z 17" (245/45-17) Mustang Tires at AmericanMuscle.com - Free Shipping!

gsmith660 · 03-05-2011, 05:09 PM

Thanks I was reading some reviews on this tire and one of the recurring complaints was that the tires are very noisy one other is that they have mysterious flats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fletcher0780

I got the sumitomo's. 6000 miles on them last summer, great wear, fairly quiet, stick well. I've never been on the track with them. I bought them from americanmuscle.com, they were the cheapest place I found and shipped very quickly.

Here are the ones I got:

Rear: Sumitomo HTR Z 17" (315/35-17) Mustang Tires at AmericanMuscle.com - Free Shipping!

Front: Sumitomo HTR Z 17" (245/45-17) Mustang Tires at AmericanMuscle.com - Free Shipping!

wcc · 03-05-2011, 05:12 PM

I'm on my third set of Sumitomo's with the last set having two newbie track events. Very pleased with them so I just stick with them. No experience with the Kuhmo's on the 930. They (Kumho's) have been great on the CS..

mussberger · 03-05-2011, 05:15 PM

That's a deal on those Sumitomos. I have an extra set of CCW 17's from my 911 turbo look race car that I think I am going to put on my 930 and this looks like the ticket. How bad can you get hurt at that price? Thanks for the heads up

Rodsrsr · Rodsrsr's Garage

Sumitomos take forever to heat up. No traction at all in my experience. I'd go Kumho.

philip j · 03-05-2011, 06:39 PM

I just purchased the 315 & 245's for my car. I was quite impressed with the weight. If I remember correctly the 315's were 6 lbs lighter than the same size Kuhmo's. Philip

gsmith660 · 03-05-2011, 06:50 PM

What size rim are you using one review I read was that these tires are narrower than your standard 315 could account for the lighter weight they didn't fit well on 11 inch rims. I read somewhere that there was a difference on Pirelli and Yokohama tires also. One brands 315 is not the other brands.

Quote:

Originally Posted by philip j

I just purchased the 315 & 245's for my car. I was quite impressed with the weight. If I remember correctly the 315's were 6 lbs lighter than the same size Kuhmo's. Philip

TurboKraft · 03-05-2011, 07:38 PM

Happy with the Kumhos for a low cost DOT legal track/street tire.
Very sticky, decent longevity.

930chef · 03-05-2011, 08:35 PM

I have had both on my 930's, and I take the kumhos by a longshot.
Kevin

Jeff Alton · 03-05-2011, 08:38 PM

I had one set of Sumitomos on a high hp 951 a few years back. I will never buy another set, ever. I know they are low priced, but they were terrible tires, even though sold as a "high performance" tire.

equality72521 · 03-05-2011, 09:22 PM

Love my Kumhos

philip j · 03-06-2011, 04:55 AM

My rims are custom Fuchs, 11.97. & 9.75 Philip

philip j · 03-06-2011, 04:59 AM

that should be 9.75 & 11.75 fitment is good. Philip

steven c · 03-06-2011, 05:44 AM

I have run the Sumi's for 4 years on my 996 as a street tire and they are fine for that. For track work go with the Kuhmo's. Beware that the Kuhmo's are a more square design at the sidewall - tread corner and therefore they rubbed the fenders on my 965 where the Michelins I have on it now are more round like the Sumi's and they clear fine.

krasuskyp · 06:13 AM

Which Sumi? Just the HTR-"Z"? Not I, II, or III???

If so, that is a reaaaaaaaally old model and I'd pass. I mean REALLY old.

The Z-I's improved, and the Z-II's were much, much better - loud due to the V pattern and flat spot like no tomorrow overnight.

Alumibiatch rocks the newest Z-III's, 265/18 all around - and I LOVE THEM. Cheap, and STICKY. They do flatspot overnight. Noise is very acceptable. Wear is pretty decent considering how I treat them (the world is my roadcoarse).

I've got the CumHO XS 225/265/16 on the 930, and I adore them. Again, cheap and STICKY. Wear has been OK, again, considering my treatment. I've got one DE and maybe 5k Paul Miles (like dog years?) on them and they're wearing acceptably. They do seem to howl somewhat, only notice w/ windows up which is a rare event for my useage.

Like I said tho, I'm verrrrrrry impressed w/ the grip on both. There is near-zero sidewall roll on either which amazes me. For the way I go thru tires, the price-to-stick ratio is the way to go.

Added benefit of less importance is they both look and feel the part as well. Great compound, cool tread pattern, appealing sidewall.

YMMV, HTH

WinRice · 03-06-2011, 06:45 AM

I've been looking at the Nitto NT-05 (not the drag version) and have heard good things about them. No experience with them yet.

ronster · ronster's Garage

Bought the Sumi HTR ZIII for my '99 Boxster and they are quieter than the OEM Pirellis that came on it. I've had two track sessions and a dozen or more AX's with them and my AX times have improved as has handling over the Pirellis. They've been excellent track tires as well with one exception they chunk up in really hard cornering conditions. The rears are down to the wear marks after 7K miles and need to be replaced. If you only do street driving then I recommend them as they are inexpensive and should give you 20-30K miles. Mysterious flats I don't know about but explainable flats I do as I've had more flats (three, one rear and both fronts) with these tires than any other tire I've ever owned but the amount of debris on our roads, where I live, had increased tenfold due to the street sweeping budget cutbacks. All three flats were caused by screws on the road.

philip j · 03-06-2011, 11:58 AM

Here's a couple of pics to show fitment on rim. Philip

gsmith660 · 03-06-2011, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurboKraft

Happy with the Kumhos for a low cost DOT legal track/street tire.
Very sticky, decent longevity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Alton

I had one set of Sumitomos on a high hp 951 a few years back. I will never buy another set, ever. I know they are low priced, but they were terrible tires, even though sold as a "high performance" tire.

Thanks Chris and Jeff I value your opinions greatly and have pretty much decided on the Kumho's