need tire opinion

[MMamdouh]

hi guys

i got a set of 15" rims fitted with 195/50/15 Kumho Ecsta MX tires and they are not in a pretty good shape... now i want to replace them and currently i am satisfied by the Kumho product and their are two options available here:

1- Kumho Ecsta MX just like the ones i currently have...
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... l=Ecsta+MX



so far my experience with them is pretty good...those grip like hell in the dry... very good grip in the wet (so far) and they look very sporty indeed but it is a bit noisy on the highway... it is also becomming an "old" tire as far as technology is involved as it has been on the market for sol long and it is kinda common on cars here... i don't care about being distinctive with my tire technology as long as the tire performs as expected though

2- Kumho Ecsta SPT.. the new generation Ecsta tire
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... =Ecsta+SPT



this is the new version of the Ecsta series... as far as http://www.tirerack.com ratings it is as good as the Ecsta MX in the dry... although the MX is categorized as Extreme Performance Summer and the SPT is Ultra High Performance Summer ... but both got AA traction rating, also the SPT is said to have more wet grip and less road noise to it seems to be all kinds of "better" than the MX

i do find the noise of the MX irritating but that can be due to the fact that they are old and worn and i think it will be less expensive than the SPT and the MX is already rated as a "better dry performer" than the SPT so i am comparing the MX's dry performance and price benefits against the SPT's less noise and wet performance

have anyone tried the SPT before?
is is much better than the MX on overall rating?
is the dry performance superiority of the MX much bigger than the wet/noise superiority of the MX??

MMamdouh

[Daniel]

Hi MM,

No experience with your selection. From this tire testing website http://www.tyretest.com/ it seems that the Kumho Ecsta MX is very good on dry but on wet. Global notation is 2.62.
I'm now on Hankook Optimo K415 (185/65/14) and quite satisfied by this choice. Rubber seems softer than my previous Conti Ecocontact 3 so I expect a shorter mileage from them but grip is far better. I got them at 52€ dry each.

Daniel,

[MMamdouh]

well... the results their resembles what i already found...

MX
Average based on 15 completed reviews - results Ø Score [2.62]
Grip under dry conditions [1.3]
Breaking under dry conditions [1.3]
Grip under wet conditions [3.3]
Braking under wet conditions [3.1]
Grip in snow [4.5]
Comfort [2.4]
Noise level (internal) [2.7]
Noise level (external) [2.7]
Tyre wear [2.7]
Kilometers driven on tyres 9.287 km

SPT

Average based on 992 completed reviews - results Ø Score [2.38]
Grip under dry conditions [1.7]
Breaking under dry conditions [1.8]
Grip under wet conditions [2.5]
Braking under wet conditions [2.6]
Grip in snow [3.5]
Comfort [2.2]
Noise level (internal) [2.3]
Noise level (external) [2.3]
Tyre wear [2.6]
Kilometers driven on tyres 13.722 km


the noise difference is not that horrible though (0.4 marks difference) and it is clear that the SPT is superior when it is wet (0.8 and 0.5 for rip and braking respectively)... it only rains here 3 to 4 days every year so i recon it is a waist to buy tires that will not be as good on the dry for 360 days just to get little benefits for 5 days when it is wet (MX is 0.4 and 0.5 better in grip and braking respectively).

i know wet grip is important but i have already been on bad wet grip tires and the MX is doing better... i tested it on a wet patch right after i got them and the car barely skidded... with the old GT champiro or Nankang NS - 1 the car would have defiantly gone sideways

i am more inclined towards the MX but i will have to consider both the price and manufacturing date when i actually purchase the tires as well as bore feedback from you guys so please share any info you got that might be helpful

MMamdouh

[nefary]

I have ecsta mx with 225x45x17''

they do well but too noisy on the streets . in both wet and dry . better grip than my old hankok champiro 195x60x14''
but away from the international testings . this kind of tires have a short lifetime due to bad streets condition here . I have a tire with a cut on its shoe . you cant imagine how that happened . a small diffrence in tarmac ( old layer through new layer ) . overall this tires are best for the good condition roads .
A . K . N