These will replace the bald Kumho Ecsta ASX 235/40/18's that I've had for over 36k miles now .. and they have been AMAZING .. but i wanted to increase the footprint this time, and try another tire -- purchased from tirerack.com (pirellis) for $150 a tire, $30 shipping. They have a higher rating (almost all superiors) than the ASX's .. so I'm looking forward to it.

For the record, the Kumho's were awesome in the rain, snow, ice .. etc. They also kicked ass in tight turns and on the highway they were ultra quiet .. The bad part was that once they started to go bald, they became very dangerous in inclement (rainy) conditions...

 

I just put P-Zeros on my '04 5AT, and I love 'em. One of the others I'd considered was the Ecsta ASX, it seemed to do well in all the categories and was certainly cost-effective. But the guy at TireRack (Roger) steered me into the Zeros. Maybe they work on commission!!!

How long did it take the Ecsta's to become "dangerous"? How hard do you drive, and how much of your driving is like that? (I drive fast, and like to do some passing, but often the traffic makes me drive calmly since it's "all cars everywhere!! So mostly I just try to hold speed and optimize gas mileage.)

 

Peter,

Did you consider the Toyo Proxes 4 that seem to get rave reviews when you made your decision? I'm thinking about switching to one of the two...

-LOD

 

I had the pzero's, and switched to kumho ecsta supra's. The pzero's gripped better, but they felt floaty to me. It felt as if they had really mushy sidewalls. Next time I'll probably spend the extra money and go with Toyo T1-S.

 

PeterUbers,

Congrads on the tire upgrade. I look forward to your review once you have put some mileage on them. I'm deciding between the Toyo Proxes 4 and the Pirelli P Zeros.

dsc888

 

I'm going to buy the P Zero Neros in the next few days and I just wanted to ask if anyone has actually used them in the snow? These will be my all-season tires and I live in MN. The stock El42s were not good in the snow, but it didnt snow much last year, do you think the P Zero Neros will be better?

Thanks.

-Andy

 

I have them and loooooove them

 

Thanks for the replies fellas...

1) I drove my TL w/ the Kumho's EXTREMELY aggressively ... very hard in turns... floored it off the line a handful of times... heavy braking into turns, etc...

2) the kumho's became dangerous about 5,000 miles ago ... right around 31,000 miles... but they became bad after i installed the Comptech RSB ... seems like I need an alignment after my Aspec install as well, b/c there is uneven wear from the front to the back. Also, I never rotated my tires as regularly as I should have

3) I wanted to stay under $150 a tire... so that limited me the the Kumho ASX's, the P Zero's, and the Sumitomo HTR+ (a crappy tire all around).

I'll post a full review in a couple days after I put at least 500 miles on the P Zero's (they're still sitting on my porch)

 

Have about 100 miles on the Pirelli's now .. i have to say that it seems that the back end seems more eager to slip out during aggressive turns... but cornering on off/on ramps aggressively is very tight, and the car holds very very well. Launching is no different, and road noise is minimal .. these are pretty quiet tires. I have the 245 width tires now, up from 235 .. and I noticed immediately that this is the perfect tire width for the 8.5" Aspec rim .. they protect the rim very nicely .. w/o looking like an SUV tire.

As soon as I drive in some rain, I'll update on inclement weather handling.

 

About 7k miles on the tires and they are great. They grip and handle great. Also, great in rain. Michelin are also good but had a few problems with blowouts. The rubber is too soft on the Michelins.

 

Just had this decision made for me ... losing about 5lbs of pressure every two days, took it in and the nail in my tire was too close to the sidewall to plug. Oh well the Bridgestones were about gone anyways .... Pirellis will be in on Wednesday.

Good news was - local tire shop can match tire rack prices and I didn't have to worry about getting them shipped.

I'll let you know about 'em after I can break 'em in right

 

Do you think it is the wear or the Comptech RSB that made it more dangerous?

I just ordered the Kumhos Ecsta ASX according to your PM recommendations. So if they will be a piece of $hi*, it will be your fault and I will sue you for everything you own (including your beloved TL) Just kidding, of course.

Thanks and let us know, Mark.

 

Mark! LOL! .. i assume full responsiblity, it's ok!

Actually, the only time the Kumhos were dangerous was in the rain. They still gripped HARD on dry pavement even though the rears were practically slicks. I truly enjoyed those tires, I can't say that I've ever said that about a previous tire (well, maybe the Potenza RE910's that I can on my previous car.. those were mint). The best part about the Kumhos were that they didn't flatspot in the winter like some tires I've owned...

All i have to say is that the Kumho's were a lot of tire for the money .. i don't exactly know what a $250 tire would do for me in my Acura TL A-spec that the Kumho's could not. I honeslty think that you'd need a much better car (RWD, more hp/tq, better handling) to truly appreciate a more expensive tire.

 

well, ..... so do not scare me with the RSB that I have on my TL . I love the sway bar and I would hate to see it not have a good relationship with my Kumhos.

I will probably have them installed Wed., so we will see. I also upgraded my wheels to TSW 19x9 and went with the 245 40 18 tire. Again, soon to experience the difference.

Take care, Mark.

 

So, now that I have had the Kumho Ecsta ASX on the TL for about 2k miles, I have to say they are awasome. Stick to the pavement great, no hydroplaining. I can feel that I can push the car more.

When I first put them on, I could feel that the TL got "heavier", but I got over it. Now it actually feels like it sticks to the road better, feels like a "tank" but at the same time still takes off like a "rocket".

I am very pleased with them and would recommend them to anyone who wants to change their tires.

Thanks, Mark.

By the way, no lawsuit.

 

Those pirelli's are they the all season or the summer tire?

 

I had the Falken Ziex 512s for about a week, but Discount Tire couldn't get them balanced right. I felt a considerable wobble above 65 mph, and after 2 attempts I gave up. They recommended the Pirelli PZeros and I got them to eat 1/2 the difference between the Falkens and the Pirellis. I don't regret the decision at all. Easily the best all-around tires I've ever had. These should be the all-season tires Acura should have put on the TL in the first place. I got 25K TOTAL out of the two sets of Bridgestones I had (only 19K out of the dealer-replaced set).

 

Coop1018 --

I believe most of us that have the P-Zeros are using all-seasons (I know I am). It's possible that some are the summer version -- most folks haven't specified. FYI, the tread pattern is exactly the same between the two, the difference would have to be in the rubber compound. If you live where it doesn't ever snow, then you might enjoy the summer version more, depending on your driving habits.

 

Also, the all-seasons also come in 245/40/18's and not 245/35/18 (the summer version comes in this size). The 35 series tire is a lower profile (duh) and looks more sleek on the Aspec rim w/ a little better throttle response b/c of the smaller overall diameter.

 

What do you use in the winter Peter?

 

I used the Kumho ASX's all year round... and I'll do the same w/ my new Pirelli's. The Aspec rims work great in the snow . they actually cut through the snow rather well.

 

i just got the p zero's as well... the "all-seasons" (based on the feedback from this forum - thanks!)

and, while i think they are a much better tire than the EL's i nalmost every catagory... they do feel "FLOATY" - as Parvo99 mentioned.

is it possible that the sidewalls are less stiff then the EL's? seems strange since nearly everyone has said that they have improved handling with the p zero's.

granted, the "traction" is better by far... but they are "floaty"

anyone else notice this???