02CL-TypeS

I'm going ot need to buy some new tires soon. Either now or right after winter. Currently I'm running Fuzion HRi's in front and Toyo Proxes 4's in back lol. I like the Proxes, but they appear to wear pretty fast. I have a CL Type-S, but posted here b/c I run 06 TL stock wheels

What I need out of a tire:
-longetivity. I'm looking for atleast 2 years of service which is about 25,000 miles for me. I'de like to get 30,000 miles out of tires though
-performance...I have the need for speed. I mostly drive in dry conditions since I live in STL. We do get rain, but I am cautious. We also get snow about 5-10 times a year, but I am extremely cautious then.

I have been searching and come up with these three tires:

General Exclaim UHP's. These look awsome, but aren't All Seasons. They do have good wet ratings though. I'm concerned about the longetivity of these

Kumho Ecsta ASX's

Yoko Avid WS4's

I'm leaning towards the General Exclaims b/c they look the best to me, have great user reviews, and are the cheapest!

Jesstzn

I have had the Kumho Ecsta ASX's on my car since spring and as far as wet/dry performance they are great. A wee bit harder compound than the Yokos.

As far as winter driving ..I don't know .. I wouldn't run all seasons at all if you get any more than the odd slushy 1" snow fall.

I run dedicated winters up here.

stillhere153

iTrader: (1)

falken 912 no other comment

TLAwesome

Wow, given your driving style, weather conditions and choices, the answer here is clear. I'm going to "steer" you away from the General Exclaims UHPs (which I have and really like) and recommend you get the Kumho ASX.

Why?

1) Best Dry Handling of the Group
2) Better Snow handling than either the Yoko or Generals
3) Should last just as long as the Yokos and longer than the Generals

Sources used:
Tirerack's Sept. 26, 2007 comparative test of Yoko W4S and Kumho
Consumer Report's Nov. 2007 comparative test which included General Exclaim UHP and Kumho ASX

dgracer

I put 40k on Kuhmo Ecsta ASx's and did a lot of research on tirerack.com. My experience was that the sidewall was a little softer than I liked. I never had a good sense of 'center' on the wheel either. After 40k miles, when I took them in for at 7500 mile rotation, the rear tires were bubbling on the inside despite the tread still looking very good. (Could have gone another 10k)

Otherwise dry and wet grip was always good and the other benefit is that they are quiet tires and due to the sidewall, they ride well. I'm in So Cal so snow was never an issue.
I have since gone to BFG g-sports and like the feel much better, they are just as quiet, still ride well but have more grip. They also cost about the same but are not all season tires. BFG also warrants their tires for life against this type of defect.

In short, Kumhos were OK, but keep your eye on the inner sidewalls at every rotation.

TLAwesome

LOL, I just ditched my g-force sports after a few years of service. They rocked in the dry but weren't great in the wet (except they had very good wet breaking). The ride was harsh, especially compared to a softer-sidewall tire like my new Exclaim UHPs. Still, the g-force sports could take every hard corner I would throw at them... and I had more confidence with hard cornering with the BFGs. As always, everything's a dang trade-off.

Joe@WorldSport

I really didn't like my Kuhmo ASX tires. They felt "greasy" in the corners...like the tread blocks were squirming.

Also, stay away from Yoko Paradas. They are LOUD! sounds like a 4x4 tire on the highway :lol:


I've had 3 sets of Falken Ziex ZE912 and loved them.

TLAwesome

The Ziex912 is a fairly new tire (introduced last year) and you've gone through three sets of them?!?!? You must drive hundreds of miles per day. Or do you have them on multiple vehicles?

Ramrodthrusterpuppy

FWIW, I cannot say enough good things about my Yoko W4S, an excellent all round UHP AS tire. I routinely push my Type S hard around on-ramp corners with a little twisty action on the weekends and they have yet to break loose or even squeal. My car is lowered on Eibachs as well which contribute to the handling.... Wet weather handling is also good, these tires evacuate a lot of water at speed. I wouldn't even think about running them in any accumulation of snow...that's what winter tires are for.

Yeah, they're not as hardcore as a Max performance Summer tire, but we're not driving 911s either. For a real world performance tire, the W4S is tough to beat, IMO.

TLSS

Do the Yoko W4S last >35k miles?

SouthernBoy

Tire life is hugely affected by just two things: maintenance and use. Granted, other factors are important, but how you maintain your tires along with balance and alignment, and how you drive your car are by far the two greatest factors in their service life.

Last March (the 28th), I had a set of Yokohama AVID W4S's installed on my "other" TL (an '05 automatic which my wife drives). They now have over 4000 miles on them, which includes a 1200 mile road trip, and they are doing very well. Quiet to the point of hearing air/wind noise over the tires and very good in the tracking and center on feel department. Their only downside is the fact that they flat spot. But that is not a problem for her at all. As for their life, of course with only 4000 miles, it's much to early to tell, but they seem to be doing fine. I expect if the driver is careful how they operate their car, 35,000 miles is not a problem with these tires.