Kumho Ecsta ASX tires any good? Winter driving?

[Chris B.]

My local tire shop is pushing these on me for my 2002 Z28. I asked for a good winter tire as I drive my Camaro year round in northern Colorado and sometime get in pretty deep snow! The Stock Eagles did pretty well in snow till last year when they really started to fish tale. I got 49,000 miles out of them!

So are the Kumho's any good. They are "W" rated. How will that change the handeling of the car? I do not race and it is a daily driver and I'm most concerned with snow/wet performence, nice ride quality, MPG and long life(40,000+ miles).
They quoated me $570 installed with warranty and free rotations ect.

Many thnaks!!!!!

 

[Patman]

If you're looking for a good all season tire that can handle snow very well, look no further than the Pirelli P Zero Nero M&S. I've got them on my Corvette and they work fantastic! The nice thing about them is that when the roads are dry they perform very well also, something you don't find too often in an all season tire. They are Z rated too. The price is a bit more than the Kumhos, but still very reasonable.

 

[rjundi]

If you want a winter biased UHP tire try the Continental ExtremeContact. The Kumho ASX are decent in the winter also. Its great Patman has found good luck with P-Zero's in the snow however most Subaru WRX/STI owners do not like them at all for snow. If winter is light (does not sound like it) P-Zero's are a incredible tire for dry.

 

[Jethro]

I have the Ecsta ASXs on my Volvo. 195/60-15 88V. $45 a piece on tirerack.
They have been great tires for the last 10,000 miles and are showing reasonable wear. They are great in both dry and wet, while I have only driven in light snow with them once and can't really say how good they are there.
One of them required a pretty big weight when it was balanced. Dont' really know what's up with that.

 

[FD777]

Also check out the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position. I'm debating on those or the Kumhos for my next tire.

I have yet to try either, but from what I've heard - it's no competition. The only thing is the Kumhos are dirt cheap. $116 (RE960AS) vs $70 (ASX) on tirerack. Of course, your price will differ than mine.

As for the Pirelli PZero Nero M&S, those were my primary choice until I read about the Bridgestones.

 

[mechtech2]

As I just mentioned in a previous thread, I have the ASXs, and think they are good to very good in all aspects, but not excellent in anything [except maybe price!].
I would consider buying them again, but would research new products first.

 

[Auto-Union]

I just put them on my brand-new Accord after having them on my RSX and older Audi.

 

[2oldtommy]

I just had a set installed on my Mazda Protege, Size195/55/15. The ASX is a softer tire than the OEM Bridgestone RE 92's that I replaced. The turn in is not quite as sharp, but the ride is smoother. They really stick in the wet-- no snow yet to try the all season aspect of these tires. A great tire for the price IMO. Not a large selection available In this size for my Mazda.

 

[Jethro]

Anyone else have the balancing issue that I had? One huge weight and two medium weights just don't strike me as being a good sign.

 

[Auto-Union]

Meaningless.

 

[JustinH]

You will want some sandbags in the trunk of that camaro, that will help out some traction issues.

 

[ewetho]

Quote:

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Anyone else have the balancing issue that I had? One huge weight and two medium weights just don't strike me as being a good sign.

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See it all the time with most brands except Michelin they make the best tires for runout and balancing.

Could be several things and one is where and what type of weights.

The clip on weights that go on the edges require the least weight and when you add tape weights to the wheel back behind the spokes it requires more weight to counter balance the distance from the edge. So what might be a reasonable 1.5 Oz with a clipon weight might be 2.5 oz of tape weight.

Now the other point of interest to which you are not clear, is if the have three weights on you rim tell them to take it back off and do the job correctly. Two weights are required to properly balance the rim dynamically for both x and y plains.

 

[Jethro]

Quote:

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Quote:

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Anyone else have the balancing issue that I had? One huge weight and two medium weights just don't strike me as being a good sign.

---

See it all the time with most brands except Michelin they make the best tires for runout and balancing.

Could be several things and one is where and what type of weights.

The clip on weights that go on the edges require the least weight and when you add tape weights to the wheel back behind the spokes it requires more weight to counter balance the distance from the edge. So what might be a reasonable 1.5 Oz with a clipon weight might be 2.5 oz of tape weight.

Now the other point of interest to which you are not clear, is if the have three weights on you rim tell them to take it back off and do the job correctly. Two weights are required to properly balance the rim dynamically for both x and y plains.

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There is a big weight one wheel, and medium weights on two other wheels. One wheel has no weights.

 

[televascular]

I have about 25,000 miles on the Kumho Ecsta ASXs currently. They were around $80-90 apiece on TireRack.com (215/45R17). Very good grip under dry and wet conditions, I highly recommend them! Driving through a mild New Jersey winter, they performed very well for an all-season tire (keep in mind they only had about 5,000 miles on them). Treadwear is very good, outlasting most comparable tires (UTQG rating of 440, I believe).

The only downside is noise. With the mileage I have on them, they are pretty loud on the highway, though they were quiet when new.