decent cheap brands for track & daily driven.... sumitomo (HTZ IIs) or kumho (MXs)

 

Thanks for all the suggestions guys... I'm running the Sumimoto right now and they're a bit too loud for my taste. (Not that my car is quiet or anything but heh.) Maybe I'll try the Kumho... or shell out more for the forementioned brands. In any case, my dad's mechanic is on vacation... I'll have to wait til next week to go in for the check.

 

You can borrow a helmet there, and tires are the last thing to be cheap on! Go with some KDW2's on your stock wheels or something. Heck isn't jon selling his? I'm gonna pick up some KD's for my RS soon if I get a job !

 

Yeah, I know Jon is selling his but his tires are stock sizes, won't fit on my 17" rims. Good luck on job searching Nate. I won't be too cheap but I just want to compare my opinions. Thanks.

 

What kind of price were you quoted for the KDW2's? Just curious where you're shopping and what prices you're being told. Shop around and I think you'll quickly find your best bet is www.tirerack.com - even including shipping they'll come in substantially less than you'll find around here.

I have Kumho MXs on my Mustang, and my brother is working on his 2nd set on his Eclipse. They are a bit noisy at highway speeds, but I can't compare to the noise level of your Sumitomos so I don't if you'd find the MX's too loud or not. They are amazingly grippy tires, just about impossible to beat on bang-for-the-buck.

On the Legacy I have Goodyear F1GS-D3's, which are a huge step up from the previous generations of the Goodyear F1s. If you search around you'll find that they compare favorably to the S-03s, Michelin Pilot Sports, etc. I would say they're reasonably priced, but my ideas on pricing may be different than others (for instance, Larry said the Kumho V700s are expensive, whereas I think they're dirt cheap for the performance they offer). They seem to be wearing very well on my car, they're quiet, great in the wet, incredible in the dry - basically I have nothing bad to say about them.

Pat Olsen
'97 Legacy 2.5GT sedan

 

Okay, this is a noob question... Is higher UTQG number means better tire life or the other way around?

 

Yes, but you can't really compare one brand to another. The UTQG number is supposed to be based on a standard test, but the manufacturers all do their own testing (not some independent agency) so the numbers may be suspect.

Pat