Getting the right tyres

[wolf85]

Hi all, im a new PHer so please forgive me if this has already been discussed. I have been looking into getting some new tyres for my car and will be doing the odd trackday on them. I have been reading the many good reports on kumho KU31's, however one thing that has come up a few times is soft sidewalls, which give a less precise turn in. So i was thinking about fitting the runflat version which obviously has extra reinforcing in the sidewalls which will hopefully help if this claim is true. I was wondering if anyone has tried this before and was it a good idea? Any feedback would be appreciated! Cheers.

[Hip2Bsquare]

Look at Falken FK452, they are seriously good and very inexpensive.

They are highly regarded on PH and many forums.

I think they are very bit as good as Michelin Pilot Sport 2 but only cost a third of the price of the Michelins

[kik1.6se]

I have Ku31's on my Clio 172 and have been pretty happy with them. They give good grip in wet an dry conditions, although I had them fitted the day after buying the car, so I can't really give a comparision with the standard continentals. The fronts have lasted about 12k miles but are now pretty worn and I'm changing them this week. The 12k miles consisted of a large amount of motorway miles and the odd thrash around twisty lanes but no track days.

What car do you need them for?

Kirk

[wolf85]

Ive got an Audi A3 3.2 quattro, so will be changing all four to keep the AWD working right. It has got different tyres front to back at the mo and when on the limit the front ones give way before the better quality rear ones and you can feel the car compensating by puting the power to the rear. However this does not overcome the poor quality marshals fitted by the previous owner especially in the wet!

[Hip2Bsquare]

The Kumho are pretty good but I found grip in the wet and in the cold to be noticeably worse than the Falken FK452.

Falken ZE912 were pretty good, even in the snow.

Coped really well on hills the same day I took this (the van in front of me was stuck btw:-

[Bowler]

Another Vote for Falkens here

[Cost Captain]

Contrary to comments before mine, in my experience kuhmo tyres are made very cheaply and often crack either across the tread or along the bead area of the sidewall.

As for falken, I had some falkens fitted to my car and after fitting them i genuinely believed I'd gone through a patch of diesel because i had no grip. After a few days i realised they were st tyres and changed them for a pair of continentals (which were about £15 more expensive each) and they transformed the car.

Cheap tyres are cheap for a reason: its not like the difference between a George at Asda and a Ralph Lauren T-shirt where you are paying for a name. The more you spend on your tyres, the majority of the time, the better the tyre your getting.

Edited by Cost Captain on Tuesday 28th September 22:28

[Cost Captain]

wolf85 said:

Ive got an Audi A3 3.2 quattro, so will be changing all four to keep the AWD working right. It has got different tyres front to back at the mo and when on the limit the front ones give way before the better quality rear ones and you can feel the car compensating by puting the power to the rear. However this does not overcome the poor quality marshals fitted by the previous owner especially in the wet!

I have the exact same car and you dont need to change all four at once! Its only AWD when the fronts loose grip, so 96% of the time its FWD.

Also, the car is set-up to understeer as that is safe. I have 4 bridgestones on mine at the moment and it will always understeer unless provoked.

Your better spending the same money on 2 decent tyres instead of 4 st ones.

Edited by Cost Captain on Tuesday 28th September 22:30

[sherman]

I use Toyo T1-R's on my rx8. They have very good dry and wet handling and are reasonably priced.

[jon-]

wolf85 said:

So i was thinking about fitting the runflat version which obviously has extra reinforcing in the sidewalls which will hopefully help if this claim is true. I was wondering if anyone has tried this before and was it a good idea? Any feedback would be appreciated! Cheers.

I'm not sure this is a good idea. Your suspension won't like it, nor will your teeth. The car will likely tram line and be generally horrible on cheap runflats.

Push the boat out and get a set of Pilot Sport 2's, you won't regret it. Here's why

Edited by jon- on Tuesday 28th September 22:34

[wolf85]

The only problem is the rear tyres are due for replacement, so i will need four if im to get rid of these awfull marshals. Also what your saying about the AWD is true but this problem of understeer is made worse by the front tyres loosing grip before the rears, i think a matching set will improve this.

Edited by wolf85 on Tuesday 28th September 22:46

[Cost Captain]

Why not go for 4 eagle F1 assymetricos? absolutely amazing when hooning but designed for road use so quiet and get good life.

I think you're barking up the wrong tree wanting to put kuhmos or marshalls or falkens on a V6 audi.

If you're looking to change all 4 you might as well chin up and go for 4 tyres that audi would let the car leave the factory with! At present, Dunlop, Continental and Bridgestone supply audi with tyres so go with one of them.

[H_Kan]

Cost Captain said:

Why not go for 4 eagle F1 assymetricos? absolutely amazing when hooning but designed for road use so quiet and get good life.

I think you're barking up the wrong tree wanting to put kuhmos or marshalls or falkens on a V6 audi.

If you're looking to change all 4 you might as well chin up and go for 4 tyres that audi would let the car leave the factory with! At present, Dunlop, Continental and Bridgestone supply audi with tyres so go with one of them.

Are you for real? I can't speak for Kumho (and OP is getting rid of Marshalls) but the Falkens are a seriously good tyre at their price point.

If you think there isn't an element of paying for the name with tyres (as with anything) then you are sadly mistaken.

[wolf85]

Yeah your probably right, just a friend of mine told me to check out the kumho's as everyone was raving about them on the forum's. Some even saying they were almost as good as the top brands. The thing is i don't want to be pulling out 5-600 quid a set to shred them on track!

Edited by wolf85 on Tuesday 28th September 22:54

[rottie102]

Cost Captain said:

Why not go for 4 eagle F1 assymetricos? absolutely amazing when hooning but designed for road use so quiet and get good life.

I think you're barking up the wrong tree wanting to put kuhmos or marshalls or falkens on a V6 audi.

If you're looking to change all 4 you might as well chin up and go for 4 tyres that audi would let the car leave the factory with! At present, Dunlop, Continental and Bridgestone supply audi with tyres so go with one of them.

All I can say is:

[Patrick Bateman]

I've got KU31 Ecstas on my 3 series and they've been excellent. That may have been coming from some cheap ste that came with the car but their price/performance ratio has been superb, loads of grip.

[wolf85]

What do ya think about going for the run flat option for extra sidewall rigidity?

[traffman]

Arent run flats a little to hard riding? I am sure someone will come along and correct me.

I used Toyos for a while but recently ran Yokohama Paradas on the civic , i have recently changed the fronts to Bridgestone RE040 , these are a bloody revelation and absolutely spot on , reassuring turn in zero flex and lots of grip , not bad in wet weather either.

[EDLT]

wolf85 said:

What do ya think about going for the run flat option for extra sidewall rigidity?

Really, really don't. They are rubbish on cars that are designed for run flats, they will ruin the ride without offering any improvement anywhere else (apart from saving the manufacturer money by getting rid of the spare).

[wolf85]

I have been looking at the Falken FK452, they are a good price and if they are as good as poeple say they are, they should be good buy. Those poeple who have had them, do you know what the turn-in is like from them and has anyone used them on track?