Toyo Proxes vs. Kumho Ecstas vx. Yokohama Advans?

[joncastle]

Hi All

I wondered if anyone has any real expereince and opinions on some of the more alternative tyre choices. I face the usual dilemma - I can fit four brand new N-rated Toyos for less than the cost of replacing my worn out rear Pirelli P Zero rossos (fronts are fine). So the question is, which way to go? I am tempted by the idea of four brand new, matched N-rated tyres, but know very little about the three brands in the title. All of my driving is in hot summer weather (it rains for about three weeks a year here), so wet traction isn't a problem and snow is irrelevant. I may also take it out on track late in the year.

So, who's driven on Toyos, Kumhos or Yokohamas? And how did you like them?

Or should I just bite the bullet and stick with Pirellis to match the fronts?

Thanks for your advice

Jonathan

'98 2.5 manual, 17" Dynos

[RandallNeighbour]

I am running the Kumho Ecsta MX's.. which are the least expensive Kumho's that don't become very loud after 6000 miles or so without rotation. I find them to have good grip, and I live in Houston, Texas... which is hot and humid. It rains here a lot, but I don't drive the car in the rain much. Too much torque and too many idiots here who have no idea how to drive cautiously in the rain.

As you have discovered, Pirellis have really soft compounds. This makes them quiet and sticky, but they wear oh-so-fast. Bridgestone Pole Positions will also work on your boxster.

One last note... you can make your tires last a lot longer on a boxster if you will have the rubber knocked off and put on the other side of the car. Now this doesn't work if you do it at 8k... you have to do it every 4k to get the benefits of even wear.

I've not heard anything good or bad about Toyo tires... haven't heard of anyone putting them on their boxster either. That may be a clue for you.

Yokohamas are talked about as being quite good. If you are strapped for cash, go with tires like mine... if you have some extra cash, yokohamas might be your best choice.

[djantlive]

You can find a used set of rear Pzero for $40-50 shipped on eBay. Wear out all 4 and replace the set.

Of your choices, Toyo and Yoko are fine. Kumho Ecstas is crap, only the MX is decent but MX is bad in wet weather due to tread design.

[RandallNeighbour]

I'd have to agree that the MX's are bad in wet weather. Slick as they can be. I will not buy them again.

[johnp77777]

My 996 came with mismatched sets when I bought it used. Ecksta's on the back (look like MX's but not sure), Bridgestone S02's on the front. Anyway, I couldn't wait to replace them all. The Kumho's were so noisy. I went with michelin pilot sport ribs at replacement time. Noise was the main reason but performance is totally awesome too. Performance for me was a secondary consideration since the car's limits are higher than my abilities anyway.

[Highlander]

I'm running Toyo Proxes T1-S. I like the tire. It has decent grip and so far have been reasonably quiet. one thing that differentiates them from Kumho tires is that they are light. Kumho's are a very heavy tire. They also appear to have quite a stiff sidewall. I ran a DE with them and ran 40psi just like I did with Victoracers. Looking at the tire rollover, I was running too high a tire pressure. If 40psi is too high, these tires have quite a stiff sidewall. This is also supported by the tight feel these tires give.

As all who have seen my posts here will know, I'm not a fan of Pirelli tires. Soft sidewalls, only mediocre grip and crappy tire wear. not to mention noisy when getting towards the end of their life and not inexpensive to boot.

My favorite tire du jour is the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2. The sidewall is stiff enough to give a nice crisp feel, but is not so stiff to give a bad ride. They are also quiet and sticky even in when cold. Their wet grip is absolutely phenomenal. Of course the downsides to the PS2 are cost and longevity. OTOH, as a friend of mine likes to say "fast, cheap, right. Pick two!"

Graeme

[jcopella]

I've got 4 Advan Neovas en route from Tirerack as we speak. Should be on tomorrow or Friday. I'll let you know my impressions.

[MFLPorscheGuy]

I've got 4 Advan Neovas en route from Tirerack as we speak. Should be on tomorrow or Friday. I'll let you know my impressions.

So, now that you got some miles on the Advans, what's your feeling about them? Of particular concern is their behaviour on our wet road conditions.

[MikenOH]

I had the Kumho MX's on our '99' and they for the most part they were OK; priced right and I'd expect you'd probably get 20k from a set. The down side , IMHO, was a less responsive tire--slower turn in than the michelin MXX3's that were OE on the car and noisey after 6 or 7 K . A much softer ride than the MXX3's due to what I thought was a softer sidewall. My biggest gripe was noise, between 30-60 mph-- they sounded like truck tires. Good grip and they do communicate when they start to loose it

A decent tire on an auto-x course and at a track this summer the tire had adequete grip and was easy to manage on the track. For a cheap tire to run DE's or auto-x on a spare set of rims these aren't bad tires. My experience driving when the tires were new in cloud burst was they weren't terrible for terrific--somewhere in the middle. For everyday use there are better tires out there; I'd spend the money and get the PS2's.One other thing-- People in our club running the Goodyear F1G3 (?) like them a lot--just don't track them.