front Tires that disapear like melting ice on a '96 850 T5

I'm on a bit of a budget and need to replace my front set on my 850 T5. Here
in the UK I was enthusiasistically recommended by a mechanic, a brand of
tyre called "Kuhmo". They are apparently made in Korea, and are a good
blend of sporty grip and hard and long wearing, they are even Z rated(up to
150 mph) and have directional tread that looks sporty, which should be nice
as my old ones are Avons and they look really great. Anyway, all this for 65
pounds sterling per tyre. Should I go for it, or put them on the back and
move my Avons from the back forward as they are still pretty good.

 

Unsure about the higher end tires made by Kumho's, but there Touring tires
are not good at all - I blame a car accident on my old Kumho tires (no one
was hurt, the car just slid into a curb while trying to veer away from a car
that entered into my lane).

The performace tires might be quite good tho, if your mechanic is
recommending them he may know what he is talking about.

 

'Pretty good'?

On a front-wheel-drive car, with both the steering and the power in
front, don't you always want the best tyres on the front wheels??

cheers,

Henry

 

I used to have cabs /taxis so after 25 years of real world driving I am sure
never use recaps never buy cheap tyres /tires its just not worth the worries
..Recaps can take several metres /feet more to stop and need more replacement
as the punctures are frequent .When your family is at risk why go for cheap
tires /tyres besides the better handling wet and dry, they often need less
balancing .ITS SIMPLY A MATTER OF THE DIFINITION OF CHEAP !

 

I've got 185/60 r14 H Kumho and had them replaced yesterday. 7000 miles is
all that i had out of them.
I've gone for AVON a3 - i think they are. Directional, with a very good
looking tread pattern (if that is one of your buying points)

If your thiking of getting rid of your car, then pop the Kuhmo's on them.
Otherwise i would suggest finding an alternative.
hope this helps
ant

 

you could try
http://www.blackcircles.com/home?source=menu

they give lots of different options. *note - not purchased from this
company

cheers
ant

 

Do you mean the Avon ZZ3 ?

http://www.tyres-online.co.uk/tyretest/avon.asp
ZZ3
Autocar - January 2003
Comparative Strengths - Coast-by noise, wet handling
Comparative Weaknesses - Aquaplaning, Rolling Resistance, Dry Handling

Look nice, not sure about the safety aspects with aquaplaning noted in the
review.

Graham

 

Yes, that's them.
I'm pleased with them. And will see if I get some decent mileage out of
them. I was wanting some Goodyears but budget wouldn't strectch.

Good luck selecting tyres,
ant

 

If you're only replacing 2 tires, I would put new ones on the rear. A lot of
shops won't put old tires on the rear of a FWD car since it could cause poor
handling. With a lot of the weight up front, the rear tires need the grip
when braking or cornering. I think Kuhmos are OK, but may have not as
strong sidewalls as other tires. For more owner survey info, check out
www.tirerack.com

Jeff

 

Yah, Michelin has done tests and, while the tire with 1/2 tread on the front
wheels washed out early in the dry handling test, the car with the 1/2 tread
rear tires spun dangerously in the wet, with no real warnings! It was in a
recent issue of Car and Driver.

 

Check the price of the new Dunlop SP 300E - a very nice V rated tyre. I
put some of these on my wife's car recently and they were AU$170 (about
65 pounds) each. They were a lot cheaper than the Dunlop Eagle Venturas
I have on my V70 (about 90 pounds each, but great tyres). Of course,
relative cost of living in the UK may be such that these tyres are more
expensive in your market.

Kuhmo are a popular tyre in Australia (Korea's not all that far away)
but they are intended for the taxi/budget market. They have a
reputation for producing long-lasting but fairly dull tyres for cheap
cars. Most of their imports here seem to be cheap, and not for the
sports end of the market (maybe you get a better range).


Chris

 

D'oh !

Of course, I meant GOODYEAR.

 

A manual T5 is it?! Aboout 8000miles on a pair??! Thought so.

The kuhmo's are a good budget tyre, but like most are pretty soft rubber so
wear will be rapid, although grip will be good. I wouldnt think you'll get
any more than 8kout of them mind, the T5 is a heavy FWD car with plenty of
power.

Personnaly I run Pirelli P6000's on our S70 which are fairly hard, yet very
grippy, wear well considering the weight of the car and the power they
transmit. At 75-80quid per corner I feel they are excellant for the money.

I am careful not to apply too much power around corners and when pulling
away and am getting about 16,000-18,000 miles from them, but I do rotate the
tyres front to back at every oil change at 5000mile intervals and run them
at a higher than book 32-33psi which helps enourmously.

Tim..