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Kumho XS Tire Review
Recently replaced the stock tires with the Kumho XS 245/40/18s (wear rating 180) on the stock rims. Living in San Diego, I can run extreme summer tires year round and don't need to be overly concerned about wet or cold conditions. I used to track a lot in my old car but will use these tires mostly for DD and canyon runs so I can't vouch for their performance on the track but they've gotten rave reviews by autoxers. I bought the tires from Tirerack for $174/each plus shipping.
I was considering this tire or the Dunlop Star Specs but went with the Kumhos because they had the fastest time on the Grassroot Motorsports magazine auto-x tire test and had an edge in dry conditions on the Car and Driver tire test. The kicker was a PM from an EVO owner who has owned both the Star Specs and the Kumho XSs and prefers the XSs (see PM below).
It took about 200 miles for the tires to break in and display their full grip. While the tires are noted as having a soft sidewall which results in a decent ride on the hwy they turn in more crisply than the stock tires and grip much better in the turns. Based on my experience with other tires, the Kumhos are not as stiff as Bridgestone RE070s but not as soft as Hankook RS-2s or Michelin PS2s.
So far even in the sharpest turns at speed they are quiet. Road noise on the hwy is about the same or a tad louder than the stockers. The shoulders of the tires are rounded so if you like square sidewalls you may not like the looks of the Kumhos.
PM - Comparison of Star Specs vs. Kumho XS
The XS is simply a fantastic tire and a phenomenal value for money to boot. That said, the Star Spec is also a very strong performer, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
What the Kumhos excel at - certainly beyond the Dunlops - is delivering incredible lateral grip. You can carry simply amazing speeds through all sorts of corners and the tires just grip. Their longitudinal grip does suffer, however, although that obviously isn't as much of a problem in our cars. They also lose a bit in terms of responsiveness compared to the Star Specs - the sidewalls is softer, making the tire feel less precise. When you turn in, you can feel a delay as the sidewall rolls, but then the tire just bites in and holds.
The Star Specs were great in their own right but lose some of the Kumhos' outstanding lateral grip in exchange for quicker, more agile responses. The Dunlops are also far, far better in the rain, but this won't ever be an issue unless you're actually on track as it's raining.
Both tires are very predictable and progressive in their breakaway characteristics, making it easy to modulate them at the limit. I've noticed absolutely zero heat fade in the Kumhos, and maybe just a little in the Star Specs. Also, my set of Dunlops seemed to fall off as the tires got older, whereas the Kumhos supposedly stay at the same level or even improve as they wear.
While I do miss the instant response of the Dunlops, I'm very happy with the Kumhos and feel like I'm more competitive now. Were I in your shoes, I'd definitely opt for the Kumhos.
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Perrin FMIC, AEM intake, ETS UICP, HB Speed Tune, WORKS .5" springs, Hotchkis swaybars, Whiteline Roll Center kit, Kumho XS tires
Last edited by triguy; Oct 8, 2009 at 02:04 PM.
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