Kumho Ecsta vs. General Exclaim

I Am God · Jun 4, 2009, 11:22 PM

movin to dallas, need new tires

i drive spirited, i'm on stock GTS rims 215/45R18 im at almost 18k miles and my tires as bald as george from seinfeld *a lil sumtin in the back but it doesnt mean much

* neways ive looked at the data and alot of the reviews from tirerack.com..both seem like good choices, i jus cant find alot of info on which one will last longer? road noise/comfort arent an issue here..im leaning towards the Kumhos strictly because of its performance over the Exclaims...and please no recommendations for other tires..im on a budget and these r the only 2 im lookin at.

thanks

Bladed · Jun 4, 2009, 11:44 PM

I currently have 2 Kumho Ecsta's and 2 Stock GTS dunlops. I did notice once I put the 2 kumho's on the car was more stable at high speeds (less vibration through the steering wheel and easier to control) and the ride was slightly quieter/ less bumpy. Since I still have 2 stock tires on, I don't really want to give a review about the performance of the Kumho's, but I will say that this car can take really long and sharp curves at very high speeds.

evo_soul · Jun 5, 2009, 12:53 PM

General Tires blow everything out of the water. My logic is simple. At the core of it is the cost factor. After you buy these tires, you start to feel like hero cause you saved so much. A feeling I got when i bought the Winter Force tires, another set of tires that gives you pure value and great quality / design.

Also after reading a few of the reviews on tire rack... you can get the impression that it truely deserves to be known as a ultra performance summer tire. But they didnt stop there. according to General Tire, their tire design meets the industry All Season standard. I think the only thing that holds it back from taking that title is the compounds used.

I have used Kumhos in the past, dont get me wrong, great tires. but for me this is strictly bang for the buck driving this opinion. I talked about it a bit on my blog.

I would say start with the reviews of each tire, then pull the trigger on either one. http://www.tirerack.com/survey/Surve...irePageLocQty=

I Am God · Jun 5, 2009, 03:36 PM

word thx...but they both cost the same..the kumhos are like 4 dollars cheaper each. and i dont really need nething winter/all season associated...

im guessing the general's will last longer tho? thats whatd id really like to know

swankin · Jun 6, 2009, 11:38 AM

I had the Kumhos on my DSM and I really liked them. They definitely would get my recommendation, but I also have no experience with the General Tires, so I can't really be subjective here lol. I don't think you could go wrong with either one though.

jer301 · Jun 8, 2009, 04:31 PM

Generally the higher the treadwear, the longer the life of the tire, but at a cost (grip at high speeds). What are you looking to get out of the tire. If you are just commuting and doing some casual spirited driving, those tires are going to be fine. For high speed cornering and street racing, I would go for a lower treadwear (140 to 200). It won't be as comfortable and will be more noisy but they have much better grip for cornering at high speeds. I am considering buying a set of Kuhmo Ecsta XS, but I want better cornering speed on the track.

FireFighter2968 · Jul 21, 2009, 11:29 AM

Im having the same problem, any new thoughts on these tires?

ambystom01 · Jul 21, 2009, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evo_soul

General Tires blow everything out of the water. My logic is simple. At the core of it is the cost factor. After you buy these tires, you start to feel like hero cause you saved so much. A feeling I got when i bought the Winter Force tires, another set of tires that gives you pure value and great quality / design.

Also after reading a few of the reviews on tire rack... you can get the impression that it truely deserves to be known as a ultra performance summer tire. But they didnt stop there. according to General Tire, their tire design meets the industry All Season standard. I think the only thing that holds it back from taking that title is the compounds used.

I have used Kumhos in the past, dont get me wrong, great tires. but for me this is strictly bang for the buck driving this opinion. I talked about it a bit on my blog.

I would say start with the reviews of each tire, then pull the trigger on either one. http://www.tirerack.com/survey/Surve...irePageLocQty=

If cost is an issue, I would agree with you but that doesn't make a tire actually better than another. If performance is what you want, a truly dedicated summer tire is your best bet. Look around to see what people who track their car are using. With a tread wear of 380, the Exclaim won't be as sticky as the Kumho XS which have a rating of 180. I use the XS to track and they're very sticky. However, they're not exactly quiet and their wet traction leaves something to be desired. If you just drive around town, something like the Exclaim may be better since you shouldn't exceed the capabilities of those tires on public roads.

jer301 · Jul 21, 2009, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ambystom01

If cost is an issue, I would agree with you but that doesn't make a tire actually better than another. If performance is what you want, a truly dedicated summer tire is your best bet. Look around to see what people who track their car are using. With a tread wear of 380, the Exclaim won't be as sticky as the Kumho XS which have a rating of 180. I use the XS to track and they're very sticky. However, they're not exactly quiet and their wet traction leaves something to be desired. If you just drive around town, something like the Exclaim may be better since you shouldn't exceed the capabilities of those tires on public roads.

Concur. I got the XS's and they are great on the track. My only complaint is that i should have gotten another set of rims and used the Kuhmo's for the track only. It's not the noise or the ride that bothers me. I am doing one to two autox track events per month and driving 44miles+ roundtrip to work everyday. I am afraid I will need new tires by the end of the year.

djslik408 · Jul 21, 2009, 10:51 PM

I have no explains about Kuhmos. I do think my car handles better with Kuhmos.

absolute · Jul 22, 2009, 10:34 PM

for everyday driving i would go with the one that last longer aka higher tread wear number
but if u drive and like to take right turns at 40+ all the time when its green light and no pedestrians or cars :P (other wise i go normal like 20)
i'd go with summer performance tires not all seasons

i've got the falken 452s summer ultra high performance and they are great and soft as well (TW is i think 300)

imo if u got winter tires, dont get all seasons for summer they are the jack of all trades master of none, does everything decently but not excellent in anything.
go w/ proper summer tires, u wont regret it, espeically when it rains u'll be surprised how much traction are on those things compared to allseasons =P

i think you want to go w/ something with around 400 tread wear
300 the tire compound is still kind of soft
when u go below 200 ur starting to get to like track only tires

Hobbitos · Jul 31, 2009, 03:46 PM

I have a these tires and they have a lot of grip on the tarmac.

Here is a review: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...csta_xs_page_9

chetman7 · Jul 31, 2009, 08:34 PM

I have the general exclaims and i hate them. I do a lot of spirited riding on these back roads and i don't have confidence at all with these tires

I had pirelli pzero neros before them and I like the pirelli's a lot better.

jer301 · Aug 1, 2009, 02:46 PM

I do not know much about the general exclaim tires. i am not really sure what treadwear they are. What i believe makes a big differece between two tires of about the same treadwear is sidewall thickness. I think this is critical to the tire maintaining its shape and keeping the tread patch on the pavement during cornering. You could compensate for this by increasing tire pressure. Drivers who are running hoosiers on the track are running at about only 15-20psi, but the sidewall thickness on a racing slick is much thicker. on the track i pumped the dunlops to about 49psi in the front to keep the tire from rolling over. if you are loosing traction, that is my guess, the tire can't maintain its shape when you load it during hard cornering. this makes it very hard to manage the slip angle and keep traction.

ambystom01 · Aug 1, 2009, 02:49 PM

Well the big problem is you may simply be trying to compensate for suspension/alignment issues by bumping up the tire pressure, which doesn't really work. Different tires feel differently, my RE01Rs felt different from the Kumhos I'm on now.