TwentyTen

CL,

I am getting a deal on new 19x8.5 | 19x9.5 Maya DTS in chrome for $3500.00 delivered with tires. The only problem I have is that the tires aren't Yokohama, Nitto, Toyo, Bridgestone, or Pirelli. They're a brand that I don't know anything about so I thought I would ask you guys/girls.

What kind of tire companies are Hankook and Kumho? The fact that I've never heard of them makes me think they may not be "A" quality tires. But who knows. Anyone that has owned either of these two brands, please chime in!

Darius

Captain Bone

Kumho have been around for awhile and are even on tirerack. They are cheaper performance tires and perform adequately to needs but provide nothing like a SO-3 obviously. The problems I have heard have all been related to noise.

Hankook is a new Korean performance tire that, according to many on this board, performs very well for an awesome price. I've heard nothing but good things about them thus far.

If I had to choose between the two, I'd go with Hankook.

-Anthony

EXE.UCF10

iTrader: (3)

I agree with Captain Boner, heard some mixed reviews (more toward the negative end) about Kumho Ecsta Supra tires, but have yet to hear anything negative about Hankook Ventus Sport tires...maybe because they're a newer company?

Although I'm not a big fan of Korean products (except cell phones), if I had to choose, I'd go with Hankook.

Wald GS

iTrader: (1)

I have michelin pilot sports (245/35/19) in the front and hankook ventus sport k104 (275/30/19) tires in the back. All I have to say is that hankooks are great tires and when my michelins need to be replaced in the front, I'm going with hankook. The tires are very quiet and the tread wears off really nicely.

TwentyTen

Captain, Br1an, Lex: Thanks for sharing. Okay then, Hankook it is!

LexAristo - Haven't heard from you in a while, What's up?!

ISC5

They look great, and handle VERY well. I'm fairly big on performance, and these deliver at a great price. FWIW, I've also had great experiences with Kumho's on my C5 auto-xing. Noisy, but very grippy.
...my $.02
Ronnie

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

Just wrote this on Kumho Supras for another post:

---------------------------------------------

OK, here's the skinny on the Kumho Supras (at least w/ my experience).

Bought the car, and the Kumho Supra 712 came with it--appeared to have about 80% tread life remaining.

Couple of issues:

1. The Kumhos were noisy! I couldn't drive with them on the freeway for an extended period without my ears killing me. On general roads, still noisier than I'd like to admit (even much more so than my Bridgestone LM-22 winter tires)--of course, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S I have on my car is a bit quieter then either fo the other 2.

2. The Kumhos develop flatspots. Leave the car sitting overnight, then drive the car in the AM, and I noticed flat spots in the tires for the first few miles in the AM (like you are driving with a bad shock or if the tire was flat).

3. Wet traction is horrible. Any bit of moisture on the road, take a gentle corner, and the VSC/traction control always kicks in--very dangerous.

Something to consider about the user ratings on Tirerack.com--take a look at the cars that the Kumhos Supras are being used on and see the feedback given. Now, if you looked at the higher end of the spectrum of the more expensive tires, the cars are from a different demographic, and tend to have much more discerning and critical feedback (hence why they aren't rated as high sometimes).

If I were you, I'd spend about $40 more bucks ($160 extra for a set) on some Pirellis PZero Nero A/S, they seem to be more favorably-rated near your price point. You have a high-performance car, you should at least put some decent tires on it--your whole cars depends so much on those 18" square inches of total tire contact with the road. You'll be happier with a more quality tire in the long-run for a little bit more.

TwentyTen

NOISE: Noise is a big deal to me. Since I've had this car and haven't been driving the other car as much (Mitsubishi) I notice the littlest noises; even the wind noise when the sunroof isn't closed. The tire noise would drive me crazy, it would be like driving a 4Runner with OFF-Road tires!
WHAT? Flat spots overnight? WOW! That's valuable info! The frustration alone is worth more than $160.00!
Thanks!
TRACTION: I live on the coast in the SF/Bay Area so it's wet and foggy here in the morning all year long. Poor wet traction would kill us!
Thanks, definitely something to consider. I do that when I'm researching hotels for vacation. I give more credit to the vacationers/reviewers from bigger cities versus small town travellers because I believe they have a higher standard of living. A vacationer from Smallville USA may be satisfied just to have room service and running water where a vacationer from NY, SF, LA, Dallas, etc will take those amenities for granted and look for the details that really count. Same applies to tires, some people may just want "lo-pro anythings" and some may want a "performance" tire. I think I'm going to go with the Hankook. Since the guys chimed in earlier with good reviews, I did a little more homework and found that Hankook is a great tire company, just new and not widely known...yet.

~Darius

ted920

HANKOOK = GREAT TIRE @ REASONABLE PRICE.

Seems to me you are gettign a ridiculously GREAT DEAL on the wheels/tires.

What company are you getting this deal from?

Ted

TwentyTen

HANKOOK: I'm convinced. I saw a hot commercial for KUMHO last night but now I know better.

MAYA DEAL: You know it. Especially since RimStop.com sells the package for $4783.00!!! He's a guy I met at the Gym that just opened his own AutoDesign Shoppe. He says he can get them for me wholesale. I've searched and searched and can't find a better deal for a new, staggered package.

Buying through this guy, whose info I'll share with CL if he pulls through with his side of the deal, is like getting the tires for free. Maya DTS sell for $850 each (850x4=3400+8.25%(280.50)=3680.50). I'll keep you posted.

PS - The DTS are EXACTLY what I'm looking for; ultra clean, high quality, 3 piece, 5 spoke, triple chrome, fat lip design. They also go by the name TrafficStar and Maido. If someone knows of a better deal, please post or PM me.

Thanks everyone!

MAYA DTS: