After much debate and inquiries here (another thread that is so old that I can't find it now) I bought the Kumho Supras for my 2001 ES (195/50/16). The original Dunlaps lasted 40K, so I was pretty happy with them, but wanted something different and the price for the Kuhmo's at TireRack was right....about $68US each. I now have just over 1000miles on the Kumhos. I have to tell you that the ride is stiff, stiff, stiff...much more than the stock....but thinking that part of this is because of the weather is cold. Once the tires warm up on the highway (about 20 miles or so) the ride does soften up a bit. I do feel the road though, much more than the dunlaps. I do like the way they look! We had a bit of snow the other day...don't even try to drive in even a sprinkling of snow with these Kumhos...for some reason, they suck. I will say however that they are superb on wet roads. I have not slid once, even when I've tried to make them slide. I guess the aqua groove looking center does it's trick. We've had an extra ordinary amount of rain here in Tennessee this season and these tires stick, stick, stick on the pavement even with very heavy rain and standing water. That part of the tire, I really like. I'm hoping that with warmer weather coming on and some more wear on the tires, they'll smooth out even more and give a more comfortable ride. If I had it to do over again, I'm not sure if I would buy these or the Dunlaps....even considering the quality of ride, poor performance in snow, excellent grip in rain and the price, it's a toss-up.

 

Dunl_o_p

 

i just saw that u live in knoxville i live in newport around 30 minutes away from you. you are the first person i have seen on here from around here. what kind of car do u have?

 

I agree with almost everything you have to say. Performance in the snow is goimg to suck with any high performance or ultra high performance tire, but Kumho 712's (I assume that is the model you are refering to) tend to suck more. Judging them on that is not really fair though, compared to OEM. The original tires on the car were designed to function on roads in any condition, wet, dry, snow, or otherwise. The Kumho 712's are purpose built for wet/dry ultra high performance.

From what I have heard, the "z" rated Kumhos are great, but wear out very quickly. The "w" speed rating that I have on my Probe are not quite as sticky, but a great trade off in the treadwear factor if you are looking for a tire for daily driving.

BTW, what kind of Dunlops come stock with the 3rd gens/ES?

 

the dunlop sp5000 came on 3rg gen 16 wheels 195/50r16. they are a w rated all season high performance tire. if you get the "w" rated 712 kuhmo's, go look at the tire again and it probably says xxx/xxrxxZR. the kuhmo's are a summer tire and the dunlops do preform better in the snow. here in TX we had that nice ice storm and my kuhmo's did alright, part. b/c i know how to drive in those conditions the kuhmos WILL NOT ride nice, period. they are noisy, rough and STICKY. thats just what you get in those kind of tires. you have performance vs. ride quaility/treadwear. if you do not enjoy the rough ride, then i would say get a v rated or less tire, you will get more miles out of your tire and alot better ride. its kinda like getting in a viper and expecting a nice smooth, comfortable ride....and funny thing is ALOT of people actually expect that from a "sports" car. you have to make sacrifices somewhere, it just depends on what it is. kuhmo's are the best z rated tire for the money by a long shot, but if not your cup of tea, go with something v or h rated.

 

The Kumho's in the size I need (195/50/16), and the ones I got are are "H" rated tires.
My car, as mentioned in my first post is the 2001 ES (2Liter Engine). It is sand colored with sunroof and deflector, stock alloy wheels with 5 spoke pattern and rear spoiler...it looks very nice and has a good deal of power for the small size. BTW, someone else from Knoxville posted in my last thread where I was considering which tires to get.

 

You're right. I meant VR.

WR - 280 AA A
VR - 320 AA A

 

215/40 will fit nice on a stock rim

 

shoot you could have emailed me and I would have told you that these sucers are not for snow, do so and you take the chance of totalling your ride lol .... anyhow ,,, i hope you like them ... my next set of tires on the lightweight 15's will be something different
Bruce