| Aerocraft67 |
August-5th-2008 09:41 AM |
Sorry I can't respond with experience, but for what it's worth, this is the tire I plan to get, too, after an embarrassing amount of research on TireRack, etc. It costs about half as much (adjusted for expected treadwear) as top ultra-high performance tires. Grand touring tires are about the same price, but it GT tires don't seem well-matched for a small sporty vehicle, and the top choices in the category aren't available in 205/50/17 size (the 205/55/16 on the four-door frees up more options). Although, the Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum looks intriguing (even though a W-rated GT tire seems odd, especially with a 60k warranty). This 17" size doesn't have much availability in HP either. Even though there are good UHP choices, I can't justify the price/performance, especially since we don't push the vehicle all that hard. The G 019 Grid replaces the G 009 (which isn't available in this size), which looks like a very good tire in the high performance category, and the 019 Grid matches the OEM specs well. The Michelin Pilot Exalto gets better ratings but it costs a fortune in this size. You might check out the Dunlop SP Signature, which seems to test well and is priced right, but Dunlop doesn't have the best satisfaction track record. If I had to guess (and I have to), I suspect the 019 Grid will handle very nearly as well as your Ecsta ASX, maybe even with a better ride, but cost you 35% less over the life of the tires.
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