Before the questions on the mileage we got on our tires, my wife and I share the car (see user name) she does not drive the car hard at all and I tend to push it. Hence we got alot more miles than some I have heard of.

I have seen, and been part of the discussion on the Kuhmo 712's

Here is my experience.

After running 12000 on our factory rear SO2's, I decided to replace them with the Kuhmo's.

1. Figured longer wear, wrong, just about 14000.
2. Better in the wet stuff, probably, wouldn't swear on it though.
3. Little less traction, wrong, LOT less traction. (Kind of fun, letting the rear hang out on the turns, but just a bit scary when you don't expect it)

So bottom line is this. I just replaced the rears, fronts too, with, you guessed it SO2's. It's your choice, this is still the land of the free. But I have learned my lesson and just trying to steer you all in the right direction.

 

I've had great experiences with SO3's aswell. Can't go wrong with SO2's though.

 

Thanks for feedback on the Kuhmo's. I'm nearing my limit on my original S02's and info like this helps a lot.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dlq04
[B]Thanks for feedback on the Kuhmo's.

 

I have had Kuhmo Supra 712's for over a year and 12000 miles. Mine have lots of tread left. I almost never drive in the rain but they seem to have better traction. I was never comfortable driving in the rain with the S02's but don't give it a thought with the Kuhmo's. They do have less dry traction but it is more than made up for by the feedback they provide. Unlike the S02's they loose traction progressively and you can feel and more easily control it.

 

kumhos are bad compared to so2's. squeal like a pig which rarely occurred with my so2's.
dont get kumhos if you want to drive hard.

 

I have a set of 712's for my rear, too. My biggest complain is the fact that the Kumho's have weaker side wall and make the car wobble for a bit before it settles. I'm going to try Yokohama AVS's next.

 

Rating tires is like rating records (for those of us old enough to recall what vinyl looked like). Driving style determines a LOT when it comes to how long tires will last. My 712's are favored by me over the OEM's because they communicate better, which for others simply implies "they're noiser." Fine, but I also won't get that "hit from behind" feedback that the OEM's provided. I call 'em the pregnant tire...either you have traction or you don't. Snap oversteer? Not my thing.
As for wear...again, that depends on how hard you are pushing your car. I don't roll up to stop lights with the thought of "let's see if I can bark these tires on the green." Not saying anyone here has done that, but one man's 12K is another man's 20K.
The assertion that "don't get Kumhos if you want to drive hard" is ridiculous. I've attended two high performance driving schools and I dare say others who have the same experience wouldn't be lapped by a newbie S2K owner WITHOUT such experience because our S2000 had the 712's. To some degree, equipment always matters but since most of us don't run Laguna Seca, the 712's are fine for those uncomfortable pushing the car more than 7/10ths and a blast for the rest of us.
Are they a better tire than the OEM's? Of course not, but they're a decent choice for those who aren't planning on running Monaco anytime soon.
Just a general thought not directed at anyone but tire snobbery isn't anything new...ever since Pirelli came out with their P6/P7's years ago, its out there. The 712 is not an ultra high performanace racing tire (Kumho has other choices designed strictly for that) but I honestly can't understand people who spend $360 on four tires and are unhappy that they failed to outperform the $200/ea Bridgestone Pole Positions.

 

I just don't get it with some of you. I have put well over 70k miles on S2000's now and about 25k miles of those have been on Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's. Are they like the S-02's? No. But how can a $90 tire be compared with a tire that runs $140. A full set of Kumho's rings around $360 while a full set of S-02's rings at about $560. That $200 every 12 - 15k miles can save a bundle. I currently have 34k miles on my '02 and I have gone thru a full set of S-02's and a set and a half of 712's.

You have to set the expectation that the car will perform a little differently. However, my Kumho's do perfectly fine. I drive aggressively in my S2000, but I watch what i'm doing too. I drove my S2000 with Kumho's on the Dragon during two seperate meets and they performed very well. The Dragon has 318 curves in 11 miles. If that's no test for tires, I'm not sure what is.

Now, with my new SSR GT1's, I went with Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's again. And I am happy with them.

 

For once I totally agree with Russ. I've had the 712's on my car (225/50 at all four corners) for a few thousand miles, and they work just fine. You can still drive like a complete hooligan on the street, and if anything, they make powersliding shenaningans easier than S02s.

Biggest gripes are the slightly reduced ride comfort over S02s, and I seem to get into ABS a bit sooner than I'd like. But having been street driving on R-compounds for the last 8 or 9 months, my perspective may be skewed.

Wet weather grip is just fine, predictability good. Dry grip of course isn't on par with S-02s - but if you really want to go fast, you ought to take it to the track, and bring with you another set of wheels with proper race tires.