I picked up on the Sumitomo tires as at least one experienced driver used them as a budget track tire (shaved) with good results (thus the quote below). Here is my initial report.

Since I really like my car better with track tires installed, seldom drive in the rain, and don

 

GOOD to know, thanks.

 

Here is an update after 1000 miles of street, highway, and spirited driving some twisties..

The tires really don't come into their own when green. It takes a good heat cycle or two before they are ready to go so don't expect too much the first day.

These tires have a pretty soft and sticky compound (at least when new) that provides good grip that gives up gradually with some audible warning. I liked that.

The sidewalls have a bit more flex than some and the moderate tread depth (10/32) cushion the response so you will find them less harsh and a little less responsive than the S02's, but quick enough to complement the car and more comfortable. The feed back is less direct and initially disappointing but once you become accustomed they feel fine for performance street use.. they would have to be shaved down to work on the track.

I expect the soft compound and tread with a little squirm will wear pretty quickly, but the performance offered for the price seems a good deal.

I have not had Kumho 712's on my car but I have driven several cars with them and think I like these better. As I recall the Kumhos feel stiffer but don't stick as well. Have not tried enough street tires on this car to rank them, but think these may be good enough to drive for a while even though I bought them as a stop gap.

 

BTW, I have two extras for sale: http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.p...threadid=157071

 

Sorry to dredge up this old post, but it looks like you had the exact setup I'm interested in. After seeing the good reviews of the HTR Z, I'm tempted. Do you have a sway bar? Can you give me your thoughts on the HTR Z versus S02 on a stock car with no sway bar - HTR sized 205/55R16 front and 245/45R16 rear? Like you, I'm not really interested in tread life or wet performance, but am interested in dry handling and track ability. Thanks

 

The S02 is a better tire than the HTR Z for dry weather and track use. Problem is it's also more expensive. Our OTC car ran these in 245/275 sizes on 17 inch rims this year so not exactly the same as stock sizes but it's a decent cheap tire to abuse. It was nice being able to afford 3 sets in our budget for the week as opposed to two sets of the BFG KDs for example.