Rims

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 30, 2012

These tires were on my car and slightly used when I purchased it a year ago. About 12,000+ miles I've added. Dry traction is very good. My 95M Miata handles extremely well with these. Dry traction is very good. These tires loosen up quite a bit when wet. Actually just loose enough to make wet road driving alot of fun at about the speed limit on spirited scenic drives. If your up for that. They reject hydroplaning rather well. Was forced to drive all winter with these in nothern WV. They performed better than expected in the snow on a rear wheel drive vehicle, but you better be a good driver to avoid getting stuck. However, even my spouse could handle snow under 1 inch and plowed roads. We did burn up our rear tires in >3 mild months of winter, we contend with many hills to climb. And we did climb them in the snow with these tires all winter. I'd reconsider using these if being used on a true performance vehicle with muscle. My stock 95M Miata can spin them at will and powerslide with mildly spirited driving if just a little wet. Fun for me, but dangerous at higher speeds/horsepower. These are one of the very few all-season tires available for the stock 95M Miata BBS rims. 195/50 15. Upon an inspection today I did find an outward bulge the one of my sidwalls about 2" in diameter. QC may be an issue? Overall for the price, I'm quite pleased with the performance of these tires. Can't completely say how much of it is the car and how much is the tire. But these tires are giving me exactly what I expect from my Miata and I can afford to burn them up having a little having fun. Also, they look good enough. I'm buying 2 more rear tires. Zoom-Zoom

Note: these are directional tires

Dry Traction = very good+
Wet traction = ok, safe at moderate speeds, good highway, easily pushed to fun limit
Snow traction = just good enough
Hydroplaning rejection = very good
Braking = good

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
May 08, 2012

THIS IS MY SECOND SET OF KDW's FOR MY 2006 SCION xB ... THE FIRST SET WAS A 215/45-17 BECAUSE I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE RIDE QUALITY AT THE TIME , AS I WAS DOING 90 MILES A DAY ROUND TRIP OF MOSTLY HIWAY DRIVING ... I ROTATED THEM EVERY 5 THOUSAND MILES AND RAN THE PRESSURE AT 40 PSI AND THEY WORE PERFECTLY SMOOTH ALL THE WAY DOWN TO BASICALLY NO TREAD AT ALL ...

SO FOR THE SECOND SET I DROPPED THE SIZE TO A 215/40-17 , AS I WASN'T DRIVING THE LONG ROUNDTRIP DAILY ANYMORE ... YES THEY ARE A BIT STIFFER ON THE RIDE , BUT NOTHING THAT BOTHERS ME AT ALL ... SO FAR THEY DO FEEL A BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE ON THE ROADS AND TURNS THAT I ENJOY PLAYING ON ...

I HAVE JUST OVER 1 HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES ON THE CAR , AND I USED THE FACTORY STEEL WHEELS FOR WINTER DUTY WITH A SET OF SNOWS ALL THE WAY AROUND ... MY GUESS IS ABOUT 40 THOUSAND MILES BEFORE I REPLACED THEM ... THE OTHER AWESOME BONUS WAS WITH THE REINFORCED SIDEWALLS I HAVE NEVER BENT OR DAMAGED MY RIMS , I RUN A SET OF KONIG HOT SWAPS ...

I'D HIGHLY RECOMMENT THESE TIRES TO ANYONE THAT WANTS A FUN , GREAT HANDLING TIRE ...

Initial Review, 2,200 Miles on Tires
May 05, 2012

Driving a stk motor STI with coilovers, exhaust, pro-tune and suspension upgrades. Car is predominately driven agressively on backroads and in the mountains but no track or autox. Tire grips very similar to the oem RE070 in the dry and much better in the rain. Ride quality and noise level is much improved...car should have come from factory with these tires, they are that good! The only tradeoff I've found is a marginally less aggressive feel on turn in, but high speed corner grip is as good or better. The only thing that annoys me is that the side rim protection rubber is nearly flush w/rim and offers no real protection, unlike RE070s. I would absolutely buy these again and for "real world driving" they are a great choice and more flexible than the RE070. I went one size wider (235) and dropped to 40 profile on stk wheels to aid in cornering and exit grip...and they do a wonderful job!!!!

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
May 08, 2012

These are the fronts; have 265/35 ZR18's on the rears. Both are mounted on Cayman S rims I use primarily for DE's at Texas World Speedway. I ran my first DE on these this past weekend and am very pleased with them. I don't have wear data yet; more on that later. (I won't rate the wear in miles driven, but in "DE weekends.")

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
April 28, 2012

This is the perfect tire if you want a comfortable ride but still want to pull some G's on the on-ramp.
The ride of this tire is very civilized considering it's grip. I was very impressed with it's wet performance also. Tire noise?? what noise?? Nuff said.

I would recommend running these on wider rim to improve responsiveness, that seems to be the only concession for the sweet ride. Am running the 245/40-18" on a 9" wheel, it gives the tire a little "stretch" which improves response. Granted, the response in not terrible... but it is noticeable slower than the 245/35-19 wheel/tire combination that it replaced. All talk about "response" goes out the door the first time you traverse a large crack across the road and it doesn't feel like shocks are about to be launched through the hood: )

I have been running these for approx. 4000 miles and they actually feel more responsive now, like they needed to be broken in a bit.
As far as wear, I can't detect any at this point.

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
May 09, 2012

Great handling in dry and wet. If you want that Go-Kart experience in your ride, look no further, just be warned you WILL be cornering harder and faster just because of the sheer fun of not having one ounce of grip loss. The fact that these tires saved my OZ non-forged aluminum rims from being completely destroyed have earned their weight in gold. I've hit pot holes that sounded like my entire front end was destroyed and not 1 scratch or bend on my rims... abso-friken-lutely unbelievable.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
April 25, 2012

These tires are excellent. The OEM BF Goodrich were horrible. I then went to a set of Fusion's which looked really great with the flame sidewall and rode and handled ok. These tires are great. The ride is much better, quiter and softer but responsive. They handle well in the rain also. I have them blackwall out since my truck is black and chrome. I also went bigger than the OEM rims. The taller height and width still are handled well witht this tire. I run dedicated snows in the winter on the OEM rims so I have no snow comments. As far as better gas mileage, come on let's be honest. I have a 6000 lb pickup, my mileage is what it is. But these tires are worth the price and you will enjoy them. A definite rebuy.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
April 28, 2012

Replaced our OEM Michelin Enery MXV4 S8 tires with the V rated Yokohama Avid Ascend tires which are also a LRR tire. I would say my driving stlye is average to spirited at times. The tires balanced very well and so far all expectations have been met. I had them road force balanced which compensates for the heavy and light spots on the tires and rims matching them for a better balance. These are very quiet on the roads we drive(better than the Michelins), handling is very good, they track well, do not wander, and the ride is very good. Steering input seems very good as you are cornering. They are a nice looking tire, unfortunately, I can't comment on tread wear yet as I do not have enough miles on them. It seems that my MPG has stayed essentially the same as my Michelins so far. I am searching for the best inflation point and started at 40 PSI. I kept my Michelins between 40-42 PSI and got 70,000 plus miles out of them and still had 4/32" left on them when I replaced them. I am hoping to approach the 100,000 mile mark on the Yokohama tires since the treadwear rating is 740. Very pleased with all aspects of the tires so far. I have not had the opportunity to try them in all weather situations yet, but if they continue as they have so far, I am sure I will not be dissapointed. They have made my cars handling very predictable and comfortable. Note: I was advised that if the need arises to have a flat fixed the inner liner must be prepped carefully or tire damage can occur, so be careful who fixes your flats. Apparently it is due to the thinner inner liner in these tires.

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2012

I previously had Pirelli Pzero Asymetrico, and replaced them with Continental ExtremeContact DW because of reviews and cost. Big mistake for an older 1984 Porsche, with 16" rims. Handling, steering response was poor, felt unsafe at quick maneuvers. Replaced them with Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 within Tire Rack's return policy. (thanks Tire Rack!) Night and day difference ! My Porsche handles great again, and steering response excellent. I was surprised how much of a difference the tires made. Perhaps the sidewalls on the Continentals were too soft for 16" rims, but the Potenzas RE-11 were great.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
April 20, 2012

Years ago I had a work truck, Chevy Silverado 2wd that I used in residential construction. I was SO impressed with this tire overall that when my '09 Dodge Ram 4x4 hit 40,000 miles the factory GY Wrangler HP's were toast. It is shamefull that a loaded 4x4 truck came with a glorified passenger tire, but it did and I never liked them. Sure the ride on dry paved road was smooth/quiet but thats it. Every other area of performance was awful. Even after siping it was only marginaly better in the rain. The reason I'm giving a history lesson is b/c if you have a Ram with the 20" rims sooner or later you will be reading reviews and looking for a real truck tire. This tire is it, stop looking and buy these! I'm still in the construction business and this truck is 50-50 work/personal use. It handles all aspects of paved road and is still very quiet rolling, smooth ride etc. At job sites no problem, personal use is frequent long road trips...once again VERY quiet and no MPG loss. I like the squared up shoulder blocks which help traction, add strength and just plain look good. We camp and I have no worries taking this thing off the road and on graded paths at preserves/state parks. With the HP's I was always worried about every small branch/foilage in our path. Although we don't do any "off-roading" you wont have problems with small rocks etc. I am less worried about a puncture now. There are a lot of tires on the market, if you want a solid tire firmly between a passenger/highway only tire and a mongo-mudder this is it. No regrets!

Initial Review, 400 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2012

I previously had Pirelli Pzero Asymetrico, and replaced them with Continental ExtremeContact DW because of reviews and cost. Big mistake for an older 1984 Porsche, with 16" rims. Handling, steering response was poor, felt unsafe at quick maneuvers. Replaced them with Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 within Tire Rack's return policy. (thanks Tire Rack!) Night and day difference ! My Porsche handles great again, and steering response excellent. I was surprised how much of a difference the tires made. Perhaps the sidewalls on the Continentals were too soft for 16" rims on sport cars or sport sedans, but the Potenzas RE-11 were great.

Initial Review, 8,057 Miles on Tires
April 15, 2012

These tires came highly recommended from some other Jeep owners. I purchased them and some 15 inch rims. Absolutely outstanding purchase. I put 2,000 miles on them before I had to make a 3,000 mile round trip from the midwest to the southeast. Ride comfort was what I would term very good for a Jeep making a cross country drive. I've rotated the tires once and have not noticed any appreciable treadwear--I use a 5 tire rotation. Tread is wearing evenly and with the Jeep, find that running 28-30PSI is about a perfect tire pressure, giving me maximum surface contact. I've experienced a variety of different environments, snow, ice, mud and loose soil--the tires offer me a confident grip and more than adequate braking. Overall, I'm thorougly satisfied with these tires. I'm not that concerned about the 2 ply sidewall as I'm not a rock crawler. Everything else about this tire certainly more than meets my needs. I will definitely by another set of these when the time comes.

Initial Review, 31,000 Miles on Tires
April 19, 2012

The Dunlop Sport Signature has been a good and reliable street performance tire. Great handling in wet and dry, responsive and predictable in the corners, no noise and respectable wear. The tire has a beefy rim protector bead and a stiff sidewall that still provides a comfortable ride. This Passat is re-mapped to 215hp, 7" wheels and I have certainly used these Dunlops. A good price point and probably all a sport sedan needs. Would purchase again. Nice balance of practical and performance.

Initial Review, 5,620 Miles on Tires
April 19, 2012

My biggest issue with this tire on a 20 inch rim is its sensitivity to poor roads. I have burned through three of these tires in a year and have not had a major pot hole hit... just poor Chicago roads. Always the same thing... large bubbles in the side wall from impact damage. Like most people, I understand that if you hit a good pot hole you will have tire issues no matter what tire you have... this is only compounded when you run 20 in. rims. My advice is to buy this tire as a run flat if you run low profiles. This is a great driving tire, but it does not hold up well to poor road quality.

Initial Review, 20 Miles on Tires
April 10, 2012

Just got these yesterday (with Rial Como rims), and installed them. This morning it was raining on the way to work. The tires work great! A little more noise than my previous Goodyear Assurance Comfortreds, but these are also 225/45R17, compared to my old 205/55R16, so I can definitely live with the slightly additional noise. Biggest difference is in the handling and road feel, much better now. Before it seemed "soft", now it's more responsive and corners better too. Highly recommended! The Tire Rack delivered a great package and fast delivery, everything took maybe 30 minutes to install by myself with just a jack and lug wrench. Very satisfied!

Initial Review, 60,000 Miles on Tires
March 29, 2012

I did a lot of research before buying these tires because of the high cost of tires theses days, and I'm glad I did. I'm 42 and have always had mud tires on a truck or 4x4 and I can honestly say that these were SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER Than all the others I've had including Cooper STTs, BFG A/Ts, Super swampers, Dunlops, and whatever else I can't remember.
These tires are tough period.

LONG tread life, Extremely good traction on all but ICE which is true for any mud tire.

I was very impressed with the Beadlock feature that I dont see on a lot of the other tires that keep you from getting debri in between your rim and tire while in a rut or driving through brush. This has happened to me before with other tires. The sidewall is also very tough and thick, I'm missing a few chunks out of the sides of a couple of tires from riding though sharp flint rocks in kentucky.

The other thing that really impresses me was the wet traction! Most mud tire are super slick in wet conditions and will get you Killed! These preformed MUCH better, I guess because of some special compound in the rubber.

I've driven these tires though Telico, Uwharrie, the Horse pasture trails at jocassee, multiple trails in Kentucky, deep sand near savannah and across the rocky South Tyger river behind my house throughout the summer(I'm on 100acres and drive a mile long rutted dirt road twice a day at least). Never had a flat, just picked up a couple of nails and repaired. They run very well on low pressure with the beadlock and tough 3ply sidewalls. They cost 30$ more than the cheaper tires, but if you are going anywhere besides the mall BUY THESE TIRES.

BTW this is the first review I've written on anything, cause yall need to know;)

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
March 26, 2012

When I upgraded my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox for the 17" Goodyear tires and factory rims I want to go big so I went to a 22" set. I researched online every tire that is manufactured in the size P255/35/22. My first set of tires were Toyo Proxes TR-4. These tires were noisy and rough riding. I hated these tires so much I swapped them out only after 100 miles for a set of Yokohama Parada Spec-X. Yes it cost me several hundred dollars but it was worth every penny. These Yokohama tires are wonderful. I finally have a quiet ride and smooth like I'm driving in a luxury vehicle. I was worried that since I had very little rubber between the rim and road I would have a rough ride but not with the Yokohama tires. You would think there was much more tire. Even the wet handling is outstanding I was traveling a little to fast in the rain the other day and had to make a quick right hand turn but didn't slide at all. I would highly recommend this tire to anyone in the market for a large diameter tire for the small SUV or Truck. I only hope that when it comes time to replace these tires in a few years they still manufacture this tire so I can purchase another set. Only time will tell how many miles I will get from this set of tires. I will update to let everyone know how I like them after one year of driving.

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
April 02, 2012

Got these from The Tire Rack in January 2011 for my 2007 Cooper S R56 which had 17 OE rims. Was advised to go 16" with a reasonable price set of MSW as "Winter" Rims. I live north of Toronto in an area that gets hit regularly by snow squalls. I also travel to the Detroit area on a regular basis and need to be confident that I will get there and back regardless of the weather. The winter performace on this set up is great. The ride is also significantly smoother due to the 16". These tires make the car so much fun to drive in the winter. The OE Continental all seasons were really scary in the winter. I got stuck a couple of times with less than 4" of snow and white knuckle syndrome was the norm on snow and ice covered on highways. The Blizzaks give a great deal of confidence in the snow and ice with significantly improved stopping distance and cornering performance. Going around bends feels a bit squirmy on dry warm days. I would reccomend these to any MINI owner who needs winter tires. The advice to drop down to 16" is also recommended. Cannot comment on wear yet as I have just ended my second winter season and they still look like new. I'm guessing they will be good for another 3 seasons (approximately 25,000 to 30,000 winter miles)