Sumitomo Tires

Initial Review, 27,000 Miles on Tires
March 22, 2013

tires performed well for the low price when new and up to 25000 mi. with 27k on them i'm seeing my traction control light come on when pushing the car a little bit on AWD car. wet traction has gone to poor when cornering or accelerating. snow traction has gone to below average. had a little snow/ice mixture and car failed to make a careful turn, had no braking and mowed down a stop sign on the opposite corner at 15-20 mph. had to replace tires.

Initial Review, 35,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

These tires replaced the OEM Bridgestones at 50K. They alternate with snow tires in winter (as we live in the UP of Michigan) so have no real experience with significant snow driving. They performed well the first couple of years, but last year (the 3rd on) the noise level increased significantly. They may make it through one more summer driving season, but will have to be replaced then. I will probably consider other brands when looking next time, although the performance per dollar was probably above average and the tread looks quite attractive/agressive.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
March 27, 2013

It's a nice economical tire. This is my second set for this car. The rears wear out before the fronts, but that's because of the car, not the tire. When these go I will buy them again if available.

Initial Review, 400 Miles on Tires
March 18, 2013

Since I've only had them for a few hundred miles, my evaluation is limited in scope. So far I like them. No problem in snow so far, however, they are new.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
March 15, 2013

I bought these as a budget-level replacement for a set of Yokohama S-drives. They look aggressive, but have much less dry traction than the s-drives. If you just want a tire for looks and want to save some money they are ok, but I would not consider them a high performance tire. They do seem to work well in the rain.

Initial Review, 50 Miles on Tires
April 06, 2013

Initial review-
Amazing grip, don't have to brake on on/off-ramps, these beat the Nitto 555's and Sumitomo HTZ3 by a wide margin. Added 275-35-18 tires and GT500 SVT rims to a stock GT Mustang, simply amazing tire in the dry. Have not driven in rain yet so will update down the road.
Tire rack confirmed these were date stamped late last fall, shipping in 4 days and balanced very well. Money well spent!! Running at 37 psi currently. These do seem to pick up small rocks and sand and shed it just as fast, no biggie its a max summer tire!

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
March 08, 2013

I havent had my Sumitomo HTR Z3's long enough for an accurate review, But I did want to let everyone know how incredibly fast I recieved my shipment. Granted I did get lucky in the fact that they were shipped from one state away but nevertheless I had my tires in less than 24 hours from the time I placed my order, and they were shipped standard ground. Thank You Tire Rack for your exceptional service. This was not my first purchase from Tire Rack and wont be my last.

Initial Review, 20 Miles on Tires
March 01, 2013

Just installed these tires. Drove about 20 miles. These tires fixed the noise problem that I had. My car made this helicopter/rumbling noise when driving. The noise would increase in volume and frequency as I increased my speed. I thought it was the wheel bearings and changed all four of my wheel bearings and rebuilt my axle shafts. The noise persisted. So I had these tires installed and now the noise is gone. It's too soon to tell how they perform but these tires are quiet and comfortable. The tread pattern looks sturdy and effective.

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
February 07, 2013

I have used various tires on this vehicle (Eagle GA, Eagle Hp, Bf Goodrich traction TA). For the price this is by far the best tire I have bought. I drive in a spirited manner, and on dry pavement these tires are accomodating. Turn in is responsive and predictable, traction is adequate, and holds well in corners. Wet traction is good when the tires are new, but hydroplaning increases markedly with wear. Winter driving is barely acceptable; I would recommend a dedicated set of winter tires if you experience more than occasional light winter weather with these tires. Additionally, these tires are comparatively quiet and comfortable.

Initial Review, 7,000 Miles on Tires
February 20, 2013

These tires are great, quiet, and seemingly good lasting tires so far. I have 7000-8000 miles on these so far, not 100% sure. But anyways, these are very smooth. When you corner hard, these tires give some growl from the inner edges but nothing too loud or horrible. These tire sidewalks are soft which does effect steering response however, cornering is great. I had sumitomo tires before these and those had great steering response but horrible tread life. The steering response takes some getting use to and these hold a corner great. Hope fully I get 40000 miles at least out of these instead of 15000 miles like the sumitomos. I would buy these again. Oh almost forgot. In the rain, hydroplaning is non-existing. These hold the road well in the rain.

Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires
February 15, 2013

This is my second set of Sumitomos on this Camry, and I have used Sumis of my Jaguars. They ate a great value, balance easy and run true. Never had a problem at all,

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
February 12, 2013

Tire Rack rated this tire as one of the best bang for the buck tires in terms of overall performance versus cost. I agree. No complaints whatsoever. Although Sumitomo may not be considered as an elite tire versus other manufacturers, I think this tire performs very well. For the average driver that wants better an average handling, braking, hydroplaning resistance, and traction, I think this tire does all these things well. Considering the price of these tires, I do not think I went wrong by ordering these from the Tire Rack. Thank you Tire Rack for providing your tire surveys and road tests.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
February 13, 2013

I've had these tires on my car for the past 2.5 yrs and 20k miles. For the first 5k miles, they were remarkable- dead quiet, smooth, sticky, responsive. After that, there was a precipitous decline. They developed this pesky vibration which multiple RoadForce balances, alignments and rotations never cured. They then became noisier and developed this strange high-pitched hum. I thought my wheel bearings or suspension was at fault first, but turns out they all checked out fine. They also need to sufficiently warm up for a few miles regardless of temperature in the morning to get the flat spots out. Despite these issues, they are wearing okay and have 7/32 left all around. These tires were pretty cheap when I bought them so I guess you get what you pay for.

Initial Review, 8,500 Miles on Tires
February 10, 2013

Absolutely magnificent tire!! Two days ago we had about 6 inches of snow and this tire just absolutely blew me away with how well it performed in the snow and ice. I kid you not, with my Camry, I could accelerate off of street lights as well as a 4x4 driving next to me. Stopping was no contest, I easily braked better.

As for wear, so far I'm almost 10K in and the tires show no wear whatsoever.

In the dry they aren't quite as sticky as the Sumitomos I replaced, nor are they as quiet, but in the wet they are about equal and in the snow there is no contest. The Sumitomos were not only bad, but dangerous and bordering on suicidal.

Comfort-wise the tires have a smooth soft ride, which probably explains the slight lack of steering response. They need a split-second to set up before they respond. Certainly nothing that is an issue in even spirited driving. On a track it might be a bit unnerving, but on the street its nothing to even think about.

Would I buy these again? As long as these are an option for a car I drive in all seasons, these will be on it!!!!

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
February 12, 2013

Overall good quality and ride, but would benefit from improved lateral stability. Too soon to assess tread wear. At this point, I consider them an overall good value.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
February 14, 2013

In a car with 420whp the 300 tread wear just is no where near enough. They are great all round tires. Good tread wear even with a useless 1st and 2nd.
At a 285/30-18 sidewall the ride was a little stiff compared to a 17" tire.
Pretty good wet traction. Much better than the kuhmo xs tires I also have in the wet.
My 255/40-17 kuhmos have better traction in the dry but their tread wear is no where near as good. Hence the two sets.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
February 07, 2013

The roads and environment on Guam are tough on tires. The the roads are not only pothole ridden but also have very rough and jagged surface, and have seen my friends tires Continental DWS start to chip and chunk out. The HTR A/S PO1s absorb bumps well and are very grippy in the wet even with the slippery coral roads. Dry grip is great and is well suited for the light chassis of the 96 corolla.