After autocross in May, my Pirelli's have been shot. I've decided on new P255/50 R17 tires, but I'm having a hard time figuring out a brand. It's not an easy size to find, and to make matters worse, they HAVE to be all-season. The front-runners were:

1. Kumho Ecsta ASX

2. BFGoodrich g-force KDWS (heard mixed reviews)

3. Nitto INVO (Not sure if it's all-season or not but the NT-450's got bad reviews), granted they're soft.

Does anyone have experience with the Kumho Ecsta's? I'm going for 255's for grip, not looks, so does anyone know if any of these tires will grip better than the stock 235 Pirelli's?

 

I have the BFGoodrich g-force KDWS and love them...but I would not count on them being an all-season tire. Maybe all-season in Florida or Arizona.

 

Yeah that's the main downside I've heard about them. Plus I had Traction T/A's on my Monte Carlo and they wore down pretty quick in 10k miles. Can't imagine that these would be much better. But light snow traction is critical since the Monte Carlo was sold and this is my only mode of transportation now.

Anyone with experience with the Kumho Ecsta's?

 

I've been researching this as well. My P-Zeros have quite a bit of life to them but they get greasey when too hot and just about useless in light snow and heavy rain.

What a lot of guys in the Seattle area are getting is the Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S tires. They handle the wet as good as the OEM P-Zero does the dry, and that's saying a lot. Make sure you get M+S as it has the better all-season handeling characteristics. They are fairly cheap at $99 a pop.

I used to have Bridgestone Potenza's on my last car and I would drive it at the track on super wet days. Dry or wet it stuck like glue. It has that aqua tread design so it really pushes the water away from the tread. Only down side is that the compound that they are made from is really heavy so they tend to weigh about 5lbs more than the comparable tire. And they are pricey at about $170 a pop.

 

I'm actually upgrading from P Zero Nero M+S which is just the all-season version of the P Zero Nero. And I found the same thing that they were pretty bad in light snow and especially heavy rain. Unfortunately I can't find the Bridgestone's in the 255/50 R17.

Kumho's? Anyone?

 

I'm pretty sure the stock OEM tire is the M+S P-Zero.

 

I think the stock tire on the GT is the P Zero Nero M+S. At least I went to Pirellie's website and that was the only one that showed as being the correct size that comes on the Mustang GT, 235/55/R17.

So, you didn't like the P Zeros in the rain? I've had good luck with my BFG's KDWS in 255/50/R17 on my V6 Mustang and I am going to get the same tire on the after market wheels for my 08 GT when it comes in. Maybe next week!

I've driven them through some heavy rain, and even an ice storm and they got me home. I can't speak of snow since it rarely snows in Texas, at least around here.

Here's a link to the BFG website for them.

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/overv...a-kdws/40.html

 

I have the KDWS on the back of my car right now. I know my sig still says Bridgestone, but I had to swap those for the BFGs last fall when the weather got cold (summer compound tires are awful in the cold). I found the BFGs to stick just as well once spring came around and it got warm again. Also, they got me home late one January night with about 1-2 inches of snow on the roads.

 

I've had really good experience with the Kumho Ecsta ASX. Tire Rack classifies it as an "Ultra High Performance All-Season" tire. Really good in heavy rains and doesn't seem to give much up (if anything) in the dry over some other "summer" performance tires. Haven't tried them in the snow, but user feedback on tirerack.com seems to indicate that they're not bad. I have them on 18" wheels, but they also come in the size you want at $110 ea (Tire Rack)

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=7

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I decided to go with the Kumho Ecsta's. Tire Rack called me though and said that they'd rub at full steering lock. Anyone have this problem with 255" tires? (I told them it was find and that I already had a set on the car). Thanks.

 

No, I have 255's on mine now, and I don't have that issue. At least that I'm aware of?

 

They won't rub...
The tire rack's employees don't seem to have a good handle on upsizing.
I ran a 275 on the front and a 305 on the rear with no problems...
The guy at The Tire Rack SWORE to me that this combo wouldn't work????

 

Here's the email

"
I have tried to reach you by phone but have been unsuccessful.

Before I can release your order to my verification department and warehouse for shipment, I need to confirm some details regarding the contents of the order.

Based upon the product selected and the vehicle you have listed on the order,

Please call me, these are still prone to rubbing @ full lock. Do you have the size now?

I cannot release your order until I speak with you regarding this concern. Please contact me directly by phone or email at your earliest convenience."

 

I got caught in a bad snow storn over Vail Pass(10,000Ft.) last spring.My Mustang had the KDWS tires on and I had absolutely no problems with traction.The conditions were icey at the top and slushy towards the bottom.I feel this tire is underated and should be considered for bad weather conditions.I like them so much a bought a set of take-off fan-blades with the KDWS for a winter set here in Colorado.

I hope we don't have anymore blizzards like this one.We were stuck a couple days before getting plowed out.

 

One word my friend... Bridgestone Potenza Re750 in 255/50R17... I just put them on my car and they are fantastic rain or shine! and they hook up amazingly!

 

here is an ok photo for reference... it does not do the tires justice!

 

Nevermind I missed your all season remark my bad... disregard my post!

 

Goodrich KDWS , they are a little noisey but for the price they are hard to beat.

 

Wow! That is some real snow!

I didn't know they can handle that much snow? Did you use chains at all?

I know the BFG KDWS's work pretty well in the heavy rain we get in Texas. Goes through it pretty well....

 

I didn't have chains,just nerves of steel.I took my time and drove very carefully.I've lived in Colorado and Alaska for most of my life.What worse than snowy conditions here are is the ice rain you folks get in the mid-west region.That takes some patience and lots of experience.Drive careful everyone!

P.S.That Freestyle AWD behind me is an awesome winter vehicle.