TrafficinLA

After 44000 miles, I decided it was time to change my tires. I went with Kumho Ecsta ASX because it was under $100 per tire and has pretty good reviews from various tire sites. Anyways, there are differences between the two and I found that the OEM Potenzas are not "crap" that most people give them to be. Both sets are 215/45 17"s on OEM wheels. The car has TRD springs and stock shocks. The car has not been re-aligned yet; I need to visit the dealer.

Bridgestone Potenza RE92

The good points of these tires are that they offer a great control feel. The car feels buttoned down and stable because of the stiffer sidewalls. They also seem to accelerate the car better. The stability I feel gives me more confidence when driving. They did not wear out at 20,000 miles or less so the 180 rating was not a problem for me. I don't launch my car aggressively but I do take corners and curves quite fast. The bad part about these tires is that they really suck in wet conditions. The occasional rain here really brings out the oil and grime of the roads. I had to be very careful when I'm driving in the rain. They also don't offer as much grip as the Kumhos and will squeal in protest when I push it.

Kumho Ecsta ASX

Not the most confidence inspiring set of tires compared to the Potenzas. The soft sidewalls do offer a quieter and more bump-absorbing ride. Tire noise is greatly reduced, especially on the highways. The trade-off here is that it gives a floaty feel when driving in a straight line. I have to make alot more adjustments to maintain a precise line because I'm used to the stability of the Potenzas. While the Ecstas makes me feel less confident, it does offer a helluva more grip than the Bridgestones. It just sticks to the road, dry or wet. Testing the tires, I had to gradually push the limits because the tires have more grip than I have in confidence. Kinda like how LS1 F-bodies have tons of body roll but also tons of grip. It's something I have to get used to. But yeah, wet traction, more grip, softer ride.

That's my point-of-view on these two tires.

ack154

iTrader: (7)

IMO, you give the Potenzas more credit than they should have...

But if they're taken care of (aligned, rotated, properly inflated), they're not totally a terrible tire, there are just so many better ones out there for less money.

TrafficinLA

Pricewise, yeah, Potenzas are expensive. And I'd hope people take care of their tires since they're the contact points between the car and the road.

DouBLeJ16

Nice review, but how on earth did you get 44k on the stock tires? You must of never done 1 burn out.

My bridgestones were completely bald after 21k on them..

I went with kumho ecsta 711's because they were only $52/tire from tirerack. They feel great all around. Much better then the bridgestones, especially on wet roads.

ack154

iTrader: (7)

Ya... me too. But honestly... think of some of the people we even get on the forums once in a while...

TrafficinLA

Nice choice of tires. Burnouts? Once or twice. Taking offramps way too fast? Many times. Taking a short offramp designed for 25mph at 55mph can be a very scary thing and very bad for your tires. I like corners and curves as they require more driver attention than driving in a straight line. It's funny how I'm going 80mph and a fast car would blow pass me on a straight section of the freeway only to slow down to about 65mph on an sweeping curvy interchange while I maintain my speed.

Lrn2Turn!

But yeah, 5K rotations, minimum tire abuse, and and pressure checks help alot.

brian

i have 20k on stock and plenty of tread left...swapping them out anyway though

engifineer

32k on the stocks, still a little left, but time to change this summer for sure. I dont baby them at all, but I dont just beat the hell out of them either. 7 trips at 650 miles each way, plus driving when I was there added up to about 10500 miles of trips on them plus city driving.

thanks for the write up though, I like to keep track of what I hear from different users, especially when they actually put some thought into thier review. I have looked at some of the Kumhos, but have been more leaning towards Avons or Falkens.

Nick06tC

Good review. I have the Kumho 712s and dont like them at all. They seem to be holding tread life pretty good with 8000 miles on them. But traction sucks. Wet weather, I am actually impressed. As sucky as the Kumhos are in the dry, they offer about the same traction in the wet.

Petem

i really can not comment on the potenza's.. since i never had them on the TC... my tc came with 19" off the lot..... BUT... just an FYI.... if you drove the stock tires for 44k miles. (or until the wear bars were showing) ... they would have felt , corners, responded really good since you would have no tread block flex.. ALL new tires feel loose at first,... that is why professional autocrossers will shave brand new tires down to a minimal tread depth...

i just went from 215 35 19's who's sidewalls looked alittle like this on the rim \_/ (it has just a hint of stretch) to 225 35 19's.. which are perfectly even with the rim |_| .. the 215's were riding on the wear bar... and they cornered great.... since the sidewall were already slightly stretched.. they hardly flexed... and gave one STIFF ___ ride.............. the 225's apart from looking SOOO much better. feel really loose... and that is primarily due to the new tread.... the sidewall may have alittle more flex.... but it is the tread that makes it feel loose.... the new tires are a better tire.. i went from toyos proxies 4's to avon tech M500'...

so.. when compairing tires... you need to keep all those factors in mind.... even if just going from old to new in the same size.... or even same brand and model but old to new..... those same potenza's would have felt just a loose if you have mounted NEW ones.......

TrafficinLA

Thanks Petem. I guess I didn't want to write too much but yeah, I did take tread block flex into account. I probably should've elaborated on the first post.

The driving experience was overall account of the Bridgestones, not just the last few millimeters of tread. They had nearly the same feel when they were "new-ish" (I had TRD springs installed after a few hundred miles) as they do now, before I replaced them. I read that Kumhos were as I described when they are new, with lots of flex and it generally gets better. With softer sidewalls, the characteristics of the Kumhos will probably change more than the Potenzas. And yeah, I know about autox and the optimum tread depth is about 3-4/32's (2/32's is pushing it) which was what I had when I replaced my tires. But I don't autox and I don't know if I'll have time to change the tires when Lincoln's head clears the tread. So I changed them at a convenient time.

Thanks for the heads up and great info.

JustAtC

I know the Potenza aren't that great for performance wide but in term of durability I think it's performance is more consistent than that of the Kumho tires. I changed my first set from stock Potenza @ 54K miles with Kumho Supra 712. In new condition the Kumho seems to work well but does not hold out as long as the Potenza tires.

I am now 75K miles and ready to replace the 712 with a new combination of Kumho and old oem stock Potenza because they're cheaper.

engifineer

Other than just not reccomending mixing the type of tires on your car, I have to ask where you see that potenzas are cheaper?? They are twice the price of the Kumho's you have on tirerack.com. The potenzas arent the worst tire in the world, but they are marginal at best, and one of the most overpriced out there ($178 on tirerack). Maybe I just read your post wrong? Not attacking you at all, I just didnt see the logic in spending as much as 4 kumho's for 2 potenzas, and them mix-matching them on you car, which isnt a great idea performance wise.

DouBLeJ16

You have 75,000 miles on your tc?

How's it running with that high of mileage?

JustAtC

I probably got one of the fist car the released back in July 2004 as an 2005 model. My car today is 75K miles.

As far as mixing tires (Kumho rear and Potenza front), I do not see any problems. It may be a problem only if you really drive like Daytona daily on the beltway. Just my $0.02. Unless someone in here knows more about tires can educate me. I am all EARS.