I've had the Sumitomo HTR-ZII tires in 225/40/18 on my 18x8 rims for about 19 months now, and am going to be getting some new tires in the somewhat near future.
I like these tires a lot, they look good and perform really well plus they were only $125 a tire, however they have seemed to wear more on the inside w/ my suspension (my alignment is good) and on the highway at about 60-80mph they produce a slight rumble and my steering wheel shakes some, so that is annoying. My mechanic said it is because of the tires wearing more on the inside because everything else is perfect.

I've always heard of the Kumho's since they are also cheap, but have never experienced them. Also, what about the Nittos?

SO, what are some other good tires in a similar price range that won't produce this wear problem after a year or so?

I had a set of Kumho Ecsta 712's on my 18's, I really liked them, no complaints, quiet, gripped good, looked ok, and they were cheap, now I'm running Kumho MX's and also have no complaints about these, they look very aggressive, a little louder than the 712's and were also reasonably priced for a 19" tire.

When I was shopping for wheels and tires, most places steered me away from the Nitto's for some reason. As for your tires wearing on the inside, look into getting a camber kit to reduce this, it's normal for tires to get louder as they wear especially the way your tires are wearing, it's happened to me plenty of times before.

Originally posted by egk2
I had a set of Kumho Ecsta 712's on my 18's, I really liked them, no complaints, quiet, gripped good, looked ok, and they were cheap, now I'm running Kumho MX's and also have no complaints about these, they look very aggressive, a little louder than the 712's and were also reasonably priced for a 19" tire.

When I was shopping for wheels and tires, most places steered me away from the Nitto's for some reason. As for your tires wearing on the inside, look into getting a camber kit to reduce this, it's normal for tires to get louder as they wear especially the way your tires are wearing, it's happened to me plenty of times before.

As far as the camber kit, I haven't seen really anyone else with the same basic set-up as me (bilstein and a lowering spring) needing to get the camber kit, do you think most have the wear problem also but just are changing out the tires sooner?

What's the difference between the Kumho 712's and MX's?

Also, when you say you have had your tires wear and get "louder", are you meaning that the cause a slight rumble in the car at higher speeds like I said I am having, or did you mean just that they sound louder on the pavement?

I have bilsteins and H&R sport springs and I could def. benefit from a camber kit but I just live with it(inner tire wear), but when you start to lower more than that is when you REALLY need camber plates. The kumho Mx's have a higher speed rating of Y and the 712's are W rated. Basically the MX's are a step up from the 712's. When my tires start to wear out on the insides, the car will start to pull more or tram and they do get noisier, like a droning sound, when they do that, I rotate and the noise goes away.

Originally posted by egk2
I have bilsteins and H&R sport springs and I could def. benefit from a camber kit but I just live with it(inner tire wear), but when you start to lower more than that is when you REALLY need camber plates. The kumho Mx's have a higher speed rating of Y and the 712's are W rated. Basically the MX's are a step up from the 712's. When my tires start to wear out on the insides, the car will start to pull more or tram and they do get noisier, like a droning sound, when they do that, I rotate and the noise goes away.

Ya, I've definately noticed the "tram" effect w/ mine also. Have you had any extra steering wheel vibration at highway speeds like I've been having?
I always thought the Supras were Z rated, but apparently I was wrong. Does Kumho make a Z rated tire?
ALso, why do you think people have steered away from the Nittos? Are you referring to the NT 555 Extreme Performance ones? I've heard they're "suppose" to be really performance oriented
Thanks for your help!

Oh, when you had your 18's, what size tires were you running? I'm running 225/40/18 and am wondering what a good psi is to have them at when the tires are measured hot.

Originally posted by egk2
I had a set of Kumho Ecsta 712's on my 18's, I really liked them, no complaints, quiet, gripped good, looked ok, and they were cheap, now I'm running Kumho MX's and also have no complaints about these, they look very aggressive, a little louder than the 712's and were also reasonably priced for a 19" tire.

When I was shopping for wheels and tires, most places steered me away from the Nitto's for some reason. As for your tires wearing on the inside, look into getting a camber kit to reduce this, it's normal for tires to get louder as they wear especially the way your tires are wearing, it's happened to me plenty of times before.

Is the treadwear 220 on those MX's?

no vibration at all, don't know if Kumho makes a z rated tire, probably. I don't know why people steered me away from Nitto's, I heard from a few peolple that did have them that they were horrible, but I don't know personally. Tread wear is 220 for the MX's.

I just got some 712's and they are Z rated and also have a tread wear rating of 220. Mine are 17's though. Hope it helps.

Ted

The Yokohama ES100s are supposed to be good. They don't have quite the same ammount of grip as the MXes, but they are significantly cheaper. I'll probably switch to them once I get dedicated autocross/track wheels/tires.

No idea about the Nittos.