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Old 04-20-2005, 11:44 AM   #1
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Question Tires? Any Sumitomo or Hankook info?

Tire time again! Anybody have any info on Sumitomo or Hankook tires? hankooks had a good name in the Miata world, don't know how they do on Boxsters, although their catalog lists a tire for Boxster (no N rating). Sumitomos are attractively priced, hoping maybe someone has tried them. Cheers!

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Old 04-20-2005, 12:11 PM   #2
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I wouldn't put Hankook on my Altima much less my Porsche. Some Sumitomo's are okay but I would go with the nicest tires you can afford on a car like this. Tirerack.com has the best reviews and ratings.
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Old 04-20-2005, 02:39 PM   #3
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Yokohama makes a good tire for the money. And if you shop Tire Rack, you can get a branded tire for a bargain. I just bought some Dunlops for a 911 for a song, as this was a clearance item for TR.
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Old 04-21-2005, 06:41 AM   #4
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Thanks for the inputs. I had gone to TireRack earlier and read a bunch of reviews - didn't see any real consensus for any specific tire. Preferences were individual, varied, and depended on type use. Did see a 2001 owner who really liked his Sumitomos, and TR has them on special for $97 rear/$75 front. My cars former owner had put the Sumo's on, & as a nubee I was trying to discern whether he knowledable or just cheap.
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Old 04-21-2005, 06:46 AM   #5
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I have used Hi Pefr Sumos before. Not a bad tire for the money. Experiment, if you find a decent tire for that price, you are way ahead of the game.
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Old 04-21-2005, 06:54 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brucelee
Yokohama makes a good tire for the money.
My Boxster loves it's Yoko AVS Sports but mine are $235 for rear and $171 each for front. But my car has 18's with 265/35ZR18 in the back.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVS+Sport&partnum=24ZR8AVSSSN1&partnum=635ZR8AVSSSN1&vehicleSearch=true&index=0
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Old 05-21-2005, 04:06 PM   #7
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i used sumitomos exclusively on my rx-7. i liked them almost as much as the more high end tires (but they suck in the rain). i've averaged 6000 miles on each of my last 3 sets of rear tires on my box (and i don't spin the tires). they were pilot sports / asymmetricos / potenza re750's in that order. too expensive, i'm going for the sumis again. they're a damned good tire.
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Old 05-22-2005, 06:41 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by limoncello
Tire time again! Anybody have any info on Sumitomo or Hankook tires? hankooks had a good name in the Miata world, don't know how they do on Boxsters, although their catalog lists a tire for Boxster (no N rating). Sumitomos are attractively priced, hoping maybe someone has tried them. Cheers!
My wifes car had brand new Hankooks on it when we bought her car, and one year later we replaced them. They were probably the crapiest tires I have ever seen. Our intentios were to use these new tires for a couple years and then get her new rims and tires, but they were wearing so quickly we went ahead after just one year.
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Old 05-23-2005, 01:01 PM   #9
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My second set of Sumitomo tires were put on last Thursday. Liked my first set and they are good bang for the buck. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=4265
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Old 05-23-2005, 01:51 PM   #10
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[QUOTEMy cars former owner had put the Sumo's on, & as a nubee I was trying to discern whether he knowledable or just cheap.[/QUOTE]


That's funny, lol


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Old 05-23-2005, 02:23 PM   #11
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My Boxster's 2 rear rims have Hankook tires on 18 inch porsche classic rims. I had for about 5,000 miles on it and as far as I can tell, it's as good as Michellin tires. I used to have a lot of rattle noise in my car but after I replaced to Hankook tire and the noise is greatly reduced. I am living in Southern California and I do not have any problem nor complaint. I heard about quality control problem with Hankook tires but my friend also had Hankook tires and never had problem.
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Old 05-23-2005, 06:54 PM   #12
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Thumbs down Khumo/Marshall experience I rather forget

I just went through an experience with WTC in NY that I rather forget. I bring there the car for a wheel alignment and balancing since i was having a small vibration in the steering wheel. He said the Pilots it had were shot and dangerous and I had done plenty of business with him before so I took his word. I told him get me tires. He suggested Khumo and after all was said and done and I lost my temper I ended up with Pilot Rib which are POrsche OE tire. I did find out that these guys there could not balance a glass of water in their hands no less high performance tires.
I brought it to Porsche dealer and the manager graciously did the balancing at no charge. The young man that did the balancing gave me the littany of all the things WTC had done incorrectly, used the wrong weights, placed them incorrectly, used clip on on the Carrera alloy, in short my blood pressure went sky high. Moral of the story, the Boxster is a high performance car and Porsche recommends certain tires to obtain maximum efficiency from the car. Braking, wet and dry traction are all part of the mix. Our car is an expensive car and skimping on tires is not the wisest thing to do. Im not saying to burn your money away and not comparison shop but just remember the tires you use are ones that will have to stop very fast when you pounce on the brakes or hold you on the road on that sharp turn.
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Old 05-24-2005, 06:15 PM   #13
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Just put some Bridgestone Potenza S03's on last week...
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Old 06-19-2005, 06:14 PM   #14
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Update -

i tried a set of HTRZ's last week on my car; i used to use these Sumitomos on my RX-7 (old model of tire, same brand). I hate these on my boxster and am replacing them this week. the sidewall flex is intolerable. i've lost most of the 'snap' in the rear end of the car on corners. also, exiting corners, the rear of the car seems to oscillate back and forth before settling on a line. they also follow road grooves like nobody's business.

i can't vouch for the HTRZ-2's as i haven't tried them, but i do not reccomend the HTRZ on this car. back to potenzas.
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Old 06-20-2005, 06:17 AM   #15
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I have the Sumitomo HTRZ II's. Have driven them for 2 months on the road, and one track day. Some observations: a. There is still some sidewall flex, but I don't have experience with other tires on the Boxster to compare. b. They had a lot of grip in my opinion. c. They worked well in the rain - we had a lunchtime downpour and I went out on the track shortly after, track soaked. I was surprised at how much traction I had. I would have no worries with them on a rainy interstate. The Audi S4 driver who kept passing me also had Sumitomo HTRZ II's - he liked them and was impressed with the wet performance also. d. They were inexpensive ($97 rear, $75 front). I knew I would probably burn up a set in 2-3 track days plus normal driving, so I went for the savings. e. Not tracking well on grooved roads - I can't say, haven't driven on heavily grooved roads yet. On city streets and normal interstates they feel fine, with low/moderate road noise. Tracking is fine. Tire wear: it was a hot day at the track. The tires show wear from one day, but so did everbody else's.

Now, having said all the above, I'm holding my final opinion until I get my next set of tires (probably Michelins or Bridgestones), and can compare them directly against another tire. Will post when I get there.
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Old 06-28-2005, 10:12 AM   #16
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I've got Sumi HTR+s on my Jag XJ8, and think they're great. MUCH better wet grip than the Fuldas on my 986, which are horrible..

Not such a fan of the Sumis in snow (Boston), but otherwise a great tire.
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Old 06-28-2005, 02:19 PM   #17
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The best experience so far I had with tires in my car has been with Bridgestone Potenzas S03 Pole Position....the full set of 18's (225/40 fr, 265/35 rr) in Costco cost me around $900.00 installation and lifetime balancing included. Great dry grip, very good wet grip, nice cornering and stopping, one caveat however, Boxsters eat them like nothing I've seen...especially the rears. I've bought two sets of rears before the fronts start to get faded...The next best thing I've experienced has been the Khumo Ecsta Supras, overall good performers, very close to the Potenzas and they last a bit longer for about 30% less the cost ...You might want also to consider where you live, here in the tropics, roads are always very hot or extremely wet.

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