Give it about 100 miles of normal driving before pushing them too hard, let the mold release agent scrub off. ;)

Sumitomo Road
 

MPToledo - I've sent you a PM.

Ok second day 100 mile update:I know only 100 miles, but I gotta throw this out.

Boy was I getting pissed off!! I had this god awful vibration and a little noise coming from my tires when I pulled out of my driveway and onto the road. It lasted about 2 to 3 miles and thank god went away. I know all about flat spots, but over night? I was warned by a lot of reviewers on this. Anyways after I got my shoes warmed up I did about 50 or so miles of easy driving and I couldn't even hear them and absolutely no vibration. I then tried my 10 mile personal track(back country roads). Lots of twisties hills and suprises :D (just ask schnellman (If he had the stones to try it :D ). It was darn close to a frickin roller coaster as you can get. I almost went airborn a couple times. Damn that was a cool feeling!!

I am very impressed. These tires are sticky!! I am at least doubling every curve sign. I did notice a little roll but they are still really young so I will give them time. It might even be that I am not used to them yet. Braking was excellent and I seriously tried to do a controlled rear end slide around one corner. No dice. It was like I was on rails. :cool:

Two thumbs up so far, but we are only in the first inning on these puppies!! More to come later.

Side note: I wouldn't endorse a product if I wasn't sold on it. I have the stones to take them back and get something better. Even if I had to pay more!! So if they suck, I will eat crow and tell you they suck. :cheers:

Piatt Castle Run
 

I ran both of your routes this morning. You're right, a ******************** load of fun. I've been to the castles several times, but never took that road up the hill to the left. And, the Sumitomos stuck like glue.
Thanks again for sharing your routing information!
Before this morning's run I had been on vacation for two weeks and the Box sat in the garage. I noticed no flat spotting when I hit the road.

My Continentals flat spot overnight, actually so do my Fuzion HRs, and they're not even sticky.

Maybe it's cause they are new and haven't been broken in yet, or maybe cause I live on a state route and have to get upto 55(at least) out of my drive. they are less noticeable if you are driving in the city at slower speeds.

I love those roads out by the castle's. Its a great scenic route for ohio!! ludlow road south back to urbana is a fun ride home(past ohio caverns). Bellefontaine has some great roads to the east and north as its the highest point in Ohio and they even have a ski slope ( :barf: ). Well kind of, i think its a big hill!! I am hitting those next. I can't remember the names of the road but will write them down for you.

Well guys its my B-day(seriously) so I am off to bracken's pub for my free petrone shot. At least I know my escape route if A cop is stupid enough to try and chase me. I doubt he can handle the back road twisties at 90mph :cheers:

Ok, 1 week, 300 mile udpate on the tires.

1.) They do get flat spots really quick, like in 6 hours. But they go away real quick so not a deal breaker. You barely notice at low speeds but I live on a st rt and have to get up to speed quickly and for about 4 miles from town.
2.) Still love my new shoes. I finally got them to break loose. I was pulling out of the drive thru, and saw a truck a little closer than I thought. I dropped my trip down to 1st and did a sideways slide for about 2 feet, startled me, but not too much. It wasn't as cool as when I had my corvette as it has the perfect slide and grip action, but I am still giving it some time as practice makes perfect!!
3.) We had some rain the other day, so I couldn't resist testing them on wet surfaces. I waited an hour for the oil and crap to get washed off the road and they seemed fine. Of course they weren't as sticky and broke loose around corners when I wanted them to. But under normal driving they were perfect.
4.) Ride and road noise are still better than expected especially for a $700 tire.

Overall, still very, very happy and extremely more wealthy.
Yes I would definitely buy them again.

Afterthought, I live in a rural area of Ohio(ok BFE(bumb fuked egypt)) and it is very common to pick up a piece of metal or glass. I wanted a tire I could replace without waiting till payday and postponing my mortgage payment, :D and without sacrificing handling and ride. These look like the ticket(OH, bad choice of words) :cool:

I need a good road trip for some serious mileage!! Anybody up for a roadtrip from Central OH to like KY, TN, INDY or even Pittsburgh? It could be a blast!! :cheers:

Michelins are overrated
 

My experience -- the Sumitomos are a fine tire, with better ratings and better tread life than the Michelins on my 2003 Boxster. Ditto for replacing Michelins on the wife's Cayenne Turbo. I put Hankooks on and have been very happy with them. Great tire, but they all should be force balanced to get the most from them and improve ride and handling. Also, it pays to get some sporty summer wheels to go with those new tires in my climate (Ohio). After I change the wheels out a couple of times to put on and replace winter tires, the savings on mounting and balancing pays for the great after-market oversized wheels. Tire Rack does force-balancing on all tire-wheel pkgs and it is outstanding. I have been very unimpressed with Michelins. Wear out fast, overpriced and often leak air.

I'm Trying A Set
 

This thread and numerous on-line reviews convinced me to give the Sumitomos a try. I bought a set of four from Tire Rack about a month ago and had them installed today. At a price of $70 for the fronts (205/50R17) and $99 for the rears (255/40R17) I figured they were worth a try.

I've driven them about 5 miles, and the only feedback I have is that they are quieter than the worn out tires I replaced.

mptoledo - Any more updates at higher mileage?

You about made me soil my pants. I did quick math on your numbers and came up with like $340. Then I saw 17" :cool: makes me want to switch to 17 inchers. What was your out the door price(installed?)

I am still overall impressed with these. Road noise, ride, grip ... still is on par, I am probably up to 2k miles on them. I have a small hole in my rear plastic window, so I haven't taken it out in the rain yet.

They still ride like crap for about a mile or two until they get warmed up. Other than that I totally forget about them, I guess thats the best thing, when you totally forget about your tires as it meas they are doing their job. :cheers:

Since I am also in the market for new shoes, I read this thread with much interest. I am in the process of narrowing down my choices and have a question, what is the most noticable difference between the HTR Z II and the HTR Z III? My baby only has 15,000 miles and still has the original Conti's so anything will be an improvement! It only comes out of the garage on the weekend's and will probably be relegated to garage duty in a couple of months. Should I put new rubber on now or wait until the spring? Thanks for all the Great info!

Sumitomos
 

I followed every tire blog I could find and ended up buying the HTRZ IIIs even though I like the tread pattern better on the IIs. Everything I read said that the three's were better tires. Don't know about the two's, but I'm very happy with the three's. I have not experienced the flat spotting that many people talk about. I've had them on for over 5K miles and couldn't be happier.
As for when to buy, I'd wait until spring.

Shipping was $39.80 and installation was $114. So the total was $493.80

Check out the reviews comparing the III's vs the II's on Tire rack. There are also a couple good reviews that you can find on google. The III is such a better tire then the II that they don't even compare.

Everything I read said definately get the III's as they are a whole leap forward in design.

My only disapointment with the III is the flatspot that seemingly occur over night. It runs out in about a mile but it is still annoying for that mile.

The tire noise from my PS2s has finally got the best of me. I ordered a set of HTR Z III from Tire Rack. Hopefully baby will have a new set of shoes by the end of the week.
Any reviews that I give might be a little biased because right now the noise from the PS2s is driving me crazy!!! Anything will be better.

Give a few hundred miles, as I really noticed a difference. Let me know if you get vibrations from flat spots overnight sitting. Mine wear off after a bout a mile. It is my only complaint so far. The III wear seams to be non existent after 1k miles.

I have the II series in the rear and III series in the front, and have had good results in moderately aggressive driving.

Then, last week, after a light rain, a taxicab far to my right on the parkway suddenly went sideways, then skidded 2 lanes over directly in front of me. I was going about 55 mph. I hit the brakes, and thanks to ABS and these tires, was able to swerve around him, missing him by about ten feet. He hit the center median. Could have been really bad.

Also recently, I drove through heavy rains at about 60-65 mph and did not experience any hydroplaning.

However, these tires come with a manufacturer's warning that they are NOT intended for winter. Maybe they turn as hard and slippery as hockey pucks. Has anyone tried driving them in snow and/or single-digits F ?

It can get ICE COLD here in Sac during the winter. My car read 15 F once...I didn't dare test the tires. Drove at 60 on the freeway fine though.

I'm still scared poopless in my car no wet roads with these tires.