New Tyres

[Hasbeen]

Just got home from getting new front tyres. As we all know, there's not much available in good tyres in our 185 70 R13 size.

Even though the size is not shown on their web site I had recommended the Kumho KH17, as about the best available. These are recommended as a "touring" tyre, & so far I am quite pleased with them.

Remember I am comparing them to the lightly worn, but hardening 8 year old Pirelli P300s I have taken off.

The Good.
Even with 40 PSI in them, the ride is much better, smoother & quitter.

The steering is so much lighter I couldn't believe it, & the car feels more stable, just rolling along at 80/100Km/H down a reasonably good country road.

With the standard off car balance job, there is much less steering wheel wobble than I have ever had before. This might just be luck of course., but could be due to quality construction.

Less good.
The turn in, [not a strong point with a stock 7] is even more gentle. Not quite to the vague stage, but a very long way from sharp. They have only done a hundred kilometers, so may sharpen up with more bedding in.

Even on a 110Km/H curve, taken at about 80Km/H there was noticeable understeer. Again this may reduce with more running. This was not actually bad, but was noticeable.

Over all they are a big improvement. Definitely not the tyres for a track day, but for the grand touring type roll our 7s are mostly used, an excellent tyre, so far.

More details after some use.

Hasbeen

[Hasbeen]

Well I now have 500 Kilometers on these things, & am starting to understand them. The steering is still so light I can't believe it. Anyone thinking of fitting power steering, try some of these on the front first. At only $103 each fitted & balanced, they are a damn sight cheaper, & a lot less effort than fitting a steering system.

It is this lightness that had me thinking it was about to understeer. I have only felt a manual steer 7 this light, just before it started to understeer. However I was wrong.

I have now pushed it through a 100Km/H down hill, negative camber curve on my way to town a couple of times, even up to 110Km/H, & the car just tracks nicely, it is the lightness fooling me.

I've also run it through my private slalom course, in the new acreage sub development near me. I can flick through the Chicane like traffic calmers equally well as before, with the car being perhaps just a little more stable on the third change of direction than before.

I can highly recommend them to anyone looking for new 13" tyres.

Hasbeen

[FI Spyder]

I have the Kumho's though not your model as I put them on 7 years ago (time flies). On a tight traffic circle (the only kind we have around here) there is some under steer but on a curvy road it's perfectly balanced with the front and rear giving equal amounts of grip with a gradual controlled slide as the centripetal force exceeds the tire to road friction. One such example of hard driving prompted my 4 year old grand niece to say "Uncle Merv was driving silly" as her Dad failed to keep up in the Mercedes. When I take a higher speed corner as fast as I dare, the car always seems to say "Is that the best you've got" as it seems to go through almost by itself leaving the impression it could have gone through so much faster. They may not be the stickiest of tires but the flip side is they seems to wear very well.

I use 32 psi and while this makes the ride harsh on rough slower roads on standard springs it meets every other expectation so I'll put up with that. The steering is light except in the parking lot which no doubt has a lot to do with the 13" TR8 steering wheel that comes with the Spider (without the power steering that goes with it).


- - -TR7 Spider - - - 1978 Spitfire- - - - 1976 Spitfire - - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra - Yellow TCT

[Spectatohead]

I'm looking at the Kumho ECSTA AST for mine. They are about the only street tire that I can find in the two sizes that I run on my car. All of the rest are streetable track tires or non-street legal racing tires. $70 a tire for the fronts and $112 for the backs. It is a bit odd that there is such a big difference in price for 2 sizes bigger. I've been living on borrowed time with the 15 year old Toyos.

Jim Clark
'80 TR8
'97 Maxima 5spd