New Kumho Ecsta MX - Anyone tried these yet?

Rob 2K1 · 09-27-2002, 07:00 PM

I will be in the market for new tires shortly and I was curious to see if anyone had tried the new Kumho Ecsta MX. I have heard good things about the 712, but I can't find much info on the MX. The MX comes in stock C5 sizes and the price is great. Anyone?

-Rob

TA · 09-27-2002, 07:20 PM

I can't help you, but I've been wondering about them also

gtsyellow · 09-28-2002, 03:33 AM

friend has them on his Z06 in the front, says they blow the F1 supercar out of the water. so far that's all he's compared them against

RX7 KLR · 09-28-2002, 10:11 PM

I have had mine for about 7000 miles. So far very little signs of wear, and I have a autocross alingment, lots of toe and camber. They ride nice, quite and great grip. I did some testing just for fun the MX vs the V700 race tire. The MX will pull 1.03lg the V700 1.21lg on my 89'. I have not had to much rain time, it is AZ, but saw some rain on the trip to Topeka and Utah, they were fine at hwy speeds. Can't beat the price, buy three of your brand or four Kumho's. I let my folks barrow them for a trip last week, the GSC's on their car were dead, they liked them. $150.00 at tirerack.com.

4GTWRK · 09-29-2002, 11:30 AM

I just put a set on my 96 a couple of weeks ago. I really like the grip, but I hate having to drive 10 miles to get them round again after setting a couple of days. I talked with Luke and he said that was common with them. I ordered a set of Firehawks to replace them and will probally try the MX's on the racer for rain tires.

Dave

PS - The side wall of the MX is really a pain to clean also, there's a lot of graphics on it with lots of grooves.

Rob 2K1 · 09-29-2002, 11:53 AM

Thanks for the input so far! It sounds like the grip is great, but I'm not sure how I would like a tire that goes out of round after just a couple of days. Anyone else with info on the MX?

-Rob

9T3JIM · 09-29-2002, 07:28 PM

Sounds like the MX is just like like the 712, great traction, but a poor choice as a cruising tire. I had a set for approx. 300 miles, ride comfort and low noise were a good thing, but the flatspotting, groove tracking and tire rebound vibration are beyond acceptable limits

RX7 KLR · 09-30-2002, 02:21 PM

I have not seen a flat spot problem with mine... My car sits for weeks at a time.... What are your tires inflated to?

9T3JIM · 09-30-2002, 07:47 PM

Had tires inflated to 33psi, really didn't try any other tire pressure. Usually my car sits for 2-3 weeks at a time. With the gsc's after a mile or two the flatspotting would be gone, but the Kumho's would take 15-20 miles. This was a AFS wheel/tire package. Can't say enough good things about AFS, after several conversations with Tim and Samantha at AFS they replaced the Kumhos with new Pirellis at no extra charge. The Pirellis are ok, very little wandering, the ride is not as good as the Kumhos but better than the GSC;s, the only negative is they sound like a pack of dogs howling at the moon, boy are these things loud

RX7 KLR · 09-30-2002, 08:52 PM

I use 35psi, but I am sure that would not make the difference. I have seen this happen with some race tirs, the soft rubber gets a flat spot from sitting. Need to do durometer test on the two tires and see if the Kumho is much softer than your new tires.

9T3JIM · 09-30-2002, 11:08 PM

RX7 KLR, looks like you've done quite alot of tire testing, was wondering your impressions of how the MX is different from the 712 and why is it better. Thanks

RX7 KLR · 09-30-2002, 11:29 PM

I have never used the 712. I can tell you the MX is a softer compound than the 712. Also much larger tread blocks on the MX, so less tread movement in turns. The MX is molded at 9/32"nds I think the 712 is 12/32"nds. You should see much long life out of the 712 due to deeper tread and harder rubber as well as better wet traction due to more slots in the tread face. Dry performance is way better on the MX, per others testing, vs the 712. I have driven and autocrossed on the Gforce KD and I fell that the MX is very near the same level of performance at a way better price. On my car I am very happy with the MX. We are going to put a set of 712's on my folks 90', the want tire life not high performance, so I will be able to try them at a later date. The Tirerack.com is also a good source for reviews. I have also been told the Grassroots Motorsports magazine did a street tire shoot and the MX came out on top. I do not know the details, have not got a copy of the mag yet, but you might want to check that for another opion.

Rob 2K1 · 10-03-2002, 01:28 AM

Thanks for all of the great info on the MX. Sounds like there are only a few people who have tried these so far. These seem to offer great performance and fall in line with my limited budget. Thanks everyone! Anyone else with info, please feel free to post it here.

-Rob