Kumho Tires

Great tires, read the reviews and testing on tirerack.com TG

I have Kumho ECSTA HP4-716 tires on my 02 Forester, with about 1500 miles driven.

Compared with the original Yokohama tires- vibration has been eliminated (there was more than a balancing problem), there is much less tire noise, and the ride is superior. Handling and stability are excellent, and frequent steering corrections are not now required. We had some really heavy rain- eg

4+ inches in 24 hours with extensive puddles- and experienced no hint of hydroplaning.

The cost was little more than half that for similar spec Michelins I have on the other car.

I'm well satisfied with them at this point, and hope the characteristics hold through the life of the tires.

Next winter I'll try these in snow before deciding whether to instal the winter wheels.

Hope this helps you... Doug

Just put a set on my 2000 Legacy which replaced Firestone Firehawk SH30's. They seem a little mushier cornering than the Firestones but noticeably quieter. I think the sidewalls flex a bit more. This seems to show up in crosswinds. I've experimented with pressures between 30 and 36. Settled on

32 front, 30 rear. I didn't get a chance to try them in the snow. I got 38,000 miles out of the Firestones as well as the original Bridgestone RE92's. We'll see how these work out. One other thing I noticed is the Kumho rubber compound seems to gather dirt that needs to be scrubbed off with a brush and 409. The Firestones stayed real shiny and a soapy sponge was all that was needed. From Tire Rack $199 delivered and $40 for mount and balance.

Carl