Review Kumho MX: E36 M3

[jeebus]

I just thought I'd give a quick review of the Kumho MX's I put on last week.

Size: 225/45/17 Front, 245/40/17 Rear, on stock Contours

I was replacing some Kumho 712's. I had 712's on my Integra and they were decent tires for that light car. On the M3, they were kind of lacking. The back end could be broken loose too easily. The wet tracion was pretty poor. They also tramlined badly.

The first thing I noticed about the MX's is they were 3x more comfortable. I never knew those 712's were so brick-like.

After the initial break-in, I got a chance to drive on my favorite twisty road.
The road is fairly smooth, but has some bumps and potholes. It's a tight road that rarely allows even a skilled driver to get over 70MPH. I must say, the MX's were sticking very nicely. They were prefectly predictable and offered great feedback. Minor bumps did not affect these tires as much as the 712's.

The next day, it was raining. The car felt very confident and stable at 80MPH on the freeway. I ended up getting to drive my favorite twisty road again, though I was a little hesitant to drive it in the rain because the 712's were so bad in the wet. I was able to drive the road nearly as fast as I did in the dry. The car was sticking perfectly and the tail only stepped out when I tried to get it to.

Overall impression: These tires are excellent on dry, wet, smooth, and rough roads. As long as I get 15k out of them, I'll buy them again.

[doostin]

yea, i've got 255/40/17's all around. i love them, i'll buy 'em again!

[BuddaLun]

A lot of my rich Bimmer friends hassle for using Korean tires, BUT these tires are AMAZING for the price. I did a review a while back too, check it out if you want:
http://bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=258821

[MVEED3]

Good to hear the tires are working out for you. My next set are a toss-up between MXs and T1s.


Allen

[toopercentmlk]

yea, i've got 255/40/17's all around. i love them, i'll buy 'em again!
im assuming youre running some sort of spacering in the front, with some crazy rear fender rollage correct? also, at Americas Tire Co., we refuse to work on cars with spacers or adapters.. where do you get your tires mounted?

[Estoril4dr]

How much do the MX cost? Edgeracing sells the T1s for $141. If the MX are like $120, I'm sure the T1-s are worth the extra $20.

[Hellrot Sachin]

they are nice indeed.. but get very loud with mileage..

Sachin

[doostin]

im assuming youre running some sort of spacering in the front, with some crazy rear fender rollage correct? also, at Americas Tire Co., we refuse to work on cars with spacers or adapters.. where do you get your tires mounted?

I am running a 10mm spacer upfront, although it works fine with a 5mm, i just happen to have a 10mm. In the rear I had to slightly pinch the lip. The offset is +40 on K1's. If I could get ahold of a lip roller, I think I could fit 265's all around, there is definitely room in the front, the rear is the only questionable part. I just take my wheels and tires to where ever I am having them mounted, they never see or touch the car. Why would you guys refuse to work on cars with spacers? at 10mm my spacers are fully balanced and hubcentric. I have the correct size studs. Perfectly safe.

[96cosmosM3]

How much do the MX cost? Edgeracing sells the T1s for $141. If the MX are like $120, I'm sure the T1-s are worth the extra $20.

Even if the were the same price I'd pick MXs over T1-S

[MKS]

The MX's are a great max performance tire for the money. My current set is over 15 months old and over 17,000 miles. (No track days) My only complaint is that they have become very noisy, but I only figured they would only last a year anyway, so anything over that I consider "bonus" time.

[Mblaster]

MX's are a great tire. Underappreciated by those folks who aren't happy unless they pay 230 bucks /tire. I've had mine on for over a year with no complaints. The tire holds heat very well and doesn't fade when pushed hard when hot. they just get better. I'm going to take some convincing to spend more money on a better dry tire. (I don't take the car out in the rain).

[Sammyzuko]

I'd like to hear more on how the MXs are in the rain. I don't track my car, so I don't need the best dry grip tire. I'm leaning towards the Toyos because I've heard they are very good in the wet.

[toopercentmlk]

the MXs grip well in the wet, but have limited water displacment capabilities compared to other max grip tires. as long as you dont get into too much standing water "a sticky tire is a sticky tire" as someone once stated somewhere in this forum

[BlackM3Sedan]

I had 2 sets of MX's and thought they were great. Then I got a set of Pilot Sports at a blow out price, but I'm definitely going back to the Kumhos. They are a great rain tire, probably 8/10ths of the Pilots. They have all of the hydroplane resistance that I would expect out of a high-performance tire, even during the pouring rain of a central Florida thunderstorm. The elastic deformation of the tire compound is great, they handle the wet surface very well. I am very impressed with the Kumhos and they are a great bang-for-the-buck tire to boot!

[jeebus]

I'd like to hear more on how the MXs are in the rain. I don't track my car, so I don't need the best dry grip tire. I'm leaning towards the Toyos because I've heard they are very good in the wet.

There were excellent during my rainy spirited drive on a very twisty canyon road. I still haven't experienced them in a major downpour though.

[paul e]

How many miles are you guys getting out of a set of MXs?

[nydog]

i have the MX on my car, 225/40/18. love 'em. i got 17k on mine and i'm not down to the wear bar yet. i did rotate them once though...i know, i know....you're not suppose to rotate on a BMW

[bähnstormer]

great review esp since i've worn my 712's down and oh baby
do i wanna not spend 200+ on pirelli's

so the mx is softer than teh 712 on the bumps!? GREAT to hear

[s_ribs]

How much do the MX cost? Edgeracing sells the T1s for $141. If the MX are like $120, I'm sure the T1-s are worth the extra $20.

What?!? Seriously, why do you say that? You've never had the Khumo's so how can you be sure they aren't better than the T1S at a lower price? :confused

Seriously, the Ecsta MX's are great tires. I've had mine on since late November and I have nothing but praise for them. I drove through one HUGE rainstorm and they were great (even at 60 mph in a down pour). Very nicely progressive tire with outstanding grip! I was very impressed going my my Yokohama AVS Sport's to these. Those were good, but these are great.

One thing I have noticed after spending some time with them is temp sensitivity. They do seem to like to be quite warm before you get full grip from them. It's been in the 40's the last few months and grip has declined a little bit. Not a bad thing really, just something worth mentioning. I can't see any wear on them yet either.
Seth

[jeebus]

so the mx is softer than teh 712 on the bumps!? GREAT to hear

Much more comfy, and waaaay more grip.

[JamesM3M5]

712s SUCK bad, I'll never buy them again, ever.

MXs are excellent, especially for the money. I have 245/40/17 on my 95 M3 right now. Only complaint is a bit of noise when they wear and soft sidewalls.

BTW- I'm at stock weight on a stock 95 M3 suspension, running 0 - 1/16" toe in on the front and 1/16" toe in on the rear, 36-37psi all around. I'm getting even wear in daily driving, no cupping, no shoulder wear on the inner edge either. I drive the hell out of these tires and love them.

[JB///M3]

Another vote for Mx's....great tire, had them 11K+ on my car and they were flawless.. i would not hesitate to buy another set for my future rim purchase... grip well....wear well...look tough and have a great price!

[poloniner]

just wondering.....
why aren't you supposed to rotate the tires??? rotate meaning just a switch from the rear to the front and vice versa.

[Mode]

Cool to see all the positive posts. I've been a MX proponent for a long time, but always hear the haters. After some heat cycling the dry grip is even more pronounced. An awesome tire for sure.

[tdwyatt]

I have a staggered set in the garage now witing for the Sumitomos to wear out.

Talk about a loud tire...

[s_ribs]

just wondering.....
why aren't you supposed to rotate the tires??? rotate meaning just a switch from the rear to the front and vice versa.

Well, on stock M3 wheels anyway, you have a staggered tire/wheel set-up. You aren't going to want to put your narrow front tires in back and your wider rear tires in front would you? That's why. There is a reason for leaving the wider tires in back.
Seth

[ZimDoc]

also balance is a big thing in bmws, even the smallest off set will make your front end handle like crap.

[Greg S]

Do these kumho ectsa MX's really get THAT loud with wear?
I have an 01 330Ci to give you an idea what kind of sound insulation or whatever my car has.

[s_ribs]

Do these kumho ectsa MX's really get THAT loud with wear?
I have an 01 330Ci to give you an idea what kind of sound insulation or whatever my car has.

Well, I have had mine on since late November and they are still just fine on noise. But, I really don't care that much about it. I'm more likely to rip all of my sound deadening material to drop 25 lbs than worry about that. Still, I don't notice much. It may take more time. I don't even see tire wear yet even though I drive my car every day.

Btw, funny sig!
Seth

[ASCH MAN]

It costs a bit more, but you CAN rotate them left to right in a staggered setup. But it can only be done if the tire is removed from the rim as they are directional. They will last a bit longer as the inside edge wears out a bit more quickly due to the camber.

[96cosmosM3]

Sure, you CAN rotate staggered rims. It may not look that great, but it fits and your car will handle better (less understeer) :)

[doostin]

Sure, you CAN rotate staggered rims. It may not look that great, but it fits and your car will handle better (less understeer) :)
drift style yo!

[toopercentmlk]

^nice blacked out K1s, are those PCed or painted?

[Fetish]

712s SUCK bad, I'll never buy them again, ever.
MXs are excellent, especially for the money. I have 245/40/17 on my 95 M3 right now. Only complaint is a bit of noise when they wear and soft sidewalls.


soft sidewalls how much flex ? increased understeer ?

[JClark]

You arent supposed to rotate tires on an E36 because the way a properly aligned suspension wears tires is different. The fronts wear on the side, the rears wear in the middle. Switching them up will supposedly throw off handling.

[Serious]

just ordered a set of MX's yesterday well see how they do.

now its time for an avs es100 smoke show :buttrock