Looking for tires....

[bavdrftr318]

I have Kumho Exsta Supra 225/40/18 all round and they have gone bald after about 7,000 miles of use. Yes i know that this is not normal but I have lots of negative camber. I'm looking for a tire that will last a long time yet still has great handling. I will be shure to get them to flip the tires on the actual wheel to avoid excessive wear on the inside. My friend told me that the ES100's were GREAT. Anyone give me opinions on a performance tire that is very grippy, yet still will last a long time? I'm looking in the 500-700 dollar range. TIA! :help :help :help

[psychocandy]

I have similar goals for my next tire and plan to go with Bridgestone RE750's.

I will never own Kumho's again. Mine are bald, cupped, worn, noisy after only 10k miles. Korean garbage if you ask me.

[hal9000]

Anyone give me opinions on a performance tire that is very grippy, yet still will last a long time? I'm looking in the 500-700 dollar range. TIA! :help :help :help

Contradiction in terms. You're not going to find a performance tire that's going to last a long time (20K miles). I'd argue you're not going to find a max performance tire at $125-$175/ea mounted and shipped.

Ok, I'll also ask this question. Why are you putting a performance tire on a 318 w/ 18" wheels and alot of negative camber? Why not just align them back to factory specs adn not have to deal with the camber issue?

[bavdrftr318]

Don't know how to fix the camber issue.... :( How does camber even work? Will I need to buy any parts to fix my camber? Cost?

[hal9000]

Front or rear. Is the car dropped. What suspension are you running (stock or have you upgraded). What's the alignment currently.

[bavdrftr318]

Front or rear. Is the car dropped. What suspension are you running (stock or have you upgraded). What's the alignment currently.

Front and rear... stock suspension... 18" wheels

[hal9000]

Get it aligned. I'm betting whoever did the last alignment didn't do it right. Camber is adjustable on the rear (look and it should be slightly negative - you will have minimal wear issues, but the inside will wear quicker than the outside, but we're talking maybe 1/32 or 2/32 across the entire tire). Basically on the rears, you will have bare tread on the inside when the outside is at or slightly below the wear indicators (2/32").

As for the front, I'm guessing you've got a toe issue, just because camber is not really adjustable on the front (like maybe 1/2° or something). If your camber's out of wack, then the car's been hit or hit something. Then you'll need to start looking at frame or control arm issues.

If the alignment is within specs at a reputable shop (don't go to a bargain basement shop that doesn't check their equipment frequently as alignment machines can be misadjusted), then start looking at suspension components. If you're on stock suspension and you've got over 50K on the odometer, then I'd start looking for new shocks. If the shocks are dead, then then the car will appear slightly dropped (easiest way to tell is the rear tires will be tucked - on a proper stock suspension, you should be able to see the top of the tire in the rear). Also look at the RTAB's as those are also known issues in the e36.

[bavdrftr318]

Thanks for the help.... buy back to my main question....

Which tire should I run for my next set? I know 2 people that say that the Yokohama es100s are absolutely amazing. Any input or personal experience?

[318power]

I had the es100s on my 318 for about 2 years and 15 autocross events. I thought they performed great! They were a great bang for your buck tire, but they aren't equivalent to an SO3 or Kumho MX, but for the price you can't go wrong! They are much better than the Kumho Ecstas. If you autocross I'd try something with a stiffer sidewall. I'm moving up to Kumho MX this spring. Alot of people on these boards have said they are noisy and tramline. I was running a 50 series tire so I found they weren't as noisy as those running a lower profile tire. They do tramline when you're on grooved pavement though, but it's really not that big of a deal, just use 2 hands on the steering wheel.
Hope this helps!
Jason

[bavdrftr318]

I had the es100s on my 318 for about 2 years and 15 autocross events. I thought they performed great! They were a great bang for your buck tire, but they aren't equivalent to an SO3 or Kumho MX, but for the price you can't go wrong! They are much better than the Kumho Ecstas. If you autocross I'd try something with a stiffer sidewall. I'm moving up to Kumho MX this spring. Alot of people on these boards have said they are noisy and tramline. I was running a 50 series tire so I found they weren't as noisy as those running a lower profile tire. They do tramline when you're on grooved pavement though, but it's really not that big of a deal, just use 2 hands on the steering wheel.
Hope this helps!
Jason

Are you refering to the es100s as being noisy?

[bavdrftr318]

I had the es100s on my 318 for about 2 years and 15 autocross events. I thought they performed great! They were a great bang for your buck tire, but they aren't equivalent to an SO3 or Kumho MX, but for the price you can't go wrong! They are much better than the Kumho Ecstas. If you autocross I'd try something with a stiffer sidewall. I'm moving up to Kumho MX this spring. Alot of people on these boards have said they are noisy and tramline. I was running a 50 series tire so I found they weren't as noisy as those running a lower profile tire. They do tramline when you're on grooved pavement though, but it's really not that big of a deal, just use 2 hands on the steering wheel.
Hope this helps!
Jason

Its funny that there are pple like you that have had them for 2 years and obviously drive them hard (15 auto-x events) and then there are some people who claim to be "normal drivers" that don't abuse them and get only 8-12K miles off of them. I just don't get it.....

[318power]

I was referring to the es100s, I don't think they are noisy at all.

I don't get the whole "supposed" premature tire wear thing at all. Keep in mind though I have a set of summer wheels and a set of all season winter wheels as well, so this saves on mileage. In addition to those 15 autocross events, I've done 4 autocross schools. The schools last all day and are really hard on the tires and they still wore evenly. Right now I am just touching the wear bars and need to replace them.
Jason

[bavdrftr318]

Thanks alot for the help jason.