Better Traction than PS2's ?
 

Recently swapped out my 295/30/19 PS2's for a set of Kumho's Ecsta XS's 285/35/19...Some of you guys might say downgrade, but I assure you this is not the case. Did some spirited driving today once I had them mounted and I can not be happier. 1rst gear forget it...2nd a little chirpy,,,then instant stick.
I haven't rode on R888's but so far I like these the best., Sidewall is pretty stiff as well. T1R's, bridgestones, and the michelins don't even come close. As for the fronts, I'm still running 245/35/19 PS2's but currently looking for a good 265/30/19. - maybe the SPT's...might be a wider cheaper alternative.
I've read alot of reviews about road noise...but I don't hear anything over my exhaust....so all is good. Prob give them a good break-in tomorrow.

http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r...ch100/K_02.jpg

http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r...ch100/K_01.jpg

http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r...ch100/K_03.jpg

http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r...ch100/K_04.jpg

http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r...ch100/K_05.jpg

Sizing kinda sucks....so far this is the only 19 in tire in this flavor for the Z....The other XS 19" I believe is a 345/30/19.

i had the ps2 and had the same outlook on them
i just switched from a ps2 to a nitto nt-05 and its a great improvement

I autocross a lot, and have used;

Stock craptenzas
Kumho MX's (two or three sets)
Falken Azenis RT 615 (one set)
BFG KD's (Only one set, the old school ones, not the KDW's everybody runs now.)
Dunlop Star Specs (only one pair.)

And...

The XS's.

The XS are the best tire I have ever ran, and that's not just how they "feel". My times have come down with these. They are the real deal.

My brother runs an STi and just put a set on his car. He has ran the Ventus RS2's the RE-01's and the Star Specs. He says these "feel" better then most and are on par with the RE-01's for grip. (But we mounted them after our last event and he hasn't put them on the track yet.)

The bottom line is that these are "fast" tires.
I do wonder how long they last on the street though. I autocross so much that I need a new set of tires every 6 months, so I have no idea how long they last in the "real world". :dunno:

I'm debating between the Kumho's Ecsta XS in a 285 and Vredestein Sessanta in a 295 :hmmm:

I just googled those verda-sasa tires. Other than that, I have never seen those.

So between the two, IDK:dunno:

I rode those Kumhos Ecsta on my Lexus is 300... In my experience they were complete garbage. The sidewalls bubbled easily and the ride was horrible worse than the OEM bridgesone potenza..Watch out for Potholes with them my two fronts looks like they were about to explode on me. A year later I switched to P Nero Zero and it was by far a change for the better...

Bubbled ?....

The sidewalls bubbled yeah.. I live in Pot hole heaven NYC though... Just watch out for potholes .. Within one year i had to replace them because the sidewall buldge and it looked dangerous to drive on..

Funny thing about tires, Name a tire. Any tire. And someone will tell you that it is a great tire. Try it.

Nice. Definitely an upgrade in terms of performance over the PS2s, but the tread wear worries me a bit. Not sure about pairing them with SPTs though.

As far as tread rating, I was reading on a Viper forum I believe about someone talking to a kuhmo rep or tech about how the tread rating is actually a lot lower than 180, but is rated as such to meet SCCA ratings for a street tire. However I cannot confirm the validity of this.

Those are the same size and tires I want in the rear, but am looking to pair them with 265/35/18 XSs up front.

Oh and for the fronts, if you want to have a tire in the same class, you might want to consider 275/30/19 RE-01Rs if they fit.

I dont think those will fit...I pretty sure 265/35/19 is the largest...I might be wrong though

Are you sure you are talking about the new XS's and not the ASX's? The ASX's have been out for a while, but I don't think the XS's we are talking about here have been out for a whole year yet.

The cutoff for "street tire" classes is 140, so they didn't need to use the 180 number.

Yup im sure. I just changed to the P Nero Z in December 08. Like i said before i believe the horrible roads here is what caused the sidewalls to swell.. The abuse your tires and wheels take in ny its not even funny :(..
I've had the 350Z with the PS 2 for about 8 months and the tire is holding up perfectly.
I was'nt going to spend PS 2 money on my beater hopefully the Pirelli holds up better

^ That is a little unfortunate...so far these tires are sticky as hell. I don't run over too many potholes here in CA..the roads are pretty ass in LA but still...time will tell I guess. In a ideal world I'd run 18's for the track and that way I'd have a plethora of options but not wanting to dish out for new wheels and trying to find the best 19" tire combo for traction is still a quest.

Thanks for the review, I'll have to keep an eye out when I need to switch. Though my michelins are wearing very well so hopefully the XS's do as well.

I have tried the Kumho's Ecsta's.

My opinion: They are great at first, but they will get noisy and wear quickly. Someone told me that they where actually designed for SUV's and trucks.

I like the Toyo Proxes and Michelin Pilots. They are both good for everyday driving, and grip well in the rain.

The largest for your set-up? What are the details of your front wheels (i.e. offset and width)?