CALL FROM DISCOUNT TIRE... Ref KUMHO ECSTA AST

[Pincushion]

I have 60K+ miles on Kumho Esta tires..... Not a single issue and I ryde my Spyder like I'm being chased.....

[WackyDan]

How many mile till it got slippery?

It was slippery from day one... On wet roads it is greasy under too much power taking off. After about 5k miles she started hydroplaning very easily. I got 11k miles out of my Kuhmo - But I'm pretty hard on tires.

In contrast, I think the Kenda is better in standing water at higher mileage than the Kuhmo and stickier on wet roads overall.

That said, the Toyo Proxes 4 is the best tire I've run hands down but it is also discontinued... So I have three spares in the shed. The Toyo is hard to break loose dry, and I found on wet roads it is hard to break loose from a start on wet roads... You have to really wind her up. The best thing about the Toyo is in standing water it never came unglued on me and that was in a serious storm chasing Dan Egan(FireFly) at about 60+ MPH.

I would avoid the Kuhmo, and the Kenda like the plague. The Michelin Hydro edge has gotten rave reviews here for it's longevity and rain performance. There are still some Proxes 4's out there on ebay but you'll pay a premium for them.

[ThreeWheels]

People call Netzley tire. He is a board sponsor. I'm getting my Tire mounted tomorrow or Saturday. Tom

Ron is great !
He is a good guy with great service.
While you are there, I recommend you get the laser alignment, unless you have one already.
The laser alignment will go a long way to increase tire wear.
Unfortunately, he can't service the whole country.

Did I mention that Ron is good ?

[John Easydoesit]

So, I ordered the tire from Discounttiredirect.com and I just received a call from them...

The person on the phone tells me he can't sell me the tire as Can Am have told them specifically NOT to sell the tire as they believe it's not strong enough on the walls when taking corners!!

Anyone else heard of this?

I've read lots of posts where members are considering this tire and haven't heard anything about the walls of this tire not being up to scratch for the Spyder!

Apparently Can Am have told Discounttiredirect.com that the only tire that will work on the Spyder is the one they sell on their website and if they sell the tire, they'll be liable.

B.S??

I had the same thing happen to me. They ask you to fill in the vehicle it is to be used on and when you select Can Am they called me and said they would not sell it to me.

[zamfield]

Yeah, you've got to tell them a little fib!

[Bob Denman]

2004 Toyota Tacoma: 2wd base model... They're a GREAT truck, and we all should be happy that we can buy the Ecsta AST in the 2235/50-15 size for them, from such a wonderful Company!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

2004 Toyota Tacoma: 2wd base model... They're a GREAT truck, and we all should be happy that we can buy the Ecsta AST in the 2235/50-15 size for them, from such a wonderful Company!

.......I actually have one ( new ) that I will sell for what I paid $ 81...........PICK-UP ONLY.......PM me..................Mike

[Bob Denman]

The truck... or the tire???

That's a good price!

[zamfield]

[nikki.ullis]

I could get my tires from out distributors so I tried to buy from discount tire. Could remember the car to put in but found a post about going to ebay. Found the same time from discount tire on ebay and bought it. No one has called and it's been shipped to my shop. Yay!

[Bob Denman]

[SpyderAnn01]

It was slippery from day one... On wet roads it is greasy under too much power taking off. After about 5k miles she started hydroplaning very easily. I got 11k miles out of my Kuhmo - But I'm pretty hard on tires.

In contrast, I think the Kenda is better in standing water at higher mileage than the Kuhmo and stickier on wet roads overall.

That said, the Toyo Proxes 4 is the best tire I've run hands down but it is also discontinued... So I have three spares in the shed. The Toyo is hard to break loose dry, and I found on wet roads it is hard to break loose from a start on wet roads... You have to really wind her up. The best thing about the Toyo is in standing water it never came unglued on me and that was in a serious storm chasing Dan Egan(FireFly) at about 60+ MPH.

I would avoid the Kuhmo, and the Kenda like the plague. The Michelin Hydro edge has gotten rave reviews here for it's longevity and rain performance. There are still some Proxes 4's out there on ebay but you'll pay a premium for them.

I know that this is an older reply but I just read it today. Dan is spot on about the Kumho. I'm thankful that I don't have to ride in rain often because the Kumho hydroplanes faster than I can say hydroplane.

[PrairieSpyder]

Pitbull in Springfield, Mo, put a Kumho on my Spyder in September. So, even though BRP says not to use them, some dealers will cooperate with you.

[zamfield]

What's the nanny doing whilst all this alleged hydroplaining is going on?

[Bob Denman]

All that she can... which isn't nearly enough!
Ann,
My Falken ZE912 was even worse...

[Spyder Tony]

Im on my 2nd Kumho and have experienced NO hydroplaning whatsoever...and this is as an aggressive driver on the twisties. Tire wear with the Kenda was 5k-7k...and the Kumho is easily 15k+.
The kenda is a softer compound, which makes it stick to the road very well...but it also means it wears at a much more rapid rate. The Kumho, although a harder rubber compound, is more than adequate as a replacement. I am no longer changing tires twice a year (we ryde year-round in this part of Cali). Additionally, I have noticed no decrease in performance with the Kenda-to-Kumho swap. My decision is to stick with the Kumho as long as I can get it. Oh, and the price point ($81) is just right too!

NOTE:
One of the 2 dealers in our area has just announced to our local ryding club that they will mount a Kumho on the Spyder with a signed waiver from the spyder owner stipulating that they understand the Kenda is the recommended tire. I really like this approach, as other "Non-Spyder" shops don't always know the proper torque specs for belt tension when mounting a tire...which could lead to belt/sprocket (or other part) failure.

[jimcrom]

This is also a little old but still pertinent.
I was getting ready to order my forth Kumho and scanned through the messages about any alternative tires so I decided to order another Kumho. Missed this thread about problems ordering the tire so tried to order from Tire Rack where I got the previous ones, but they did not have any and recalled Tire Discounter. So tried to order from them(Salinas). Found out they would not fill an order for the spyder. Went back through the threads and found out about the 2004 Toyota Tacoma. Ordered one from Paso Robles on Wednesday and got a call on Friday that it came in. So went down on Saturday to pick it up. They use the phone number as the tracking method and they had my spyder (Salinas) listed and the Toyota (Paso) listed. Explained that it was for the Toyota. Asked where the vehicle was and I explained I was taking it back to King City. Nice man loaded it in the trunk of my car and I headed for home.

People read the threads, it makes it a lot easier and in my case could have saved me an additional 100 miles of travel.

2004 Toyota Tacoma: 2wd base model... They're a GREAT truck, and we all should be happy that we can buy the Ecsta AST in the 2235/50-15 size for them, from such a wonderful Company!

[SNOOPY]

Just stupid we have to do this.


Got got mine from Discount Tire and had to say it was for a custom built Kart.

Still got a call, but what were they gonna say about that. Lol

[jcthorne]

I bought the Yokohama from Discount Tire and did not have to lie about what it was for. I just called the order in and they called when the tires arrived. They even mounted it on the rim without a problem. Even offered me the road hazard warranty. They could not balance it as the rim will not fit on thier machine. I balanced at home, then added balance beads and installed it. Easy.

The Yokohama is a much better tire anyway, why go to so much trouble for an inferior tire?

[SNOOPY]

So you calling me a liar now?

[jcthorne]

So you calling me a liar now?

[SNOOPY]

LOL

.

[Followme2DQ]

When I ordered the Kumho for my old RT, I used Discount Tire direct through Ebay. No call and no vehicle info required.

[2dogs]

Actually I hit the wear bars at 6K and I was so pi$$ed I swore I was going to take it down to the threads. Well, at 7K, half way through the wear bars, common sense took over and I ordered a replacement Kumho from the dealer. Not a problem. They ordered the tire and mounted it saying they've had numerous spyder owners switch from Kenda to Kumho with good results and no reported problems. Took a 260 mi. two-up ride yesterday through the twisties and back home on the freeway without any issues. I did notice the Kumho put off a new highway tread noise. Also for the first 100 mi. the digital spedo and the analog spedo were about 5 mph off from one another. After about 200 mi. they got back in sync. But all-in-all no problems with the Kenda-to-Kumho switch over. By the way, the dealer's price for the Kumho was only $20 more than Discount Tire so I had everything done all at one place. If any serious issues come up with the Kumho, I'll post them here.

[spyder123]

I'd like to put a michelin rear tire on my 2014 rt, but a dealer won't touch it because the size is different 215-60-15 than the original. I live in mesa, az. Any suggestions. I am not able to do it myself.