Tire Opinion

[John A. Heer]

Josh:

I have had both the Azenis and the Kumho Ecsta MXs on 2 different SE-Rs.
I recommend the Azenis over the Kumhos.

I had 205/50/15 Azenis on B14 wheels on my now-wrecked 1991 SE-R, which
saw 95% street use (daily driver) and 5% autocross usage (no track
work).

I had 185/60/14 Azenis on my 1993 SE-R before I switched to the B14
wheels.  This summer, I bought the Kumho Ecsta MXs in 205/50/15 on the
recommendation of the best autocross driver in this region (he touted
their wet gripping ability, too).  I have been pretty disappointed.  I
only ran them at autocross twice because our region's sports car club
has been having problems securing a regular parking lot.

The Kumhos are not any better than the Azenis on wet streets.  They slip
and slide just as much, and maybe more.  However, when the Azenis break
traction in wet conditions, they slide like ice on ice.  The Kumhos
slide on wet just as easily, but you can regain control slightly better
as they eventually gain traction back.

The Azenis are much better dry pavement tires -- far stickier.  The
Kumhos are slightly more forgiving in ride smoothness (supposedly the
sidewalls are softer than the Azenis).

When I buy new summer tires, I will buy the Azenis again.

John Heer
93 SE-R not stock