Just got Kumhos...unsure?

[BabyCatcher]

So, my new baby(name suggestions accepted) just got a new set of Kumho JU25s, 215/50/17s. I was feeling really good about them the first few days, but now...notsomuch. Yesterday and today, on dry, winter pavement, they have been juddering as I pull off from a stop @ a light or stop sign. Now, I'm aware that I tend to take off quick and shift even quicker, but these just seem a little poor in their effort to grip the pavement for takeoff. I only got them put on Friday, so I'm sure I can return them as crap if need be.What do you guys think? Is this simply an aspect of these tires as they're breaking in or should I return them and go to a different dealer for Fuzions? I need a decent all season...

[bikeman1]

yah well could be a couple of things -- when you first get tires, many shops leave the ID strip on the tread. That would be Day 1 They put curing compound in the tire mold to make sure the hot tire pops out. This is a little slipperier than the tread compound on the outer 1/32 or so of the tire and needs to wear in, takes a few hundred miles. Winter is when you will see that. check your tire pressure to make sure they are not overinflated. Personal preference but 32-34 is the range most prefer. Those are performance tires probably designed more for hot looks than winter traction although dry traction should be OK. As a snow/cold weather tire they probably won't do well (as would any tire in their class) so they should more properly be called "all season except real winter". The Fuzion Vri (see chart below) is more highly rated in the class, for about the same price, but the installer cost to swap em out may outweigh the advantages. If it gets to be life threatening up there in scenic southern Ontario (always best when those donuts are premeditated!) , a better option might be to add a set of steel rims and cheap snow tires for the winter and save the hot 17" rims and tires for spring (which is like May up ther right?). Cost on that would probably be only about $500 US including the rims and install. The Firestone and Generaql tires are both low-cost but good quality. Then put the Kumho's back on in spring Here's a recent thread with diff tireshttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=39690not sure you are into black but you can dress em up with stock trim. I bet you get some trim pieces used on the forum, a lot of people pull em offYour tire size for the 17's is perfect. For snows I would suggest 205/60R16 which is a tad oversizehttp://www.tirerack.com/tires/...=trueIf you are looking for a quintessential zen handle for your baby, why not start a thread and post some photos. I am sure you can attract a whole slew of humorous and positive suggestions and one will be your Vibe's destiny! PS I do like the signature - my wife has always gone stick too!

[bikeman1]

my bad! I just browsed earlier active topics and found the photo of your baby! Cute little thing, and I've always lovede the 03-04 grilles (used to have a 2003). But I'll stick to it, a Name My Ride topic would do the deal....you might also want to have a baby shower!! That would be a Genvibe first no doubt!

[Sublimewind]

I can't even find that model tire.. lol.. But for starters, that tire is going to be horrible in the snow.. as the temps drop, the rubber gets hard, which is possibly why you are having the juttering problem... they keep slippin on you.. As Bikeman stated... new tires are usually slippery for a few days till that first slight layer of rubber wears.. Really, what you NEED is a set of winter tires, save the summers for summer, and keep the wheels looking nice

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »I can't even find that model tire.. lol.. Since it's right next to the J, KU-25 Ecsta's perhaps?

[Kincaid]

Definitely find out if you can run those in the winter. I had Kumho's (and now have Hankook's) summer performance tires and almost hit a curb on frosty pavement when it got to freezing. They came with a warning not to drive them at temps below freezing.

[star_deceiver]

These are what's needed for winter, even if there's no snow the soft compund of any winter tire will outpreform any summer or 3 season tire. Firestone Winterforce is what I run. Dry traction isn't as bad as the reports say it is. It does feel like the car wants to drift but even at high speeds on the highway (130km/h+) corners are handled fine. Put those 3 seasons away until spring!

[06pvibe]

Quote, originally posted by BabyCatcher »So, my new baby (name suggestions accepted) just got a new set of Kumho KU25s, 215/50/17s. I was feeling really good about them the first few days, but now...notsomuch. Yesterday and today, on dry, winter pavement, they have been juddering as I pull off from a stop @ a light or stop sign. Now, I'm aware that I tend to take off quick and shift even quicker, but these just seem a little poor in their effort to grip the pavement for takeoff. I only got them put on Friday, so I'm sure I can return them as crap if need be.What do you guys think? Is this simply an aspect of these tires as they're breaking in or should I return them and go to a different dealer for Fuzions? I need a decent all season...First of all, what about SunBabe, or Sunnybabe, or Sunbaby?Second, between my wife and I we are on our third set of Kumho's and the reviews from this house are definitely mixed ones.The first set of GT's I put on my wife's (soon-to-be) former Saturn were 751's and she constantly complained about forward traction (as you are now) especially in the wet. We don't get a lot of snow here, but we both grew up and lived in Pennsylvania till we were +/-40, so snow is not new to us. I am now experiencing the same with the Ecsta ASX's on my Mazda, and when I first got them, almost slid through an intersection in the rain. Having ABS didn't help these at all, but they seem a little better now. Wet take-off is still a challenge though.The second set (Kumho's) on the Saturn were/are KH18's and she loves them... best of the 3 sets I put on, plus the OE's. I went looking for them again for the Vibe we just got for her. They don't "seem" to MAKE THEM ANYMORE, and I only put them on a year ago. They were a new model then. (?)Though I am looking at Kumho's new LX Platinum series as an option, I think I would like to go with the Continentals DWS over the Kumho's. For us, Kumho's have been hit or miss.For you, they will wear in and the slipperiness you are feeling now will likely go away... to some degree. But if I lived in Canada, I don't think Kumho's would be my first choice.And yes, invest in some 15"-16" steel wheels and some good winter rubber, for all four corners if you can swing that financially. Get the skinniest, tallest tires you can fit on there to help cut through, rather than float over the snow and ice. 185/70 or 75-15's are a good match in circumference to the 215/50-17's you have now, but I'm not sure a 15 will clear the brakes on these. The Tirerack says 15's will clear using a 195/65-15" but they don't list a 15" steel wheel. Still, using a cheap alloy ($69 closeout) wheel and 4 General Altimax Arctic tires, the package only comes to $528!! Not bad, imo.Oh and BTW: As a point of reference, my wife and I are both dyed-in-the-wool manual ("stick") driver's too.

[Kincaid]

I had the Kumho SPTs. Awesome in wet or dry. Icy or cold, not so much.

[vibolista]

Quote, originally posted by BabyCatcher »So, my new baby(name suggestions accepted) just got a new set of Kumho JU25s, 215/50/17s. I was feeling really good about them the first few days, but now...notsomuch. Yesterday and today, on dry, winter pavement, they have been juddering as I pull off from a stop @ a light or stop sign. Now, I'm aware that I tend to take off quick and shift even quicker, but these just seem a little poor in their effort to grip the pavement for takeoff. I only got them put on Friday, so I'm sure I can return them as crap if need be.What do you guys think? Is this simply an aspect of these tires as they're breaking in or should I return them and go to a different dealer for Fuzions? I need a decent all season...You don't need a decent all season. You need a Winter tire. There are fairly high performance Winter tires out there that do a fair job on the dry cold pavement and in snow. Sublime will tell you the same thing. An all season will do Ok, but only as a compromise. In really cold temperatures, all season compounds tend to get too hard. In the snow they just don't have the grip. On the other hand, a snow tire is not going to give you the sticky grip compared to a summer tire on warm pavement. Today on the way home from my local ski area, I had to snake around several cars and trucks on hills. I could easily climb, they were stuck. It was snowing. I have good snow tires. They were probably on all-seasons. It makes a big difference.

[bikeman1]

sounds like you have the whole choir trooping up to the pulpit on this one, BC. And we're all singing the same song. Buy a pair of inexpensive ($50) new steel rims and some inexpensive ($80) new winter performance tires. Put em on till the cold temperatures ease up. It will be cash up front but it could save you money in long haul as it does a good job of forcing you to rotate your tires regularly (costs the same as rotating tires, which you should be doing anyway). The two cheapest performance snows at present are the Firestone Winterforce and the General Altimax, though there are other good snows too. Make sure your installer (they do this kind of stuff at local petrol stations too) marks your other set so you rotate correctly when you reinstall. Most performance snows (like your Kumhos) are directional so they just rotate front-to-back. Honestly, the only good reason for not doing it in your climate is not having the space to stash the spare wheels. Four tires are not quite high enough to support a coffee table...and not low enough for a nightstand lolBy the way, this logic is originally courtesy of SublimeWind, aka the Winter Tire Guy, who normally handles cases like this. He's just training us in case hes on vacation By the way #2, your Kumhos should do great as a 3 season tire. >. Snow tires are relatively soft and will wear like the fury in hot weather.