[EEZATOY]

I'm going to need some new 17" tires - right now I'm looking at Sumitomo HTR III and Hankook V12 evo K110 - prices are hard to beat and right now tire rack has a $50 back offer on the purchase of four tires...weight seems to be a wash...so I leaning toward the Hankook's, but wondered if anyone had any first hand exprience with these or any other recomendations....

Thanks Sam

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[PorscheDude]

I've had few sets of the summitomo's they are pretty good and have had good reviews in the past.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[968TDG]

I just mounted Summitomo's a couple weeks ago and I love them...

-phil

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[kwikt]

Got the Sumitomo's on my wife's 330i and also on the 968. Can't beat them for the price.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[bob blackwell]

Two very experienced Porsche pushers in my Region have recently switched to Sumitomos and they are both very vocal in their praise. One of them previously drove on Hankooks and swears that the Sumitomo is the better tire now. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Cloud9...68]

I can't compare them directly to the Hankook's, but the Sumitomo's I now have on my 968 are far and away the best tires I've ever owned, regardless of price. Increbibly forgiving at the limit, tons of grip, no tramlining or any other bad habits, and their performance isn't deteriorating in any noticeable way as they age.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[968Oz]

Another happy Sumi customer. I couldn't see a good reason to pay more for a street tire.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Anchorman]

I guess I went a different direction. There were reasons, but I just finished putting Goodyear F1 Assymetricals on, and ran them on the track on Friday. Very pleased.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[wiseman]

I've been a distributor for Sumitomo for over 15 years. They have always made great tires and the adjustment rate is right up there with Michelin. I have the Z111's on my 968 and they are the most tire you can run for the money. Tire Rack ranks them right there with Bridgestone and Michelin. You can't go wrong...........and you don't feel bad about tearing them up on the Autocross track either because of the price.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ebarone968]

another vote for the Sumitomo htr III ! I just broke them in on the trip to Hershey. Held up pretty good in the rain as well. Picked them up on tire rack. Reasonable price, excellent performance

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[sguy]

I put on a set of Sumitomo htr III last fall replacing Michelin PS2 tires. They were half the cost of the Michelins and I don't think I've given up anything in performance, although the Michelins are rated better in the wet. I haven't pushed the Sumis in the wet to find out [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img] I've owned sets of Hankok's and they have also delivered good service, but were different models on different cars, so a direct comparison is difficult. I don't think you can go wrong for the price and the performance of the Sumis.

Cheers,

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[EEZATOY]

Thanks everyone - looks like I going to give Sumo's a try....

My long search for wheels is over - should be here this week I hope - more news and pictures to follow once I get them...

New wheels are 17x8 et52 and 17x9 et56 - I plan on running 225/45's up front and 255/40's on the rear...

I'm also thinking about putting a 4 or 5mmm spacer on the rears to bring them out just a hair...any thoughts on that?

Thanks again Sam

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ds968]

IMO, 5mm spacers will not be noticeable. I have 15mm on all wheels - the rear tires are perfectly aligned with the body, and while the fronts are inset just a bit, it's still a world of difference from the stock look .. I had 20mm on the fronts for a while but the car is lowered so much there was some contact b/w the tire and the front plastic guard when the wheel was turned to its max position.. rarely ever happens, and the contact was so slight it did not matter from a practical standpoint , but it still bugged me enough to go with the 15 mm .

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[EEZATOY]

Ok, baby got a new pair of shoes....finally found some 17's - Kinesis Supercups 8X17 et52 and 9x17 et56 weigh about 20 & 21 lbs respectably (using the old bathroon scale)...

Ended up going with Hankook ventus v12 evo k110's 225/45 & 255/40 (a little stretch on the fronts but looks ok to me...I'll see how do..) couldn't pass up the price - shipped and installed for $489 and there's a $50 rebate coming for buying before the end of this month...I'll update after I put some miles on them.

Sam

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[rxter]

schweeet. I don't typically like body-colored wheels, but man that black and chrome is nice. Good look Sam. Looks mean, and looks fast.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

i'm looking forward to seeing it at the next gathering - i always liked those wheels

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Scott Collins]

I'm about to order some Sumitomo HTR Z III tires to go with some 17" Boxter S rims I just acquired. Here are the specs, along with the tires (which I am replacing) currently on the rims.

fronts:
17x7 55 offset
225/45/17 tires
rears
17x8.5 50 offset
255/40/17 tires


Question: are those the only size tires that can be mounted on those rims? If not, sugggestions are appreciated.

Thanks.

-Scott

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Scott Collins]

I went ahead and got the Sumitomo's and just mailed in the $50 rebate card. The deal was too good to pass up. My initial impression is that they have more "cushion" than my previous tire, the Bridgestone So-3 Pole Position. This makes them a better daily drive tire, especially with the poor roads around here. I don't lose as many fillings...The trade-off is that they are not as precise and "give" a bit more under hard cornering. Here they are mounted on some Boxter S 17" rims that I got from a member of this forum. Thanks Chris, aka sydneyman!

   

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Langley968]

Bought a set of SUMITOMO HTRZ III for my cab from Tire Rack.
I have put 600 miles on them since installing them about ten days ago and I am super pleased! They certainly give a better ride than the Potenza's they replaced for "cruising" with the wife. What I am really happy about is that there is NO "tramlining" happening! This morning I went on the local Breakfast Run with the local PCA boys and was satisfied with the feel at "spirited" speeds (up to 125 m/h) on the "Sea-to-Sky" highway that goes from Vancouver to Whistler. I have to be honest, in hard cornering at higher speeds the Potenza's were probably a tad better, but for the price I am v<b>ery satisfied</b>.
Had them shipped to a friend's business in WA and then had them mounted by the local "recommended installer". All said and done, I paid about 60% of what they would cost installed here in Canada! Who can complain about that! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Scott Collins]

Aggressive driving is not the strength of the Sumitomo HTRZ III. After a few months of them, I like them in a straight line, but compared to the Bridgestone S0-3, their predecessor on my car, they feel very soft in the sidewalls. Not in the same league.

Fine for touring and around town for sure. Forgiving. Lots of rolling resistance by the way. It feels a bit like rebound as the tires flex and give, then bounce back during hard cornering. Just a bit unpredictable, but also just my opinion....

The price was good, but if I had to do it over, I'd go for more performance.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.