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Author Topic: Kumho KW17  (Read 4151 times)

Offline blackdiamond

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Kumho KW17
« on: December 08, 2004, 08:17:21 pm »
Hi,

I bought a set of Kumho KW17 a couple of weeks ago and, as I didn't have the car to go with the tires at the time, I couldn't review them.
Well, now, I have the car - Mazda3 GT Sport - and I have only one thing to say about those tires: AWESOME. I haven't really had a chance to try them on dry road as since I have had the car (3 days), I have driven them mostly on packed snow, loose snow, wet road and fairly icy. No matter what the conditions were, they were fantastic. The car felt stable and predictable. When they lost grip (once), just letting go the throttle brought them back.  

For those around Calgary or in Alberta, I drove Monday night from Calgary to Lake Louise, and it wasn't pretty, especially in the mountains.

Thanks.
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Offline Shnak

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2004, 08:28:03 pm »
I definitely agree. I installed my KW17 2 weeks ago and I absolutely love them. Best of all, they're QUIET!!! No difference at all between my A/S tires and these winter tires.
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Offline blackdiamond

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2004, 08:49:24 pm »
I can't really say whether they are quieter than the crappy Eagle RS-A that came with the car as I only used them to drive from the dealership to my house (around 20Kms). As soon as the car was in the garage, I switched to the KW17 as I had to go straight to the mountains.

I agree though, they are definitely quiet at highway speed (or even above highway speed).
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Offline chevyzboy

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2004, 09:07:24 pm »
I also agree that these tires are extremely quiet; they are atleast if not more quiet than my stock RS-As.  I've personally exceeded highway speeds with them and they're as good as anything summer oriented I've driven.  The traction and control on dry pavement is excellent too -- valuable asset in Toronto.  I also understand because these are available as H-rated, the tread will also last a bit longer (at the expense of ice/snow traction).

P195/65R15 HR on 2004 Pontiac Vibe

-ChevyZBoy

thoughts on these tires as per my blog:
http://www.xanga.com/item.aspx?tab=weblogs&user=ChevyZBoy&uid=167960591


(Message edited by chevyzboy on December 08, 2004)
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Offline daz

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2004, 12:00:36 am »
I have the KW19's on our Impreza TS. We regularly drive te road between Invermere BC and Calgary, plus we commute daily from Invermere to Panorama ski resort. These tires make a little noise at around 40-70km/h, but after that they're quiet. No small feat; the KW19 has a fairly agressive tread.

They're great on ice, unreal in deep snow, but they're a tad squirrely in the dry (which is where the KW17's would be better).
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Offline brian

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2004, 03:31:49 am »
This is all excellent news.  I bought a set of KW17s from TireTrends for a Mazda3 GT as well, but haven't installed them yet because of some strange Purolator practice causing me to only receive 3 tires so far.  They'll hopefully go on this weekend.  205/55R16 size BTW.

Nice to hear they're quiet, since this is primarily my mother's vehicle I was hoping that they wouldn't be as noisy as some winter tires I've experienced.
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Offline chevyzboy

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2004, 07:57:15 am »
As an added plus, they were also one of the most inexpensive winter tires on the market!
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Offline blackdiamond

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2004, 12:45:53 pm »
Hi Daz,

the handling on the dry road of the KW17 is pretty good. When I came back from Lake Louise yesterday, the road was pretty dry between the 3 Sisters and the Bow Provincial Park. I was actually doing around 140kph on that stretch - in the corners at Lac des Arcs and last right-hander of the mountains - and the car handled very nicely. This is probably due to their H-rated performance. I did notice some spinning when starting after a stop sign, but that might be due to me not being used to the clutch on the Mazda3.
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Offline safristi

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2004, 12:51:00 pm »
Yeah just rub it in ya skier rookie..Mogul's once ruled an Empire dude!!!
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Offline blackdiamond

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #9 on: December 09, 2004, 12:53:55 pm »
Sorry Saf, but I wasn't skiing - well, not during the whole day anyway - as I was working on the NorAms races. Wrong target here, buddy.
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Offline safristi

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #10 on: December 09, 2004, 01:08:22 pm »
You are what Crock-Psychologists call "in de Nile!!"..not the whole day..not the whole way in...
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Offline morty

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #11 on: December 10, 2004, 02:41:29 am »
Brian...I hope you got your 4th tire today. It happens every once in a while, but they do usually deliver the last tire on the following day. If you haven't received it call us and we will try to track it down. Call us Toll Free 1-877-920-TIRE(8473) and press '2' for shipping.




TireTrends - Get ready for winter!
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Offline daz

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #12 on: December 10, 2004, 02:14:35 pm »
"Yeah just rub it in ya skier rookie.."

Rookie?

Dude, I get PAID to ski. When it snows lots, they let me have 'splosives
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Offline blackdiamond

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #13 on: December 10, 2004, 02:22:55 pm »
Hey Daz,

where do you do Avalanche Control?
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Offline safristi

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2004, 02:25:22 pm »
Daz ..daz..yer Nurse told me yer suppositories don't even have Glycerin in 'em..let alone  nitro , don't want you to harm yers=elf..constipation can be a real bind...wishing you and yours a good dump.....!!!
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Offline Craig

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #15 on: December 10, 2004, 02:44:11 pm »
Who said he does avalanche control?

Were it up to me, I'd use 'splosives at Blue Mountain for crowd control.
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Offline blackdiamond

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #16 on: December 10, 2004, 03:21:51 pm »
Well, usually, the people that use 'splosives after snow fall are the A/C guys.
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Offline daz

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #17 on: December 11, 2004, 09:36:23 pm »
Blackdiamond - I'm an avalanche tech (and ski patroller) at Panorama Mountain Village in southeastern BC.


Saffy, yer killin' me!
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Offline blackdiamond

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #18 on: January 04, 2005, 01:49:12 pm »
Hi all,

a quick update on the KW17 as I have been driving them for about a month now with about 4,000kms on the clock.

Those tires are just awesome on the highway. I have driven them at speed of about 120kph on plowed/iced conditions and they are very very stable.

In the city though, it is a bit of a different story. They are still a very good tire, but starting from a dead stop, I find my wheels spinning. Also at the moment, the road are fairly iced up and I have found that in some sections, if I try to accelerate quickly, the wheels will spin.  
It might also be the car (Mazda3 GT Sport) as it has a decent amount of torque.

It is no big deal as the tires are very predictable. When they loose grip, you can feel it straight away and react accordingly.

I think it is a very good winter tire, especially for people driving on the highway!!!!!

Thanks.
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Offline Shnak

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Kumho KW17
« Reply #19 on: January 04, 2005, 04:20:54 pm »
ANY tires will spin from a dead stop if you accelerate too much. Unless you have chains or are studded, that is.

But yeah, I came to the same conclusion with my KW17s... awesome on the highway, stable, quiet, etc. But in the city, both in snow or ice, they are a tad worse than the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 I had last winter (on another vehicle though).

But that is understandable as the KW17 are harder than the Blizzaks... there has to be a tradeoff somewhere... either they last longer (so harder, less good in snow/ice) or they are better in snow/ice (and don't last as long).

I went with the KW17 knowing all that, and I'm hoping I'll get 4 winters out of them, vs. maybe 3 with the Blizzaks.
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