New Shoes!

So I just got my new tires (old ones were bald as all nothin').

I went for the Kumho 712s. Several tire shops told me that the 711s were discontinued and would be about the same price as the 712s. So I went with them, $540 mounted and balanced with road hazard and I put them on myself (no monkey at JustTires is getting near my wheels with an impact gun! )



So the first impressions is that they are no stickier than the 711s. But they are overall quieter and, although I haven't driven in the rain yet, they look to be a better wet weather tire. We're about to get a palmetto pounder, so I shall report...

Please post your thoughts. I considered the 712, but went with the 711 in the end. I had the ASX and was not impressed with how the two big grooves would grab at every imperfection in the road. It made the car road-walk badly. I was concerned that the 712 would do the same due to the large prominent groove down the middle. Let us know how these ride.

They are a sharp looking tire.

How long did your 711's last?

Results from our online tire survey: 3142 surveys submitted 29,215,451 miles reported

Dry Traction 8.4
Wet Traction 7.8
Hydro Resistance 7.9
Snow Traction N/A
Cornering Stability 8.0
Steering Response 8.1
Ride Comfort 7.4
Noise Comfort 7.3
Tread Wear 7.2

Surveyed Averages
Key: Superior (8.6-10) Excellent (6.6-8.5) Good (4.6-6.5) Fair (2.6-4.5) Unacceptable (0-2.5)





Results from our online tire survey: 812 surveys submitted 6,078,848 miles reported
Dry Traction 8.3
Wet Traction 7.3
Hydro Resistance 7.4
Snow Traction N/A
Cornering Stability 7.9
Steering Response 7.9
Ride Comfort 7.6
Noise Comfort 7.5
Tread Wear 7.2

Surveyed Averages
Key: Superior (8.6-10) Excellent (6.6-8.5) Good (4.6-6.5) Fair (2.6-4.5) Unacceptable (0-2.5)

They look very close in their ratings. I've got the 711's now and am also interested in the 712's.

712 is UHP, 711 is HP. Ratings should not be considered when comparing tires from different categories, as it could be very misleading. 712 should be a superior tire (performance wise) as it belongs to a superior category.

Well I haven't found that superiority quite yet. The 711s are the best tire for the price in my opinion. Frankly I think they discontinued the 711s because nobody bought the 712s. I haven't done a whole lot of spirited driving yet, or driving in the rain (it looked like bad weather, but it never happened).

How long did your 711's last?

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These were the tires that came with my wheels (bought them used) so I don't really know how long he had them, but they were nearly bald when I got them and then I put 4000 miles on them and they were even more bald. I think he said he had 25,000 miles, so I'll say 30,000 was the total, but don't hold me to that.

I was concerned that the 712 would do the same due to the large prominent groove down the middle.

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I haven't had any problem with this (so far), but we don't have much grooved surface (typically concrete) highways around this area. I'll let you know if I come across some.

As for the ride:
I took my wheels off and dropped them off at the tire shop. So I put my 15" wheels (with stock MXV4 tires) back on for a couple days. I got an appreciation for how loud and how bad a ride the 711s were (I had them at 40 PSI to diminish the horrible road noise from a scallop-like worn tire). These 712s ride nearly the same and have the same road noise (nearly none) as the stock tires. I haven't checked the pressure they put the new tires at, but I shall tonight.

Well I haven't found that superiority quite yet......

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Oh, please do not expect miracles! The difference may be so small that you may not even notice when driving daily. What I meant is: "There should be difference and 712 should be superior".

Oh, I know what you mean... I just don't think they would be worth $25 more per tire, unless they are much better in the rain. That was the low point of the 711s, they were not that great in wet weather.

So it has rained, and I have done a little bit of driving in it. I am quite impressed with the wet weather traction of these tires. The wet weather traction is, of course, lower than dry weather, but they are still really good in completely wet roads (with no large puddles of course). For this reason alone, I am more impressed with the 712s over the 711s. Now whether they are worth the $25 more per tire...

Has your mileage changed? What was prior average compared to current?

Thanks.

I don't have a full tank on these tires yet. But so far I'm right on track for what I had with the 711s on the same wheels. I get right around 39mpg with almost all city driving...