> In a message dated 10/28/03 11:17:19 AM Pacific Standard Time,
> alandahl@mac.com writes:
>> The only other high-performance tire in a 14" size on the Tire Rack's
>> web site is the Sumitomo HTR 200. Anyone have experience with this
>> tire? The reviews are generally favorable and the price ($36) is great
>> but the tire and brand are a total unknown to me.
I used Sumitomo's HTR-Z IIs as the street tire on my '99 M-Coupe. I
thought that they were a great summer tire; high grip, very predictable
at the limit and a great bargain. I'm currently running Bridgestone
S03s, because we get a fair bit of rain here and I do drive the Coupe
year round. In the dry, I don't think the Sumitomos give up much if
anything to the Bridgestones. The S03s may be a little better in the
rain, but then I only really noticed the HTR-Z IIs having a fault in
the rain once, and that was after they had 17 thousand miles on them
and was mostly my mistake.
I am currently testing Sumitomo's HTR+ ultra high performance
all-season tires on my Mercedes C class. No problems or complaints so
far, but they have only been on the car a couple of months. The stock
Michelins were very good tires. The Bridgestone S03s, unfortunately,
don't like the amount of toe that Mercedes specs (the Michelins didn't
either, but they weren't nearly as loud when cupped as the
Bridgestones.) Unlike the BMW, I sometimes have to drive the Mercedes
in the snow, so I wanted a tire with at least a minimal amount of snow
capability. In Virginia we really don't get enough snow to make full
winter tires practical. Not that I haven't considered it anyway.
Good luck,
David
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