I think Connor was referring to the PS2 being only slightly noisier than S-03, which means the PS2 is probably quieter than most ultra high performance tires...certainly much quieter than the tractor tire sounds that come from the A032Rs. Connor was obviously using slang when he said he "could care less" about the noise.

 

I still think the SO3s are one of the best non-R compound street tires in the dry. I don't think it can stand up to tires like the Toyo Proxes T1-S, Eagle F1 GS-D3 or those new Michelins when it comes to all-around performance (Dry, wet, predictability, etc.). They also wear quickly, unlike the Goodyears or the Toyos. Personally I don't have that much money to spend on tires so I just get a set of Toyo Proxes T1-S every winter when the tread (finally) starts to look iffy.

 

the tests in the link show no substantial loss in the wet with s03's except perhaps in lateral g's which conflicts considerably with the loss in the slalom of hundredths of a second and to reiterate my initial state ment goodyear makes **** tires(having owned them). michelin is a french company. so if you want to send your money to those stinky, non *** wiping, lazy, psuedocommunists then go ahead but my money stays with the so3's

PS goodyear is ****

 

Take a look at the BFG KD.

dis1

 

Much heavier tire than Pilot Sport IIs, but great nonetheless...

 

the Kumho Ecsta MX is a great tire for the every day driver that enjoys getting out on the open road once in awhile for a little spirited driving. But, when it comes to tracking the car or aggressive street driving i would have to say the MX's cannot touch the S03 or the PS2 on handling fast curves in the road, let alone hard corners. The rounded shoulder of the MX tends to let the tire side wall roll more than the S03 or the PS2's shoulder which is a little more squared off.
If you are looking for an economical performance tire i think the Kumho MX or the the Yokohama ES100 would be the way to go.

 

Thanks for the input! It sounds like it may be worth the extra cash even for the 2-3 times a year I'm too lazy to swap tires.

 

I have the Kumho MX and enjoy it on the street. I have not tried running them anywhere but daily driving where they do very well in the wet and have excellent dry grip as well. The sidewalls are pretty soft, you can tell just by feeling them. If I did happen to try it at an autox or on the track one day I would expect the MX to be very slow to transition and to feel quite "lazy". The soft sidewall is nice for daily driving though as these tires don't "crash" over bumps nearly as bad as others.

OTOH I know many STS drivers running the MX who like it's ultimate grip very much. They agree the tire is "slow" to maneuver but its overall grip when shaved is close to the Falken Azenis. The MX also gets better as it gets hot which is the opposite of the Falken.

Slower reflexes don't automatically mean less grip. On Victoracers for instance I like driving the car with higher air pressures because the tire feels more responsive. These higher pressures decrease ultimate grip though. Running pressures a couple pounds lower than what I would really like produces the fastest times even though the car absolutely turns in slower and takes slightly longer to take a set.