Anybody ever heard of Sumitomo tires??

[BuddyP]

Are they worth a shat? Found some wheels with SUMITOMO HTRZ II tires and wondered if they were any good.

Thanks!

[larknut]

Sure, I've heard of them. I can't tell you if they're any good or not. I would just say run'em till its time to replace them.
Here's what others have to say : http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Sumitomo&tireModel=HTR+Z+II

[SHANE 73Z]

I am running the original version HTR-Zs on my Camaro. Nice sticky tire, seems to be wearing well. Mostly street miles and about a dozen runs down the strip. Nothing alarming to note.

Shane

[MonzaRacer]

They have went down hill in last year one of the college kids in Firestone shop I used to work at had them and kept getting impact breaks.
Boss wouldnt order anymore as Tirerack would never stand behind them even if they had roadhazard.
Mike , one of the guys who ran them, switched to Fuzions and had much better luck. Before he sold car he was going to get some SO3s or SO2As but sold it before he swapped.
He like Fizions for price and they did hold well in summer conditions.
What series are you running a real good tire for multi use is the new Bridgestone Pontenza RE960AS we had several customers who came back raving about them before I left.
Good Luck
Lee

[jy211]

I have em on my camaro...no issues...:drive2:

[nbecker]

I had some and the sidewall was seperating from the tread,I didnt think they were that sticky at all.I switched to p-zeros and never looked back.

[69keith]

I sell them because they are less expensive than other lines. My cost on (2)245/40-17 and (2)285/35-18 was less than $500. I don't care if I burn them off at that price. One Mich. Pilot would cost me $375. Sumitomo is made by Dunlop .
Keith

[ky69]

I had them on my 93 Z and had no trouble with them. Good decent tire for cheap.

[BigBlockOlds]

I bought a pair of the 315/35's for mockup on my car because they were pretty cheap at just $110 a piece. Still using them for mock up but I bought a set for my daily driver Intrigue GL just to see how they may hold up.
I'll never go back to those again! They lasted a whopping 15,000 miles on an Intrigue. So I know the 315's will last even less behind the big block. ;)

They started out as a really nice handling tire and I was really impressed but it was all downhill from there. :( If you use them for a "play" car, they'd probably be fine, but I'd never use them on a daily driver again.

[Randy67]

If you are looking for a low cost good handling tire that is comparable to the HTRZ II's try the Kumho MX's. I have them on my daily driver and have close to 23,000 miles on them and still going. I might even get to 30,000 miles.

[ls427ss]

On my big rig (24.5"), and all I will run on a heavy vehicle. Never an issue or problem, also run them on a 6 horse trailer & tow rig, also problem free

[Ralph LoGrasso]

If you are looking for a low cost good handling tire that is comparable to the HTRZ II's try the Kumho MX's. I have them on my daily driver and have close to 23,000 miles on them and still going. I might even get to 30,000 miles.

For comparison's sake, my buddy has 17" Sumitomo's on his 2002 Z/28. I had 18" Kumho Ecsta MX on my '01 SS. The Kumho's are a far superior tire to the Sumitomos. Despite the difference in diameter, the Kumho's hooked better, handled better and have worn better. One of the only downsides of the Ecsta MX is their weight. They are generally ~2-3lbs heavier than the higher end tires in the same size (pilot sports come to mind). However, besides the weight, the Ecsta MX is a GREAT tire. Similar in performance with the high end stuff, as far as I'm concerned.

[BuddyP]

Thanks for all the input! I ran across a set of wheels I liked on ebay and they included these tires. I'll just see if they'll sell them sans tires.

[MonzaRacer]

If you can get the wheels and tire together thats fine. I just wouldnt buy them new.
As for being built by Dunlop,,, Dunlop is a name only,,,owned by Goodyear.
Oh and according to the company contact I emailed they are produced by Treadways Corporation ,makers of Telstar,Eldorado,Laramie and Jetzon tires.
Sumitomo is a company in name only and has no connection to Dunlop(which no longer produces any tires, Dunlops are now contracted out to Kelly-Springfield ,which while owned by Goodyear they are seperate companies).
Dunlop hasnt built tires since the 80's when Goodyear bought them.
Anyway if the price is right go ahead and get them thier not that bad but I would never buy them new. My buddy still had problems with them. If someone sells them or runs them with good luck so be it. BUT I had to dismount those freakin tires and they suck cause they had problems so much.
Good luck