Tweener 200tw tires: Kumho V730 vs. Yokohama AD09 vs. Nexen Sport R

No matter the situation, today’s tire market seems to offer a solution. Are you willing to trade some of your track rat’s pace for durability and consistency but want something faster than an endurance tire? Or are you maybe competing in the Gridlife Touring Cup, where the latest Super 200 hotness is on the banned list? If so, we have …

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I can't see how the Kumho could be anything but lousy in the wet which makes it a non-starter for me.

gbuff said:

I can't see how the Kumho could be anything but lousy in the wet which makes it a non-starter for me.

Depends on how wet.

Believe it or not, its one of the best out there in the damp.  And even mild puddling.  Great compound.

But yeah, deep water turns it into a kayak pretty quickly...

The steering deadzone was something I had to get used to on my Integra, but somehow I improved my times at the FIRM with the Nexen, including hitting my PB and being consistent on them. But they've gotten really loud after having them sit on my broken Intega for a few months in my garage before putting them on my Civic so I can have something to do some casual PCA autocrosses in. 

Tried the Nexens last year on my VW Golf Sportwagen (245/40/17 on 17x9s) and was impressed for general intermediate-driver HPDE use.  Easy to drive and v. grippy and do come up to temp quickly...were consinstent lap to lap but I'm not racing/TT'ing here...just lapping/having fun.  I also noted that they are relatively quiet approaching the limit.  I don't use them on the street so can't comment there.

The Nexens come in a 245/40-15. Woot!

Love the 730. Abused several sets. They have a little extra tread depth vs other 200tw tires and work until the cord show. Not bad at autox either. I never experienced the 1 lap to come in after initial heat cycle. What was ambient temp during test?

How much faster would you guess the A052, and CRSv3 are? To reference how much time can be gained by paying 2x more. 

One of our local guys spoke poorly on Kumho as a brand, but I figured a Korean tire on a Korean car was meant to be. I regret not buying multiple sets when TR had that instant per tire rebate. I'm not sure if they get faster when they convert to semi- slick. But I've been really happy with them.

I agree that they take a good lap to turn on. I've lost the rear (fwd) on the first run on a acouple of autocrosses, almost lost it at track days as well. But they hold on for the entirety of 20 minute hpde sessions.

I really like them, and plan to buy them again. Great for hpde's and local autocrosses

In reply to Andy Hollis :

Found the same thing, in light greasy conditions the Kuhmo still retained great grip.

And far superior grip in the dry, get your pressures right and they perform consistently lap after lap.

What about wet capabilities as a daily tire? 

How is the nexen in terms of aquaplaning? The ad09's look great in the wet with those massive center channels, and the v730s look like a no-go for a mainly daily summer tire. 

Obviously all 3 of these tires can be dailyed in the dry, but what really separates them imo is road manners in the wet. 

In the case of the ad09, I'd give up a bit of pace for aquaplanning resistance, as I drive every day and will only do 1-2 hpde a year. 

thashane said:

How much faster would you guess the A052, and CRSv3 are? To reference how much time can be gained by paying 2x more. 

Responding to myself, since I forgot I already read A052 vs V730 and I guess I can't edit my post after 2hrs...

Wish Kumho would make a V730 in 18" 295/30 or 295/35.

I always love it when a new tire test comes out. The comment section can be very enlightening/funny.

For me, I just want a tire that will last me an entire year of autoX since I only do it for fun with my dad. So far the Falken 615k+ has filled that need well for 2023 and will probably get us through most of 2024.

It's a little vague on communication at the limit though, so I'll be looking into those Yokes or the Continental ECF since trackdaytire usually has them on sale for buy three get one free. 

I like my v730s. Feels very consistent on track. A little softer carcass than my old rs4. Only downside is the limited sizes.

Keep these tire tests coming. They are very useful.

Andy Hollis said:

gbuff said:

I can't see how the Kumho could be anything but lousy in the wet which makes it a non-starter for me.

Depends on how wet.

Believe it or not, its one of the best out there in the damp.  And even mild puddling.  Great compound.

But yeah, deep water turns it into a kayak pretty quickly...

That's how my A052s run, very little tread but the compound works quite well in the rain. Except at Mid-Ohio, hopefully that's a thing of the past with the new pave. We'll find out in April...

For those of you looking for wet performance data on these tires, they have all been tested by Tire Rack, who does specific wet testing.  Find the tire there and the tests will show up. 

If you'd like the complete minute-by-minute on how we do these tests, have a gander at the Live Thread we did during this one:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/live-thread-join-us-this-frid/259103/page1/

In my experience with the V730, their best quality was lap-after-lap CONSISTENCY during 20-25 minute sessions.

Running a staggered setup F235 R255 on a 3400-lb car. Front camber -3.0 rear camber -2.0. Tires were heat-cycled by TireRack.

I would give the V730 higher marks in "Pace", say a B+  ...Better pace than Nankang AR-1, and nearly on pace with CR-S.

But i would downgrade the wear to an A- or B+   ...Tires were corded after 4 track days. (AR-1 and CR-S both managed 5 track days) But again to their CONSISTENCY, all 4 tires corded simultaneously and evenly!

If i were to run them again, I would try to dial in another -0.5 degree of camber, and up the PSI.

I personally adore the V730 for how consistent and well mannered it is. I haven't tracked it yet but in mountain passes its such a predictable and talkative tire. It does break away a little sharply but can come back with fast hands pretty easily. Be careful in standing water though, it tends to hydroplane like crazy when its worn down. In light rain avoiding standing water spots, it's perfectly fine.

I do wish the AD09 had just a bit more speed to it for the cost, but it does seem to at least be a decent improvement over the AD08R.

I've been trying to locate Nexen in 205-50-15 or 225-45-15 which Nexen lists as sizes available but nobody has any.  Tire rack claims they are NLA though a call to Nexen said there are 225-45-15's available but she couldn't tell me what dealers have them.  A couple of retailers website simply says out of stock.  Any ideas?

Sigh... sadly, none of them making anything in 235+ widths in 50 or 60 series. I hate being forced into 17s or 18s for a 60s or 70s era car just to get good performance tires. Such a frustrating bummer.

I recently purchased a Birkin Lotus 7 replica with the intention of doing track days with it.  At 1250 lbs the car is extremely sensitive to tire and wheel weight. I have seen some tire tests here listing weights but most do not.  I would love to see tire weight be consistently provided in the tire tests!

Is this a legitimate 3rd sub category of 200s? I can't keep up 

I think you guys should consider changing the name of the magazine to "Miata Tire Test Monthly".