Great Performance Tires

[jllphan]

Time for new shoes, and I went with BFG KDW-2's purchased from the tirerack.

225/45ZR17 upfront
255/40ZR17 out back (heh, heh)

I've owned tires from a lot of manufacturers (Bridgestone, BFG, Yokohama, Nitto, Goodyear, and Continental just name a few), and thought I would give these a whirl. BFG advertises these as an ultra high performance tire with great dry and wet weather traction (thats where the D and W in KDW come from). The 2 indicates second generation, and this new tread is completely wicked looking. Another unusual feature about this ultra high performance Z-rated tire is that they have a tread wear rating of 300AA, which indicates that I might get +25K miles out of them, which is unheard of for an ultra high performance tire in this price range.

Traction and grip are superb, as I've come to know from BFG. They hold and track well, and are relentless to roll onto their sidewall. Everything I could want from a decent Z-rated tire. But...

I decided to right up a review after I had an unreal experience a few nights ago.

Here in Nashville, we are subject to some terential downpours in the spring, and I commute about 40miles to and from work: put those two together, and I have some unenjoyable and sometimes scarry experiences on my way to and from the office.

Well, it was storming the other night, and I had my first chance to try these dry/wet weather HP tires out. Complete downpour, and most cars on the interstate were traveling well below the posted speedlimit of 70MPH. I got up to speed, hit a few puddles, and was amazed. Dropped it into 5th, gave her a bit more, and was blown away. Absolutely no hydroplaning at all! No shiftyness, nothing. The radical tread design lends itself to cutting through water spots on roadways like no HP tire I've ever owned. I couldn't push this tire too far, as I cruised home at 85MPH like it was a nice evening. I honestly think they rode better in the wet, then they do in the dry!

My only complaint is that they are a bit noisy above 80mph, but I'm hoping that might wear off after a few thousand miles. I now have about 600 miles on them, and they have gotten a tad quieter.

If you want a super comfy ride, with little to no noise, these tires are not for you. If you want an ultra high performance tire, that gives you fantastic all weather traction...I would look no further. Their a great value too, and at this point, I would definitely recomend them.

For more info click here

[jllphan]

UPDATE:

Have a few thousand miles on them now, and they have quieted down a bit. Still not quiet, but what do you expect, given the tread pattern.

And their wet weather performance continues to amaze me. I now feel more likely to hydrolock my car given it's CAI location then hydroplaning :P

Anyways...it was clean, and I had my camera......

[4evrwyntr]

I was looking at those to replace my rears once they wear. Update on the wear and how long you speculate these guys to last when you can? Well written!

[jllphan]

That picture above is with about 3K miles on them. They have a very high tread wear rating on them, but the way I drive, if I get 25K out of them, I'll have my new tire of choice.

[da_bull]

that is a cool tread pattern

[Teh Prof]

How are your tires doing all these months later?