New KDW2s all round-promised I'd post

[ckadiddle]

Got new KDW2s installed last Friday. So far they drive just as good as the OEM style. Only had dry weather so far. Mental Note: Even with new rubber, if you floor an unmodified MM while going around a corner on warm, dry pavement you can still slide the rear end a bit. <SHEEPISH grin>. Photos below. See the exciting new tires Live AND In Person at the Casselberry meet on May 14th. (LOL):D

Sorry. sizes are 235/50/18 for the front and 255/55/18 for the rear.

[GarageMahal]

Looks good! I love mine too. What I notice most about them is that they "squeal" when you work them hard where the OEM's "scuffed". It seems to me that they have less road noise on the freeway too.

jta

[ckadiddle]

Haven't had a chance to get much highway driving except for short hops. With the fresh balance and alignment, new tires, and checkup at the dealer she sure flies smooth.

[ckadiddle]

Finally had a consistantly rainy week last week. The KDW2s performed well in the rain and on the wet roads. Keep in mind this was travelling under 40 mph going to and from work - about five miles one way. I made sure to turn off the traction control so they didn't get any "help". No spinning, slipping or sliding when driven gently, going straignt or in turns. NOTE: wet bricks are definitely more slippery than wet blacktop. :)

[ckadiddle]

Looks good! I love mine too. What I notice most about them is that they "squeal" when you work them hard where the OEM's "scuffed". It seems to me that they have less road noise on the freeway too.

jtaYeah, gotta love that wheel peel squeal. :burnout: I only recently learned how to make the wheels chirp on the 1-2 shift. Heeheehee.

[mcb26]

I have 2's on the rear, oem on front. Drives fine on wet or dry. Pushes a little, but that might the warn tires on front. Seems to be a less harsh ride. I plan on getting 2's on the front when its time.

[b4z]

Thanks for the info and the pics.
I just ordered KDW-2s in 245/40-18s on Ronal R-41s for my GTO.
I am hoping for some cornering improvement and not too much lost ride quality with these tires.

[ahess77]

I have 2's on the rear, oem on front. Drives fine on wet or dry. Pushes a little, but that might the warn tires on front. Seems to be a less harsh ride. I plan on getting 2's on the front when its time.

Ditto on that, I just got two yesterday. What immediately impressed me was the 'chirp' on the 1-2 shift as I was leaving the tire store. The OEMs would spin a little but no impressive sound. I'm sure the manager at the tire store saw little dollar signs when he heard me do that.

[BK_GrandMarquis]

I have them on my car too. I don't have as much power as you guys but These are better than the Dunlop's I had before. Driving rough with them in an four autocross events and they show less wear than the Dunlop's did after two events.

[Marauderjack]

Anybody got any idea how long the "2's" will last on the rear?? :confused: :confused:

My fronts are outlasting rears 3:1....I'm thinking about putting fronts on the rear and a smaller size on the front to keep ABS/TC happy!! :rolleyes:

I think the fronts will go 75K miles while rears only about 25K....Wonder why...and no I don't spin the rears....the car won't spin on dry pavement but watch out when it's wet!! :argue:

Marauderjack :bandit:

[MMSuperFan]

Anybody got any idea how long the "2's" will last on the rear?? :confused: :confused:

My fronts are outlasting rears 3:1....I'm thinking about putting fronts on the rear and a smaller size on the front to keep ABS/TC happy!! :rolleyes:

I think the fronts will go 75K miles while rears only about 25K....Wonder why...and no I don't spin the rears....the car won't spin on dry pavement but watch out when it's wet!! :argue:

Marauderjack :bandit:

I have 18500 on my rears and from the looks of them I should get to 30k, my oem's only lasted 23k. I consider myself a middle of the road driver, I try to reduce wheel spin at all costs.....takes a little discipline with the Trilogy.

[ckadiddle]

I am hoping the KDW2s last longer than the OEM KDW tires did. Over the years, my experience with new vehicles is that, for the most part, the factory goes as cheap as possible on the tires, enough to look good on the lot and get you down the road a few miles. Second sets have nearly always lasted longer for me. This observation is based on passenger car and van tire experience in past years. The Marauder is the first performance car I have owned. i am not too worried in my case, because the wife and I actually put low miles on our vehicles. We jsut don't travel much, and my work commute is short.

[ahess77]

I have 2's on the rear, oem on front. Drives fine on wet or dry. Pushes a little, but that might the warn tires on front. Seems to be a less harsh ride. I plan on getting 2's on the front when its time.


I agreed with this opinion after I first got my KDW2 rears 3 weeks ago, but with the last 3 days of rain I've had more problems than I remember with the OEM KDW tires. I've spun out twice in the rain and almost been in the ditch twice because the car is too tight on dry pavement.

The rears seem to get more grip and the car pushes much worse in dry conditions than it used to. I hope that KDW2s on the front will solve that dilema. However, the KDW2 rears seem much worse in standing water than the OEM KDW tread. I ended up pointed the wrong direction TWO times in two days in heavy rain at intersections where I was making a left turn. Once the rear starts coming around it won't regain traction until it stops. Usually you get off the gas and stop the spining and the old tires would bite, these don't seem to do that in the rain.

Just my observations with these KDW2 on the rear.

[mcb26]

Little hint if you go to larger tires on the rear, don't forget to re-adjust your headlights. My first trip with the new 2's I found this out. Had heavy thunder storms couldn't see dit.
We got passed by a large chevy suv that was haulin just before we stopped to eat. Just across the Mississippi line, blue lights all over the place.The suv was in 2 pieces, looked like it hydroplaned amd hit a concrete bridge. Dought there were any survivors.
Yall be careful in the wet regardless of how well you think it handles,even deep tread tires will hydro if the water is deep enough.

[Cobra25]

I installed the New KDW2's about 2 weeks ago. They do ride smoother, Handling on dry ground seams a little better & on wet roads I can't tell a difference.