New wheels - Kazera wheels with kumho tires

[Russian Mafia]

Yes...i got the set that i put pics of in another forum.

Here are the pics:
http://mywebspace.quinnipiac.edu/ymarasanov/MyRide.htm

Those are Kazera KZ-A wheels with 225/40/18 kumho ecsta mx tires.

Here is what i think of this.

Wheels
Not much here cuz it's more a matter of preference. I love the look of the wheels. I think it fits the car. Although I wish my rotors were bigger, and calipers better looking (maybe I'll paint them). But they don’t look funny, like they don’t belong on this car. I hear some reactions like "You are getting rims on Camry???" Well f them, cuz i think it looks a lot better now.

Tires
-Cons
These tires are noisier, but I don’t really care cuz when music is on, you cant really tell the difference. These tires are a lot stiffer. I felt like I got a new suspension too. This is very noticable here in CT/NY/NJ cuz roads are full of cracks and holes. However, the ride is still much softer than my friend's cobalt SS. I'm skeptical about how long those tires are going to last, I'll give you an update on that, but it seems like not for too long.

Good stuff
Since these tires are a lot thinner - sidewall wise, I get a lot more response. 225 of summer performance vs. 205 of sh%tty all season shows a lot. My old tires used to SCREAM in every turn (when you turning and accelerating at the same time). I have not heard these tires yet. I have not really pushed them to their limit (if there is one) yet, but so far I’m impressed. Let me put it this way, I have not experienced sliding on this tires going a lot faster than on my old ones. When I try to push them they don’t squeak, they fight for grip. I feel a LOT more confident. Before I had to let gas go to make it into turns, now I just have to turn my wheels more.

I know this is a pretty bad review, but I've had those tires for just a week and it's still cold. I'll post more updates.

[blacktsx]

which website did u get it from??

looks good....

but plz plz plz lower it!!! like now...

it would make a huge difference, (and u probably already know...)

nice choice, looks awesome

God bless

kevin

[Russian Mafia]

Thanks

I bought the set from tirerack.com - both these tires and these wheels are on sale.

Yea I know I need to lower it. Actually car is lower than on the pics cuz I took the pics right after I put the wheels on, so the shocks were expanded. At first i was like wtf I did not realize I have this much clearence, after I drove a lil it got back to normal (which is still pretty high).

Right now I dont have money or time to lower my car. And in the winter it's nice to have it this way. So we'll see

[SleeperSolara]

Those are nice man.

[solaraslev67]

those look real nice, and your right they do look really good with the car.

dont worry about lowering it right now, start saving and then do it, it will totally just set off your ride. you dont have to do it now but i think you should make it a priority in the coming months.

-eddie

[solaraheno]

congrat on those wheels and tires... look nice with those wheels on...

[Russian Mafia]

Thank you guys for your comments.

As to suspension upgrades, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. I dont have time or money right now. And lowered car in winter is pain in the @ss. I might still do it tho. I just think that if change the springs then I should go all the way and get new shocks as well, or the whole set from Tein. But that's a lot of money for a car that I'm not gonna keep for more than 2-3 years.

[Grazi07]

I'm in RI and went all winter lowered on my 15" steelies... wasn't that bad....

[blacktsx]

I don't know...

at least I'm doing this set-up for my TSX

I'm gonna get TEIN BASICS instead of the spring/strut combo, height adjustable too...

does TEIN make the basics for the solara??

yeah....I like ur rims so much, that I may consider getting them myself

looks so clean

GOd bless

Kevin

[hskrsolara]

those look nearly identical to mine, but mine are chrome with a bigger lip. very nice choice.

[ruffrydasean]

AFAIK, You only have the Tein Coilovers, or the Tokico/Tein combo. Of course there are a couple other springs and struts out there.. but those are mostly what everyone gets. But no Tein Basics

[Duffman]

If you don't mind my asking, about how much was it for the package? I've actually been looking at getting the Kazera KZ-As for a long time now (waiting until I need to replace the tires), and seeing 'em in action... mmm...

[Russian Mafia]

these wheels are on sale at tirerack ($159) as well as this size tires ($107). Shipping was about 70 bux for the whole set. They put tires on wheels for free. So the whole package was about 1130. I was going to get 17 inch set, cuz that was supposed to be cheaper, but with this sales this 18 inch package came out to be cheaper then the same 17 inch package.

[Russian Mafia]

ok here are my first thoughts:

These tires are not for cold weather...dahh. Right now they are slightly better than my winter dunlops but they are also almost an inch wider. Today when I went into a turn kinda fast I had a feeling that my ass started sliding (very unsual). Usually my front wheels start sliding first and when i hit the breaks i feel ABS kicking in and i hear a lil squaeking from the tires. However, it's still 30-40 range here, way too cold for this kinda tires. That also must explain no squeaking, just too cold for that.

My first imressions were much better, and it was 50-60 then. So all I have to do is wait a lil.

[Solorange]

ok here are my first thoughts:

These tires are not for cold weather...dahh. Right now they are slightly better than my winter dunlops but they are also almost an inch wider. Today when I went into a turn kinda fast I had a feeling that my donkey started sliding (very unsual). Usually my front wheels start sliding first and when i hit the breaks i feel ABS kicking in and i hear a lil squaeking from the tires. However, it's still 30-40 range here, way too cold for this kinda tires. That also must explain no squeaking, just too cold for that.

My first imressions were much better, and it was 50-60 then. So all I have to do is wait a lil.

Hey it looks awsome! I should be posting my rims on my car next week once the rain washes all the salt away. I ended up with enkei evo-5's which look almost identical to your wheels except the color. At least I have a good idea now what it will look like! I looks like you got the ecsta mx's which are almost identical to my kumho ecsta spt's. They say your not suppose to use them in the winter. I bought my tires from tirerack cause it was cheaper from them than anywhere local. Right now the shop i bought the rims from our mounting mine! As far as being lowered in the winter. Its not a big deal at all. Its not any different than being at stock height. I would lower it, it only costs me $600 bucks for springs and struts and I did the rest myself.