# Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires?



## vw mofo (Mar 5, 1999)

I'm running HTRZ-2's on my corrado in 205-40-17 and these things flat out suck. They only have at most 6000 miles on them and are loud as hell and vibrate like a bastard from 68-75MPH. I've had them checked for round and balance (wheels are fine) and they check out. I was talking with another guy who had them on his car and said the same thing happened to him at around the same mileage.
So, do these tires just suck that bad or did I just get lucky and end up with a really ****ty set?


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## soot (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (kkozma)*

you're not alone 
i just got mine friday and noticed 
that my steering wheel vibrated at 
around those same speeds. thing 
is though it doesnt always happen








edit: but they're not loud


[Modified by soot, 5:47 PM 3-25-2002]


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## vw mofo (Mar 5, 1999)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (soot)*

quote:[HR][/HR]you're not alone 
i just got mine friday and noticed 
that my steering wheel vibrated at 
around those same speeds. thing 
is though it doesnt always happen







[HR][/HR]​So I'm not loosing my mind then. I wasn't sure if it was just me or if the vibration sometimes happened and sometimes not, and other times its at different speeds.
Anyone else?


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## Eric @ TIRE RACK (Jan 27, 2000)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (kkozma)*

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=143355 
I've owned 'em and they stayed quiet. I did my share of sliding the car around corners. If it's 6k without a rotation theres your answer.


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## tastydub (Aug 13, 2000)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (kkozma)*

I've had them for about 5K miles and no problems, quiet.


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## vw mofo (Mar 5, 1999)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? ([email protected])*

quote:[HR][/HR]I've owned 'em and they stayed quiet. I did my share of sliding the car around corners. If it's 6k without a rotation theres your answer.[HR][/HR]​Eric, I know they're supposed to be good tires, thats why I bought them, but this is plain outright BS. I didn't buy them from you guys and I have already spoken with the proper people and have a course of action. There are a few other factors in play that I need to address before I waranty them. I have 153k on the original suspension (new one on the way) and then after its installed, I'm going to have the tires removed from the wheels, have the wheels checked and then get them re-balanced. Hopefully this will get taken care of as I do like how the tires grip.
I rotated them at about 3500-4000 which is what I have ALWAYS done with any other tire I've owned and the only ones that gave me any problems like this were a set of POS Pirelli's (P600's) I bought at Sams club that completely wore out after 20,000 miles.
If the recommended rotation time is less than that, thats pretty much unaccpetable and is something I should have looked into before purchasing them. You can bet this is the last set of Sumitomo's I ever buy. Hell I drove 10,000 miles on my GTI before I rotated the tires it came with and they were fine.


[Modified by kkozma, 7:56 PM 3-25-2002]


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## rensho (Jan 21, 2002)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (kkozma)*

I have these on my miata and have no issues with them. They stick and are quiet. Seem to last long too. I'm thinking about buying them again.
Sorry to hear they are not working for you.
I like them much much better than the P7000s, which are louder and don't stick as well.


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## RiskMan (Jul 21, 1999)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (kkozma)*

Keith, I have a set of cheap Sumi's (HTR 4's) that I got from Eric at Tire Rack to replace the junk tires the Jetta came with. They have been fine on two sets of wheels, no noise and no vibration. Check your area for a shop with the Hunter GSP9700, it's an amazing tool for finding and fixing vibration problems. See http://www.hunter.com.


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## chilipepperxxx (Feb 20, 2001)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (RiskMan)*

I can't say much because I have only had them for 2,500 miles, but so far they have been extremely quiet, they stick very well, and there is no vibration or anything. This is way more than what I expected from a tire of that price. They were only $99 each for 225/45-17!


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## NiteQwill (Nov 5, 1999)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (chilipepperxxx)*

I have 14K mi on my HTR ZII 225/45*ZR*17, and they're fine. Obviously a tad louder than when they were first bought, but they grip and stay in-line as if i just got them mounted and balance.
imho, these were the best tires I've had so far on my car (in the price range) http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 


[Modified by NiteQwill, 11:36 PM 3-25-2002]


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## vw mofo (Mar 5, 1999)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (NiteQwill)*

You know this is a similar response to when I bought the things. Like I said, I LOVE how these tires grip and the performance is excellent, but I must have gotten a bum set or something.
I'm willing to bet a belt shifted in one or more of them. I'll keep you guys updated as to what I find out after I get the new suspension on and have the tires looked at again.








Larry: Thanks for the tip on that machine. I found a ton of those things in my area and one is at an EXCELLENT tire shop. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


[Modified by kkozma, 7:53 AM 3-26-2002]


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## vw mofo (Mar 5, 1999)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (kkozma)*

You know.. I just thought of something... Last year when the tires were un-rotated I could feel the vibration through my steering wheel. Well now I only feel the vibration through the seats and floor which means that it is coming from the rear. 
I went to the Dyno back in early November. Before I went I put my stockers back on the front. When I drove the car to the shop, I did not feel the vibration. I got one run done and then I put the 17's back on. You could physically see the driverside front wheel moving up and down. I wonder if its just that one that is fubar?
See for your self...
15" wheels Dyno Run 
Notice they spin smoothly
17" wheels Dyno Run
Watch the side of the car moving up and down in the very beginning of the video.
I bet its only that wheel/tire!
Those tires are now on the rear so I guess I need to do some real word testing with my 15's this weekend and see what happens.
On another side note, that wheel is the only one I have that has any damage on it. I took it through an automatic car wash once and the track on the floor scraped up that wheel pretty badly, only paint missing no physical damage I can see. I wonder if it got slightly bent? Hmmm... Guess its time to have that particular wheel and tire looked at again VERY closely...


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## vw mofo (Mar 5, 1999)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (vw mofo)*

I just thought I'd give an update... I replaced my suspension and the vibration is gone. I guess I had a bad strut or shock..


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## chilipepperxxx (Feb 20, 2001)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (vw mofo)*

Well, I am glad you found the problem.







Now you can like the Sumis again!


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## vw mofo (Mar 5, 1999)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (chilipepperxxx)*

Yup! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
I still don't think I'll buy another set however... There's too many other choices out there. Plus the lip guard isn't big enough on these things and I curbed a wheel because of it...


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## c1gti (Jul 19, 2001)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (vw mofo)*

maybe you curbed a wheel because you hit a curb?









sorry that happened, that really sucks.


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## vw mofo (Mar 5, 1999)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (c1gti)*

Well yes, but.... If the lip guard did anything or was larger like other tire brands it wouldn't have happend. I BARELY grazed the curb... Really sucks too, because I'm anal and now I have to buy another rim.


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## c1gti (Jul 19, 2001)

*Re: Anyone else have problems with Sumitomo tires? (vw mofo)*

yeah. it's true it's a plus to have a nice lip gaurd.
i was only joking around, i couldn't resist.


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