Same position as you....18k miles, needed new tires. Had three tires in my list: Bridgestone Potenza S0-3s, Pirelli Pzero Asymmetricos, Michelin Pilot Sports. Decided to get SO-3s...got a great deal for them at America's Tires (or America's Discount Tires). Paid $200 for the front, $240 for rear...can't beat that price, even vs. Tirerack. I have no idea why they decided to bless me with this price discount....I didn't even realize this until I checked the latest tire prices at tirerack.com. $200 is a damn good deal...maybe they screwed up and gave me the wrong price!<br>
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I also looked at Kumhos (Ecsta 712, I think), and I decided that saving $50 per tire just wasn't worth it. I could either save $200-$250 buying Kumhos, or I could buy the tires I want. Kumho tires seem like a great deal and get great reviews, but I feel more comfortable with companies like Pirelli, Bridgestone, Michelin, etc. Maybe I'm too concerned with the 'name' thing, but my feeling is, I spent a lot of money for this car, I take care of this car, and I want the best for it and myself.<br>
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Now if I were looking at Michelin Pilot Sports ($280/$330) compared to buying Kumhos ($140/$150), I would have some second thoughts. But I went the and tried to find the best available tires for $200. In addition, there are plenty of solid tires around the $200 range (Dunlop, Yokohama, etc). But I like my SO-3s so far.