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Old 12-06-2010, 11:04 PM
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Crazy_pilot Crazy_pilot is offline
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Product Review: General Exclaim UHP Tires

I wasn't really sure where to stick this, so mods feel free to move it wherever you deem appropriate.

I've had the Exclaim UHPs on my car for 3 summers now and I know they're a popular option due to their pricing, so I thought I'd put up my experience with them. I'm running 245/40/17 size on my 17x8 BBS rims. They're a hair wide for the wheel size, a 235 would probably be the ideal fit, but I like the meaty look and the slight bulge of the sidewall has saved my rims a couple times at highway toll boths.

Pro's:

-Excellent pricing. I paid ~$580 for my set, although I do get a very good deal through my shop.
-Very good wear life. I've had them on for 3 years and wouldn't be surprised to get another 2 out of them. Five summers is excellent longevity for a performance tire. Now, that being said I don't beat on them.
-Great wet traction. I mean really good. The tread blocks are small compared to other performance tires, so the open area and channels do an excellent job of clearing water. I've never felt uncomfortable even in the heaviest rain.

Con's:

-MUSHY SIDEWALLS! This is the biggest downer to these. I run mine at very high pressures in an attempt to get some stiffness out of them, but it's a lost cause. It was acceptable on the stock suspension but now that I'm on coilovers I can feel every bit of wobble in the tires. They don't take kindly to a stiff suspension setup and feel like jello under the car.
-Mediocre dry grip. Really nothing special here. Not completely awful, but certainly "meh".
-Noise. I'd say the road noise is moderate. Not intolerable, but they're worse than my Blizzak snows were (when I still drove the SVX in the winter).

Overall I'd wouldn't say they're a bad setup. The Exclaim's were the first set of performance tires I tried out, so my initial opinion wasn't very useful, but now that I've had a god a different setups and tried other rubber I give these a failing grade as an "Ultra High Performance" tire. I would classify them as an aggressive touring tire, nothing more.

When I buy new rims, wear these out, or get a flat that can't be repaired I'm planning on trying out the Dunlop Star Specs.
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92 Ebony Mica LS-L "A Rolling Restoration": 223,250 KM - Sleeping
2007 STi 6MT, Stance GR+ coilovers, PWR Rad, JDM hood badge, svxfiles 6000K HIDs, JDM Clear Corners, $15/15 min mod, $20/20 min mod, Energy Swaybar Bushings, Hella Supertones horns, Gold STi BBS rims, Group A lightweight crank pulley, A/C system removed, Custom header-back exhaust, Hybrid carbon/metal rear sway bar, restored headlights with CCFL halos
2008 Subaru Legacy Spec B - Diamond Grey Metallic - Sold
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