So, after much debate with myself and my money, I decided to try a pair of the very competitively priced Shinko 003 Stealths in "Soft". Total price for the tires alone was right around $200 for the DRZSM, so even with mounting @ $15 tire, they were going to be close to $30 cheaper to try. I figured why not, and ordered a pair through Jim.
Mounted: Definitely heavier than any other tires I've had on here before. Reviewers on MCSuperstore had made statements to the same effect so I wasn't surprised. Tread reliefs seem to be numerous enough to provide good grip in the wet.
First Impressions: Coming off a cupped front and rounded-off rear pair of Continental Contiforces, these things were like butter. Smooth, consistent turn in, albeit perhaps a bit 'heavier' on the turn in due to the slightly heavier tires. No complaints here. Just felt like solid new tires.
Street, Dry: Wow. Was not expecting these tires to be this good. These feel just as good, if not better, than any other tire I have ridden on before. Contiforce, Bt016s, 2CTs, Pures, pretty much all of the mid and upper-mid level tires. With a little bit of wear on them over 100 or 200 miles, the turn in has become slightly progressive, but overall very linear.
I pushed them a bit the other day, and only had slippage on each tire happen once. The front pushed ever so slightly coming down Deer Creek while trail braking rather aggressively and the rear stepped out a bit in some of the rough shit on Squaw in the tight stuff near the Evergreen side. The front was definitely on me as the steering inputs may have been just a bit too much. The rear was suspension related to an issue I've needed to address for a while. I need to back of the preload on the rear a bit as sometimes it can jackhammer around in rough pavement.
Street, Wet: Had a chance to ride during some of the light rain we have gotten in the past week or two. I wasn't up in the canyons in the wet, but I rode nearly the same as I would in the dry. No faults in wet stability... even when I tried to get the cold rear to break loose (DRZSM, mind you) and it would not. Cold tire wheelies in the wet feel great.
Track, Dry: TBD. Haven't had a chance to hit IMI on them yet. Having said that, I feel very confident that by dropping the pressure a few PSI off street, that these things will be nearly as good as the Michilen race's I ran last year. If the rear feels a little hard, they do have the rear in a 'Supersoft' that could be worth trying. I'll update as I get a chance to head out there.
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Originally Posted by salsashark
