For drivers of sporty sedans, coupes, and crossovers, summer or ultra-high-performance (UHP) tires can be a great way to get the most out of your vehicle’s performance and really push the envelope of cornering, handling, steering response, and braking traction. Summer and UHP tires are designed to better handle the high G-forces of hard cornering and braking, and to deliver lots of torque and horsepower to the road with dependable traction in wet or dry conditions.

The Sumitomo HTR Z5 is a great example of that kind of enhanced performance. It delivers everything you’d expect from a summer or UHP tire, without any serious tradeoffs in ride quality, noise level, or road manners, and it’s a good choice for a wide range of sporty vehicles. If you’re that kind of driver with that kind of vehicle and you’re looking for a fun (and safe) driving experience in a tire that’s also great for daily-driver duties, this could be the tire for you.

But don’t just take our word for it, let’s break it down a little more with this Sumitomo HTR Z5 review.

Features and Benefits

Here’s just some of what you can expect with the Sumitomo HTR Z5, all of which makes it such a great performer and a great value in a summer/UHP tire:

• Wide circumferential grooves channel water away from the tire’s contact patch to resist hydroplaning effect on wet roads
• Shoulder and contact patch are designed to evenly distribute the forces and inertia of cornering and braking for consistent steering response and long, even tread wear
• Tread area is designed for increased rigidity, enhancing cornering ability while still delivering a comfortable ride
• Internal construction includes a nylon casing with two steel belts, spiral wound nylon cap layer, and a hard apex that strengthens the shoulder and sidewall
• Advanced tread formulation is designed for amazing wet or dry-weather traction and control
• Tread pitch is randomized and computer tuned to help keep road noise to a minimum

Pros and Cons

Like most summer and UHP tires, the Sumitomo HTR Z5 has several pros and a few cons:

PROS:

• Low price point and a great value
• Traction, braking, and cornering are all great on wet or dry roads
• Ride quality is better than average for summer or UHP tires

CONS:

• Not suitable for colder temperatures
• No limited manufacturer tread life warranty

SimpleTire’s view on Sumitomo HTR Z5 tires

Sumitomo may not be as familiar a name to American drivers as other brands, but the company has been around since 1909, and they partnered with Dunlop early in their history. In addition to tires, Sumitomo has been known for making tennis balls, golf balls, and a whole variety of other rubber products.

When it comes to the Sumitomo HTR Z5, this has become a pretty popular tire with the high-speed tuner car crowd. It’s more affordable compared to some other competition, it’s stable at high speeds, and it delivers cornering, braking, and steering response performance that are almost at racetrack level. That performance doesn’t mean a sacrifice in road manners or ride quality, though – the HTR Z5 is a comfortable and quiet tire on the highway, with civilized behavior, and good isolation of road bumps and irregularities. In other words, it’s a tire that’s just as well suited for daily driver chores and errands as it is for the skidpad or a twisty mountain road. Reviews point to this tire being especially a good fit for lighter vehicles (such as tuner-cars).

Now, as for the cons: no, the Sumitomo HTR Z5 isn’t suitable for colder weather, as a summer/UHP tire. Summer/UHP tires use a softer, stickier, more pliable rubber formulation that’s designed for great adhesion to road surfaces, but it’ll stiffen up and lose traction in colder weather. Summer/UHP tires are designed to not be used if temperatures are below 45 degrees F, and reviews report that the Sumitomo HTR Z5 will develop cracking issues (which aren’t covered by warranty) at temperatures of 20 degrees or below. And no, the Sumitomo HTR Z5 isn’t covered by a manufacturer’s tread life warranty – most summer/UHP tires aren’t – but Sumitomo does offer comprehensive coverage against defects. All in all, a high-performance car needs a high-performance tire, and the bill can run up pretty quickly for those tires. The Sumitomo HTR Z5 is a tire that delivers that kind of performance and confidence at a price that won’t clean out your checking account.

Vehicles the Sumitomo HTR Z5 is a good replacement tire for

Consider purchasing a set of Sumitomo HTR Z5 tires if you own an:

• Acura Integra
• Alfa Romeo Giulia
• Audi RS3
• BMW M3
• Chevrolet Camaro
• Dodge Charger
• Ford Fiesta
• Honda Civic Si
• Hyundai Elantra
• Kia Stinger
• Mazda MX-5 Miata
• Nissan 370Z
• Porsche Taycan
• Toyota Supra
• Volkswagen GTI