All Terrain Tire

Initial Review, 3500 Miles on Tires
January 18, 2012

I just put my third pair on my Explorer. I have been averaging 55,000 per set and have driven them through every condition in this country: Cleveland winters, Oregon Springs, Chicago summer rain storms, Nevada 100+ temperatures, California Desert, a freak blizzard in AZ on I-40, Los Angeles traffic, Kentucky & Alabama summers, etc. I have driven the vehicle across country several times during both summer and winter months. I began using these tires (which came stock)on a new 2002 Explorer (purchased in 2001) and have never stopped. I average 30,000 miles a year on my vehicles and have always been impressed with the Michelins on my Explorers. My single complaint is that the 2006 Explorer came with 18" which consistently wear out much sooner about 55,000. My 2002 2WD had 16" and I consistently got 75,000 miles out of those. I diligently rotate every 5,000 miles when doing oil changes. Does size difference or 4WD contribute to faster wear? I'm sure the pros could debate it, but those are the facts. Either way the handling characteristics are excellent. I hear a rumor these tires are bing discontinued, I hope that's not true, after 10 plus years I wouldn't want to use any other tire on my Explorers!

Initial Review, 300 Miles on Tires
February 03, 2012

This is my 3rd set of Kumho tires ranging from mud terrain tires to performance tires. These tires are a great deal for the money and the quality is just as good as the more expensive tires. I cant wait to try these on some warm pavement in the summer when they get sticky. I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking for a replacement to the OEM tires at a very affordable price.

Initial Review, 95000 Miles on Tires
January 21, 2012

Amazing, I bought these roughly 4 years ago and have driven in just about anything with them. The tread is still there, but I am selling the truck. These tires are by far the best I have ever had on ANY vehicle. Little noise, OK traction in snow and water, and great traction in dry terrain. Simply amazing!

Initial Review, 10000 Miles on Tires
January 15, 2012

Bought these tires for my 06' f150 got over 10,000 on them and look like atleast 20,000 more to go for sure. My main concern in selecting tires is snow performance. This is my "good" truck as I like to say so i have a 1995 f150 on 37s for the dirty work in hunting season and hammering around the backwoods so i neeeded tires that were highway friendly and get great winter traction.. These tires are the best tires that I have ever run in the snow I dont worry about fresh heavy snowfall or back roads that arent maintained in the winter. I do use this truck to hunt out of town in the winter so I still needed tires to get me whereever i point it and these sure do. They stop great,bite great and turn perfect in all the winter conditions I have had them in and the price well you cant beat it. Im also considering buying them for my 95' in a 35 inch because i like them so much. ok I know im acting like these tires were sent from heaven or something but all in all I am very impressed with them and they do perform very well in all types of snow conditions and I actually feel safer with them on my truck I know i will be buying them again, I would recommend them to everyone if they want a great all terrain tire.

Initial Review, 1200 Miles on Tires
January 13, 2012

I was never a believer if snow tires, but I heard from one of the guys that I work with that the Winterforce tire is quite amazing (He runs a 2002 S-10 Blazer ZR2). So I decided to try them. These tires, simply put, are amazing. Not sure what a spirited driver means, but I have tried to make my car "push" and slide and it doesn't. These tires stick to the ground whether there is snow or ice underneath them. The car doesn't get pulled or ----ed in due to thick slush or unplowed snow. I always was a firm believer in all-terrains, but AT's have nothing on ice/snow what these Winterforce tires have.
Now when it snows, I dont want to stay in anymore; I want to go out and drive because the feeling of driving on pavement is especially awesome when your actually on layers of snow/ice!!

As a tip:
Last year I ran my 16" All-Terrain tires on my Cavalier (a 205/55/16 tire), this winter I am running 14" because I can run a thinner tire with a lot more side wall (185/75/14 tire). I also run with 4 snows for ultimate traction, even though the Cavalier is FWD. Now the only downfall that I have noticed so far is cornering stability on dry pavement, but I know that is due to the fact that I am running a much thinner tire with the bigger sidewall (greater traction through snow, more tire flex through corners).

Forgot to mention, I haven't seen a change in mileage at all. It has only been 3 tanks of gas so far.

Initial Review, 45000 Miles on Tires
January 18, 2012

This has been the third set of tires on my Jeep. I'm one of those guys that actually takes their Jeep offroad. Traction in Moab, Kansas, Oklahoma is great. Mud...great. Overall this is a MAJOR upgrade from the previous version and the wear pattern is great. I have about 45% tread left after 45,000 miles and I've just started to notice a degradation in snow traction. Having said that, it is still amazing.

Initial Review, 2000 Miles on Tires
October 18, 2010

I went with a dedicated winter tire since the stock Cross-Terrains, or basically anything in the OE size, just don't make it as a great winter tire. I bought these just in time for the big "Snowmageddon" in the Wash D.C. area in 2010, very glad I did.



These tires are simply incredible.



I have driven many, many miles in the snow, more than I care to think about. I have used chains, cables, whatever..these tires will put the biggest grin on your grill...promise.



Believe what others say, you will do in 2WD what others can't in 4WD..NO JOKE. I deliberatly went up a good 25-30 deg hill, in at least 12" of snow, stopped half way up, put back in 2WD, and it chugged up the hill no problem, barely any wheelspin. I went into a hard-packed neighborhood where the surface was glazed over..nearly ice to test the brakes. At about 20 MPH, I slammed the brakes and my coffee cup flipped forward out of the cup holder, it was in there pretty good, almost like summer tires on a wet road...unbelievable stopping power which is the biggest trait of a winter tire IMO...that alone will save you, others, and property damage.



I only have about 2K on them, tread looks very good, almost new. Here's the thing about this type of tire...the tread blocks are very soft, don't expect them to pull 1g of lateral force on an off-ramp, be realistic.



They will have more noise, this is normal.

They will have much higher treadwear, this is perfectly normal.

You must rotate them sooner to avoid rounding off the shoulders, don't fault the tire.



For a winter tire, they are very quiet, can hear them around 70 but again..it's a winter tire, this is normal.



Slightly squirmish on quick lane changes but this is normal, definately feel the difference.

With about 16" of snow, I was the only one out of my neighborhood aside from a neighbors very large silverado..and this is with about 9" of ground clearance on mine. I didn't need a running star

Initial Review, 600 Miles on Tires
October 12, 2011

This tire came with my new truck. Quite frankly, I'm embarrased for the manufacturer of my truck for the junk that they provide. They said that the tires that came on the truck are "All Terrain." They're not! The tire is pathetic. I am an outdoorsman, and I'm shy of going off the paved road because they don't perform in mud, or anything else off the beaten track. The winters are severe where I live, and I question the safety of the tire on compromised roads. With only 600 miles on them, tread wear is already noticable. I'll be replacing them as soon as I can afford it.

Initial Review, 70000 Miles on Tires
January 22, 2012

This review is for the Latitude Tour, not the HP version, I wish this was specified by he reviewers instead of relying on the dropdown box.

What frustrates me about reading reviews about ANY tire on this site, is when you read that someone rotates at 20K and complains about the wear and noise. If you are going to review a tire, take the initiative to care for them, before you slam them.

YOU MUST ROTATE YOUR TIRES AND HAVE THE BALANCE AND ALIGNMENT CHECKED REGULARLY!!! THIS IS NOT AN OPTION! Even if the tires don't shake since some vibrations are absorbed through the tire, as well as the chassis. When you feel the shake it's beyond the time to have them corrected so a regular visit is only a cup of coffee in the waiting room.

Now to business.

I had the Cross Terrains when I purchased the vehicle new and was a great tire, lasted 60K of spirited miles and was just ok in the snow, glad I had 4WD. I switched to a set of Kumho Ecsta's and lost 2-3 MPG, I cut my losses at 17K and went with the Latitude's

These are some really, really smooth and quiet tires....as far as highway traveling I don't think there is an equal to this tire. They are at their wear bars and are smooth. I check the pressures regularly, rotate at no more than 5K miles and have the alignment checked yearly. I have 70K miles on them and only have a couple areas of concern with them. Hydroplaning was a slight issue when at highway speeds, some slight wandering at 65 mph even when new but never had this issue with the cross-terrains, probably due to the larger channels but nonetheless was a concern a few times. I understand when it's raining I can't haul at raceway speeds but on I95 going 55 can land you in some traffic especially from behind. Snow traction wasn't the best either but again 4WD helps and I have dedicated winter tires for that chore. Fuel mileage stayed up the entire time and i would definately purchase again but may go with the Conti LX-20 mainly because of price.

Initial Review, 7000 Miles on Tires
September 12, 2008

Put these Wrangler SilentArmors on my Ranger FX4 about a year ago. After 7,000 miles I can definitely recommend these tires. Highway driving is very good for an all-terrain tire. They are quiet and have improved the handling characteristics of my truck. They provide good traction in the snow and ice, and I've been able to drive in conditions in 2WD that required 4WD before. I have also taken these tires off-road and they perform very well there also. Although I have not taken them on any extreme trails, they have done well on dry washboard, and slick rocks and muddy forest roads. Finally, the tread does not look like it has diminished at all after 7,000 miles.

Initial Review, 24000 Miles on Tires
January 20, 2012

I bought these tires after returning from Afghanistan in Sept of 2010. They still have about 75% tread left and I dog the snot out of them. I have found that they are little hard to clean if they get packed with mud or snow, but it's nothing a little wheel spin can't solve. The noise level is moderate but enjoyable. I've had them ibn Texas beach sand and they worked great and as well in Chicago snow (blizzard of 2011). I pulled out a 4" nail and pugged it right on the road side with little trouble. The sidewalls are suprisingly strong. I've hard them as low as 15psi and they never broke the bead. I plan on buying them in 37" next when these wear out in about a year.

Initial Review, 2000 Miles on Tires
November 09, 2011

I was looking for a balanced combination of handling, performance and all-season capability. I definitely found it in the Kumho Ecsta ASX.



So far, the tires have exceeded my expectations in almost every area. Dry and wet traction and cornering performance is far superior to the OEM tires with far les road noise and harshness. Wet performance was particularly impressive when a downpour dumped 2-3" of water on the freeway - the Kumhos shrugged the water off with little deflection and absolutely no hydroplaning.



Criticisms? Well, the only one is turn-in performance. The tires just don't turn as crisply as I'd like but, frankly, that's the trade-off I expected with all season tires. If handling was my primary concern, I would have purchased ultra high performance summer rubber. I'll gladly trade a bit of dry pavement handling for the security and comfort these tires provide in all kinds of weather.



And....Tire Rack deserves **kudos** for their efficient and speedy order fulfillment. I ordered tires and rims by phone on Thursday a few minutes after 12 noon and had mounted and balanced tires with new TPS valve stems at my door before 9:30am on Friday....amazing!



BTW, Hondas regularly get slammed for road noise, but I have to believe the OEM tire selection bears the most blame. I've replaced tires on a Honda CR-V (Yokohama all-terrain, all season), Acura TL (Kumho high performance summer) and now a V6 Accord (Kumho ultra high performance all season). In every case, ride comfort and road noise (and handling, too) improved significantly.

Initial Review, 20000 Miles on Tires
January 19, 2012

I bought an 05 wrangler Unlimited in Feb of 11, it had 33x12.50 KM2's on it when I bought it. I'm not sure how many miles on them when I bought it but they looked new-ish. I've put just over 20,000 on them since I bought it and I couldn't be happier. Here's what I voted and why; Dry Traction 10. Haven't been able to lift a tire yet, but that could be a function of the Jeep's lower power, big tires, and limited slip. Wet Traction 9 - Same as above. 5 - They don't shine very well here. We've had some ice or hardpack snow (the shiny stuff from being driven on) and the KM'2s do like to slide quite a bit, in my opinion. That's compared to some AT's I've had in the past, so take that as you will. Deep Snow Traction 10 - Of course we've been VERY low on snow this year but the first time it snowed I made it a point to try to find every drift I could to try the tires out, I was extremely surprised. 12.50" width probably helps but I found that the traction is great in the deep stuff, even at full PSI. Light Snow Traction 9- I've found that lighter snow is not QUITE as good as heavy snow, probably because of packing the snow down to a slippery hard pack like ice. Cornering Stability and Steering Responsiveness I marked N/A, because they're M/T's, not street slicks. And, They're on a lifted Jeep so both of those things ---- in general to try and judge a tire with. Ride Comfort 8 - They ride nice at about 25 PSI, any higher up towards the recommended top PSI and they get hard as a rock. Noise Level 8 - Not bad at all for an MT. Noisy when aired down past 25 but hardly noticeable over road noise (in a Jeep, mind you) at 30 PSI. Treadwear 9 - in the 20,000 miles I've put on them I neglected rotation and alignment and only had one tire go down fast. After I rotated and aligned, they stayed where they were at. Judging on the 20k I've put on, you could get 35k easy. Lots of dirt hill climbs, a little mud, many washout cracks, and some snow and I'm very impressed.

Initial Review, 18000 Miles on Tires
December 09, 2011

I love these tires and they do AWESOME in snow and mudd however I am a little dissappointed with the wear they have. I do not drive far to and from work nor do I drive a lot but with only 18,000 miles on this set I was hoping for more. I am already halfway if not a little more through the tread. On the plus side they are one of the more quiet mudd terrain tires I have had contact with.

Initial Review, 10000 Miles on Tires
January 06, 2012

I purchased these tires after reading all the good reviews. I live in the West Michigan snow belt. During the winter we consistantly get snowfalls of 8 to 12 inches in a few days. These tires replaced the OEM Michelin Cross Terrains I had on my 2006 GMC Envoy SLT. I purchased these LTX A/T 2 tires in the summer. At first I was impressed with the ride/noise quality as well as the responsiveness in cornering (especially for the more aggressive tread design), then I noticed my gas mileage. I lost about 2 to 3 mpg over the cross terrains (which you can expect with brand new all terrain tires). However, the handling in rain and wet pavement is excellent and was far better then the cross terrains. In deep snow (3 to 4 inches on road), my Envoy is an animal, inspiring confidence in driving. On ice and plowed (not salted) roads, not so much. I have had the ABS come on several times, even on slow stops, but even so, it's ice...I've had them on for about 10,000 miles and was impressed by the very little tread wear. I would buy these tires again as well as recommend them to a friend.

Initial Review, 6000 Miles on Tires
January 05, 2012

Unfortunately, the truck these tires were put on was totaled in an accident less than 9 months after getting the tires. But, they performed well in the short time they were in service, excellent snow and wet traction! Low noise for an all terrain tire - major surprise. Bottom line: even though my Ranger was 2wd, it had 4wd suspension and ride height and performed better with these tires than with even the OEM Firestone tires!

Initial Review, 27000 Miles on Tires
January 05, 2012

These tires lasted 27K miles before replacing them. For our terrain that has a lot of hills and diverse weather, this treadlife is average. Matched with my car, I had absolutely no problems in light snow and did pretty well in heavy snow. Cornering stability is ok when the car is pushed, but ride comfort is very nice. Overall, a good tire choice for this car.