Kumho Car Tires

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
February 04, 2013

Huge difference comapred to the Ecsta ASX I was driving on before. Bought these totalyy off of the ratings I saw, as I was not happy with the previous set of Ecstas I had. Put these on my MINI andthe total driving experience is better that with the original tires that came with the car over 100,000 miles ago. Waiting to see how well they wear, but a big thumbs up for these.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
January 28, 2013

I bought Kumho Ecsta 4X to replace my Kumho Escta AST tires one year ago. Both models provide extremely quiet rides and I love how my car handles dry pavement with both models. However, the Ecsta AST was AWFUL in one inch of snow for my car. My car would fishtail from a dead stop on level pavement (even starting in 2nd gear) and go no where. The Ecsta 4X lets me drive in light snow storms, but my car still fishtails on turns, & has trouble stopping without sliding in less than 5 inches of snow. It doesn't snow many days where I live and I refuse to buy special snow tires when it snows less than 5 days each winter. I am very happy with the performance of these tires in rain & dry pavement, which is the type of weather I deal with 99% of the time.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
February 03, 2013

These tires perform extremely good for an all season tire. They feel more like a high performance summer tire than an all season. I had Kumho 4X before these and I sold them after 6 months because they felt so vague that I no longer enjoyed driving my car. These Dunlops transformed the car back to its glorious self. They have very good and linear response to steering inputs and feel very composed in the way they go down the road.

The Dunlops have very good dry and wet traction. Maybe a little less ultimate grip than the Kumho 4X, but more than enough for road driving. They are also reasonably good on snow and ice. Compared to Kumhos similar traction, but a little less cornering grip in winter conditions. They also have good comfort and noise levels, especially when you consider how responsive they are.

I would highly recommend these tires to anyone that needs some winter capability without sacrificing driving pleasure in the other 3 seasons. I will definitely buy another set of Dunlop SP Sport Signatures when it is time to replace them.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
January 11, 2013

Good all around performance. Nice balance of handling, comfort and value for a 3 season tire. Ride comfort may not be quite soft as some all season alternatives. Our car isn't soft to start with, and the tires can be a little stiff on rough pavement, seams, etc. They don't -----up city bumps like a touring tire. But the trade-off is crisp steering response, no jiggle in loaded corners, and no howls, squeals or complaints in fast cornering, or quick transitions. Despite the all-season rating, I wouldn't recommend it for winter. Tried it briefly, and they do not compare to our dedicated snow tires in snow/ice driving here in Denver. Noise is far better than the Pirelli factory tires. Since install, I've never made mental note of noise being an issue at all. A good option if you don't need all-out Summer Tire price/performance, but would like to avoid soft touring tire pitfalls, and get better wear and improved handling.

Initial Review, 60,000 Miles on Tires
January 10, 2013

I've purchased probably five sets of these tires over the years for commuter cars. I put them on two Camrys and a Solara. They ride well, handle well and wear evenly. They are an excellent value and will easily last 50,000 to 60,000 miles. They perform well on the highway, dirt roads and in wet/slick conditions. I previously drove about 900 miles a week on these tires. They would last about 18 months or 55-60,000 miles before I hit the wear bars.

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
January 26, 2013

Overall these were excellent tires. I was very happy with the performance. At 40000 I had to replace the tires due to side wear (concern that the steel belts would pop out and slash the tire). My mechanic feels my car should have been aligned and the tires should have been inflated more/checked more often. I admit that my low pressure warning light came on after a long drive in the summer time so I'm sure that didn't help. Also, when a cold snap hit recently I didn't check the pressure and a few days later the warning light came on again. My bad--I guess. That's why I gave it a 7/10 on treadwear...perhaps much of that was my fault but I can't take the tires out of the equation since I haven't had this problem in the past. Buying them again and watching the tire pressure like a hawk to determine if these tires are not pressure-stable or if it's human neglect.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
January 26, 2013

These tires were installed 6,000 miles ago to replace the worn out OEM Kumho Solus KH25's on my 2011 Sonata. Finally had a chance to use them in snow last night. The snow was very dry, crystalline type snow about 3 inches deep. The tires did fair. I was able to get around unencumbered, only having major difficulty going up a steep hill (I finally made it up the hill with traction control kicking in the entire time.) Aside from the hill episode, the tires did fair and I got home safely. The overall fuel economy of my car has dropped about 10% since having the Michelins installed. The tires are quiet, and ride well. Wet traction is competent but not exceptional. They will break loose on wet pavement if too much throttle is applied, but hydroplane resistance seems good when driving through standing water/puddles. There has been virtually no noticeable wear yet, which is to be expected. Still consider these tires overpriced, and not certain I would purchase Michelin tires in the future for this vehicle or any others.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
January 25, 2013

I did not want to spend much on the tires this go around. Previous tires on this car were goodyear eagles (lasted forever but scary in the wet)bridgestone potenza (good tire) and these really surprised me. They are almost as good as the more expensive bridgestones and for the 1000 miles I have on them if these tires all cost the same I would still take the Kumho today.

Initial Review, 1,100 Miles on Tires
January 05, 2013

I bought this set of tires as a replacement to OEM tires that I was not impressed with. Major improvement! Much quieter ride, more resposive, better wet traction. Searched reviews of tires this size for all season traction, we live in lake affect snow area and get lots of snow. These tires had better reviews than others in this size and category at a better price. I got to drive in a snow storm after Christmas and was impressed. They handled moderate snow very well. Had some trouble in deeper snow at intersections where the snow was deeper than the bottom of the car but they pulled me through. I highly recommend, will buy again!

Initial Review, 11,000 Miles on Tires
December 31, 2012

In the 23 years I've been driving I was never 100% happy with a set of OEM tires. However, this may be the first OEM tire I would highly consider buying again. Did I just say that?
I'm a "spirited" driver who has numerous track days under his belt so I know very well how tires act when pushed to their limits - and these have very predictable handling when pushed to that limit. Granted, this is my 1st SUV due to a new baby in the household, (at least it was thankfully available with a manual trans)I'm still very happy with them for the intended purpose of my dad-mobile. Add in a quiet and smooth ride and don't see any reason to switch to a different tire once these wear out.
Now, would I put them on my track car or sports sedan? Heck no. But on my SUV while roaming the mall parking lots and mean suburban streets (with the occasional highway on-ramp romp)... yes!

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
December 27, 2012

Replaced the OEM Hankook 727A tires,which I got 43000 miles out of, with these Kumho KH16 tires.Tires handle well on dry and wet.Only used with a trace of snow on ground one time,but seemed to grip well.Overall seems comparable to my previous Hankook tire for considerably less price per tire.Also road noise minimal and fairly smooth ride.Would recommend this tire for the price and value that it provides!The car that I have is a sporty subcompact.At the present time I have put approximately 4000 miles on these tires.I will update in a few months.These seem great so far!

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
December 28, 2012

This tire came from the factory with this tire. I have had this car since Aug. 2011 still on the same tires. only changed to my snow tires for last winter (4 months). I drive from Northern Ca. to Southern Ca. every month and sometimes multiple times a month. These tire have more than lived up to my expectations and the milage I have gotten out of them is great. I am now looking at replacing them with the same tire.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
January 11, 2013

This is an update to my previous review with a few more miles on the tires. Still very disappointing. We had some decent snow here a week or so ago, so I could test them. Braking traction is good in all conditions, but cornering is awful. I still feel slippage on turns in dry, wet, and snow conditions. It's interesting that traction in snow is about the same as wet pavement. All season? Not really-not even that great on dry pavement. Sporty? Not unless you like sliding through your turns. A step or two down from the Goodyears that came on the car and many steps down from the Dunlops.

Initial Review, 1,600 Miles on Tires
December 31, 2012

OEM tire on the 2013 Subaru Impreza with only 1600 miles on them and I'm already replacing them. Although the low mileage, these tires have seen it all in those miles. The wife and I drove up to Tahoe/Truckee for Christmas with her parents, during a snow storm no less and also have just returned from a long trip to SoCal after a visit with my parents. Being that these tires are new and on a AWD vehicle the traction in rain, heavy snow, and dry conditions have been decent and I accredit that to the AWD system mainly. The biggest and the most unacceptable quality of these tires is the noise. My ears are still ringing as I write this review. After 5 hours in the car with these tires I got on Tirerack.com and ordered new tires(Kumho Ecsta 4X)....as well as new wheels;)

For the price, I wouldn't recommend these tires...especially if you want to save your hearing.

Initial Review, 17,000 Miles on Tires
December 31, 2012

I read the reviews and made the decision to purchase the Kumho Ecsta 4x tires. They have been a good tire not great, but good. I don't drive fast, race rallies, or abuse tires, but the wear on these tires is very, very, excessive. After 17,000 miles I'm down to the wear bars on two of my four. According to the tire dealer it was my fault that I did not rotate the tires at the specified 5,000 mile interval. I waited a bit to long and did a rotation at 11,000 miles. Still I have never seen a tire wear this excessively just because I missed a rotation. They have worn evenly because of having the car aligned when they were rotated. Would I recommend these tires to someone, probably not. And since I failed to rotate the tires at the required 5,000 mile interval, the Kumho warranty does not apply. My fault, but in my opinion the tires should of lasted much longer than 17,000 miles, they are a 40,000 mile tire.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
January 01, 2013

Ok, this is a follow-up review of the tire since I have approximately 10k on them now.
This tire has, so far, been great. Int he 10k that I've have had them, I have only had to get them rebalanced once, even then, the vibe was barely noticeable and only at higher speed (70+).

Dry traction: Great. The tire is very responsive with no real surprises. I can blast through some 90 degree corners full throttle exit and the car doesn't miss a beat; doesn't slide, doesn't shimmy or anything. Straight line acceleration could be a bit better, however, with my rear tires being at -2.0° camber, it's no surprise that it doesn't hook the greatest.
Dry braking is excellent. These tires make it stop on a dime (be mindful of the people behind you so you don't get rear-ended).

Wet: Still very good. Wet driving is very good. The tire instill confidence that you're very well adhered to the road. Wet braking is as good as dry, which was very surprising. Wet cornering is predictable. I don't drive spirited when wet so there were no surprises with these tires. Straightline acceleration is as it was before, with less than half throttle, traction control freaks out until I let off. So no change there.
Hydroplaning resistance is also great, went through a torrential downpour didn't slide at all.

Wear: with approximately 10k on these, there really isn't much wear to speak of (I had the car aligned right after getting the tires). Still more than 70% tread left. I'm getting some slight chopping on the fronts, but that's from the piss-poor dealer alignment (had to take it back 5 times and it's still not right).
People that are getting really poor treadwear from these tires either (1)driving on underinflated tires, or (2)didn't align their car after getting new tires or (3)both.

Snow and ice: Got "caught" coming home in some light snow and ice. Don't even think of driving on the snow with these. No traction whatsoever. Although, there didn't seem to be any problems on ice.

Initial Review, 13,000 Miles on Tires
January 08, 2013

Most feedback is via my son who owns and drives this car. In heavy rain and tire ruts in the freeway he has experienced slight hydroplaning. He is happy with the tires so far. Little or no exposure to snow or ice.