Kumho

Initial Review, 2,100 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

The original Nexen CP662 were surprisingly good for OEM tires, but these Kumhos are awesome. They're categorized as Ultra High Performance All Season, and they're all of that, yet they don't look like anything special. Under aggressive acceleration, wet or dry, the tires spin no more than half a revolution, then ferociously bite the pavement. The car seemingly rides on rails and the understeer threshold is much higher and more predictable. At under $90 each, they're an incredible bargain.

Initial Review, 1,200 Miles on Tires
January 06, 2013

I have a pair of these on the rear axle (Walmart Goodyear Wrangler Radials on front axle) of my 2WD Explorer. We got 7" of snow day after Christmas and five more inches a couple nights later. I had to get into our self-storage place and it hadn't been plowed. I had no issue plowing through the deep stuff. Got hung up occasionally in some big drifts but just backed off and gave it some onion and these babies dug right in to keep me moving.
The sidewalls on these tires have stylish ribs to help get through the snow and they pay off. I highly recommend these to anyone in the market for a good AT tire to help in the snow if you aren't wanting to hassle changing to a "winter specific" tire.

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
March 10, 2013

Ok people I am going to be straight forward as I see people complaining about this tire. Look it is pretty much the cheapest tire you will get off tire rack. If you want quailty then pay more. You get what you pay for. Overall it is a good tire. I have only put 100 miles on them so this is a glimpse and I will do another review in the furture. It performs great during the dry but have not had them in the rain yet. It does not snow too often where I live so I cannot say about its snow ability. The tire is a little loud when driving and is not the smoothest of rides. I have even babied them and its still a rough drive. I'm not the best driver so I am used to it. C'mon people its a low profile tire of course its not going to be smooth. I am just hoping I get better tread wear than the other reviews. The way I drive I am probably going to eat through the tread anyways. I think it is more of a track tire than a daily driver. It would be perfect for a car that is only driven on the weekends. Just my opinion.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
March 08, 2013

This is the 4th set I have had of the Kuhmo Platinum. They are the most amazing tires I have ever owned. I have gone through sets of Michelins like candy. The Kuhmo's are superior in ride, handling and wearability. I highly recommend them

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 09, 2013

These tires have been wonderful. I have excellent traction. Was really impressed with how well they did in the snow. I have a smooth ride with wonderful handling. Would buy these tires again.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 13, 2013

I bought this tire to replace my Kumho Solus KL21 which were worn, i purchased these tires on recomendation by Tire rack and Pirelli, what a mistake, they rode like a rock and made the santa fe move all around and were noisey on cracked ashphalt and our groved freeway roads, I tryed differant air pressures but gave up I called Pirelli to complain and the customer rep. said sorry but they would-not exchange theses tires for a differant pirelli tire even if I payed the differance, so I took them off at 1000 miles and bought Michelin Primacy MHV4 A/S tires what a differance in the ride and quietness the best tires I ever rode on in any SUV. in closing pay the extra money and get better tires on any vehicle!!

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 23, 2013

I bought the Kumho tires 5 weeks ago to replace original equipment Bridgestones. The difference in road noise and ride comfort was like evolving from primative Flinstone stone tires to a modern Jetson smooth ride. Handling characteristics on dry and wet roads are excellent. Sorry, I can not comment on ice and snow as I live in SW Florida. I will so definately buy these tires again, in fact I will be ordering the same type tires next week for my MINI Cooper S.

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

The OEM tires worn out at 33,000 miles which is utterly shameful. I've only driven this set of Kumho tires for about a 1000 miles but the car is definitely handling snow in northeast like a champ. It now cuts across 6-8 inches of snow with ease. Wet traction is also excellent assuming no excessive speeding. These tires have been very quiet at all speed so far. The only knock against these tire would be losing 2-3 MPG when compared against my original low rolling resistance tires. But overall I gladly take the trade off with increased wet/dry traction, quietness, and longer tread wear for the MPG loss.

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
January 08, 2013

Initially there is a tire pull or torque steer with these tires upon acceleration and deceleration. I had them rotated and most of that issue is gone. These are directional tires so it's hard to figure out which tire has the manufacturing issue causing the tire pull. The Sumitumos that were on it before dd not have this issue.

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
January 27, 2013

So far these tires have met all my expectations. They do seem to be wearing a lot longer and better than the Kumho's they replaced. That's considering they went through two intense days at Road America for a HPDE. Speaking of which, the tires communicated well, and provided huge grip for a street tire. Short of a dedicated R-compound or DOT legal slick, these tires are the top for dry grip; better yet these tires can also handle real wet days. My car is a fairly heavy, rear drive V8 and they griped the road with authority. I know they cost twice what several other brands cost in the Max performance category, but it seems like I'm getting twice the wear out of them for a car that does street and track. If you're a drifter looking for some tires to smoke up in an event, save your money and get something else cheap. If you're looking for a street tire that can handle its own at the racetrack, this is it.

Initial Review, 27,000 Miles on Tires
February 23, 2013

I love the tire, but I'm disappointed on the mileage. Not sure what what type of warranty service I'll get. I was only able to get 27,000 miles on a 40 k tire.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
January 29, 2013

I've had Continental ProContact, BF Goodrich, other, I don't remeber the brands through my long driving history and had never had Michelin tires before.
Purchased these tires to replace Yokohama AVID ENVigor that lasted about 35000-40000 mi until they became bold. A difference in ride became obvious and noticeable right away. The ride became more solid and soft: a softer feel when driving over bumps or rough joints on a freeway, the car became more stable at cornering when making a sharp turn or taking a ramp to exit/enter a freeway. Winter traction and hydroplaning are excellent. Civic is a light car, so of course, it will be sliding from side to side on the snow or side wind when driving on a freeway but with these tires, the car is stable on the snow surface and the same when driving over puddles that gather along dividing wall on freeways. No hydroplaning at all. Yokahama were good tires but the car felt lighter with them and with the Defenders, the car ride has improved significantly. However, fuel economy decreased maybe by 1-2 mpg which is not a big deal. Since this Michelin Defender is made from a different compound than Yokohama, it is probably softer which, in turn, results in a slightly lower fuel economy. I drive 60-70 miles a day. 30 miles to and from work + around the area where I live. I usually put from 1500 to 2000 mi a month. From now on, I will be only opting for Michelin tires. You cannot go wrong with a classic old brand and no more those Kumho, Yokahama and other crappy Chinese or Taiwanese brands. It is like comparing BMW and Honda in a ride quality. Also Michelin claims that they will last for 90k mi here:
which I doubt. I'd like to see it at least how they will be wearing out after 25-30k miles on them if I don't change the car before that. Recommended.

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
February 24, 2013

I live in the UAE and these tires have turned out to be a very good, inexpensive, on/off road tire. They have given 3 years of use mounted on a relatively light, short-wheel base 4x4. If it wasn't for local laws stating that I have to replace them due to the manufacturing date, I could probably get another 20,000 miles from them. The original tire size was 235x75R15.
In the sand, I run them at 12-15 psi and have never had a problem getting stuck in normal running. If the sand is very soft 10 psi lets me float over the dunes.
They have also been very good on-road tires, quiet with good grip around corners even when pushing hard. Can't report on how they handle on wet roads, doesn't rain here enough to give an honest report.
I like them so much I bought another set of the same tires for the truck last weekend.

Initial Review, 0 Miles on Tires
February 25, 2013

Tire was purchased as a spare for a Hyundai Elantra, since the car did not come with one. Was able to get it mounted at a local tire store. Have not needed to use the tire yet.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
January 08, 2013

My wife drives the car primarily, but I get enough time behind the wheel both in city and on the highway. These tires seem to be wearing well so far. They are due for rotation, but haven't shown any significant disparity between the front and rear. They have been very competent in the wet weather especially under braking which was a key feature in choosing this tire for this area. Also very good value and the 205/55 x 15 is not as available of a size as it used to be. It allowed for a slight bump up in tread width from the stock 195/60. I'm glad Kumho offers it. I would buy this tire again based on value and above average performance.

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
February 19, 2013

The difference in tire noise from this and all other tires I've tried is magnificent. It's like driving an entirely different car. My Conti Extreme Contact DWS I previously purchased had much stiffer and tighter control on dry and wet pavement, but were so loud they could drown out the stereo and wind noise even at highway speeds and volumes.

One drawback that I noted in other reviews of the tire was an issue with flat spots after parking the car for more than a day or two. It's noticeable, and I'm not sure whether it causes permanent wear issues with the tires, but will provide another review with more miles on them again later. The flat spots seem to go away after about 20 minutes of highway speed driving.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 12, 2013

Tires seem to have better traction (both wet and dry) and ride quality that the Kumho ASX's I had on the car previously. Seems to be a much better made tire. Hopefully I can get more than 24K miles on these, as this has been the most mileage I have gotten off of any of the ultra high performance all season tires I have had on my MazdaSpeed 6.

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
February 19, 2013

I'm in Texas, so winter-driving is rare. If there is snow, everything here closes. Anyway, this is the tire you should get. I've gone through the O. E. tires, mmhee... reasonable. Then a set of Kumho tires that did alright, but wore down quickly. These tires are barely showing signs of aging. Road noise is hardly there. I feel very confident driving on these through the rain, too.
So:
They are quiet.
They are lasting for a long time.
Never a concern in the rain.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
February 13, 2013

This is the 5th different tire that I have tried for my 2003 Cobra which is upgraded to 500 HP and 600 Ft-Lbs at the rear wheels, so finding a tire that can get going off the line has been a struggle. I can say that OVERALL, these are the best tires I have ever owned, but they are also the most expensive. The responsiveness and ride comfort/noise level are better than the two different Kumho and Goodyears that I have had. The Kumho XS had a bit better traction from a dead stop, but they are softer so that is to be expected. Cornering grip and off the line grip is great for a tire that should last 20,000 miles, however, like the description says, these tires DO NOT WORK WELL IN COLD TEMPS!!! When it is below about 40 to 45 degrees it's like driving in the wet until the tires are warmed up which can take a few miles, and even then the performance is FAR lower than when the temps are above 50 to 60 degrees. Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase, and had I not upgraded the car to a 208 ZO6 Corvette I would have purchased them again. I had put about 10,000 miles on the tires when I sold it and there was about 65% treadlife remaining on the fronts (265-35-18), and about 50% left on the rears (315-30-18), and that is with quite a few smokey take-offs... 20,000 was what I was hoping for and would have gotten there no problem. The only other tires I had for the car that lasted that long was the Kumho XS, which I would rate as a close second, (probably a tie in performance ratings) but I could never get them balanced so there wasn't a shake over 100 mph, and once the treadlife was below 50% they were a bit sketchy in heavy rain, but that is somewhat to be expected for that type of tire.