Kumho Tire is a Korean company that has been in business since the 1960s. Its products are regarded as being high quality and high value, as it offers a wide variety of tires at reasonable prices. Its tires haven’t reached the level of saturation in motorsport and popular culture that brands like Michelin and Pirelli have attained, but Kumho has a strong reputation with enthusiasts and drivers of all types.
The Kumho Ecsta PA51 tire offers incredible grip in a huge range of conditions. Its tread compound maintains performance in wet and dry conditions, and Kumho says the tread pattern delivers decent snow traction.
Specs:
The Kumho Solus TA11 tire offers great value and will keep you rolling through all seasons. It features a unique sidewall design that helps distribute weight and tension, which improves longevity and performance. A unique shoulder design and four deep grooves in the tread improve hydroplaning resistance and traction in winter weather.
Specs:
The Kumho Ecsta V720 tire falls behind the Ecsta PA51, but only slightly and only because the tire is only suitable for summer driving. Though not intended for track use, the V720 delivers strong dry and wet performance on the road, and the asymmetric tread pattern helps prevent hydroplaning and improves cornering speeds. Where the PA51 is a good year-round performance tire, the V720s should be stored or swapped when the weather turns cold.
Specs:
The Kumho Crugen HP71 tires are specifically designed for trucks, crossovers, and SUVs.
They deliver a quiet, smooth ride with great year-round traction. Kumho says the tires’ quiet-riding design also reduces stress and promotes longevity. Four circumferential grooves channel water from the center of the tire tread, and the specially designed tread blocks give the Crugen tires solid winter grip.
Specs:
Kumho’s Road Venture AT51 tires are designed for off-road use on a pickup truck, and they offer excellent performance when the pavement ends. The tread pattern helps ensure durability and traction over rough terrain, and Kumho says the tires offer solid traction on loose surfaces.
Specs:
The Kumho Road Venture MT KL71 tire was designed specifically for maximum traction in hardcore off-road situations.
The tread compounds are chip- and cut-resistant, and the sidewalls can stand up to the toughest terrain and maximum abuse.
Specs:
Everything is more expensive these days, especially tires, so it’s important to get the most out of the money you spend. Kumho tires offer excellent performance and great longevity, and they won’t break your budget in the process. You won’t find great winter tire options here, but for nearly everything else, Kumho has you covered.
Kumho’s factories are in South Korea. The company operates three facilities in the country, where its tires are produced for global markets.
The company makes a few different winter tire models, but none are readily available via online retailers.
You may have luck with a local retailer, but major tire sellers like Tire Rack and Discount Tire do not sell Kumho’s winter tires. Read more on the Best Winter Tires here.
Hankook is more established in motorsport and may be a more recognizable brand for many, but Kumho’s tires are as good as, if not better than, Hankook’s in many cases.
Yes, depending on the tire, you may find treadwear warranties as long as 75,000 miles in some cases.
Several online retailers like Tire Rack offer regular discounts and free shipping for their tires. Their sites also have tire fit guides and pricing estimators to help you understand what you’re buying. Read more on the Best Places to Buy Tires Online and Save Hundreds here.
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Kumho is among the most affordable tires in the market. So it would be great to see how their products differ from a heavyweight brand like Michelin.
In this comparison of Kumho vs Michelin tires, we will look at different categories, including performance, touring, and winter tires. I will also add some customer reviews of both companies’ products.
This way, you will be able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the two brands.
Table of Contents
CostKumho
Pros
Cons
Michelin
Pros
Cons
Kumho is a tire company founded in Gwangju, South Korea by Park In-chon in 1960. It was initially known as Samyang Tire before the name change in 1996. The brand started exporting tires in East Asia before exploring the global market.
In 1963, Kumho strengthened its connections in the US by establishing ties with Uniroyal, a US tire company.
The company then proceeded to expand activities in the UK with the creation of the subsidiary Kumho Tyre in 1977.
Is Kumho a good tire brand? At present, Kumho is a popular name in the tire industry, ranking as the 16th largest in the world. The brand manufactures original equipment tires for some large car brands, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Ford, proving that it is trusted in the industry.
Michelin is one of the leading brands today in the tire industry. According to Statista, Michelin ranked 2nd globally in terms of tire-related revenue in 2020.
It started as a small rubber company in France in 1889, founded by the Michelin brothers Andre and Edouard. The brand produced a lot of innovative tires that greatly contributed to the industry.
Some of Michelin’s remarkable inventions are the removable pneumatic tire, run-flat tire, and radial tire. Currently, the company is producing products for airplanes, bicycles, and motorsport vehicles aside from their car tires.
First of all, let us assess Kumho tires vs Michelin in terms of different categories. Kumho has excellent designs for all-season and performance tires. Let’s see if it can compete with Michelin.
Despite being a smaller brand, Kumho is well-regarded when it comes to performance tires. Among the top-rated performance options of Kumho is the Ecsta PS31. I will compare it to one of Michelin’s most popular tires, the Pilot Sport 4S.
The Kumho Ecsta PS31 showed balanced levels of wet and dry traction based on the tests conducted by Tire Rack. However, its steering responsiveness is quite lacking, failing to meet the expectations for an ultra high-performance tire.
On the other hand, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S showed excellent response to steering inputs. It also got high scores overall on wet and dry performance in the Tire Rack tests. The only setback is the slight understeer on wet tracks.
The Pilot Sport 4S ended up having better performance features than the Ecsta PS31. This Michelin tire also has a higher customer rating compared to other Kumho performance tires like the Ecsta PA51 and Ecsta PS91.
With this, we can say that Michelin is the better brand when it comes to performance tires.
To continue with the Michelin vs Kumho comparison, we will take a look at some of their touring tires.
For Kumho, I will choose the Solus TA11, an all-season standard touring tire. I will match it against a well-rounded touring tire from Michelin, the Defender T+H.
Based on Tire Rack tests, the Solus TA11 provided a great quality of comfort by being reasonably smooth over bumps on the road. It is a convincingly quiet tire as well, only producing a little amount of road noise.
The dry and wet traction is good, which is enough to provide drivers with confident turns and stops on the road. The snow traction is also decent but not optimal during winter.
As for the Defender T+H, it is quite better in every aspect. It is more comfortable and reliable in terms of driving on dry and wet roads. Although it is not that good in snow conditions, it still has better snow traction than the tire from Kumho.
Aside from their better overall quality, Michelin also has more available options of touring tires to choose from. They have several lines such as Crossclimate, Premier, Primacy, and Defender. To conclude, Michelin wins this category.
For this category, I will compare two popular light truck tires for the two brands, namely the Kumho Crugen HT51 and Michelin Defender LTX M/S.
Usually, truck tires are expected to handle mild off-roading. These two tires did not disappoint as both are durable, allowing them to conquer small rocks and debris on the road.
Common truck tire problems are tread noise and comfort. However, these two options are noticeably good in terms of both compared to other truck tires.
In terms of traction, the Defender tire outperforms the Crugen HT51 in wet conditions, though the two are somewhat even on dry roads. Both tires perform well in snow, but the Kumho has better traction on light to medium-packed snow due to its 3PMSF label.
Overall, this matchup is a tie for me, considering neither product completely surpasses the other on wet and snowy roads.
As one of the leading brands, Michelin provides excellent tire warranties. They even have warranties for their winter models, which is unusual among brands. Kumho, on the other hand, also provides competitive tire warranties, though with different mileage.
Here are the treadwear policies of some of their tires.
Kumho
Michelin
Overall, it’s impossible to conclude which company is better in this category.
It is no secret that Michelin tires are the more expensive of the two brands. You are spending for premium quality and an excellent warranty, so it is well worth the money.
On the other hand, Kumho tires are among the most affordable in the market. Their models are designed to be a low-cost option for consumers. Here is a Kumho tires price list based on Tire Rack.
These prices may vary, depending on the store that you visit.
In this part, we will look at how customers generally view the products of these two brands. I will talk about several reviews coming from retail sites, Reddit, and Consumer Reports.
Are Kumho tires good or bad? According to some customers, Kumho products provide excellent value.
Some people recommend these tires over Goodyear and Michelin for their cheaper price but decent quality.
They also recommend Kumho models made in South Korea and Vietnam because they believe the brand’s manufacturing has better quality control in these countries.
Michelin, similarly, mostly has positive feedback from customers. The ratings of their tires range from 4 to 5 stars.
One review regarding the Defender T+H said that this tire doesn’t have any real flaws and that Michelin makes the highest quality tires.
Is Kumho Tire a good brand?
Kumho tires provide good quality for their price. Their partnerships with several large vehicle companies attest to the quality of their products. Some of their tires are also highly rated on retail sites, such as the Crugen HT51 and Solus TA11.
Are Kumho tires Noisy?
Kumho has generally quiet tires. These tires greatly absorb bumps on the ground, making the ride smooth and quiet.
How long do Kumho tires last?
Kumho tires usually last for 60,000 to 90,000 miles. However, the longevity of the products is not solely dependent on the tread compounds. It is also affected by road conditions and tire maintenance services that you avail of.
Also read: Average lifespan of Michelin tires.
Are Kumho good tires? Based on this Kumho vs Michelin tires comparison, we have discovered that Kumho tires are excellent to use. Despite the fact that Michelin is a bigger name, Kumho products are still well-regarded by consumers.
It would still be best to compare specs before buying tires.
This way, you can get the best value for your money. I hope this article helped in finding the most suitable brand for you.
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Products
Wintercraft SUV Ice WS51
14,0002 Products
I'Zen KW27
1
1
Product
HAM HAM SUV 9000 SUV 9000 1
Product
Power GRIP KC11
2
Products
3
Products
Power Grip KC11
5
Products
I'Zen KW31
7 9 9000 9 9 9000
26
Products
Road Venture At61
4,0003
Products
Cruigen HP71
14,0003
Cruigen Premium KL33
5
9000 ECOWING ECOVING ECOPUS ECSTA PS91
22
Product
Crugen HP91
21
Product
Ecowing ES01 Kh37
9 9
Product0003
12
goods
Solus Kh27
1
goods
Today, there are a lot of manufacturers of rubber for passenger car wheels, ranging from small brands to world-famous concerns.
One of the leaders in the field of tire production is a company from South Korea - KUMHO Tires. Now the name of the brand is associated among car owners with the reliability and durability of products manufactured using the latest methods. nine0003
The history of KUMHO Tires goes back to the distant 1960, when a local resident In-Chuk Park opened the first production of rubber tires for cars in the small town of Gwangyu. Initially, the capacity of a small workshop was designed for 20 tires per day for sale in Thailand.
After just 5 years, the situation has changed dramatically - the products receive permission from the Department of Transportation and enter the wide market in the USA. Tire production volumes are increasing, and in 19In 1974, an additional production line was built to produce radial tires.
The mid-70s was one of the best times for KUMHO Tires - tires are shipped to Europe, there are personal orders for certain types of products from the American Air Force.
The company is engaged not only in the release of products that have become popular, but also opens research centers for the development of new technologies.
By 1990, the brand was one of the top ten tire manufacturers worldwide. The company receives all existing certificates, tries itself as a manufacturer of tires for aviation. nine0003
In 1999, the company develops, successfully tests and produces the first tires capable of maintaining working condition after a puncture.
By the beginning of the new millennium, KUMHO Tires is becoming one of the world's leading manufacturers of a wide range of tires for various vehicles. The products have won many international awards, earned a reputation for high-quality and reliable rubber, which is in demand by motorists around the world.
KUMHO car tires are represented by a rich range of tires, which include all-season tires, summer and winter products. All representatives of the lines of winter and summer KUMHO passenger tires are distinguished by unique technical and operational characteristics:
- high grip with the road surface;
- reliability, strength and durability of products;
- low noise level during operation;
- Attractive product design and tread pattern.
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KUMHO products have a large number of international certificates of various types, confirming the quality and safety of their products.
The catalog of winter tires from KUMHO impresses with a variety of assortment, here you can choose tires for the wheels of any passenger car, crossover or SUV. Models are made using advanced production technologies:
- enlarged side blocks; nine0207 - rubber composition with the addition of quartz or aramid fiber;
- special protectors and spikes that provide reliable grip on slippery roads.
Tires increase the reliability and safety of driving even in icy or sleet conditions, they are not afraid of low temperatures due to the special rubber composition.
KUMHO summer car tires are an excellent option for car operation at positive temperatures.
They are characterized by a high rate of strength, durability and reliability due to:
- innovative composition of products with the addition of hardeners;
- a tread pattern that provides excellent grip on wet and dry road surfaces.
Choosing the option of summer tires for year-round use will be the best solution for residents of warm regions, since these models, with high reliability and durability, have a lower cost.
We offer the best models of KUMHO winter and summer tires on favorable and convenient terms:
- democratic prices;
- the possibility of delivery to all regions of the country;
- guarantee of product reliability;
- the presence of confirming certificates of product quality.
Our company has been successfully operating for more than a year, fulfilling orders for the purchase of the best tires for cars of any class and brand.
