Most frequently, the presence of many options for a good tire makes the situation more difficult for most customers. Worse, you end up buying the wrong one because you read the wrong information about it. Before making a purchase, make sure you have done your homework about its features, performance, and prices.
Today we are going to review one of the in-demand all touring tire due to its above average quality at the same time economical for your budget. This tire is the Kumho Solus TA31 Versatile and Quiet All Touring tire. This tire has the versatility to fit your regular sedans, sports car, and crossovers. Likewise, its quality is versatile enough to provide both convenience and affordability. Together, we are going to review its features and performance. Moreover, we will show you a chart for its pros and cons to avoid biases.
About Kumho Tire Company
The makers of these quality and economical tires have been in the industry for around 58 years. Their tire manufacturing plant is the second largest in South Korea. Their mission is to provide tires that will provide the best driving experience at such an affordable price for the customers. Like other companies, research and development is their main tool towards sustainable development.
Features
Determining the quality of a tire means taking a closer look at its basic features. The features we are going to cover include tire compound, tread design, and warranty. Understanding its features will give us a good idea of its performance.
Tire Compound
The tire compound used to construct this tire is an advanced dual compound crafted by the company to provide decent tread life, convenience, and handling performance. To reinforce its rigidity, high-tensile steel belts and nylon materials are built inside its ply. Likewise, it also contains silica particles to have better grip abilities.
Tread Design
The overall performance and traction abilities of any tire are highly dependent on its tread designs. For instance, the presence of more 3D sipings is great for wet and snow traction. This tire contains the following tread patterns: wide shoulder tread blocks, circumferential grooves, lateral grooves, sipes, and even shoulder tread patterns. The overall impact of these tread patterns is a smooth and quiet ride for the on-road surface.
Warranty
The tread life warranty service of this tire is 6 years or 60,000 mileage. After-sale service for any tire is important to customers as unexpected things might happen after the purchase.
Performance
Now you have seen the essential features of this tire. Let us go over the performance it offers with these sets of features. The performance rating of any tire reflects the practical benefits you gain the moment you use it.
Off-Road Performance
This is one of the weaknesses of this tire for it does not have aggressive tread designs to provide strong traction on the harsh off-road conditions. Likewise, the rigidity and construction of this tire are not engineered to resist chips and cuts from the sharp, edgy surfaces of off-road. You can still use this tire but expect a lesser power and easy tread wear.
Dry Traction
This tire claims to be an excellent all touring highway tire which is highly supported by its overall dry traction performance rating of 80 percent efficiency. For such an economical cost, this benefit is a great tradeoff. This performance rating covers the ability of the tire to do stable cornering, dry traction, and responsive steering actions. The excellent rating is strongly linked to its tread patterns. The tire’s wider shoulder tread block contributes to its improved traction, responsive steering, and effective cornering.
Wet Traction
In terms of overall wet traction, it has the same performance rating as with dry traction. Overall wet traction includes effective hydroplaning resistance and wet biting action. This great result can be linked to its tread patterns. The four wide circumferential grooves provide an efficient exit for water to maintain great surface area contact between the tire and the road surface. Likewise, the lateral grooves and sipes provide improved biting edge and traction on wet surfaces. This is vital in preventing slippage.
Snow Traction
This is the second weakness of this tire. You cannot expect standard snow traction for this one considering the number of sipes and lateral grooves it has. A more aggressive 3D siping and lateral grooves are needed to provide excellent deep snow traction. Nevertheless, it can still do around 42 percent light snow traction.
Noise Level and Comfort
Looking back at its tread patterns, this tire is able to live up to its claim of providing a smooth and quiet ride for highway road surfaces. Its overall performance rating for this category is around 90 percent. The tread compound and wide shoulder tread blocks contribute greatly to its effective handling, balance, and stable cornering abilities. Moreover, the even tread block pitches in its shoulder create a significant noise reduction ability.
Tread Life
This tire offers a decent tread life range for customers. Looking at its advance dual compound, its tread life efficiency is around 75 percent. Moreover, the high-tensile steel belts and full-width nylon built underneath its ply helps maintain balanced wear out rate.
Pros
- Excellent dry and wet traction
- The effective noise reduction system
- Comfortable ride
- Decent tread life
- Advance dual compound
- Economical price
Cons
- Not enough traction for deep snow and off-road conditions
- Tread life needs more improvement
Let Us Wrap Up
We believe you have your own judgment right now with regards to the tire’s overall quality. Indeed, you have seen several things to love and whine about this tire. For us, the overall benefits it offers outweighs its evident setbacks. For an economical price, you get an all touring tire which provides excellent traction, comfort, and noise reduction level. The versatility and convenience provided by this tire make it a good option for your regular sedans, sports cars, and crossovers.