One of many automobiles I discovered to drive on wore Kumho tires for a few years. Now, admittedly, that Mk4 Volkswagen Golf TDI lacked any efficiency panache or off-road functionality. However the treadwear sturdiness, confidence in moist and dry, and pricing all labored nicely for my household’s funds.
I by no means even realized Kumho additionally produced an all-terrain tire till the corporate provided to ship me a set of the Street Enterprise AT52 to check. Given some components of curiosity after these optimistic impressions from my teenage years, plus the wide selection of sizes out there, I took a leap of religion.
I’m all about pizza cutters for my Nineties-era Mitsubishis. And Kumho sells the Street Enterprise AT52 in a tall but slender 235/85R16 dimension, which inserts my steelies completely. Critically, they measure in as a giant 31-incher or a small 32. This provides functionality and floor clearance with out an excessive amount of weight or rolling resistance.
I drove the Street Enterprise AT52 for over a month throughout Southern California, throughout a mixture of dry asphalt, some axle-deep mud, a torrential downpour at freeway speeds, and on my favourite off-road automobile testing path. Sadly, I by no means discovered snow or ice to actually check the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) functionality, and reporting on treadwear would require extra time.
In brief: For a gentle all-terrain used principally for on-road driving, with occasional ventures (pun supposed) off the overwhelmed monitor, the Kumho Street Enterprise AT52 delivers stellar worth. Steering really feel exceeds way more costly opponents, although the sidewalls flex greater than a typical load vary E tire. I wound up wishing Kumho offered these for 14-inch wheels. Then, I might put a set on my mini truck for hauling bikes to the monitor or filth bikes to the desert, in any and all climate situations.
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Sizes:
15-22" (235/85R16 as examined) -
Pace rankings:
R/Q/T -
Load ranges:
SL, XL, LT C, D, E, and F -
Traction sort:
All-terrain -
Treadwear guarantee:
55,000-mile (P metric), 50,000-mile (LT metric) -
MSRP:
$150-400 ($210 on Tire Rack, as examined)
Execs
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Funds-friendly pricing
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Wonderful steering really feel on asphalt
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Low highway noise
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Numerous tire dimension choices
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Light-weight at each dimension
Cons
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Stunning sidewall flex for a Load Vary E tire
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Doesn’t successfully fling mud off the tread blocks in critically filthy situations
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LT tires get barely decrease mileage guarantee
Kumho Street Enterprise AT52 Evaluate
My principal each day driver, after I don’t have press loaners, is a 1998 Mitsubishi Montero with the winter package deal. Final 12 months, I regeared the diffs from 4.27 to 4.90 ultimate drive ratios, which gave me the arrogance to mount a beefy set of 285/75R16 BFG KO3 tires. The KO2’s alternative undoubtedly stands aside as the most effective in the marketplace. However the sizing put some pressure on my classic rig, so I needed to return to pizza cutter life.
The set of Street Enterprise AT52 tires arrived and instantly, I assumed they regarded higher than within the pics on-line. The sidewall and shoulder design particularly provides a way of three-dimensionality, although the tightly spaced lugs on the middle of the tread nonetheless hold issues comparatively restrained.
I figured the Kumhos compete extra in opposition to Yokohama’s Geolandar AT4, which I’ve on my Pajero Evolution, and the Falken Wildpeaks. The design alone sits a rung beneath the Toyo Open Nation A/T III — and definitely the BFG KO3s, and even the Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx tires I had earlier than these.
However after mounting the Kumhos, the steering and highway really feel instantly exceeded any of the opposite tires I’ve listed above. Actually, this bordered on unbelievable.
I ran the tires from the start at my common 38 psi. It in all probability helps that they weigh a couple of kilos lower than the identical dimension KO3 or Falken — and totally 5 kilos lower than my outdated Coopers. Saving that a lot rotational and unsprung mass helps in an almost 30-year-old 4×4!
Rain Makes a Mess within the Desert
On the way in which out to the desert for my first off-road drive, I bought hit by about 25 minutes of borderline blinding rain. Low temperatures made me a little bit nervous, and at first, I nervous about hydroplaning. However the Street Enterprise AT52 tires gave me a lot grip that in actuality, driving 80-plus miles an hour in such sketchy situations felt fully affordable.
Then I bought out into the filth, after a few of the heaviest rainfall in SoCal historical past. My household’s rain gauge confirmed 7 inches of precipitation in only a single day, out of two weeks or so of storms.
The desert surfaces afterward diverse, as anticipated. In some areas, the silt turned to gluey mud. Loads of puddled water hid ruts and washouts. And different sections of path uncovered extra rocks than ever earlier than.
The Kumhos managed by means of today, however regardless of my Montero’s minimal energy, the tires slipped round loads. I wanted to simply gun it by means of the worst components, and observed that when driving quick after deeper parts of gunk, the tires by no means threw off mud notably nicely.
Airing Down for a More durable Path
In equity, the Street Enterprise AT52 lacks the hardcore design of a KO3. The extra apt comparability is the Falken Wildpeaks. In the identical climate, I wouldn’t fear a lot on the Wildpeaks, both. However they don’t really feel fairly as blissful or communicative.
In the meantime, the Kumhos nearly match the minimal highway hum, a lot in order that I even determined to up my pressures to 44 psi within the identify of gas financial system. They nonetheless rode properly and comfortably, however just a bit stiffer.
I purposefully selected to not air down for that first journey out to the desert, to expertise the tires as most drivers would possibly. However every week or so later, I then headed to my common climb up Rowher Flat, the place I aired the Kumhos right down to 24 psi. Airing down at all times helps with grip and luxury, whereas lowering the probability of punctures.
However even at such a reasonable strain, the Kumhos confirmed a stunning quantity of sidewall flex. The fold on the shoulder simply swelled out, relatively than softening out properly. Most load vary E tires keep stiffer till beneath 20 psi or so. This led me to take a considerably extra conservative line up the hill, since I needed to keep away from pinch flats or sidewall tears.
Much like the day within the mud, on this dry morning I additionally wanted to spin the tires up greater than anticipated at a couple of tougher obstacles. However with some warmth within the compound, I discovered sufficient grip to climb a reasonable route up the mountain.
In all, on the dry filth, I’d say the Kumhos carried out about in addition to I anticipated after my earlier expertise within the mud and seeing the sidewall flex. Subsequent time I am going out for extra path working, I undoubtedly gained’t air down any decrease.
An All-Terrain That’s Simple on the Funds
For anybody with a 4×4 trying on the wide selection of all-terrain tires on sale proper now, the Street Enterprise AT52’s pricing in all probability comes into play most. Proper now on Tire Rack in my 235/85R16 dimension, they price $210. That’s about $30-35 much less per tire than the identical dimension KO3, Wildpeak, or Open Nation A/TIII. And about $70 lower than my outdated Coopers! Kumho sells a ton of different sizes, too.
One attention-grabbing word in regards to the sizing, although. Theoretically, all 235mm tires must be the identical width. However totally different designs and sidewall stiffness imply that’s not at all times true. And parked subsequent to one another, the Kumhos regarded narrower than the Falkens. So I truly bought out a tape measure and found the Street Enterprise AT52 measures a full half-inch thinner on the tire tread shoulder. Name them the sharpest of pizza cutters, then!
Kumho Street Enterprise AT52 Evaluate: Conclusions
That relative narrowness would possibly assist to elucidate a few of the on and off-road traits. Wonderful steering really feel, extremely compliant for a load vary E, and fairly quiet — but in addition light-weight in comparison with the competitors. If given the choice, I’d even think about the Street Enterprise AT52 in a slender 33-incher.
I’m nonetheless curious how the tires deal with snow and ice. Sadly, the climate hasn’t cooperated but, however we are going to replace this assessment when the time comes. And to date, I can’t report on put on aside from to say it hasn’t been unhealthy sufficient to be noticeable after only a month of driving. These LT-metric Kumhos get a decrease mileage guarantee of fifty,000 miles versus the P-metric at 55,000 miles. That’s stunning since they’re not as hardcore as different off-road tires.
All in all, I’d describe the Kumho Street Enterprise AT52 as far as a wonderful budgetary choice for anybody doing 90-95% highway driving. When that 5-10% comes, aside from hardcore rock crawling or critical rally racing, this all-terrain can get the job performed.
For 4×4 homeowners like me who don’t wish to injury their very own vehicles, any gentle falloff in efficiency versus a extra aggressive tire simply offers an opportunity to construct ability. For the cash, that tradeoff undoubtedly is smart.
