Dan Martin

I'm midway through my second season and probably 20,000km on my Kumho KW17's so I thought I'd write a very brief review.

The Good
- A set of four in 205/50/17 93V (yes it's a little undersized) to use on my second set of OEM wheels was only $700CDN mounted and balanced.
- Dry handling is excellent for a snow tire. It feels much like an all season tire. I think this is part to do with the reinforced sidewall that allows it to have a 93 load rating
-Wet handling (rain) is very good, especially under breaking. I've never noticed hydroplaning, which I assume is from the large lateral groves in the tread.
-Ice handling is very good with lots of sipes that extend all the way through the tread blocks.
- Noise is very low, in fact they're definitely quieter than the OEM Michelins. Certainly don't have the annoying tire chirp when I accelerate off a painted line like the OEMs have done since I picked up my car.
-Tread wear is excellent and I can easily see myself getting another couple seasons from this set.

The Bad
-Deep snow handling is not so good. The tread design is not very aggressive for removing large amounts of snow and slush from under the tire.
-I got stuck twice last weekend at my cottage.
The snow on my driveway was only about 4 inches deep, but I found out that under the snow was sheer ice. I seriously think the tires would have worked fine in either the 4 inches of snow or the sheer ice, but when combined, it was just too much for it to handle. I think the sipes got packed with snow and prevented the tire from biting into the ice.
It would have been very interesting to see how other tires would have coped with the situation. I definitely think if the TSX was AWD, I would have been out in no time because the ice was somewhat localized. I could see one wheel gripping but as soon as the other started to spin, it was all over. Add a couple more drive wheels to the mix, and I wouldn't be writing this right now.

Overall
Excellent value and probably the perfect winter tire for Urban areas. Toronto doesn't have many large snowfalls in a winter, so the average light snow is handled with ease by the KW17's. Ice is a far more common problem in this area, and again, they've been excellent. For the 90% of time the roads are dry or just wet from snowmelt or rain, the Kumhos have been perfect. They're quiet, give a firm ride (unlike many snows), and always feel planted.

I give them an 8/10. It would have been a perfect 10 considering the price and their every day performance, but two points were deducted for the two times they got me stuck last weekend.

sauceman

Thanks Dan.

Are they available in 16". They look to me like they're the type of winters I love to use on the TSX, maybe I'd try them somewhere down the road.

curls

Nice review. What made you take the KW-17 over the KW-19? From wha tI hear the KW-19 is an even better tire, more specifically, it's better than the 17 in deeper snow.

I was considering Kumho winters for next year... as my Michelin Arctic Alpin's were purchased used and thus don't have a ton of tread left on 'em (maybe another season).

Dan Martin

Yep, they have many 16" sizes to choose from.

Dan Martin

If I recall correctly, the KW19's weren't available in a 17" size that works with our car. I already had a second set of OEM wheels so I had to go with 17", otherwise I would have had 16" steelies for sure. There's also a big price jump for winter tires when you go from 16" to 17", so I would have rather put that money in my pocket.

curls

Interesting. I have 16" OEM steelies so I'd be looking at both next year. Oh well, still a long way and a golf season away.

starvin

im thinking of getting some winters now as well... we just had a light snowfall last night, and the stock michelins are quite slippery!

what do you guys think of this deal?
kumho kw-19 with 16" steelies for $696

Dan Martin

That sounds like a very good price.

curls

Considering OEM steelies ran me about $55/wheel, your price looks really good. If that includes mounting and balancing, then definately jump all over it.

Dan Martin

snowned pics:

Auroraboy

I have a 2005 TSX auto and bought a set of 205/60 16" Kumho KW 19's and mounted on a set of 16" Acura RSX alloys. As I understand it, the KW 17 is an H rate tire with a less aggressive tread pattern versus the KW 19 which is a T rate tire with a more aggressive tread for deeper snow.

I live in GTA so the KW 19's are probably overkill most of the time, but would be better when we get those big storms once or twice per year. The KW 17's probably work better for most wet slushy GTA weather, but would not be quite as good in deep snow. The T rated KW 19's definitely feel a little more loose at high speeds on 401/407 roads at 100+ km/h speeds compared to stock OEM all season tires. If you want better high speed handling and feel, versus deep snow performance, I would go for the KW 17, and vice versa if deep snow performance is higher on your list.

I originally tried to get the Hankook W300 Icebears - H rated, but apparently Hankook had no stock left in 205/60 16.

All three tires are priced within a few dollars of each other and significantly less than Michelin, Bridgestone and Pirelli etc.

sauceman

Dan, you don't need better tires, you need a winch!

Dan Martin

LOL! Those were the first words out of my mouth! I said to Street Spirit, "if I had a winch on this thing I'd be out in 30 seconds".

Street Spirit

Very true --- those were the first words out of his mouth!

Street Spirit

I inhaled a good bit of carbon monoxide and burning rubber fumes that day... Ahhhhh, the memories.....

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

That looks like there was enough snow on the ground that I would have said, "aww fuck it...extending the vacation after all..."

Dan Martin

A little Carbon Monoxide never hurt anyone...

sauceman

Oh the things we could do with a winch! Forget about all those cutsey things we have specifically made for the models like heated mirrors and low windshield washer light, etc. Just bring on the winch, we'll do with that!!

Dan Martin

Eeyore

I really like the look of the DRL's that you folks get. Wish there was a switch to turn on DRL's on the US models.

excited

I would like to give you a comparison review of my Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2's however in the month that I have had my TSX there has been no snow on the roads.

They are very quiet, I don't notice any tire noise and they have good dry traction although I haven't tested them on real tight turns.

The roads have been wet from melted snow and they have performed well on those, but there has not been any significant water on the roads.

The real test will be on snow and ice. Chance of light flurries tonight and tomorrow.

(This is the most snow that I can show. It was in a parking lot and not on the roads)





Excited

Dan Martin

You're right, Baby! I think I came out of it okay!

Street Spirit

You're right, Baby! I think I came out of it okay!

sauceman

OMG here comes the cross-posting!

Saintor

Among low priced winter tires, I am very impressed with my 205/50/17 (V) Vicking Snowtech (manufactured by Continental). In a Consumer Report comparo, they were ranked 2nd behind the Michelin Ice, ahead of everything else. It has good traction, is not noisy.. and well we'll see for durability.

At this price, 135$CAD+txs each, they are a steal.