Kumho Solus KH25

These tires came from factory on my Kia Rio5. Ride is very smooth and dry handling is great. Wet grip is adequate. Unfortunately the quality of construction left much to be desired. One tire blew up on me, it was a 2-inch sidewall crack, without me hitting a curb or anything.

These are performance tires, so in terms of durability, do not expect much of them. I had to replace them with only some 35k miles. I had the sensation that they lasted a bit longer, but because I swapped them for winter tires. So basically they lasted me for 2 1/2 canadian summers (which are very short).

Just replaced them for Pirelli P4s. So far durability has been great with these, but horrendous fuel consumption. One thing for the other.

Kumho Solus KH25 are very good tires (do not be put off by them being made in China). They would be especially useful if you are unable to transition between (and store) four tires for the spring/summer/autumn seasons, with another set for winter conditions. Motoring law in some regions requires winter-grade tires from November to March, and these fulfill that requirement because they are marked M+S (mud and snow); they also have markings for summer sunshine, raindrops for wet weather, and a snowflake for winter.

On a small Renault hatchback they are quiet and comfortable at all reasonable speeds and on most road surfaces. They perform well on dry, wet, or slushy roads, and were also OK on gravel farm tracks with wet mud. Rating them for acceleration, directional stability, cornering and braking, their grip level on tarmac is slightly less than more aggressive, summer-type tires, but these KH25s maintain a good level of grip despite changing conditions (for example, they don't suddenly slide on random wet or icy patches in the middle of a bend, or on the brakes). If you are paying attention, they give a good sense of approaching their grip limits: no surprises, allowing gentle adjustment of the car's steering, throttle or braking to stay safe on the road. Despite initially groaning to myself when I saw these Kumho tires fitted to my rental car, I was thoroughly impressed while driving them, and I have no hesitation in recommending Solus KH25 for driving in spring, summer, autumn and mild winter conditions.