Kumho tires have already firmly established themselves on the shelves of Russian stores, their sales are slowly but surely growing every year.
However, many Russian car owners are wondering - who is the manufacturer of Kumho tires, where are they produced and where do they get to Russian stores?
In this article, you will learn:
The Tire First website has collected all the information about Kumho tires.
Brand and positioning
The Korean tire brand appeared immediately after the war on the Korean Peninsula in 1960, founded by businessman Park Icheon. Today, the Kumho Tire concern sells its tires on all continents and is one of the 20 largest tire concerns in the world.
The Kumho range of tires includes both "economy" and "premium" models designed for SUVs, heavy executive sedans and very fast sports cars... In addition, the Korean concern produces tires for aviation and various special vehicles.
Today, as proof of the high quality of its products, the famous Korean tire brand Kumho boasts the fact that 25% of its production worldwide sports cars even on the conveyor, it is equipped with its tires.
Where are the factories of Kumho
The main production sites of the Korean tire giant are concentrated in Asian countries. The concern has three factories in its homeland (in the cities of Gwangju, Coxon, Pyeongtaek), three factories in China (in the cities of Changchun, Nanjing, Tianjin) and one in Vietnam.
Most of the tires that hit store shelves in Russia come from South Korea and China.
The tire concern also has several research centers where new tire models are being developed. The main center is located at home, in the city of Gwangju, three more centers are located in the United States, Britain and Germany and one more in China.
Technology and development
The tire concern Kumho has been collaborating with all kinds of car competitions for many decades in a row, including the famous Formula 1, thanks to which it has accumulated a very large experience in the development of sports rubber.
What is the fact that the world's first mass-produced sports tire with a diameter of 32 inches appeared under the Kunho brand.
Thanks to its five research centers, as well as solid experience in the development of sports tires, the Korean concern regularly pleases its customers with new sports tire models adapted for daily use.
At the same time, the tires of the Korean brand from the “economy” line also do not go unnoticed. They include solutions that have already been tested on more expensive models, which adds to the economy-class tires under the Kumho brand in the eyes of potential buyers.
Benefits for buyers
Kumho tires already have a whole army of fans in Russia. This was largely due to the company's successes in the field of motorsport, as well as very thought-out tire models, a combination technical characteristics which were very attractive to many car owners.
It must also be said that the Korean concern has always led (and is now leading) a very thoughtful pricing policy on their products. The cost of Kumho tires has almost always been lower than that of well-known brands with a century of history. However, the quality of the tires was quite comparable.
Today, buying the products of the Korean tire concern, the car owner gets very high quality and well thought-out tires, which contain a lot of modern technical solutions. But at the same time it pays much less than if I chose tires from a brand from the top 5.
South Korean company listed largest manufacturers tires. It was founded in 1960 in the city of Gwangju, in South Korea. Already 6 years after its creation, the company's products entered the international market. The company has 7 factories in different countries:
- South Korea - 3 factories;
- China - 3 factories;
- Vietnam - 1 plant.
In 2007, Kumho Tire developed a prototype tire for Formula 1. Kumho Tire has an annual production capacity of 60 million or more.
Kumho tires include a number of popular tire lines.
Kumho ecsta
This includes the summer tire brands Ecsta PS31 and Ecsta HS51.
Ecsta PS31- car tires intended for use in warm conditions. Ecsta PS31 belongs to sports brands. It is characterized by a unique new pattern that provides a comfortable ride. A distinctive feature of the tires is a high level of balancing, stability and maneuverability at high speed. While driving, good stability is ensured by placing a rigid rib in the middle of the tread.
Most of the user reviews for these tires are positive. Of the advantages, high-quality grip and braking during active driving, minimal noise are noted. The disadvantage is low wear resistance. Soft tires sensitive to road surfaces, and unsettled.
Ecsta HS51- car tires intended for use on passenger cars... This brand is designed for use during the warmer months. The tire category belongs to the "comfort" class, but surpasses the required characteristics, and is equivalent to the sports class. The main advantage lies in the light, dynamic handling provided by the highly elastic steel cord. Good handling is maintained at high speed due to the central ribs. There is minimal noise while driving.
Most of the user reviews for this brand are positive. Of the pluses, softness during driving, stability on the road track, good balancing and braking are noted. The list of disadvantages includes: slight drift when cornering, steering and braking acuity is reduced due to softness.
Kumho ecowing
Ecowing KH27- tires for the warm season, designed for use on cars vehicles... The use of these tires saves on fuel. They differ in average cost. With a low weight, they are able to withstand mechanical damage.
Tire reviews are mixed. Among the advantages are noted: high wear resistance, minimal noise while driving, good control on wet road... Some users noted a number of disadvantages, including: soft sidewall, balancing difficulties, problems with cornering. This type of tire is not recommended for off-road driving.
Ecowing ES01 - summer tires for passenger cars, with the presence of a characteristic asymmetric tread pattern. Tires are classified as "medium". They are recommended for use on small and medium-sized passenger cars, crossovers. In almost all characteristics, this brand has average results. Good braking performance on wet roads. Small remarks refer to noise level and ride smoothness.
Feedback from bus users was mixed. Most of the buyers noted that this brand is represented by standard tires for general use. From negative sides it was found that braking on a wet surface is worse than on a dry one.
What do we know about Kumho tires
In January 2020, PartReview had a positive opinion of Kumho tires.
PR rating - 82 out of 100, based on 90 reviews and 278 votes. 72 reviews have positive assessment, 7 is neutral, and 11 is negative. Average rating of reviews - 4.1 (out of 5). The votes were distributed as follows: 230 - for, 48 - against.
Users also had an opinion on the qualities of Kumho tires:
- Wear resistance - a property of a part that determines the rate of wear - is assessed positively. 3.6 points out of 5.
- Noise - the property of a part to produce noise - is rated positively. 4.3 points out of 5.
- Controllability - the property of a spare part to influence the controllability of a car - is assessed positively. 4.3 points out of 5.
Kumho tires in auto ratings
Here you can find out the owners of which brands and models have installed Kumho tires on their cars. Below is a list of auto ratings in which this spare part is included in the TOP-3 of the best.
With the arrival of winter, all motorists are faced with the choice of a suitable tire for their cars, meticulously studying what the market has to offer. It is important to consider when choosing winter tires its quality, grip and other necessary qualities to ensure safe driving on snowy or ice-covered roads. From this point of view, Kumho tires, reviews, descriptions and characteristics deserve attention.
About Kumho Tire Manufacturing Company
Kumho was founded in 1946 in Korea. Its founder, Ying-Chun Park, had to go through a difficult path to achieve prosperity. The company was originally set up as a transport company. After the 1950-1953 war, the Park's business collapsed. But he was able to rebuild his company, which would later become the thriving Kwang Ju Highway Lines, the long-distance haulage and tire manufacturer Kumho Tires. It produces about thirty-six million tires every year. Representative offices of the company "Kumho" are in one hundred and fifty countries around the world. Car enthusiasts about the products of the company "Kumho" leave mostly positive reviews. It is worth dwelling on them in more detail.
Feature of Kumho tires
Due to the fact that the manufacturer applies technologies tested at Formula 3 Racing in the manufacture of tires, Kumho tires began to be produced not only for motor vehicles, but also for cars. The Korean company produces tires for all types of cars, from sports cars to construction equipment and aircraft. Its compliance with international standards is clearly monitored. Tires undergo serious tests, and the results of special studies are used in their manufacture. However, Kumho tires receive mixed reviews, not only positive, but also critical.
Reviews of car enthusiasts about tires Kumho
In fact, there is no perfection in the world. Car enthusiasts find flaws in the tires of the presented company. The most common is their noise. Moreover, this is typical not only for the summer, but also motorists note that the tires of the Korean company are hard, clogged with pebbles when driving on a summer track, wear out quickly and become covered with mud.
Among the positive responses, we can mention the ease of use of tires in dry and wet weather, quite good directional stability. There are motorists who, when purchasing Kumho tires, leave enthusiastic reviews, not finding any flaws in them. At the same time, they believe that the price and quality are quite consistent with each other. The tires gently smooth out irregularities in the road, show a good response to steering turns, and minimal wear. As a result, car enthusiasts give more positive comments about Korean tires. At times, they directly contradict criticisms. So, their noiselessness is noted. Fans of this particular one advise their acquaintances to acquire it and are ready to testify that it is able to compete with the well-known for the whole For example, the Kumho tires, reviews of which are collected in the article, can, according to motorists, compete with such famous brands like Michelin and Continental. The tires have a sporty bias, so they are smooth, hold in corners and brake well. The tires have a protective collar and a strong sidewall. But nevertheless, due to the asymmetric pattern, it produces excessive noise, therefore it is recommended for those motorists for whom acoustic driving comfort is not so important. From positive characteristics note the softness of rubber, its strength and tenacity.
In general, after analyzing what reviews are left about Kumho tires, we can come to the conclusion that there are more positive responses than critical ones. On our roads, Korean-made tires have proven themselves well and therefore deserve the attention of motorists.
The reason was reports that the Chinese plant Kumho is using too much material from waste tires in the production of new tires, which could lead to tread tears, the Chinese government said in a statement.
Kumho is one of the largest tire manufacturers in China, with an estimated 16% market share last year. China also accounts for about 30% of Kumho's total sales.
Even though Lee Han-Seop, director of Kumho China, publicly apologized on CCTV for first reporting the defective tires, many consumers expressed their distrust of the company, and some even demanded responsibility of those who were involved in the production of low-quality tires. Mr. Li promised that the defective tires would be recalled, but did not specify when and how many tires would be recalled.
After an audit at the Tianjin plant, Kumho admitted that some internal standards were not fully met, and both the plant manager and the quality control staff were fired.
In a statement, Kumho said it had reported voluntary tire recalls to relevant organizations, and pledged to cooperate fully with the Chinese government, adding that it would "look at all product quality issues from the consumer's point of view."
In the same statement, Kumho emphasized at the same time that it did not use recycled rubber, but rubber residues from tire production, and that it does not contain chemical additives.
Kumho noted that this rubber is used by all tire manufacturers and that it is in full compliance with manufacturing standards. At the same time, the company acknowledged that more of this rubber was used in production at the Tianjin plant than is required by internal standards. "The ratio of residues to new rubber in Tianjin it reached 1/2, while according to the company's internal standards, it should not exceed 1/3, ”Xinhua news agency quoted a Kumho spokesman as saying.
“We admit that we had some quality problems at the Tianjin plant, but the use of leftover rubber is not unusual in the tire industry,” a Kumho spokesman said.
Be that as it may, Chinese buyers were left unsatisfied with Kumho's explanations, and according to Xinhua, many of them delayed buying a new car until all defective tires were recalled. Shanghai car dealers also complain that their hotlines with consumers are overwhelmed by calls from buyers concerned that their tires may also be defective.
Auto companies in China such as Chery, Great Wall, Dongfeng, as well as local branches of Hyundai, VW and GM were quick to issue statements that the Kumho tires fitted to their vehicles were not manufactured at the Tianjin plant. Great Wall said it would refuse any further collaboration with Kumho at all.
Market analysts are confident that this scandal will inevitably damage Kumho's reputation in China, which is one of the most promising markets for the Korean company. At the same time, many experts note that it is not yet clear whether Kumho will be able to regain the trust of its Chinese buyers and customers among automakers.
So far, experts have noted that no damage to the reputation of Hundai, one of Kumho's key partners, has been done, but Hyundai may want to prevent such a risk by switching to tires from another company, for example, Hankook.
"In China's original equipment (OE) sector, Kumho's 23% market share was the largest, but CCTV reports may change this," Park Sang-won, an analyst at the Seoul agency, told Xinghua. Eugene Investment & Securities. - Kumho has a strong position in the OE sector, which usually contributes to an increase in sales by secondary market... Now the company can still minimize damage to its reputation, but only on condition that it continues to cooperate with car companies. "
“Kumho reportedly used leftover rubber rather than recycled materials, and if the misunderstanding is cleared up, the situation may not hurt the company as much,” added Lee Sang-hyun, an expert at NH Investment & Securities. "As for Hyundai, this company will not be hurt as it could easily start sourcing tires from other manufacturers if Chinese buyers are very distrustful of Kumho's products."
In the modern world on automotive market there is a large number of enterprises that are engaged in the production car tires... Their large number does not mean that the market is full of exceptionally high-quality products - most models have, to put it mildly, not the most best performance and indicators. And when buying car tires, you need to look not only at the physical condition of the wheels, but also pay attention to who exactly gave birth to these products.
Today, two corporations - Kumho and Nokian - occupy a special place in the consumer market. These firms produce the most quality tires which are in great demand all over the world. But buying two sets for a season from different manufacturers is impractical and expensive, and choosing one of the two is quite difficult. Let's try to figure out which models of car tires from different manufacturers are the best.
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Tires from the Japanese manufacturer Kumho are the most purchased tires in Japan - here the sale of these products is simply incredible and with a fairly large volume. At home, the Kumho manufacturer is almost a monopolist, despite the presence of other tire manufacturers. Also, Kumho gradually began to master the European market and now this company is recognizable all over the world, thanks to the excellent activity of sales specialists, and, of course, manufacturing engineers. So why is Kumho so popular?
Here it is necessary to understand that the quality of the products made by the Japanese is really at the highest level. Everything looks optimal in car tires - tread pattern, side and main parts, rubber compound, etc. Whatever aspect you take, whatever nuance you consider - in fact, in every component in any model of Kumho tires, it is quite difficult to find any flaws. But this does not mean that they do not exist at all.
First of all it is worth noting excellent performance road grip. It's no secret that car roads in Japan are of the highest quality and are perhaps the best in the world. Therefore, it would seem that tires should be quite “fragile”, subject to wear and tear and not have the highest resource and margin of safety.
In fact, everything turned out to be completely different - Kumho car tires have incredibly high resource rates: they are reliable, durable, and have the highest safety class of use. The most interesting thing is that most of the models from the Japanese manufacturer can be used off-road, although it would seem that it makes no sense to create such tires with Japanese roads.
It is also worth saying that tires from this manufacturer behave well on wet asphalt or when driving on dirty slippery surfaces, because the grip is excellent. This is due to the unique construction of the tire construction, as well as due to the optimized tread pattern, for the output of which the Japanese use the most modern computer technology. It is also worth noting that the Japanese are working on the release of new models very scrupulously and precisely.
For example, Japanese summer tires cannot be used in the winter, no matter how good the grip is. The onset of cold weather and a strong drop in temperature can seriously affect the quality of car tires later. This lack of versatility for tire models, on the one hand, is credited to the manufacturer, because such a nuance contributes to more painstaking and high-quality work on the product. Well, the minus of non-universality is very clear, without further ado.
If we talk about Nokian tires, then first of all it is worth noting that tires from this manufacturer are one of the most popular, well-known and sold in Europe. The Finnish manufacturer turns out especially successful winter models, moreover, some drivers even then convert winter tires in the summer, to ride longer on high-quality tires. What's so great about these tires?
The Finnish manufacturer Nokian has always been renowned for the fact that it has produced and still produces tires with incredible high quality execution of rubber. Rubber is made for all models using special technologies, with the use of a large number of absorbent gels, and it is this fact that gives Finnish-made tires excellent performance characteristics... The margin of safety has become more serious, the degree of resistance to wear and deformation has been increased.
Also, the Finnish manufacturer did a great job to ensure that speed characteristics all models of Nokian tires were at the highest level, and for several years this really became so - cars on such tires not only pick up speed faster, but also contribute to faster braking. Note also that braking qualities Nokian car tires allow cars to significantly reduce the stopping distance. This measure speaks of a higher safety class of these tires, reliability while driving.
I would also like to note additionally the tread pattern of Nokian tires and its features. The most key point here is the construction of grooves and an increase in their width, which allows water masses to be removed from the contact patch as quickly as possible while driving on slippery and wet roads. This is another factor that has a great effect on the degree of grip of the wheel with the road surface.
Lineup Kumho and Nokian
If we consider the model lines of both manufacturers, then the following can be noted - the range of the Finnish manufacturer is somewhat wider and more interesting. Nokian has much more of all tire formations - summer, winter, all-season. A large number of independent experts evaluated Nokian tires and more than once recognized some of the models as the highest quality for a certain period.
Despite the fact that the Finnish manufacturer has much more models than Kumho, Japanese tires cannot be called inferior to those from Nokian. The Japanese did a great job on such qualities as braking properties, traction, tread pattern and others. The rubber compound of Kumho tires is made on the basis of natural rubber, while the Finnish manufacturer also uses silica for rubber. This means that the environmental class of Kumho tires is slightly higher than that of tires from a Finnish manufacturer.
But if you look more at speed, here Japanese products are inferior to Finnish ones. The structure of the tread profile is made in such a way that the acceleration of cars really occurs faster on those vehicles that are equipped with Nokian car tires. This is due to the composition of the rubber compound, and the very construction of the cord and the main part of the tire.
Acceleration and braking properties are perfectly implemented in Nokian models, and this is what contributes to the appearance of the effect of reducing fuel consumption. The engine spends less effort to accelerate the car and less effort is required for a sudden stop due to the rubber compound incorporating excellent stopping components.
The most interesting and most purchased model in the Kumho series is the Gripmax 745, known to the entire world community. This model of car tires is an all-season tire designed for passenger cars. Among all other models, it stands out in that it has the most high performance and operational features. These properties provide the driver and passengers in the car with a high degree of reliability and safety.
Interesting here is the tread profile, which is checkered. This construction guarantees excellent traction as when driving on wet track, and on a dry heated coating. The central longitudinal tubules promptly and quickly remove the water mass from the contact patch. These features not only improve grip, but also significantly reduce noise levels. This means that the level of driving comfort is correspondingly increased. 
The best model of car tires from the Finnish manufacturer Nokian can be called Hakka green. These tires are intended for use in the summer season, however, many leave these tires in the winter, without even performing tire studding operations. All thanks to the optimal composition of the rubber compound in these tires, which makes it possible to enjoy excellent grip. Also, this model is characterized by excellent speed qualities, forcing the car to accelerate much faster than when using tires of other modifications.
This model also has excellent braking properties, as a result of which, when stopping at high speeds, the braking distance will be much shorter than with any other tire model. Such braking properties are excellent for high-speed driving in bad rainy weather.
Also, special attention should be paid to such properties of the model of Finnish origin as rolling resistance and aquaplaning. Both of these properties are at the highest level, which gives excellent grip during fast travel, as well as increases the reliability and safety of driving.
Comparison of the best models
If you look at everything objectively best qualities and the shortcomings of the presented models and add up the resulting result, the Japanese model, after all, loses quite a bit to the Finnish counterpart. The model from Nokian has more developed strength characteristics, despite the fact that the Japanese model was universal, all-season, and the Finnish one was exclusively summer.
Also, the grip is better in the Finnish model, and the speed characteristics are better. This model is inferior to Japanese tires in that braking performance and general safety of use are slightly worse. Also, the Japanese model is more environmentally friendly due to the fact that natural rubber is used for the production of rubber.
There are few minuses in both models - in fact, there are none. In general, in terms of the combination of advantages, we can give the palm to the Nokian Hakka Green model. And judging in general by lineup and evaluate each model, for sure there is a sample of Japanese origin that will surpass the Finnish counterpart. But in general, the quality of the Nokian tires produced is still higher.
Summary
We can say that Nokian tires are better than Kumho tires. However, the advantage in this matter of Finnish-made car tires is not too great and even less overwhelming, which suggests that over time japanese models can overtake the Finnish in quality of performance, since the progressiveness of tire production in the Kumho company is much higher than that of Nokian. However, it makes no sense to think ahead in such matters.
The most best model The Nokian sells much better than the Kumho model. And this suggests that not only experts consider Finnish tires to be better than Japanese ones - ordinary people in Europe and the world think the same way.
