Kumho Wintercraft WP71 opinions

Ndx

Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
1,924
Location
IL
Hello,

Anyone used those tires ? Will be used in IL so occasional deep snow, slush and everything else.

Kumho Wintercraft WP71

I normally run Blizzaks which were top notch but have a good offer on those

Thank you

 
Probably nothing wrong with them, especially if you can get a good price on them :)

The WP71 is like the Blizzak LM series, what Tire Rack calls performance winter tires
 
Kumho will have aome serious shortcomings in some important disciplines.
That is what those $500 gives you.
@Ndx - How much is your insurance deductible?

What size? What vehicle?

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”. You can substitute the word quality accordingly. Great deals can be had that fit your needs and wallet if you search.

Maybe not on the Blizzak but there are other top tier winter choices that might balance out the requirements. I wanted Nokian for 2 cars, I ended up General Altimax Arctic and Continental VC7 (and WinterContact Si) for a much better price and was never let down. I only had 1 set of Blizzaks, I got them as 1000 mile take offs from some one moving for 1/2 price. They worked well but wore out too fast for me.
 
@Ndx - How much is your insurance deductible?

What size? What vehicle?

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”. You can substitute the word quality accordingly. Great deals can be had that fit your needs and wallet if you search.

Maybe not on the Blizzak but there are other top tier winter choices that might balance out the requirements. I wanted Nokian for 2 cars, I ended up General Altimax Arctic and Continental VC7 (and WinterContact Si) for a much better price and was never let down. I only had 1 set of Blizzaks, I got them as 1000 mile take offs from some one moving for 1/2 price. They worked well but wore out too fast for me.
Continental VC7 in my experience are much better tire than Blizzak WS90 and Nokian R2 I had. Especially Nokian.
When it comes to snow tires, you can never go wrong with Continental.
 
@Ndx - How much is your insurance deductible?

What size? What vehicle?

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”. You can substitute the word quality accordingly. Great deals can be had that fit your needs and wallet if you search.

Maybe not on the Blizzak but there are other top tier winter choices that might balance out the requirements. I wanted Nokian for 2 cars, I ended up General Altimax Arctic and Continental VC7 (and WinterContact Si) for a much better price and was never let down. I only had 1 set of Blizzaks, I got them as 1000 mile take offs from some one moving for 1/2 price. They worked well but wore out too fast for me.
It may suck when the road is dry…. I had General Altimax Arctic and it sucked when the road was dry or wet (non snow), but still a lot better than running all seasons in the white stuff
 
It may suck when the road is dry…. I had General Altimax Arctic and it sucked when the road was dry or wet (non snow), but still a lot better than running all seasons in the white stuff
I had a brand new pair of the altimax arctics on the Volvo, and a full, nearly new set of them on the Merc. (Purchased used because they were dirt cheap and didn't want to spend the money until I put the car on the alignment rack where I worked) In both cases, they were hot garbage. The Volvo actually was better in the snow with the lame Douglas tires from Wally world. On the Merc, it always handled like the tires were aired down to 20 psi winter or summer, until I ripped off the altimax arctics.
 
I have Kumho WP72 on my Lexus GS and I really like those tires in snow and wet.
I live in Vancouver and go skiing in Whistler and Okanagan so road conditions aren't the greatest. Good tire for the money, not exactly what you were asking but....
 
Honestly, I'd try to find a more dry/wet/slush focused winter tire. IMO there were a couple days since 2014 where we had decent snow that could have been justified by snow tires; one in 2016, one in 2019, and one this past winter.

I had a brand new pair of the altimax arctics on the Volvo, and a full, nearly new set of them on the Merc. (Purchased used because they were dirt cheap and didn't want to spend the money until I put the car on the alignment rack where I worked) In both cases, they were hot garbage. The Volvo actually was better in the snow with the lame Douglas tires from Wally world. On the Merc, it always handled like the tires were aired down to 20 psi winter or summer, until I ripped off the altimax arctics.

I'll basically mimic what you said and hated my set of Altimax Arctics on my focus (hated my RT43s too.) The sumitomo HTR P02 and the OEM Cooper RS-3A were better. I was fighting to get my car going straight while a civic on all seasons just scooted right by me :(.
 
I had a brand new pair of the altimax arctics on the Volvo, and a full, nearly new set of them on the Merc. (Purchased used because they were dirt cheap and didn't want to spend the money until I put the car on the alignment rack where I worked) In both cases, they were hot garbage. The Volvo actually was better in the snow with the lame Douglas tires from Wally world. On the Merc, it always handled like the tires were aired down to 20 psi winter or summer, until I ripped off the altimax arctics.

Did you have studs on them? :unsure:

Studdable tires are meant to be used with the studs. So if you're not going to use studs, you're better off with a studless winter tire.

Honestly, I'd try to find a more dry/wet/slush focused winter tire. IMO there were a couple days since 2014 where we had decent snow that could have been justified by snow tires; one in 2016, one in 2019, and one this past winter.



I'll basically mimic what you said and hated my set of Altimax Arctics on my focus (hated my RT43s too.) The sumitomo HTR P02 and the OEM Cooper RS-3A were better. I was fighting to get my car going straight while a civic on all seasons just scooted right by me :(.

You seem like a good candidate for 3-peak all-season tires :)
 
Did you have studs on them? :unsure:

Studdable tires are meant to be used with the studs. So if you're not going to use studs, you're better off with a studless winter tire.



You seem like a good candidate for 3-peak all-season tires :)
The pair for the Volvo 240 were studded, the set on the 190d were not. (I mounted them in may. Anything was better than the 17 Year old tires that were on the car when I bought it One popped while heading home, while on the trailer.)
 
It may suck when the road is dry…. I had General Altimax Arctic and it sucked when the road was dry or wet (non snow), but still a lot better than running all seasons in the white stuff
I had a brand new pair of the altimax arctics on the Volvo, and a full, nearly new set of them on the Merc. (Purchased used because they were dirt cheap and didn't want to spend the money until I put the car on the alignment rack where I worked) In both cases, they were hot garbage. The Volvo actually was better in the snow with the lame Douglas tires from Wally world. On the Merc, it always handled like the tires were aired down to 20 psi winter or summer, until I ripped off the altimax arctics.
My experience was different or maybe I just had different expectations. They were on the Sequoia for many winters and got my family to ski trips in some really poor conditions (but great skiing when there). They got me to firehouse with confidence. The Sequoia was definitely not a handling machine and with my kids/sister/mom (4-7 people) I wasn't pushing the corners anyway. When I did have to stop short or maneuver accordingly I had no issues in wet or dry. They were stable at highway speeds when traffic was doing 70-80. My experience with the Altimax Artic 12 on the CRV was the same especially compared to the 4-5/32" Defender T&H's

They got me through many like this where most people I know that did try to go out, got stuck. I went and helped them. Many had 4WD full size pick ups but with worn all season type tires. Mine were not studded.

sequoia snow.jpg
 
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