New shoes for the Versa

[wn1998]

So I have it down to the General Altimax RT and the Kuhmo KR21 for my wife's 09 Versa.

First and foremost, I need something that will due well in Chicago winters and secondly, something that will last. The Altimax has a 70k warranty and the Kuhmo has an 85k. I've read numerous tire rack reviews but they are all over the board. Do any of you have any real world reviews of the listed tires?

 

[SatinSilver]

I have read nothing but good things about the Altimax RT. Another very good choice is the Cooper CS4. In the T rated speed rating it has a 80k treadlife. These two tires would be my final choices. Price would be the final decision.

 

[mshu7]

I'm a big fan of General tires in, well, general. You might also look at the Hankook 727. I put some on our '98 Civic earlier in the year because of all the great reviews. One of the things that sold me, besides the 100k mile treadlife warranty, were the high marks for winter-time / snow traction. With around 5k miles on them, I'd definitely buy them again. Although, I've yet to be able to test them in the snow.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hankook&tireModel=Optimo+H727

 

[rshaw125]

The consensus on the KR21's is that they don't last. They're a 50,000 mile tire at best. At 38,000 miles my set were done and the wet traction was awful.

Generals would be a better choice.

 

[sparky123]

The Generals are good tires. (Recently put a set of RT's on my daughter's CRV and Cooper CS4's T-rated on the wife's Focus. Previously the Focus was on Altimax HP's.) My intial impressions of the CS4's are very positive. Very quiet and smooth riding tire. Looking at the thread pattern I have no doubt they will be a better winter tire than the RT/HP's. Driven the CRV once since the RT's were put on and I thought the RT's rode well and handled well. Much quieter than the previous tire. Pleased w/purchase. My daughter mentioned the tires did really well in the rain. Her's is a 4-wheel drive model so I'm sure she will have no problems w/winter weather. Either will serve you well but take a good look at the CS4's.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: rshaw125
The consensus on the KR21's is that they don't last. They're a 50,000 mile tire at best. At 38,000 miles my set were done and the wet traction was awful.

Generals would be a better choice.


I agree! I have stopped recomending the Kumho Solus KR-21's to those who want longevity. The KR-21's start out very well when new but, deteriorate quickly in their everyday performance after about 20K-30K miles(depending on driving habbits/climate).

The KR-21's seem to be a great tire at a very, very good price if you're only keeping the vehicle a short period of time(1-2 years). Buying the KR-21's online, they have the cost of a private label tire with better "out of the box" performance especially in foul weather, but...

To those whom I have recomended the KR-21's, they loved'em very much at the start. But now that time has passed, the KR-21's tread didn't seem to hold up well past the 30K mile mark.

Oh yeah, many of the KR-21's could have gone further than 30K miles but, the tires were becoming very skiddish in foul weather and they seem to have lost their niceness. Each group of folks had their own specific complaint about the tires but, all would agree that the KR-21's just didn't last long.

Thus far, our circle of friends/family have been doing better with the Hankook Optimo H727's. 25K miles and they still look quite new but, time will still tell here as well. And the H727's are still performing quite well at this mileage, unlike the KR-21's. Another Winter is acomin' and another review in the Spring is awaitin'!

Many folks have told me that, "the Hankook Optimo H727's are the best tires that they have ever owned"! But, many said that about the KR-21's too...from the start.

We'll see!

 

[jdeare]

I wouldn't recommend the Kumho either. I had them on my last car and felt they were pretty horrible in Chicago winters. I got stuck the one time I drove before the roads had been plowed, and if there was any light snow around, they had traction problems. Bad in rain too.

I got rid of mine before they were worn out, but they were on track for being used up before 40,000 miles.

 

[stephen9666]

I have the H727 and I've been really happy with them. I have about 18 - 20k miles on them now. They're still quiet on the highway and still performing well.

 

[SLCraig]

I am going to have this choice to make come next spring as well, and I am between the Generals and the Cooper CS-4, and maybe the Pirelli P4. At this point I am leaning towards the CS-4 but I have always loved General tires and I think I would be happy with those as well.

 

[CharBaby]

SLCraig,
All 3 tires are a good choice from customer reviews. And I would go by the reviews for your vehicle and climate. I also have the P4 for my Altima and love'em.