Tire Rack Crossover/SUV Touring All-Season Tire Test Reveals Inequalities In Wet Traction

Michelin, Kumho and Yokohama models perform similarly in dry conditions, fuel consumption

News provided by

Sep 23, 2015, 10:00 ET

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Sept. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As SUVs evolve and crossovers continue to blur the line between cars and trucks, it's essential that tire technology keep up with changes in vehicle design and drivability. That's why Tire Rack, America's largest independent tire tester and consumer-direct source for tires, most recently put three models of crossover/SUV touring all-season tires to the test. Their mission: prove whether tires are on the same evolutionary track as the vehicles they support.

TireRack.com, family-owned and headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, is America's largest independent tire tester and consumer-direct source for tires, wheels and performance accessories. TireRack.com experts test tires from every major tire manufacturer on the company's state-of-the-art, 11.7-acre test facility. Findings are posted on www.tirerack.com, where consumers can make an educated decision on a tire, wheel or performance accessory purchase based on how, where and what you drive.

In this test, Tire Rack evaluated three of the newest tires in the category: the Kumho Crugen Premium, the Michelin Premier LTX and the Yokohama Geolandar G055. The tires were mounted, at full tread depth, on the 18x8.0 wheels of a 2016 Porsche V6 Cayenne and evaluated on Tire Rack's own test track and along a six-mile road loop.

At one-third of a mile per lap, the test track at Tire Rack's South Bend headquarters includes 90-degree corners, a five-cone slalom and simulated expressway ramps. From the track, Tire Rack tested stopping times and distances, maneuverability and traction in both dry and wet conditions. The real-world road course offers a combination of expressway, state highway and country roads, allowing Tire Rack to evaluate the tires at a variety of speeds on a variety of surfaces, including smooth and coarse concrete and new and patched asphalt.

In dry conditions, the three tire models performed remarkably similar. The distances that each needed to complete a panic stop from 50 miles per hour were separated by only one foot. The difference in time needed to complete a lap around the test track spanned just one quarter of a second.

Fuel consumption differences were also negligible. The Michelin model generated an observed 22.7 miles per gallon in fuel economy, with the Kumho and Yokohama tires close behind at 22.5 miles per gallon each.

However, wet conditions delivered a clear leader. The Michelin Premier LTX tires stood out from the pack, demonstrating superior traction that raises the bar for tires in this category. The Kumho tires performed well in terms of handling, traction and stopping distance, however they couldn't quite measure up to the Michelin model. Yokohama tires lagged behind, literally, with a wet-course lap time almost five seconds slower than the best model.

Tire Rack awarded the Michelin Premier LTX the top score in both the road tests and the track tests. These tires provided good handling and a smooth ride with minimal noise. The Kumho Crugen Premium took second thanks to a slightly lower level of wet traction than the Michelin. In third, the Yokohama Geolandar G055 proved an adequate tire in search of more wet surface traction.

For complete results and more detailed information on this and other tire tests, visit www.TireRack.com, where you'll find information on this evaluation, dozens of other comparisons, and thousands of relevant consumer surveys.

About Tire Rack

Tire Rack, family-owned and headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, is America's largest independent tire tester and consumer-direct source for tires, wheels and performance accessories. Their team of over 100 test drivers (their sales team) tests tires from every major tire manufacturer on the company's state-of-the-art, 11.7-acre test facility. The findings are then posted on the company's website, www.tirerack.com, where consumers can make an educated decision on a tire, wheel or performance accessory purchase.

Tire Rack has also collected results from nearly 150,000 consumer surveys representing over 2.4 billion miles of real-world tire data, the largest known cache of such information anywhere. In addition, various testing and informational videos are available online in their Video Center at www.tirerack.com/videos. Since 1979, Tire Rack has grown from a single-point retail store in Indianapolis to encompass over 2.2 million square feet of space in seven distribution centers across the country. A diverse and broad in-stock inventory from 20 major tire and 55 wheel brands can be delivered anywhere in the country, most in one business day. A national network of over 8,000 independent Recommended Installers is available to assist customers with installation of their purchases.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140821/138681

SOURCE Tire Rack