Kumho KR21

I just purchased a set for my 05 murano, had them mounted on 18x8 350Z rims on front and 18x8.5 350Z rims in the rear. Great ride, not as much noise as goodyear eagle (factory tread). So far so good, if any changes I will be more than happy to post.

 

Problem with the Solus KR21 Tires!!

Just a had a major problem with the Kumho KR21 Tires today that I would like to pass along.

We ordered 4 tires for our 2003 Murano and had then shipped directly to the installer.

They did not fit the stock rims correctly. Installer was unable to mount them!!!! The Kuhmos are going back and just had 4 new Goodyear (OEM) tires installed without any problems.

Hope this doesn't happen to anyone else!! Wasted all day!!!

 

Re: Problem with the Solus KR21 Tires!!

Just a had a major problem with the Kumho KR21 Tires today that I would like to pass along.

We ordered 4 tires for our 2003 Murano and had then shipped directly to the installer.

They did not fit the stock rims correctly. Installer was unable to mount them!!!! The Kuhmos are going back and just had 4 new Goodyear (OEM) tires installed without any problems.

Hope this doesn't happen to anyone else!! Wasted all day!!!

Thats strange. I had no problems mounting the KR 21's about 3 months ago. It runs very well and the noise has gotten signifcantly quieter now. I had to get the tires balanced at Discount Tire as the local tire guy could not balance it well due to limitations of the older balancing machine!

Thanks

Muranomax

 

Re: Problem with the Solus KR21 Tires!!

They did not fit the stock rims correctly. Installer was unable to mount them!!!! The Kuhmos are going back and just had 4 new Goodyear (OEM) tires installed without any problems.

MM1-

That is very odd that 4 standard size tires could not be mounted on 4 standard size rims. What was the problem? Were the wrong tires ordered? Were the wrong tires shipped?

-njjoe

 

Re: Problem with the Solus KR21 Tires!!

Just a had a major problem with the Kumho KR21 Tires today that I would like to pass along.

We ordered 4 tires for our 2003 Murano and had then shipped directly to the installer.

They did not fit the stock rims correctly. Installer was unable to mount them!!!! The Kuhmos are going back and just had 4 new Goodyear (OEM) tires installed without any problems.

Hope this doesn't happen to anyone else!! Wasted all day!!!

What size did they order? The OEM size is 235/65R18 and any tires made in that size should fit the OEM rims.

 

Re: Problem with the Solus KR21 Tires!!

Just a had a major problem with the Kumho KR21 Tires today that I would like to pass along.

We ordered 4 tires for our 2003 Murano and had then shipped directly to the installer.

They did not fit the stock rims correctly. Installer was unable to mount them!!!! The Kuhmos are going back and just had 4 new Goodyear (OEM) tires installed without any problems.

Hope this doesn't happen to anyone else!! Wasted all day!!!

I also recently ordered the kumhos. My brother in law is a mechanic at a local honda dealer, and i took the tires to him to have them mounted. He too was unable to mount them on the rims. He said his tool was not powerful enough to mount them and that hondas dont require that much force. So, I took them to a local tire shop to have them mounted and they didnt have any problems at all. It ended up costing me $80 extra though to have them mounted at the shop rather than by my brother in law.

Ive had them on for roughly 2000 miles now, and they ride great. I dont really notice a difference at all between these and the goodyears in terms of noise, handling, etc. I did lose 1.5 - 2mpg when i switched from the goodyears however. All in all im very pleased with them... especially since theyre so much cheaper than the goodyears.

 

I think I know what you are talking about. My shop (walmart) also had trouble mounting them until I showed them how to do it.

Problem is that the tape they wrap around the tire for shipping pushes down on the beads of the tires and brings them too close to each other. During mounting, the machine blows a blast of air inside the tire to momentarily expand it so that the beads catch the edge of the rim and provide a seal long enough for the tire to start holding air. With the beads too close to each other, the machine at the walmart was unable to provide a blast of air strong enough to push them back towards the wheel edge.

I had them use the "bead breacker" part of the machine to push one side of the tire on to the rim. This was done very carefully ofcource so the tire would not get damaged. With one edge of the tire partially mounted, the machine was then able to complete the job.

 

Hmmm very interesting - I guess not all shops are equipped to handle big 18" tires yet. They will be soon, as even family sedans are now coming with 18's.

 

Hmmm very interesting - I guess not all shops are equipped to handle big 18" tires yet. They will be soon, as even family sedans are now coming with 18's.

According to z-man it wasn't the rim size that caused the problem, it was the way the tires were packaged. That's good to know.

-njjoe

 

I think I know what you are talking about. My shop (walmart) also had trouble mounting them until I showed them how to do it.

Problem is that the tape they wrap around the tire for shipping pushes down on the beads of the tires and brings them too close to each other. During mounting, the machine blows a blast of air inside the tire to momentarily expand it so that the beads catch the edge of the rim and provide a seal long enough for the tire to start holding air. With the beads too close to each other, the machine at the walmart was unable to provide a blast of air strong enough to push them back towards the wheel edge.

I had them use the "bead breacker" part of the machine to push one side of the tire on to the rim. This was done very carefully ofcource so the tire would not get damaged. With one edge of the tire partially mounted, the machine was then able to complete the job.

That was exactly the problem today!

They were the right size (235/65R18 ) but the beads of the tires were too close and they could not get an adequate seal on the rims for the installer to fill them with air. The installer talked about using "ether" to help with the process but stated it was "too dangerous".

So I guess these tires are built alittle narrow on the rim side or the rubber compound is slightly "stiff" making the install difficult for some shops??? It was cold today (26 was the high) so maybe that was a factor?

 

I had mine drop shipped and mounted at Discount Tire here in Cary, NC. Absolutely no problems and the tires are getting quieter. Been on since about July 07.

 

I had mine drop shipped and mounted at Discount Tire here in Cary, NC. Absolutely no problems and the tires are getting quieter. Been on since about July 07.

You are lucky.

Received an E-mail from customer service yeasteday. According to them (after talking to the installer) what happened was the tire bead was compressed on all four tires during the shipping process and would not go back to it's normal shape to allow them to be mounted.

I have purchased alot of tires in the past and used drop shipping. Never before have I had a tire get distorted from the shipping process to the point that they couldn't go on the rims! Makes me wonder how well these tires are made.

 

Makes me wonder how well these tires are made.

A good installer sould have been able to install them. I am very happy with my tires and they passed the "wet" test with flying colors in the stormy and rainy weather we have had here in northern california in the past few days.

 

A good installer sould have been able to install them.

You would think so. The whole situation was odd and a real pain!

 

I don't have any doubts so far about the integrity of my Kumhos. When I wanted these tires, I went to Tire Rack and got a list of recommended installers for the tire in my area and picked one that had good reviews. It was Colony Tire, not Discount Tires as I recently stated, that did the install.

 

I put the KR21's on my Murano yesterday -- so far so good. I like the feel of the tires very much, over the Goodyears. They handle very well, and the car seems more stable. I'm not sure about how they do in the snow, though. We had several inches of snow and slush on the ground yesterday and they did not seem to do as well as the Goodyears. We leave on a 2500 mile trip in several days, so we should know how we like the tires by the end of the trip. Cost was $455 OTD. That's higher than some other posts, but I think very reasonable. Sears OTD, with a sale going on, was $489. I went to a local dealer, and he quoted $536. I said I would go to Sears and he made a couple of phone calls and found a wholesaler who had a lower price. Tire Rack price was $80 each ($320). I figure the total with Tire Rack would have been about $470 ($320 + approx. $65 shipping + $68 install [higher price when not their tire] + $15 disposal + $5 tax. So, the local dealer beat Tire Rack. I bought tires for my Jeep a couple of weeks ago -- same thing. I showed the dealer the Tire rack price and he beat it OTD by $30. Warranty on the KR21's is great. 85,000 mile treadwear warranty, roads hazard coverage free for the first 25% of wear, and 24 hour roadside assistance for the first 2 years. Hard to beat that!

 

I apologize if this has been covered in this thread, but I didn't search through ALL of the pages to see if anyone has encountered this at all.

Anyway, I have a 2003 MO front wheel drive and I ordered the Kumho Solus KR21 Size: 235/65TR18 off of tirerack.com at a really great price and then brought them to a local shop for mounting and alignment.

So the story goes, they call after about an hour or two to tell me something about the tires. I wasn't able to get back to them until maybe 5 hours later.

They called to tell me that the tires were "car" tires and not "truck" tires like some Michelins that were on my MO. They gave me a big schpeel about how the Kumos would greatly affect the handling of the vehicle and that I was not going to be happy with them, but that they tried to get ahold of me and when I didn't call back after a couple of hours they went ahead and mounted them like they were supposed to. This guy went as far as to say that taking a curved entrace ramp to an expressway at maybe 50-60mph would feel unsafe with these tires and that he estimated a safe speed with these tires would be maybe 40-45mph

This guy really made it a point to tell me that the tires were going to make a HUGE difference in how the car handles, however that they'd have the same treadwear and traction as a "truck" tire with the sidewall being the big difference.

I talked to him for a bit and advised that there are only 2 light truck/suv tires that fit the car's OEM size and that even the Goodyears that are usually referred to as the normal tire for the vehicle are classified as "standard touring all season". (The Kumos are also the same classification)

So I haven't picked up the car yet from the mounting yesterday, and obviously I haven't been able to discern a difference for myself between the Michelins that were on it and the new Kumos....but was this guy just blowing a ton of smoke up my ass to try and make some more money or what? I mean everyone here doesn't seem to have anything remotely that negative to say about these tires from what I can see.

 

Lonewulf

Murano is a CUV, a car based one. As such requires car not truck tires. I have not had Kumho tires but from I read on this board people are very happy with them.
The OEM’s GDY Eagle LS were passenger car tires!

I believe the guy was BS you. The Kumhos will be safe tires no doubt!

Enjoy!

 

lonewulf-

Welcome to the forum.

This sums it up --> :bsflag:

I suggest you pick up your MO, say good-bye to the tire guy, and never give them any more business. The guy is full of BS. The MO is not a truck by any definition. Except for the sheet-metal and a few component changes, the MO is basically a Nissan Altima!

The tire guy is trying to scare you into returning the tires and buying a set of "truck" tires from him. He can make more money from you that way.

When you see him, ask him how he would have classified the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS. They certainly can not be called "truck" tires yet Gonzo and others safely drove them at 100+ mph.

I hate dishonest guys like your tire dealer, but I do love it when they try to pull one over on me. I usually make sure that everyone within earshot knows just how disreputable and despicable they are.

-njjoe

 

Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the quick responses! I kind of figured that I was being given some bad info, as I do my best to research more than the average consumer with regards to my vehicles.

Now I am kind of pissed at this shop.

What I don't get is that I didn't buy the tires from them, and after they put the tires on they would obviously know I couldn't return them to where I bought them, so why give me that BS at that point? It's not like I would scrap $320 worth of brand new tires and then turn around and buy overpriced ones from them.

 

What I don't get is that I didn't buy the tires from them, and after they put the tires on they would obviously know I couldn't return them to where I bought them, so why give me that BS at that point? It's not like I would scrap $320 worth of brand new tires and then turn around and buy overpriced ones from them.

lonewulf-

I am sure they would have "helped you out" and paid you $300 for the Kumhos and then turned around and sold them as new to the next MO owner for $100+ each.

What is the name of your tire dealer? That way other forum members in your area can avoid him.

-njjoe

 

lonewulf-

I am sure they would have "helped you out" and paid you $300 for the Kumhos and then turned around and sold them as new to the next MO owner for $100+ each.

What is the name of your tire dealer? That way other forum members in your area can avoid him.

-njjoe

See that's the thing, just to see what their response was, I asked them if they'd take the tires off my hands because I couldn't return them to an online merchant now that they were mounted. The guy said my only option at this point was to sell them on ebay or something and then buy other "truck" tires.

Obviously no one at that point is going to swallow the cost of 2 sets of new tires like that. It's kind of a ridiculous situation and someone would have to be a real idiot to say to themselves, "wow, I better buy "truck" tires from these guys."

 

I apologize if this has been covered in this thread, but I didn't search through ALL of the pages to see if anyone has encountered this at all.

Anyway, I have a 2003 MO front wheel drive and I ordered the Kumho Solus KR21 Size: 235/65TR18 off of tirerack.com at a really great price and then brought them to a local shop for mounting and alignment.

So the story goes, they call after about an hour or two to tell me something about the tires. I wasn't able to get back to them until maybe 5 hours later.

They called to tell me that the tires were "car" tires and not "truck" tires like some Michelins that were on my MO. They gave me a big schpeel about how the Kumos would greatly affect the handling of the vehicle and that I was not going to be happy with them, but that they tried to get ahold of me and when I didn't call back after a couple of hours they went ahead and mounted them like they were supposed to. This guy went as far as to say that taking a curved entrace ramp to an expressway at maybe 50-60mph would feel unsafe with these tires and that he estimated a safe speed with these tires would be maybe 40-45mph

This guy really made it a point to tell me that the tires were going to make a HUGE difference in how the car handles, however that they'd have the same treadwear and traction as a "truck" tire with the sidewall being the big difference.

I talked to him for a bit and advised that there are only 2 light truck/suv tires that fit the car's OEM size and that even the Goodyears that are usually referred to as the normal tire for the vehicle are classified as "standard touring all season". (The Kumos are also the same classification)

So I haven't picked up the car yet from the mounting yesterday, and obviously I haven't been able to discern a difference for myself between the Michelins that were on it and the new Kumos....but was this guy just blowing a ton of smoke up my ass to try and make some more money or what? I mean everyone here doesn't seem to have anything remotely that negative to say about these tires from what I can see.

Lonewolf

Welcome to the forum. I suggest you pick up your MO ASAP and dont even bother talking to these tire guys. Dont ever do business with them again. They are full of s--t and dont know what they are talking about. The Kumhos are as good as the goodyears and you get them for half the price. I have had them for several months now and have driven them at maximumum speed( I mean over 80Mph!) and have not had the slightest problem. It has handled great in hot ,cold and wet weather. I cant tell you much about snow as there hasnt been much snow around here in the carolinas so far.Anyway, good luck to you and make sure that the tires are balanced properly. The 18 inch wheels are difficult to balance on the conventional balancers. I would recommend you check out a shop that has the Hunter Roadforce balancer.

Have fun

Muranomax

 

Lonewolf

Give the benefit of the doubt to the tire guy. Maybe he was really trying to be helful but just either had the wrong information, or simply did not know enough.

I am very happy with the Kumho tires and drive them at sustained speeds of over 80 mph on a daily basis. They are quiet and they perform great in pouring rain and on dry roads alike. Having said that, I do find myself more careful when exiting freeways at high speeds because the tire is fairly new to me and I just don't know enough about the thichness or construction of the side wall and its performance under that kind of a load. So maybe, just maybe the guy was just trying to be helpful by airing his concern in that regard...

 

Lonewolf

Give the benefit of the doubt to the tire guy. Maybe he was really trying to be helful but just either had the wrong information, or simply did not know enough.

I am very happy with the Kumho tires and drive them at sustained speeds of over 80 mph on a daily basis. They are quiet and they perform great in pouring rain and on dry roads alike. Having said that, I do find myself more careful when exiting freeways at high speeds because the tire is fairly new to me and I just don't know enough about the thichness or construction of the side wall and its performance under that kind of a load. So maybe, just maybe the guy was just trying to be helpful by airing his concern in that regard...

Zebelkhan

The Kumho solus KR21 is rated at 104T speed rating which is exactly the same rating as the OEM Goodyears. I cant understand what the big deal is in entering or exiting the highways at high speeds when you are routinely driving at 80Mph! Surely you cant be driving much more than 60 or 70 Mph when entering or exiting the highway and these tires are more than capable of handling that.
Thanks

Muranomax