Spent over $930 on my '14 Mirage, worthy investment

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I will be interested in what you think of them, too!

My pair of 165/65r14 Nokian Nordman 7 snow tires are directional. I must admit they are holding up very well. This will be their 5th winter being used up front on my Mirage.

I hope my new tires give me better traction off the line. Because even this morning, I must have spun my tires at least 3 times, doing my drive to a cheaper grocery store than the local rural ones.

I'm a good driver but I feel like it's eggshells between lots of low gear torque, and a smooth launch, with my Mirage. I wonder if my well-worn Dunlops are to blame. Or if it's something that I'm doing myself, with my launch.

I know how to control my car and even shift to second early to save fuel, etc.. But on launch from a red light, it's squealing more than I wish. Embarrassing.

[Mark]

I hope my new tires give me better traction off the line. Because even this morning, I must have spun my tires at least 3 times, doing my drive to a cheaper grocery store than the local rural ones.

I'm a good driver but I feel like it's eggshells between lots of low gear torque, and a smooth launch, with my Mirage. I wonder if my well-worn Dunlops are to blame. Or if it's something that I'm doing myself, with my launch.

I know how to control my car and even shift to second early to save fuel, etc.. But on launch from a red light, it's squealing more than I wish. Embarrassing.

Well-worn Dunlop Enasaves probably can't be beat for fuel economy, but most any other tire will outperform them traction-wise (especially on wet roads). I would totally blame your worn down Dunlop tires for the lack of traction up front this summer.

Your new Kumho Solus HA31 tires are directional tires. This is a recent quote about directional tires in general -

"Thanks to the V-shaped tread pattern, directional tires excel at evacuating water, which provides their excellent wet traction and helps you avoid hydroplaning. Additionally, directional tread patterns can be commonly found on many summer and winter tires." May 11, 2020

Like I said before, my only knock on directional tires is rotations become limited to straight front & back only.

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Well-worn Dunlop Enasaves probably can't be beat for fuel economy, but most any other tire will outperform them traction-wise (especially on wet roads). I would totally blame your worn down Dunlop tires for the lack of traction up front this summer.

Your new Kumho Solus HA31 tires are directional tires. This is a recent quote about directional tires in general -

"Thanks to the V-shaped tread pattern, directional tires excel at evacuating water, which provides their excellent wet traction and helps you avoid hydroplaning. Additionally, directional tread patterns can be commonly found on many summer and winter tires." May 11, 2020

Like I said before, my only knock on directional tires is rotations become limited to straight front & back only.

I hadn't taken wet roads into consideration. And there was a pile of rain coming down early this morning. And you're probably right that the Dunlops are the best for fuel economy, I was getting 4.7 L / 100 km's according to my trip computer. Just sipping gas.

I would take a miniscule cut to fuel economy if I can get tires that last 100,000 kms because I just don't believe that warranty, we shall see.

[Mark]

I hadn't taken wet roads into consideration. And there was a pile of rain coming down early this morning. And you're probably right that the Dunlops are the best for fuel economy, I was getting 4.7 L / 100 km's according to my trip computer. Just sipping gas.

I would take a miniscule cut to fuel economy if I can get tires that last 100,000 kms because I just don't believe that warranty, we shall see.

I don't expect tires to last that long under all driving conditions, but I do expect a 60,000 mile warranty tire to last a bit longer than a 40,000 mile warranty tire. Likewise, an 80,000 mile warranty tire should do better than a 60,000 mile warranty tire.

I somewhat agree with the article below (5 best cheap tire companies) -

https://www.automoblog.net/cheap-tires/

Goodyear has recently bought out Cooper. I hope that doesn't hurt Cooper, because Cooper tires have been a great value. I would add to that article that Mastercraft tires made by Cooper may be an even better value.

Kumho is definitely in the mix of good tires for the price.

Small town tire shops like want to be competitive and still keep their customers happy. The tires listed in this article are carried by the small town shops in my area. Cooper (Goodyear/Cooper are the only American tire companies) are by far the most popular in my area, but the others are well represented, too.

Kumho is part of this discussion, because they are offering 165/65r14 factory size (Mirage) tires. I wouldn't overlook Nexen, too.

My knock on Nexen is -

165/65r14 N'Priz AH5 tires have been around $77/tire for quite some time. The same 175/65r14 tire is $57 @ walmart.com today.

Kumho & Nexen are Korean tires. Thus, they are common on Hyundai/KIA vehicles.

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I

Kumho & Nexen are Korean tires. Thus, they are common on Hyundai/KIA vehicles.

And Hankook is Korean too, according to your link.

So I have 8 South Korean tires now for my Mirage. If Kumho and others offer a good warranty, and long-lasting rubber in real world driving, well this is a good buy for a Mirage owner. I kept shopping around til I found some on sale, but seems like it was a good buy!

[Mark]

And Hankook is Korean too, according to your link.

So I have 8 South Korean tires now for my Mirage. If Kumho and others offer a good warranty, and long-lasting rubber in real world driving, well this is a good buy for a Mirage owner. I kept shopping around til I found some on sale, but seems like it was a good buy!

I think you did good! I believe Fummins bought the same Kumho tires for his white Mirage, & he sold that car with them.

Kumho, Nexen, & Hankook have become well-known mid-priced tires. I believe these tire companies have benefitted from the increase popularity of Hyundai/KIA vehicles in North America.

I appreciate these South Korean companies offering 165/65r14 tire options for our Mirages. The same goes for Federal tires, but they are made in Taiwan.

I haven't seen 165/65r14 Hankook tires offered in the States, but Kumho, Nexen, & Federal have added more choices for us here.

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I think you did good! I believe Fummins bought the same Kumho tires for his white Mirage, & he sold that car with them.

Kumho, Nexen, & Hankook have become well-known mid-priced tires. I believe these tire companies have benefitted from the increase popularity of Hyundai/KIA vehicles in North America.

I appreciate these South Korean companies offering 165/65r14 tire options for our Mirages. The same goes for Federal tires, but they are made in Taiwan.

I haven't seen 165/65r14 Hankook tires offered in the States, but Kumho, Nexen, & Federal have added more choices for us here.

Hyundai and Kia have come a long way from their first cars. My grandparents had an original Pony with very low KMs, but nonetheless the tire fell off some time around 1999, and that was it for the car. My sister had one of the first KIA subcompact sedans, with an automatic, and that car had no power.

Then you see the 2019 Santa Fe I had as a rental a few years ago. Huge SUV and getting 8.1-8.2 L/100 kms on the highway with awd. Good fit and finish. I would go Hyundai also because they offer manual trannys and entry level cars that are actually cheaper than Honda, or a VW manual. I would get a new Hyundai. I heard KIA windshields break in Canadian winters with the heater thing, not sure if that is true for all of them.

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New tires. Grip seems really good. Not getting 4.6 L/ 100 km's with them like I have been with my old Dunlops. Computer is reading 5.3 L/100 kms on the way home. I wasn't really trying. We will see. If they last much longer, and I get over 40 mpg, I'm happy.

[Fummins]

I think you did good! I believe Fummins bought the same Kumho tires for his white Mirage, & he sold that car with them.

Kumho, Nexen, & Hankook have become well-known mid-priced tires. I believe these tire companies have benefitted from the increase popularity of Hyundai/KIA vehicles in North America.

Yeah, I got the same ones. $69 a piece then got a $80(iirc)prepaid visa. I hardly drove it after I installed them but noticed they were noisier than the dunlops and the cheapo 175 winter tires I was running. The wife's 15 Optima came stock with Nexens. I don't recall what the Sorento has on it.

[Mark]

New tires. Grip seems really good. Not getting 4.6 L/ 100 km's with them like I have been with my old Dunlops. Computer is reading 5.3 L/100 kms on the way home. I wasn't really trying. We will see. If they last much longer, and I get over 40 mpg, I'm happy.

Your new Kumho Solus HA31 tires look good to me!

I wish we had a few more 165/65r14 all-weather tire options in the States. Tire Rack has been good about carrying the Vredestein Quatrac 5 all-weather tire. Kumho & Vredestein are the only two 165/65r14 all-weather tires I have ever noticed, & I haven't seen the Kumho Solus HA31 offered/in-stock for quite some time.

I like the thought of using a newer all-weather tire during the winter months. As they get older/more worn down, you can still use them for the rest of the year. If I found the right all-weather tire, I would consider two sets of them. The newer set would be my winter tires, and the older set would be used for the rest of the year. For the Midwest, that would probably work well for most. Wisconsin & surrounding states don't allow studded tires, which I always found a bit odd.

You may want to test your new all-weather tires out (couple first snow falls) before switching to your snow tires. You have vastly improved you stock pile of tires since last year!