“KUMHO is obviously trying to innovate, and they look like they’re succeeding”
The KL71 looks considerably different from all its competitor tyres in this test. With broad lugs and a very open tread pattern. Kumho is obviously trying to innovate. And, judging by this set of tests, they’re succeeding, They have a long way to go to garner broad respect in Britain, but they’re well on their way with this impressive and capable tyre. The only real let-down across all tests was its poor braking performance on tarmac, but it made up for this by winning the gravel braking by over half a metre(1.6ft). Other than that, its lowest score was a fourth equal on the side slope; 11.5m along the escarpment wasn’t a bad showing, but its BFG rival sailed well beyond it here. A third on the bog run was followed up by a second on the mud climb; this came as something of a surprise to us, as you wouldn’t necessarily predict decent mud traction potential just by looking at the tread pattern. The KL71 proved its worth on the rock crawl section, gripping well on both smooth and sharp edges. Despite reaching the same point on this test as the Goodyear and the Wildcat, it seemed to do so with more of an effort; maybe a slight adjustment in driving technique could have been the key variable here, though. For an MT, the Kumho is very quiet on road, its handling pretty good. We decided that the KL71 was the best-looking tyre on the Defender, but this is of no objective consequence and I’m that sure many of you will disagree. This is great tyre and, like the BFG, ended up eight points clear of its closest rivals in our testing. Give it a try.
See the Kumho Mud Terrain Tyres