Kumho Tires Solus 4S Review: Does This Unique Design Deliver Quiet and Confidence?

Honestly, I wasn’t very familiar with this brand. There are seemingly hundreds of tire brands on the market, many of them sub-brands of names we know, others are regional brands from around the world, and yet others are budding stars on the global stage. I put Kumho in this category. A Korean company that got its start more than 60 years ago, you might recognize the name from NBA and soccer sponsorships, as well as racing (of course: Tires). 

Kumho is a large manufacturer of tires and is building a reputation for longevity and quality in the US with a wide range of tires for all types of cars, trucks, EVs and SUVs. 

And then, there are the tires they sent me to test out: The Kumho Tire Solus 4S. 

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The Kumho Tires Solus 4S is one of the early adopters of a new trend in tire design: the chevron tread pattern. The inward V-pattern creates friction and pressure to force water away from under the tire, and in snow or slush it allows the tire to yield a bit creating more grip. Then, it also allows for more packing of snow into the tread sipes so the snow can better grip snow on the road. 

Kumho Tires uses pine resin in its rubber compound for the Solus tires, which is pretty cool. This creates a more pliable tire that can grip in dry and wet or snowy conditions. And why Kumho called these tires ‘all weather’ rather than ‘all season:’ they are designed for light snow as well as dry driving conditions.

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The Solus 4S design is similar to the Michelin CrossClimate2 tires I tested not long ago, and which I liked very much for the comfortable and confident ride. 

I can say the same about the Kumho tires, but with one added benefit: a hefty discount in price. I found the Kumho tires priced at about $130 each, while the Michelins carry a price of about $180 per tire for the same size (prices depend on wheel size and can vary). Both carry a 60,000 mile tread warranty, so they should last for more than a few years. Add about $100-$150 in installation, balancing and front end alignment, and the entire package can reduce your cost significantly.  

Read: 10 Best Run-Flat Tires for Your Next Vehicle Upgrade

I put the Michelins on my BMW 335i, a spirited rear wheel drive sedan. As much as I love driving it, I always hated the fact that it could lose grip in the rain and was useless in the snow; it stayed garaged through snowy Connecticut winters. 

I didn’t get the chance to test the Michelins in the snow, though they were put to a different and equally scary test: roads freshly rain-slicked and slippery with oil build-up. That’s the hidden danger in Texas and it can be as elusive as black ice; it’s hard to see where the slippery spots are. 

I felt the added grip and and precision of the CrossClimate2 tries instantly. Would the Kumhos be as good?

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I took the set of Kumho tires to a local tire installer, Best Tire, to have my old tires removed and the new tires put on my Infiniti QX50 (by this time I’d sold the BMW). The Best Tires team also aligned the front end of the car to ensure the tires wear properly. 

That’s when they showed me something shocking: my old tires, which were only a few years old, had worn completely on the inner edge, the part that’s nearly impossible to see until you put the car on a lift. If I had turned the steering wheel hard, pointing the front left tire outward and looked carefully, I’d have been able to see this (and rotating my tires and keeping the front end aligned would have prevented it), but I never did.

Driving away from Best Tire I felt it instantly: my car felt more anchored to the ground. Now, that was likely more the effect of new tires, with more secure stopping and less rolling, even without pressing hard on the brake. It also felt a bit more resistance when I lifted my foot from the brake. Out on the road, and it was a dry day, the car felt more in control merging onto the highway and around the curves of Texas Hill Country roads. 

Once in my neighborhood, and for the months since, I feel it too. Our neighborhood has narrow streets and no sidewalks, so pedestrians and cars coexist. The street is where we walk our dogs and push our strollers, often alongside cars, which must drive slowly. 

It’s actually a lovely thing; everyone sees everyone else eye to eye, pedestrians and drivers in their cars. This also means that I value precision and quietness from my car’s tires; I need to be able to ease up to an intersection and stop quickly if someone is coming around the corner. I also need to drive by them without making a lot of noise. My car feels quiet and in control, which I appreciate.

This was the real test, which came in next couple of months; it was a wet summer. At first, the streets were slick, as dry roads tend to bead up absorbed oils. Then, they were awash in water, offering the chance to hydroplane. Neither are good. 

But I could imagine the tread on the Kumho tires acting sort of like a snow plow, pushing water away from the tires as it finds contact on the pavement. The feeling is control, and it’s all you really want in the rain, whether there’s a little or a lot. 

Quiet. No noise. This is also a benefit of the chevron-style tread on the Kumho tires. Since the tread angle points inward to the front of the car, and there aren’t large sections of knobby tread smacking down on the pavement near the side of the car, and there’s less noise. The tread pattern also helps to quiet the stickier, more pliable compound the Kumho 4S tires are made from. And I can tell. The tires still feel grippy on the road, but don’t sound like it.

And, it feels great to have new tires. Pretty soon I’m due to head back to Best Tire and have my tires rotated. It’ll take a few minutes, so I might head across the parking lot to the nail salon and get a manicure. Best of both worlds, right?