Kumho IZen KW27 Reviews - Page 2

Given 79% while driving a Renault Laguna 3 (215/55 R17) on a combination of roads for 10,000 average miles
Good comfort and good wear. Nice tyre for the price if you are not a racer.
Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on March 21, 2014
Given 50% while driving a Mercedes Benz C 250Sport (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 20,000 average miles
I bought these tyres Nov 2013 ready for winter (I have had winter tyres etc before so I can compare against Vredestein Wintracs which were great).

These were nothing but dangerous as soon as temperature got over 8C which during this winter was a lot of the time. The back of the car would totally lose traction at 15mph on a roundabout. It left me facing the wrong way twice! Once coming off a fast motorway slip road.

I was in scotand over christmas and in snow they were very good BUT given the UK winters I would never buy these or even put them back on my car. I will be putting them on Ebay.

If you live in a country with guaranteed snow and permanently cold temps then I am sure they are great but if not avoid them.
Helpful 20 - tyre reviewed on March 20, 2014
Given 90% while driving a Jaguar S Type 2.7D (245/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 10,000 spirited miles
Epic tyre.
Faultless grip, good at high speeds. Snow and ice traction very good.
It excells at braking on slippery surfaces.
Quiet and refined.
Helpful 30 - tyre reviewed on February 3, 2014
What to know the BEST All Season Tyres for 2024? Click to find out!
Given 80% while driving a Mercedes Benz E Class AMG (265/35 R18 V) on mostly town for 10,000 average miles
I just had them delivered directly from universal tyres and asked few local tyres fitters to fit them. One company quoted £25 + VAT each. After searching several companies I found T&S tyres in Tottenham who fit them for £10 including VAT, balancing and new valves.

Excellent tyres
Helpful 9 - tyre reviewed on November 17, 2013
Given 57% while driving a BMW 330d M Sport (225/40 R18 W) on a combination of roads for 5,000 average miles
DON'T BUY! Honestly the worst tyres I've ever used. Unless there's actually snow or slush on the ground, they're worse than the cheapest unbranded Chinese rubbish. Under 'normal' cold weather driving conditions they're noisy on the motorway and the TC light is on at every junction around town. Tread is virtually untouched after almost 5000 miles, despite the constant slipping, so I can't even look forward to replacing them with something better.
Helpful 9 - tyre reviewed on November 17, 2013
Given 83% while driving a Jaguar S Type 2.7D (245/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 5,000 easy going miles
Wonderful winter tyre. Had no problems last winter with these on, and for a 200bhp+ rear wheel drive car that's something. Traction on snow is epic, I was literally pushing snow with the front bumper.
But the best thing this tyre has going for it is safety and fuel consumption.
It kept me on the road and saved me a few times on sheet ice, and with the lower temperatures that these are designed for my fuel consumption was reduced, and I was saving £7 a week on fuel.
Will definitely buy again.
Helpful 14 - tyre reviewed on October 15, 2013
Given 74% while driving a Alfa Romeo 156 JTD (205/45 R15) on a combination of roads for 30,000 average miles
Very good tyre for winter. Good on snow/icy... Drops on wet/rainy surface...
Weariness is awesome. Was driven on summer too...

Helpful 15 - tyre reviewed on October 7, 2013
Given 91% while driving a Mercedes Benz E320 CDI (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 15,000 spirited miles
Superb winter tyre, ultra quite. Used them for 3 Winters now and still got 6mm tread left after 15k miles and belive me, I don't spare the horses. Bought them for all my cars now (A Class/Fiat Bravo07) and getting same performance from all. Better than my Goodyear summer tyres! Well done Kumho.
Helpful 13 - tyre reviewed on October 17, 2012
Given 80% while driving a Ford Mondeo Titanium X (225/45 R17) on mostly motorways for 6,000 spirited miles
To follow up on my previous review, I have now had the chance to drive in snow and ice with these tyres. Not having fitted snow tyres before, I am unable to compare with other brands, but my experience with these tyres is that they make a huge difference driving in snow.

Braking and changing direction is more than 50% better compared to summer tyres on the same car last winter. The acid test is getting up my driveway which ascends up to my garage via a left hand curve. On my MK4 Mondeo during two previous winters, if there was snow on the drive, I could only get the car close to the garage with a run up. With the Kumho I'Zen tyres the front wheels barely slipped. In fact as an additional test, I reversed back down the drive and pulled away on the slope with the minimum of wheelspin. So far in the 8,000 kms these tyres have been on, the wear rate has been very good with plenty of tread still on the fronts and not much difference to the rears in comparisom.

These tyres are essential in snowy conditions, but they are also excellent on wet and greasy roads, especially where there is standing water at motorway speeds which these tyres cut through. Having these tyres on your car gives you the confidence where other vehicles will get stuck, you will get home or make your appointment. How much is that worth?
Helpful 13 - tyre reviewed on February 13, 2012
Given 94% while driving a Ford Mondeo (235/45 R17 V) on mostly motorways for 15,000 spirited miles
When I first saw that these tyres are made in China my heart sank. However they have far exceeded my expectations.

The first thing to note is that these tyres need at least 300 miles or 500 kms to bed in. The other point to note is not to mix these tyres with summer tyres. You need a full set.

As yet the winter in Western Europe has been very mild and I have not had the opportunity to test these tyres on snow. Compared to the Toyo TR1 Proxes that came off my Mondeo, these tyres out-perform the Toyos in wet and greasy conditions. They are also beeter on very wet motorways/autoroutes with standing water. They have a very high aquaplaning resistance no doubt due to the deep sipes in the tread design.

Full power acceleration on a wet road in third gear will not provoke any slippage, even thought the car has been remapped to 175 bhp. The tyres encourage a sharp turn-in during cornering and are quiet at all speeds. Ride confort is also excellent with a good absorbance of small ridges and tarmac strips.

As yet after two months of motoring tyre wear seems to be negligible on the fronts and as new on the rear. I paid £120 a tyre fitted and therefore they represent excellent value for money. Go ahead and pay twice as much for Michelin or Continental winter tyres. For those in the know, these Kumhos are just as good.
Helpful 9 - tyre reviewed on January 2, 2012
Given 84% while driving a Ford Kuga (235/50 R18) on mostly town for 0 spirited miles
Excellent Winter tyres, On all 4 corners of my 4x4 through the winter then taken off and stored until October time again....cant fault em.KW
Helpful 9 - tyre reviewed on May 18, 2011
Given 84% while driving a SEAT Leon TDI DSG Sport (225/45 R17 V) on a combination of roads for 5,000 spirited miles
Bought these after having a terrible time in winter on my summer tyres (Conti SC3). They transformed the car. Grip in the wet when it's warmer (above 10 deg C) is less than the Contis and there's less feedback and a less precise turn-in, but on ice, snow, and in general cold conditions they're many times better: There were several times I couldn't believe the car kept going, down closed roads where others were in the ditch. Obvoiously, any winter tyre will outperform a summer one in those conditions, but I'd reccomend these on cost against performance.
Helpful 14 - tyre reviewed on February 14, 2011