Kumo Tires or Kumho Tires?

If you’ve typed Kumo Tires into your search engine, you’re probably looking for Kumho Tires ...

By Drew Gill

It’s a common mistake that many people make, so just read on if you’re after quality information on Kumho Tires (or Kumo Tires).

The Background of Kumho Tires

Here's a memory aid to remembering the right spelling of the name.  Pretend that the name in Korean means "Come Home" but in English has been shortened to Kum Ho
You can find KUMHO tires at The Tire Rack.

In its earlier years, Kumho Tire Co was formerly known as Samyang Tire. The organization is a South Korean industrial conglomerate, and has its headquarters at Gwangju in South Korea. If you are wondering about the name (whether you spell it Kumho or Kumo tires), it means "bright lake" in Korean. The Kumho Tire Co is a subsidiary of the much larger Kumho Asiana Group, as is Asiana Airlines, which is South Korea's second largest airline.

Kumo Tires is a major entity in the tire industry. The company has three manufacturing facilities in South Korea, as well as another four in China, and one more in Vietnam. Kumho exports tires all around the world, and has a global network of sales organizations. In order to keep key developments on target, Kumho has three centers for research and development located around the world. The largest of these facilities is in Gwangju, South Korea. The other two centers are located in Akron, Ohio, USA and in Birmingham, England, UK. These last two facilities service the US and European tire markets respectively. The Kumho Company manufactures a full range of tires under the Kumho and Marshal brands for distribution worldwide.

Kumho’s Major Developments in America

In May 2008 Kumho broke new ground, building a new manufacturing facility in Macon, Georgia. It is anticipated that the newly developed Kumho factory is to produce as many as 2.1 million tires each year. Then in July 2008, the Kumo Tire Company announced that they would supply the tires for the 2009 Ford Focus.

Originally founded in 1975 and headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California is Kumho Tire U.S.A., the U.S. distribution arm of Kumho. In addition to the 830,000 square foot building that is the headquarters and central distribution facility in Rancho Cucamonga, the company also operates another four additional distribution facilities in Brunswick, Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus and Dallas.

Recent Praise for Kumho Tires

Kumho Tires has recently earned itself two "Best Buy" awards in a regular tire evaluation conducted by the Consumers Digest magazine. Kumho's Solus KR21 and Ecsta STX were given honors in the Touring Cars and the Performance SUV categories respectively. The Consumers Digest magazine evaluation tested everything from all-season passenger and performance tires to tires for the light truck and SUV ranges.

The Consumers Digest magazine tire Best Buys, which were named in magazine’s February 2009 issue, are chosen by the Consumers Digest editors and based on results taken from independent testing, gleaned from technical experts, as well as over-the-road evaluations conducted for the magazine issue.

"The Solus KR21 is an outstanding touring tire and the Ecsta STX is an exceptional performance SUV tire and all of us at Kumho are excited about the recognition these tires have received," said Rick Brennan, Kumho's vice president of sales and marketing. "Earning Consumers Digest's 'Best Buy' award is a key indicator of Kumho's pledge to value and performance."

The Solus KR21 is Kumo Tire's Standard Touring All-Season tire aimed specifically at the drivers of coupes, sedans, minivans, and crossover and sport utility vehicles. The Solus KR21 brings a combination of long wear, low noise and excellent results in ride and handling, as well as all-season traction, even in light snow.

The Ecsta STX is an aggressive tire designed for fast response and sport-like handling. The tire is designed specifically to suit the needs of the SUV and light truck drivers. The tire has season performance to provide superior wet and dry handling.

You can order KUMHO tires from The Tire Rack.

Tips From Kumho Tires

Kumho or Kumo Tires? Still having trouble remembering the right spelling for these tires?  Imagine seeing the car above with a sign on it saying:
K eep
U
M uddafukin'
H ands
O ff
Got it now? and those are really are Kumhos on the car, they're Ecsta STX 305/30 tires on 26" rims.

• Air pressure should be set according to the vehicle manufacturer's specification, but this is sometimes only relevant if you’re running the same tires as the vehicle was originally fitted with, so check if you’ve got the same type of tires first. The vehicle manufacturer's recommendation can usually be found in a few different places. Try the owner's manual first, if you have no luck there then look on the door jam, or in the glove compartment. You can always contact the vehicle dealer for more information about your car.

• The importance of maintaining the proper air pressure can never be overstated. Under-inflation of a vehicle’s tires can lead to excessive heat build-up and structural stress. These two things in particular are common causes of tire failure. On the other hand, over-inflation can cause things like uneven tire wear in the center part of the tire’s tread pattern. Over-inflation can also lead to vehicle handling problems

• Avoid checking your vehicle’s tire pressure after the vehicle has been operated; this is because tires heat up when they are driven on and this causes the air pressure to rise. Whenever you check your tire’s air pressure, allow them to cool first, then perform your check.

• Check your spare tire as well. It’s a common story that a person has a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, only to discover that their spare tire is also flat. It’s a sometimes over-looked fact that the proper air pressure for a spare is often different than the tires mounted on your vehicle. It sounds incorrect but it’s true and the correct air pressure for your spare should also be listed in your owner's manual, door jam, or glove compartment.

• Use a quality air gauge when you are checking the air pressure or your Kumho tires, and digital gauges are the most reliable. Alternatively you can have a professional service technician do the work for you. Accutire Digital Tire Air Gauges available at The Tire Rack help measure air pressure accurately, anywhere.
  

Maintaining proper air pressure will also contribute to better fuel efficiency.

Other useful links

Tire Size Calculator Tire Size Convertor 4x4 tires alignment all-terrain-tires automobile-tires balancing car-maintenance cheap tires off-road-tires rotation safety check consumer topics tire-humor tire-pressure tire-protection tire valves tire-wear-problems

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