Mark Taylor Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 I purchased a '11 DJ with roughly 10000 miles on it, and between that, and now the tires that came from the factory are pretty much bald in the rear. The tires are the DJ 17" Kumho tires. I took it in to have an alignment, and it was perfectly aligned. the tire pressure has been to manufacture specifications since i purchased the vehicle. Has anyone else had this issue with the stock tires? are they covered by the manufacture warranty, and if so, will the Dodge/Fiat replace them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 nope not covered under chrysler manufacture warrenty you have to buy coverage thur the tire manufacture, this is the same with all car manufactures, dont know why they would wear out so fast, since you bought it with 10k on it i would suspect the rears use to be on the front and he didnt rotate them untill he sold it to you. i have a2011 mainstreet and my 17 inch kumos lasted to about 60k and i prob could have got another 10k out of them but i wanted to keep good tread on my car.. good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) Understand that the tires that came with your car were not designed by Kumho. They were designed by Chrysler. If your new car came with a set of Kumho's, Kumho made the tire but they made it to the specifications set by Chrysler. The OEM tires that came with your car can’t be replaced (which is a good thing) after they’ve worn out. And they will wear out much sooner than they should. This is because virtually all auto manufacturers specify very soft rubber which means they wear out too fast. You can buy what you think is the same tire, but it will have a different model number when sold by a tire store. Auto manufacturers do this because they want that new car to have the smoothest ride possible, even at your expense of having to buy a new set of tires at half the mileage you should have to. When you test drive that brand new car and it rides very, very smoothly you’re more likely to buy it. You’ll find out how fast the tires wear out much later, and when you do you’ll blame it on the tire maker. Don't blame the tire maker, blame the vehicle manufacturer. Edited February 9, 2014 by jkeaton WaywerdSon and Addicted to Dodge 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 I have over 18000 miles on my original Kumho tires and they are worn but still serviceable. They are soft construction as you can see by the friction marks on asphalt by turning them lock to lock while standing still,I think aggressive drivers will find them wearing quite fast. jkeaton 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 I have over 34,000 miles on my OEM kumhos. They have been good so far. I'm no race car driver,but I don't drive unaggressive. I haven't looked within the past month, but last time I did, I wasn't even close to the wear marker. Maybe the 2011 OEM tires are different. Dunno. Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 maybee the Marks front tires were somewhat still good meaning the org owner never rotated his tires also city driving and hard stopping and fast take offs wears the tires out alot faster then normal. which might be true as he also posted about getting bad gas mileage if a different posting.anyways everyone has a different opinion of kumos and as i stated before i got at least 60k out of them and other bloggers have said about the same . so i think its more of how you drive(all city VS a good mix of hwy and city driving) and rotate your tires. happy trails everyone............... Journey_SeXT and rolly 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey_SeXT Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 I kind of figured seeing one post about poor fuel economy and another on tires wearing quickly that it would be an indication of their driving habits. The only other thread missing by the OP is the one of brakes wearing quickly and that would seal the deal on how they drive. rolly and 2late4u 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolly Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) Before I bought the Journey, I joined this forum to see what member's experiences were. I was impressed with most of the information except with the tires. A lot of the comments were very negative about the Kumho tires. I really thought seriously about having the tires swapped at the dealers but I couldn't make a deal without taking a big hit on the cost. I'm really glad I didn't, because my experience has been positive. I have over 35,000 kilometres on them and they still look good. I've always rotated my tires every 10,000 kilometres on any vehicle I've owned and check my tire pressure regularly. I'm not sure if that's why mine are holding up, but I'm sure it helped. This is my second winter on them and have not had any problems even with all the snow we've had. Edited February 9, 2014 by rolly Journey_SeXT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) I'm running Kumho's on my Mustang, Sebring and the Journey, also had them on my Z28. Never had a complaint. I am somewhat fanatical about checking tire pressure and rotating. Have an app on my phone that reminds me. Rotations every 5k. Tire pressure once a month. I've got 5 vehicles and I do them all myself. Rotations take me about 20o mins. Having multiple floor jacks and an indoor heated/cooled garage helps..... Edited February 9, 2014 by jkeaton Journey_SeXT and rolly 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to Dodge Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 My Kuhmos have held up well with 27k miles on them. Rotation and air pressure seems to be key with them (as with any other tire). I have done mine 3 times, with the intent of a 4th soon. I don't see myself getting more than 35 to 40k miles out of them but that is totally acceptable to me for a stock tire. Michelins and Goodyears are my choice of tire and I cant wait to put a set of either one on my Journey. My Town and Country is a different story though. At 9k miles the outsides on the front are beginning to show wear faster than the Journey did. I "have not" done a rotation on them yet though. So its actually a bit of my fault that they have worn faster. Just need some warm weather to rotate some tires. B) My only complaint with the stock Kuhmos is the tight tread pattern, they pick up every little pebble in my gravel driveway. I will be putting a more aggressive tread next go around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 better check the aligment on your town and country if they are wearing on the outside edges faster the the middle... jkeaton and Journey_SeXT 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windancer Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 I purchased a '11 DJ with roughly 10000 miles on it, and between that, and now the tires that came from the factory are pretty much bald in the rear. I know Dodge will not replace them as wear with tire is a fact of life. I replaced my original 19" Kumhos at 40,000 kilometers (24,000 miles), I know that many people have criticized the Kumhos and who am I to argue, in my case they were decent tires but there is always the other side. I replaced them with MIchelin Latitude HP's, and so far am very pleased. The store said I would probably get another summer from them but advised using them this winter. I live up north on the Canadian Prairies where winters can be tough. Personally I would have liked to get more mileage from them but I realize they were OEM tires and were probably quite soft so that the ride would be even nicer. I truly think to get maximum wear from them, you should rotate them faithfully, make sure the wheel alignment is proper and get them up to the proper tire pressure all the time so that the wear is consistent. This is just my opinion and should be taken as such. Terry Addicted to Dodge and rolly 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lebowski Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 FWIW, I had to replace the OEM tires at around 28000km (17398 miles). The brakes are still good after 40000km (crossing fingers), so I don't think it's my driving style. Addicted to Dodge 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Sixspeedrt Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I got 40,300 miles out of the Kumhos. Honestly, I probably should have replaced them about 36,000 miles, but I'm stubborn in that on a ordinary, non-performance vehicles, radials ought to last at least 40k miles Addicted to Dodge 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windancer Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 FWIW, I had to replace the OEM tires at around 28000km (17398 miles). The brakes are still good after 40000km (crossing fingers), so I don't think it's my driving style. Interesting how I got 40,000 kms. out of the tires but replaced my front brakes at 30,000 kms. so I too would have to agree it' not the driving style. Terry Addicted to Dodge 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Sixspeedrt Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 BTW, when the Kumhos hit 28,000 miles or so, they are virtually useless in snow. Hoping for much better out of my replacement tires. annarbor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windancer Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 BTW, when the Kumhos hit 28,000 miles or so, they are virtually useless in snow. Hoping for much better out of my replacement tires. I would tend to agree, When my tires hit 40,000 kms (24,000 Miles)I was advised to remove them, they would probably last me another summer but winter driving was "pushing" it. I replaced my 225/55/19 Kumhos with 235/55/19 Michelin Latitudes HP and haven't looked back since. To date I have had no problems with them and they seem to be very good in deep snow and on ice. Not as good as winter tires but no complaints from me. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecrazyfoo4u Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 My 19" Kumho's lasted just over 40,000 miles. If anything, you would think mine would wear out faster since I live in the desert where it's above 100deg F everyday for several months in the summer. You would think the hot asphalt would wear them a lot faster. Regardless, I was glad to get rid of them...never could get them balanced properly; they were always slighly wobbly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Diamond Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 Understand that the tires that came with your car were not designed by Kumho. They were designed by Chrysler. If your new car came with a set of Kumho's, Kumho made the tire but they made it to the specifications set by Chrysler. The OEM tires that came with your car can’t be replaced (which is a good thing) after they’ve worn out. And they will wear out much sooner than they should. This is because virtually all auto manufacturers specify very soft rubber which means they wear out too fast. You can buy what you think is the same tire, but it will have a different model number when sold by a tire store. Auto manufacturers do this because they want that new car to have the smoothest ride possible, even at your expense of having to buy a new set of tires at half the mileage you should have to. When you test drive that brand new car and it rides very, very smoothly you’re more likely to buy it. You’ll find out how fast the tires wear out much later, and when you do you’ll blame it on the tire maker. Don't blame the tire maker, blame the vehicle manufacturer. This is very true, jkeaton! For those that have the Khumo Solus KH16 tires that came on the Journey (2011...I can't speak for the earlier or later years), I have found out the real reason mine were worn out after 25k miles. I talked to Khumo directly and the tires that were put on the Journey at the time were made out of a different compound than the replacement tires. That compound is designed to wear our quicker than the replacement tires. This is why there are so many reports of the factory tires wearing out between 20k to 30k miles. The "warranty" on these tires are not be specified in the tires warranty as far as exact number of miles (I didn't see anything in mine when I bought it used at 24K in May 2013 and the tires at that time were close to 3/4 worn) however once I talked to Khumo after the tires wore out quickly that's when I found this out. All tire specifications (including compounds) are requested and specified by the automobile manufacturer (yes that would be Chrysler in the case of our Journeys). I'm just using my own experience to help those that may not be aware of this. If anyone still has the factory Khumo Solus KH16, it would best to contact Khumo directly just to make sure that your tires do not fall under the same category. I'm almost certain that this was the case for all 2011's that have these tires. This is nothing against Khumo because from what I hear, the replacement tires (which are not the same compound as the Chrysler factory tires that come on the vehicle new hence "OEM") are much better tires. BD jkeaton 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey_SeXT Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 (edited) Well, that wasn't a wise move on Khumo's part as many are replacing the tires with other brands because of the premature wear....also they earned a reputation of being a crappy tire. You should always try to make a good first impression if you want repeat business. Sorry but no 2nd chances for Khumo if I had to replace my tires I will look for another brand and having the 17" tires I have plenty of selection to choose from. Edited February 24, 2014 by Journey_SeXT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 Kumho is not the only one doing it. Whatever tire is on a new vehicle from the factory is the same way. Firestone, Good year, etc. Moral of the story is, expect new car tires to wear out quickly or count yourself lucky if they dont. Replace them when the time comes with the tire of your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Taylor Posted March 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Thanks for the info. I'll be looking at a new set of tires in the next few weeks. anyone had any issues with bridgestone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecrazyfoo4u Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 I highly recommend the Yokohama YK580 (not sure if they have them in the proper 17" size though). I got the 235/55/r19 for about $600 shipped with a discount tire deal last summer. They are perfect tires, nice and smooth drive and super quiet. And they have an awesome 60k mile warranty too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGBOX Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 (edited) I highly recommend the Yokohama YK580 (not sure if they have them in the proper 17" size though). I got the 235/55/r19 for about $600 shipped with a discount tire deal last summer. They are perfect tires, nice and smooth drive and super quiet. And they have an awesome 60k mile warranty too! Yep, and they have a low rolling resistance too, which should help get a tiny bit better fuel economy. Those are the tires I am going with this spring when the winters come off. I will be going with the 255/50-19. They are only 1% larger circumference than the stock 225's compared the 235's which are 1.5% larger. They are also cheaper than the 235's by a couple bucks each, so is a better option. Its the stock size for many SUV's like the Mercedes M's and the BMW X's, so a more common size. Stock 225 vs 235's: Stock 225 vs 255's: Edited March 6, 2014 by FROGBOX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGBOX Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 (edited) Well, that wasn't a wise move on Khumo's part as many are replacing the tires with other brands because of the premature wear....also they earned a reputation of being a crappy tire. You should always try to make a good first impression if you want repeat business. Sorry but no 2nd chances for Khumo if I had to replace my tires I will look for another brand and having the 17" tires I have plenty of selection to choose from. Look at it from their point of view. They have a chance to manufacture & sell millions of tires to Chrysler. For that kind of volume, they would be fools not to agree to the specs provided by the customer. Yes, they may loose a lot of potential customers from being disgruntled about the poor mileage, but that pales in comparison to the $$$ they make from supplying the originals. Also don't forget that every manufacturer is probably in the same boat. I had a Pontiac Montana that came new with Good Year tires that were crap and wore out fast. I replaced them with a different brand too at a very early stage. The only car I have ever owned that came with good tires right from the factory was a VW Jetta that had Michelin tires. They lasted forever. Edited March 6, 2014 by FROGBOX jkeaton and Journey_SeXT 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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