So, you are a proud owner of an SUV. But you hardly have an idea about which tyre is best for your SUV. Fret not, and read on to know more about choosing the best tyres for your SUV.
Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) can be thought of as a newcomer to the automobile space, given that the earliest SUV rolled out of the production line only in the late 90s and early 21st century. But if you check the records correctly, you will realize that SUVs have been around for quite a long time.
Going back in time to the 1930s era, passenger vehicles similar to SUVs were in use to transport troops to different parts of the country. However, it was only in the year 1984 that the term SUV was first used when the initial edition of the Jeep Cherokee was launched.
Gradually, many car buyers started showing interest in SUVs, and the SUV demand started eating into the season and hatchback market. This was the era when the popularity of SUVs shot up considerably. The SUV term has now come to encompass smaller crossover vehicles, taking the share of SUVs in the passenger car segment to as high as 36.4%.
So, before we go ahead, we hope you know the best SUVs to buy. As the popularity of SUVs surged, an important question that came to the owners’ minds was: “Which tyre is the best for my SUV?” The answer to this question is not an easy one, given the numerous options available that can confuse even the most seasoned buyers and SUV owners.
At the outset, you must first honestly consider the vehicle type and the road conditions that you drive your vehicle on most of the time. With so many SUV vehicles, naturally, the tyre options are plenty. As there are many SUV vehicles, there are many tyre options available too.
Let us have a look at some of the key factors to consider when choosing new tyres for your SUV.
- Comfort and convenience
- Road conditions
- Fuel economy
- Durability
- Safety
While a number of tyre companies have come up in recent times with each trying to create a space in the market for itself with tempting ads, the safest bet always is to go for the reputed brands. The market is replete with trusted tyre brands such as Pirelli, Michelin, Kumho, etc.
Here’s a quick but exhaustive walkthrough of some of the best tyres for your SUV.
MICHELIN PRIMACY SUV
The Michelin Primacy SUV tyres prioritizes safety and comfort like few other tyres do. Michelin Primacy tyres have an impressive road grip and handling, thanks to the tyre’s 4 longitudinal grooves, resulting in full safety of the occupants. This unique groove pattern easily removes road surface water, while maintaining firm contact with the road surface.
Key Features
The Michelin Primacy is backed by Cushion Guard and Even Peak technologies that help the tyre absorb road imperfections for a comfortable and less bumpy ride. Many of the tyre’s features are due to the new FlexMax2.0 Rubber compound. Michelin’s StabiliGrip tread and sipe pattern help achieve more grip and safety on the road.
A road test for testing Michelin Primacy’s road grip and safety features was carried out, and the results were pretty much in consonance with the claims made by the manufacturer. As per the test results, the car with Primacy tyres stopped 2.2 meters shorter and showed about 6% better handling near bends as compared to previous tyres.
COOPER SRX
The Cooper brand has many tyres for SUVs, but one model that tops the popularity meter in the market is the Cooper Discoverer SRX. This tyre model comes with a lot of safety features and scores well on other parameters as well.
Key Features
The Cooper SRX comes with the unique Stabiledge Technology wherein the tyre grooves are kept open, leading to excellent road grip and handling. Cooper has developed a way to monitor the depth of your tyre tread.
A new technology called the WearSquare visual indicator acts as a visual indicator. The wear bar alters with the tyre wear and tear and thus lets the owner know visually the state of his tyres and the depth of tyre tread.
The presence of the well-performing compound and bead filler is countered by a unique nylon reinforcing overlay, which offers a comfortable ride. Cooper SRX has a well-engineered silica compound formulation that gives a much better performance around wet bends, and braking reducing rolling resistance, which increases durability and gives higher fuel efficiency.
The 3D Micro-Gauge siping technology enables the tyre grooves to interlock resulting in greater stability while braking, cornering, and handling.
KUMHO ROAD VENTURE KL51
If you are looking for that one classic tyre for the adventurous trip on your SUV to the rough terrain of the hills, here’s a classic tyre from Kumho. The Kumho Road Venture KL5 is the ideal pick for any SUV in the market today.
The Kumho KL51 is rated M+S. For the layman, this means that this is one of the few tyres in the market that is compatible with muddy or snowy terrain. It also comes with an 80,000 km warranty. The size of the KL51 tyre ranges from 15” to 18”.
We highly recommend this tyre if you are driving in not-so-ideal road conditions.
PIRELLI SCORPION VERDE ALL SEASON
In the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season, you have the ideal SUV tyre for all terrain types. You also get the highest safety and comfort in this tyre model. The Scorpion Verde encompasses everything a passenger tyre requires with a little extra light off-road performance.
Key Features
As the rolling resistance comes down, the CO2 emissions reduce, and there are other advantages such as greater fuel economy and a quieter ride. Pirelli has produced a new rubber compound for the Scorpion Verde which is called the Highly Aromatic Oil Free compound (HAOF). This compound has 8% lower raw materials content and is thus quite eco-friendly.
PIRELLI SCORPION AT +
If you are someone who loves to go on adventure trips, this tyre is highly recommended for your SUV. It promises to give you a smooth and comfortable ride on any terrain. As a tyre meant for long winding roads, the Scorpion AT plus is capable of handling rough and dusty terrain with ease. It is also compatible with Muddy and Snowy terrain and is rated as (M+S)
Hence, the tyres you choose for your highly capable SUV must be matched in performance and safety by the best tyres. So, take your pick and unleash the full performance of your SUV.
