Can you imagine the life of an all-terrain tire? As if being off-road capable is not hard enough, the tire will also need to perform quite well on normal road surfaces. In this regard, I have to say that the Kumho Road Venture AT51 is an impressive all-terrain tire.
In fact, it is one of my favorite all-terrain tires. I am not an off-road or pickup truck kind of guy. I prefer road cars or sedans over large SUVs or pickups, but that’s just me. But the Kumho Road Venture AT51 managed to tickle my fancy because it delivers balanced performance without sacrificing the on-road manners of a typical highway terrain SUV or truck tire.
I was so impressed that I was in high spirits while creating this 2024 Kumho Road Venture AT51 review. My test vehicle is a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 equipped with stock 17-inch wheels.
The owner of the Colorado has recently swapped to a new pair of Kumho Road Venture AT51 tires. He was initially impressed with the price and tread design of the Kumho tires. But after spending a couple hundred miles behind the wheel of his Chevy truck, he personally told me that the Kumho tires are many times better than the stock tires fitted on his truck.
Before we get to the actual review of the Kumho Road Venture AT51, here are some of the features of this tire so that we can discern the reasons behind the sterling reputation of this top quality all-terrain tire.
Features
The Kumho Road Venture AT51 is engineered using a dual silicone compound. This formula enables the tire to give a more even tread wear while quickly cooling the carcass to deliver balanced performance on both tarmac and loose gravel.
This tire is equipped with an angled chamfer with hundreds of gripping edges to deliver maximum traction and grip whether you’re traversing over snow or mud. The deep and tapered block improves the rugged appearance while promoting the self-cleaning ability of the tire.
Compared to other all-terrain tires with a rugged design, the Kumho Road Venture AT51 prioritizes a silent and comfortable ride by utilizing a symmetric tread design equipped with variable-pitch tread blocks. The design is responsible for quelling the road noise of the tires as it travels over smooth road surfaces.
Test Drive
With the owner of the Chevy Colorado riding shotgun, we drove on the highway for about 50 miles before arriving at our off-road destination. We were faced with loose gravel, sharp stones, and a solid dose of rich, loose, and brown soil along with sand and loose vegetation.
Dry Traction
Dry traction was impressive and the steering was fairly responsive as well. Although the steering of the Colorado could use some minor tweaking to be considered lively, I had nothing bad to say about the dry performance of the Kumho Road Venture AT51.
Wet Traction
We encountered a slight drizzle on our way home from the test, which was enough to cover the roads with multiple pools of water. Despite this, traction and grip were never absent even as we were traveling at highway speeds.
Snow Traction
I really wanted to test the tires on deep snow since the owner of the Colorado was utterly impressed with the abilities of the tires on icy and snowy terrain, but you can’t have it all, right?
Comfort
The Kumho Road Venture AT51 was super smooth and eerily quiet on the highway. In fact, this is probably one of the most refined all-terrain tires that you can buy today. It’s not as comfy as a luxury car, but even the owner of the Colorado told me that his old tires were less refined compared to the Kumho AT51.
Noise
Don’t get me wrong, though. It’s not exactly as quiet as a library inside the Chevy Colorado, but you would be foolish to assume that the aggressive looks of the Kumho AT51 will naturally result in a choppy and loud ride. But you would be wrong.
This tire is not perfect. Yes, it is quiet for both city and highway driving, but higher speeds will introduce some tire roar inside the cabin. This only happens at higher than average speeds, mind you, so this not a major issue. Still, I give this tire good marks in terms of silence and comfort.
Off-Road Performance
Off-road driving revealed another impressive facet of the Kumho Road Venture AT51. It tackled loose gravel and sharp stones with relative ease while maintaining an acceptable level of ride comfort over extremely rutted terrain.
The important thing to remember in this review of the Kumho Road Venture AT51 is the remarkably balanced nature of the tires. If I were to buy an SUV or pickup truck, I would prefer this tire over highway-terrain tires since it can significantly enhance the looks and off-road abilities without sacrificing the on-road behavior of my truck.
Value
Perhaps the biggest selling point of the Kumho Road Venture AT51 is price. You can buy a more expensive set of all-terrain tires from Bridgestone or Michelin and expect the tires to perform better than other cheaper alternatives. However, the Kumho Road Venture AT51 offers almost the same level of wet, dry, and snow performance while costing almost half as much.
You also get an aggressive go-anywhere style, which will perfectly match the rugged nature of your truck or SUV. I am aware that style should take a backseat when choosing a brand new set of tires, but there’s nothing wrong with choosing a tire that looks the part as well.
Conclusion
Creating this 2024 Kumho Road Venture AT51 review made me a believer. I’m still not a fan of pickups or large sport-utility vehicles, but if the day comes that I would have to buy one, I will certainly keep the Kumho AT51 in mind. This tire will give your truck a rugged all-terrain look while remaining quiet and civilized on smooth tarmac.
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Alvin Reyes has expertise in automotive evaluation. He collaborated with famous newspapers and is still making efforts in tire review for DrivingPress.com
At what higher speed do you start to notice the tire roar?